

A Computer Repair Shop as a Startup (with numbers) - markpenn
http://pcrepairs.posterous.com/my-computer-repair-shop-numbers

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3dFlatLander
I've toyed with this idea for years. Maybe that's the case with others as
well. I've got a load of tech savvy friends, rent is very affordable for
storefront commercial buildings. I could even scrounge up some initial
investment money. But it can't be that easy... can it?

I was sad to see this was the only post on the blog. I'd be very interested in
knowing what steps went into setting up shop.

~~~
markpenn
I plan on posting more in the coming days.

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kellishaver
I, too, own a computer repair shop. We've been open for a few years now, and
while I don't have any numbers on me at the moment, this seems very similar to
our early days. We're in a very small town, so our numbers probably started
off a bit lower.

We do a lot of: virus/spyware removal, replacing broken power jacks on
laptops, hard drive replacement (with and without data recovery), in the
spring/summer we replace a lot of power supplies thanks to all of the
thunderstorms), format and reinstall (usually at their request, we rarely have
to do it due to viruses, etc.), RAM upgrades, laptop screen replacements.

By far, the majority of the hardware problems we see are hard drives and
laptop power jacks, which makes sense, since they tend to take the most abuse.

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timr
My first "computer job" (early in high school) started as gopher duty at a
local PC shop in my hometown. I unpacked boxes of hard drives, swept the
floors, and occasionally cleaned the bathroom (aside: every high school kid's
first job should involve cleaning a toilet!). Eventually, I moved up to doing
diagnostic and assembly work, and the owner realized that he could hire high
school kids to do most of the tech jobs. The guy is still in business nearly
twenty years later, and as far as I can tell, he's done quite well for
himself.

The only problem is, it's not the most intellectually stimulating work in the
world, and it's certainly not for the high-aspiration type of person. But when
you can hire smart high school kids to do most of the labor, set up some basic
process automation and establish a reliable network of customer
recommendations, it takes very little effort or time to maintain the business.
I'm sure I work longer hours in the bit-mines than he ever did.

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WalterGR
> Most of my revenue has been been from virus and malware removal. I coupled
> the virus/malware removal with an antivirus installation service for $19 and
> most people gladly paid it.

Once a computer has become infected, it's fairly impossible to determine if
the infection has been completely eradicated.[1] I wonder that that $19 buys
you. A few executions of anti-malware software until they claim "Clean"?

[1] I realize that even in the absence of a known infection it's "impossible"
to know whether you're infected.

~~~
barrkel
What I would expect:

* fewer crappy apps running on startup

* improved startup time

* no unknown apps running after a clean boot

(Previous 3 can be monitored with e.g. SysInternals AutoRuns)

* no browser / networking stack hijacking extensions showing popups / interstitials / DOM modifications etc. at random intervals

(As evidenced by e.g. HijackThis)

* no unsigned DLLs / drivers of unknown provenance loaded in any process or the kernel

(As evidenced by e.g. Process Explorer's Verify Image Signatures option - look
in loaded modules of the "System" process to see all loaded kernel drivers and
modules), with a representative sample of applications running (browsers,
productivity, etc.)

* no apparent rootkit-style hijacking of the process / registry / disk inspection routines, as would be shown by e.g. RootkitRevealer

And of course, a commercial virus scan, for what it's worth. I personally
don't run a real-time virus scanner; I rely on monitoring what the system is
doing directly.

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swies
PC shops like this one are the market for our premium product and it is
extremely interesting to see these numbers. It wasn't obvious to me before
(I'm sort of slow with these things) but if you're selling a B2B product,
checking out a customer's books is really enlightening.

~~~
markpenn
What's your premium product?

~~~
swies
My co-founder and I make Ninite (YC W08) <http://ninite.com>

It automatically installs apps for windows fast. It's free for home use, but
we charge businesses. Many of our subscribers are PC shops like yours.

It's fascinating to see the next step up the value chain in such detail.
Thanks for writing that post.

~~~
markpenn
Awesome product; I'll look into it.

I think it would be great for custom PCs and of course for newly formatted
PCs.

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reedlaw
What do you do with customers who don't have or can't find product keys for
Windows, Office, etc.? I find the majority of people who ask me for help fall
into this category. Unless they have a laptop with the product key stuck
underneath, they rarely can find their original product keys. I'm then faced
with telling them they need to shell out hundreds of dollars or switch to
Linux. Some of the them switched, but unless they're willing to learn Linux,
that's a whole new set of problems (e.g. they call you saying "I downloaded
MSN but I can't install for some reason").

~~~
kellishaver
For Windows, you tell them they need to order recovery CD/DVDs from the
manufacturer, and then we order them for them. It's usally between $15-25. If
we happen to have restore disks from their manufacturer that will work with
their model, we use them, so long as the computer had a valid copy of windows
on it to begin with.

If it's a computer they've built rather than bought from a big box and have
lost their key, well, they're out of luck, but most people who build their own
computers don't bring them to a computer repair shop.

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detst
What do you guys think about doing this part time and on-site at people's
homes? I'm looking for something to cover my basic expenses while working on
another project. Yeah, I could get a full-time job. But I would rather have
the time considering my expenses are very low right now.

One big benefit for me is that it would get me outside and dealing with people
to counter my extended hacking sessions. Any ideas on a good rate and
marketing strategy?

~~~
acgourley
I did this through college, really was stressful compared to almost any other
part time job. Paid better though.

It's very hard to be empathetic and be in the business, you end up
undercharging but still going too far above and beyond to meet their
schedules/needs, and ultimately feeling bad you didn't do a 100% perfect job
after you give them the bill (because in hindsight, you could do any job in
half the time)

Oh and you'll get calls 2 years after you close up shop.

~~~
detst
Thanks. I think being empathetic might be a bit of a problem for me but the
great thing is that I can always just stop doing it whenever I want. Is this
where the stress came?

Any ideas on a good rate to charge? Do people look at on-site work as a
premium service or do they look at you as the small guy and expect a really
good rate?

How did you market your service?

I'd really like to hear more about your experience as the getting out the door
aspect is really appealing to me right now.

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fraXis
What are your rates? Hourly or per Job? How much do you pay for overhead
(rent, etc).

You state that they bring their systems to you so I assume you have a
storefront.

Those numbers are impressive for just starting out, but it would be nice to
know the full story such as your expenses regarding the running and the upkeep
of the business.

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cakeface
I can't get by this guy's prose. Something just seems off about it. Maybe I
shouldn't be cruising HN this... late.

It always seems like anyone qualified enough to fix a computer could make way
more per hour doing programming or IT work. Computer repair seems like a great
idea but I don't think it's efficient right now.

~~~
HeyLaughingBoy
Possibly, but someone qualified enough to be a good programmer could probably
also make way more in a financial or medical field. Having the _ability_
doesn't necessarily correlate to having an _interest_. Many smart people may
choose to repair computers because of the interaction with a variety of people
daily rather than stuck in a cubicle somewhere.

Hell, I could make more money as a dentist, but I don't find the idea of
poking around in people's mouths every day to be very appealing.

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pgbovine
my personal definition of a 'startup' is a business that aims to grow rapidly,
acquire venture funding, and hire more employees. this seems like a
(successful) small business, not a 'tech startup'. the author's hope is not to
become the next 37signals, meebo, facebook, google, etc.

~~~
_delirium
That makes "startup" sound like a kind of disreputable thing. What's wrong
with building a sustainable business that you enjoy running, and continuing to
run it, instead of looking for the quickest way to sell out?

~~~
pgbovine
out of curiosity, what part of my comment made it sound like aiming to grow
rapidly to scale was disreputable? i don't mean to pass value judgments on
either small businesses or growth-oriented startups

~~~
_delirium
That was my editorializing, not read into yours, sorry. My view is that
"startup" is a pretty broad category, that's mainly based on someone who has
an idea they think is interesting or will be useful to someone (possibly a
large group, or possibly a small group). There's a certain subset of those
people who are mainly in it for the money: they want to get big and sell out
quick. If those are the _only_ kind who really count as startups, then I'd
have to take a pretty negative view of startups...

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w3matter
It does not matter if he considers himself a startup or not.

Think about it. He does fairly well doing what he does. Must a dentist
"scale", or is the dentist perfectly happy running her practice until she
retires?

Why do people have to scale? Wouldn't you like yourself to earn that regular
money every month doing something that you like without thinking of constant
expansion?

~~~
jamesbritt
I've heard, from assorted friends an d such, that one of "the problems with
capitalism" is that businesses must grow or die.

I never quite got that. I mean, I understand that a business may be driven by
shareholders to just keep going after that one extra dollar, but it's also
quite feasible to have a sustainable business that earns its owners a good
income, isn't always trying to grow, and leaves everyone happy.

