Computer Support Business?

I currently have a Computer Troubleshooter franchise and think this would be a good option to look into. There are currently over 300 franchises worldwide and we all communicate with each other. If you ever come across some problem and aren't sure what to do, you can send a message to the group and someone, somewhere in the world, will have come across that situation or have an idea of what to try. I haven't come across anything yet that someone didn't have a good answer or suggestion for. There is a great team spirit within the franchises.

Give it a serious look.

It may be possible to obtain an appropriate sized hard drive and and some software i.e. DriveCopy (R) to make a copy of the customer's hard drive(s) for less than $300. If there is no room in the target PC for the additional drive, it may be necessary to do some reconfiguration.

A computer support business offering consulting by a woman is an excellent idea, since I am a network engineer with 12 years experience, and a woman myself. I think people do feel more comfortable with a woman providing support, especially when at their home.

I have done this type of freelancing myself, and it can be a viable business, but there are plenty of pitfalls. Such as, when you go to fix one thing, and there are other problems with the PC and you are blamed for "breaking" the PC. It gets easier if you can be the one consistently maintaining the equipment, because you will know what was done to it prior. Also, I find the biggest trick is to manage the customers' expectations. If you can do this, and keep explaining to them what to expect next (like a 3rd grade teacher) you will be successful. Also, people don't really want to pay much, and this can be a problem, too. You should charge the going rate, though, because you will have about the same amount of business. People learn who is good and who is not, and business mostly depends on this, and word of mouth. Try a 'special' offer to get first time business instead. Good luck. I wish there were more technical women out there. Probably others do, too.

Once all that has been done may consider some advertising start small. A mobile may be nice to have also didn't see that mentioned. Good luck with your venture

He ythe way u think is O.k But a single person like you can not go out to nore than ten houses per day ..All u need is man power !@

There's one I'm looking at called Computer Troubleshooters which is rated as the worlds largest Computer Support franchise and was top rated Computer Support franchise in Entrepreneur Magazine last year. They have 300+ franchisees in 12 -15 countries.

I am a software guy. Like all of us, I have to know somethig about hardware as well, but not enough to be anything but DANGEROUS. I like the suggestion from an earlier poster that you stick with externals wherever possible.
Even though I am very cautious about taking grounding precautions, etc., I had a customer's PC expire while I had my hands in it.
I do not know why this occurred, and fortunately for me, the owner had purchased an "extended warranty" from his retailer which replaced his entire PC with a better one. I mention this only because your friends and neighbors look at you as a "computer" person. They do not know what your limitations are. YOU must know what they are, to avoid embarrassment, and unexpected expenses.
Best of luck to you, and pay no attention to what "others" charge, because it just doesn't have anything to do with you, and what it is you're going to do.

Your toolset will depend on what consulting
services you provide. Some of the things you
will definitely need to keep handy:
* Anti-virus
* OS upgrades
* Be prepared to support win 98 - you will be
surprised at the number of 98 users.

Good luck!!

How well are you connected in your community? The big thing you will find is that you need to do a lot of networking and selling to get your business going. Do not underestimate this as you will be consumed by it. If you don't enjoy this aspect you might want to consider teaming up with someone that is doing this sort of business already.

I personally feel that consulting will enhance your reach and make better use of your skills. Getting into a price war is not a quality speak. You could also get into online tech support for various sites that would widen your reach. I am also in the same line of business, the market is growing and you could make a tidy sum.

-Soju

Hi,

I run a small computer and network support company and have numerous lessons I'd be happy to pass along. I intended at first to focus on home support. However, the way my business has evolved, my home customers make up spproximately 25% of my business. I found it was difficult to reach enough residential customers without a continuous outlay of advertising dollars. Residential customers do not supply much repeat business.

I discovered that there is an underserved segment of small business that is hungry for quality support. From 1 to 25 (approx) computers. The bigger support companies do not put much effort into supporting these folks. There is a great opportunity if you willing to go for it.

Getting business in this sector is mostly based on referals and relationships. I suggest business networking groups such as BNI and the Chamber of Commerce to help establish relationships.

I will write more later (I have to get to work).

Jeff McIntyre

The States is certainly different to Australia, but here, if your business name has your full name, you do not need to register a business name. You do need to set a business number with the governement. Do not offer the initial consult for free, you may only be needed for one consult, offer by all means that the second one will be half price, then you do not miss out and they feel they are getting a bargain. Emphasise you experience rather than your gender, you do not wish to alienate men who need assistance.

Make sure you take a receipt book so that home users who just need help to set up and may not need you again for ages can pay you, cheque or cash.

Ensure you keep accurate records for tax purposes. Keep what you think you may need for tax aside so you do not get caught short.

Go for it. If you have been out of work, then you have nothing to lose. Use your skills and invest in yourself. Print of letters and mail box drop your local businesses. You may be surprised. People would rather not pay for someone to travel for an hour, and if they feel you are local, then when everything falls apart, they can hope for help fairly quickly. Defininitely an advantage.

Make sure your business skills are working. If you have to invoice a business, make sure you send/phone/e-mail a reminder if they do not pay within the designated time frame. It does not hurt to nag.

Good luck.

Liz Pandelis
lpandelis@optushome.com.au

Another thing it says -- totally without meaning to! Is that you are not worth as much as the rest. A discount might be appropriate for high volume calls, for a referral, etc.

Don't get suckered into fixing the problem over the phone. This is easy to do, as you are trying to troubleshoot and get an idea of what is needed. If you provide a phone fix, unless there is a service contract, you have spent your resources (time, money, knowledge, phone bill, advertising) and will NOT get paid. There is a minimum of a 1 hour charge for an outcall. Period. If you fix it in 10 minutes -- spend anoter half hour fiddling with the system, optimising it, and explaining how to not break it to the user.

As a woman in technology, what I have found is that the clients will "hear" the training better from a female. While they may, unconsciously, expect a male to do better hardware work, they expect a female to explain it better.

My husband just started doing this. A friend of his created a flyer and included it in the subdivision welcome letter. The friend also introduced him at the community's monthly meeting.

Your idea sounds great! Go for it - but do your homework first. It sounds as if you have a good niche market with which to work. Targeting female home users may be quite viable but you won't know untill you do the research. You might find that you don't have to be price competitive (you may be able to charge $60/h the same as the rest and achieve the same results.) As a woman, you have an advantage that the others cannot compete with. If you walk in with a pricing strategy, the competition can match your price. If you walk in with a gender based strategy, it is unlikely that the competition will undergo a sex change operation!

Begin with a strategic plan. Figure out exactly what it is you want to do and how you want to do it. If you are targeting women, where will you advertise and promote your services. Think about things like your newspaper ad layout; think about talking to women's clubs, etc. Where will you spend your marketing dollars and time.

PUT A GOOD BUDGET SPREADSHEET TOGETHER! Create your budget using the best numbers you can get. If you have to use an estimate, "de-sensitize" your estimates by breaking them down into small components. For example, don't just estimate revenue, estimate revenue from each sub-market and if possible estimate revenue from each sub-sub-market. By breaking down your estimates, you reduce the effect error has on your overall budget. Where one estimate may be generous, the next may be pessimistic - the error in these two estimates will cancel out.

Really go nuts on the numbers. As you are doing the budget you will find that you need to take time to reflect on certain aspects of your business. When you do, go back to your strategic plan - does this fit? Do you need to change your strategy or do you need to re-think that aspect of your business.

Next, go to your banker. You may not need to borrow any money, but most businesses fail because of undercapitalization. Your banker should be able to look at your business plan and budget and may even make a few suggestions. This is your banker and your success means that more of your money will be in his bank! Get him on-side. In the end, you should be able to arrange a line of credit that will cover you in the event that you do need some money.

Good luck!

Chas I think you have a good idea. But, I also think that a franchise is the way to go in the long run. I recently have looked at all of them and the cost associated with them like:
Geek On Call
Computer Doctor
Friendly Computers
etc....
I recently bought into one of them but will not put the name here. Don't want it to look like I am advertising.

You will need to get some sort of "Business Liability" insurance..it's cheap but well worth it.

Check out www.techgeeks.com and www.techguys.com
for some ideas or contact them on possible starting an office in your location

There is also alot of cost to consider:

1. Business Phone line (especially if you have kids in the house, you don't want them to answer your phone for possible customers)

2. Get a professional web site done for customers to see. Get it listed high in the search engines also.

3. Advertise "yellow book", "superpages", etc. This is where the cost is. YOu need to decide where to put your money. But, you almost need to try at least one of them. Unless, you community has a local advertisement to use.

4. Liability Insurance (well worth it)

5. Display ad for vehicle

6. Business cards

7. Trouble desk program (good for tracking customers also)

Other things to but can't think of them right now. If anyone has any personal questions feel free to email me as i've recently went thru this whole process.

Well, I think is good to think for installer CDs of any OS you can to have, Win95A,B,Win98 WIn98 2nd Edition, ME, Windows 2000, XP SP1, Mac OS 9.22, Mac OS X Jaguar and it's update for offline inst. 10.2.8, Mac OS Panther 10.3 and it's update 10.3.4, Office 97, Office 2000, Office 2003, Cliparts for Office, at least two CDs with the most common aplications for Office and home, incluiding F-prot for DOS, sasser and Blaster patch for Win2000 and XP, removal tools for the most common Virus, incluiding the last version of Stinger and Norton removal tools, at least a game ;)... well, and when a customer call you, ask for a detailed description of the problem for being prepared and never forget to ask for the DRIVERS THAT CAME WITH THE MACHINE if not, verify they have a good conection to download them.!!!

Never forget to ask about the last backup they made, if they have encripted info, and I sugest to work with business cards and people that you know, this because you never know who is the person you will assist. Ask always who recomend your services to have a reference ok?

later.

Stay in touch and safe.

There are franchise's out there that don't cost an arm and a leg to get started. Trust me i've talked to all of them..haha
You can e-mail me for details.

Hi EMJ -

I am a female tech specialist with 18 yrs of corporate experience. I jumped ship a year ago from tech management to home/small business tech support. Not wanting to join the corporate jungle again and long commute to the city, I started my own business locally. As a working mother, word got out quickly about my services and I found myself setting up home wireless networks for my neighbors and friends. Even through local advertising, 90% of my cients are women, mostly because they've chosen the same path as I have. Leaving the corporate world to stare their own home business (or telecommute) and spend more time w/ family. After 8 months of running my new business, I have a few words of advice:

1. Be careful of work you do for friends; most of them will see you as friend first, techie second and will try to get alot of free advice and work out of you - it sometimes can be a touchy situation.

2. Hope you like pets - Most homeowners have pets, and I've had many a cat and dog sit on my lap while I work.

3. Be good at multitasking - most homeowners like to sit and watch what I'm doing to learn. Sometimes they just want to talk about community stuff. Learn to be discrete and avoid gossip. Troubleshooting at home is a very personal experience, master the art of small talk and leave something behind for the client; i.e., design a form w/ your logo that gives all of the user information when setting up broadband or wireless network., such as router SSID, passwords, user ID, passwords.

4. Give seminars - Find your specialty and offer a seminar at your local library or PTA. As a parent, I found that Internet Safety is a hot issue among families. I spend a great deal of time cleaning up spyware, viruses and getting rid of porn and P2P sofware from kids PC's - and talking to parents and kids about this. After much research and promotion, I now give seminars throughout my community on this topic. Learn how to write your own press release. I've had many local articles published about my seminars - it's great for business.

5. Quote your hourly rate upfront and try to get paid before you leave the house when the job is completed. I've discovered that most homeowners have a yearly spending limit for tech services - $500 seems to be the max on average. At some point they will want free info so that they can do some of their own work. You'll learn to see the signs of that and walk away nicely.

6. Be nice, courteous, send follow-up emails and build your email list for periodic business mailings. My husband thinks I'm too personable, and get taken advantage of at times. Everyone has a hardship story, but always remind yourself that this is a business that you are running - and you have your own bills to pay.

7. Be technically flexible - homeowners have a large assortment of old equipment and operating systems. As a seasoned Windows person, I've learned alot about Macs - and have increased my business from this.

8. Be honest with the homeowner - I hate Windows 95, Windows 98 and Mac OS 8.0. If the software vendor doesn't support a product anymore, I won't either. Rather than charge $400 or so to upgrade an old PC with new hardware and software, I will tell my client that they can get a new PC for not much more. They appreciate your honesty and will use you for future work.

9. Give a 2-3 hour timeframe when you schedule your jobs. I try not to be, but am usually late for my appts, mostly because a previous appt took longer than anticipated. Carry a cellphone with you and call your client to let them know you're running late.

10. Spend time everyday on tech research - A full time tech job gives you the freedom to research and learn while you're working. On your own, you don't get paid for the time it takes to keep up with technology. I spend at least two hours on the internet each day - reading the latest tech info and research solutions to new problems.

11. Be prepared - Always bring a laptop with you, to help connect a clients broadband or wireless network. Keep a toolkit with software (like a memory key with disktools, and antispyware software). Bring extra power strips, network cables, and a full range of screw drivers for any upgrade work.

12. Certain equipment I order for the client and charge 10% extra. Most don't want to be bothered with figuring out what router or printer to get. Find a good online retailer to order your equipment from. Keep up with the latest hardware reviews.

Home tech support is better than flipping burgers at a fast food joint - but know that you won't get rich overnight. You'll know if this is what you want to do for the long haul, or while you're waiting for your dream job. It certainly keeps your skills current and remember that onsite personal tech support can never be outsourced. Good luck to you!

Hi EMJ -

I am a female tech specialist with 18 yrs of corporate experience. I jumped ship a year ago from tech management to home/small business tech support. Not wanting to join the corporate jungle again and long commute to the city, I started my own business locally. As a working mother, word got out quickly about my services and I found myself setting up home wireless networks for my neighbors and friends. Even through local advertising, 90% of my cients are women, mostly because they've chosen the same path as I have. Leaving the corporate world to stare their own home business (or telecommute) and spend more time w/ family. After 8 months of running my new business, I have a few words of advice:

1. Be careful of work you do for friends; most of them will see you as friend first, techie second and will try to get alot of free advice and work out of you - it sometimes can be a touchy situation.

2. Hope you like pets - Most homeowners have pets, and I've had many a cat and dog sit on my lap while I work.

3. Be good at multitasking - most homeowners like to sit and watch what I'm doing to learn. Sometimes they just want to talk about community stuff. Learn to be discrete and avoid gossip. Troubleshooting at home is a very personal experience, master the art of small talk and leave something behind for the client; i.e., design a form w/ your logo that gives all of the user information when setting up broadband or wireless network., such as router SSID, passwords, user ID, passwords.

4. Give seminars - Find your specialty and offer a seminar at your local library or PTA. As a parent, I found that Internet Safety is a hot issue among families. I spend a great deal of time cleaning up spyware, viruses and getting rid of porn and P2P sofware from kids PC's - and talking to parents and kids about this. After much research and promotion, I now give seminars throughout my community on this topic. Learn how to write your own press release. I've had many local articles published about my seminars - it's great for business.

5. Quote your hourly rate upfront and try to get paid before you leave the house when the job is completed. I've discovered that most homeowners have a yearly spending limit for tech services - $500 seems to be the max on average. At some point they will want free info so that they can do some of their own work. You'll learn to see the signs of that and walk away nicely.

6. Be nice, courteous, send follow-up emails and build your email list for periodic business mailings. My husband thinks I'm too personable, and get taken advantage of at times. Everyone has a hardship story, but always remind yourself that this is a business that you are running - and you have your own bills to pay.

7. Be technically flexible - homeowners have a large assortment of old equipment and operating systems. As a seasoned Windows person, I've learned alot about Macs - and have increased my business from this.

8. Be honest with the homeowner - I hate Windows 95, Windows 98 and Mac OS 8.0. If the software vendor doesn't support a product anymore, I won't either. Rather than charge $400 or so to upgrade an old PC with new hardware and software, I will tell my client that they can get a new PC for not much more. They appreciate your honesty and will use you for future work.

9. Give a 2-3 hour timeframe when you schedule your jobs. I try not to be, but am usually late for my appts, mostly because a previous appt took longer than anticipated. Carry a cellphone with you and call your client to let them know you're running late.

10. Spend time everyday on tech research - A full time tech job gives you the freedom to research and learn while you're working. On your own, you don't get paid for the time it takes to keep up with technology. I spend at least two hours on the internet each day - reading the latest tech info and research solutions to new problems.

11. Be prepared - Always bring a laptop with you, to help connect a clients broadband or wireless network. Keep a toolkit with software (like a memory key with disktools, and antispyware software). Bring extra power strips, network cables, and a full range of screw drivers for any upgrade work.

12. Certain equipment I order for the client and charge 10% extra. Most don't want to be bothered with figuring out what router or printer to get. Find a good online retailer to order your equipment from. Keep up with the latest hardware reviews.

Home tech support is better than flipping burgers at a fast food joint - but know that you won't get rich overnight. You'll know if this is what you want to do for the long haul, or while you're waiting for your dream job. It certainly keeps your skills current and remember that onsite personal tech support can never be outsourced. Good luck to you!

Hi EMJ -

I am a female tech specialist with 18 yrs of corporate experience. I jumped ship a year ago from tech management to home/small business tech support. Not wanting to join the corporate jungle again and long commute to the city, I started my own business locally. As a working mother, word got out quickly about my services and I found myself setting up home wireless networks for my neighbors and friends. Even through local advertising, 90% of my cients are women, mostly because they've chosen the same path as I have. Leaving the corporate world to stare their own home business (or telecommute) and spend more time w/ family. After 8 months of running my new business, I have a few words of advice:

1. Be careful of work you do for friends; most of them will see you as friend first, techie second and will try to get alot of free advice and work out of you - it sometimes can be a touchy situation.

2. Hope you like pets - Most homeowners have pets, and I've had many a cat and dog sit on my lap while I work.

3. Be good at multitasking - most homeowners like to sit and watch what I'm doing to learn. Sometimes they just want to talk about community stuff. Learn to be discrete and avoid gossip. Troubleshooting at home is a very personal experience, master the art of small talk and leave something behind for the client; i.e., design a form w/ your logo that gives all of the user information when setting up broadband or wireless network., such as router SSID, passwords, user ID, passwords.

4. Give seminars - Find your specialty and offer a seminar at your local library or PTA. As a parent, I found that Internet Safety is a hot issue among families. I spend a great deal of time cleaning up spyware, viruses and getting rid of porn and P2P sofware from kids PC's - and talking to parents and kids about this. After much research and promotion, I now give seminars throughout my community on this topic. Learn how to write your own press release. I've had many local articles published about my seminars - it's great for business.

5. Quote your hourly rate upfront and try to get paid before you leave the house when the job is completed. I've discovered that most homeowners have a yearly spending limit for tech services - $500 seems to be the max on average. At some point they will want free info so that they can do some of their own work. You'll learn to see the signs of that and walk away nicely.

6. Be nice, courteous, send follow-up emails and build your email list for periodic business mailings. My husband thinks I'm too personable, and get taken advantage of at times. Everyone has a hardship story, but always remind yourself that this is a business that you are running - and you have your own bills to pay.

7. Be technically flexible - homeowners have a large assortment of old equipment and operating systems. As a seasoned Windows person, I've learned alot about Macs - and have increased my business from this.

8. Be honest with the homeowner - I hate Windows 95, Windows 98 and Mac OS 8.0. If the software vendor doesn't support a product anymore, I won't either. Rather than charge $400 or so to upgrade an old PC with new hardware and software, I will tell my client that they can get a new PC for not much more. They appreciate your honesty and will use you for future work.

9. Give a 2-3 hour timeframe when you schedule your jobs. I try not to be, but am usually late for my appts, mostly because a previous appt took longer than anticipated. Carry a cellphone with you and call your client to let them know you're running late.

10. Spend time everyday on tech research - A full time tech job gives you the freedom to research and learn while you're working. On your own, you don't get paid for the time it takes to keep up with technology. I spend at least two hours on the internet each day - reading the latest tech info and research solutions to new problems.

11. Be prepared - Always bring a laptop with you, to help connect a clients broadband or wireless network. Keep a toolkit with software (like a memory key with disktools, and antispyware software). Bring extra power strips, network cables, and a full range of screw drivers for any upgrade work.

12. Certain equipment I order for the client and charge 10% extra. Most don't want to be bothered with figuring out what router or printer to get. Find a good online retailer to order your equipment from. Keep up with the latest hardware reviews.

Home tech support is better than flipping burgers at a fast food joint - but know that you won't get rich overnight. You'll know if this is what you want to do for the long haul, or while you're waiting for your dream job. It certainly keeps your skills current and remember that onsite personal tech support can never be outsourced. Good luck to you!

Hi EMJ -

I am a female tech specialist with 18 yrs of corporate experience. I jumped ship a year ago from tech management to home/small business tech support. Not wanting to join the corporate jungle again and long commute to the city, I started my own business locally. As a working mother, word got out quickly about my services and I found myself setting up home wireless networks for my neighbors and friends. Even through local advertising, 90% of my cients are women, mostly because they've chosen the same path as I have. Leaving the corporate world to stare their own home business (or telecommute) and spend more time w/ family. After 8 months of running my new business, I have a few words of advice:

1. Be careful of work you do for friends; most of them will see you as friend first, techie second and will try to get alot of free advice and work out of you - it sometimes can be a touchy situation.

2. Hope you like pets - Most homeowners have pets, and I've had many a cat and dog sit on my lap while I work.

3. Be good at multitasking - most homeowners like to sit and watch what I'm doing to learn. Sometimes they just want to talk about community stuff. Learn to be discrete and avoid gossip. Troubleshooting at home is a very personal experience, master the art of small talk and leave something behind for the client; i.e., design a form w/ your logo that gives all of the user information when setting up broadband or wireless network., such as router SSID, passwords, user ID, passwords.

4. Give seminars - Find your specialty and offer a seminar at your local library or PTA. As a parent, I found that Internet Safety is a hot issue among families. I spend a great deal of time cleaning up spyware, viruses and getting rid of porn and P2P sofware from kids PC's - and talking to parents and kids about this. After much research and promotion, I now give seminars throughout my community on this topic. Learn how to write your own press release. I've had many local articles published about my seminars - it's great for business.

5. Quote your hourly rate upfront and try to get paid before you leave the house when the job is completed. I've discovered that most homeowners have a yearly spending limit for tech services - $500 seems to be the max on average. At some point they will want free info so that they can do some of their own work. You'll learn to see the signs of that and walk away nicely.

6. Be nice, courteous, send follow-up emails and build your email list for periodic business mailings. My husband thinks I'm too personable, and get taken advantage of at times. Everyone has a hardship story, but always remind yourself that this is a business that you are running - and you have your own bills to pay.

7. Be technically flexible - homeowners have a large assortment of old equipment and operating systems. As a seasoned Windows person, I've learned alot about Macs - and have increased my business from this.

8. Be honest with the homeowner - I hate Windows 95, Windows 98 and Mac OS 8.0. If the software vendor doesn't support a product anymore, I won't either. Rather than charge $400 or so to upgrade an old PC with new hardware and software, I will tell my client that they can get a new PC for not much more. They appreciate your honesty and will use you for future work.

9. Give a 2-3 hour timeframe when you schedule your jobs. I try not to be, but am usually late for my appts, mostly because a previous appt took longer than anticipated. Carry a cellphone with you and call your client to let them know you're running late.

10. Spend time everyday on tech research - A full time tech job gives you the freedom to research and learn while you're working. On your own, you don't get paid for the time it takes to keep up with technology. I spend at least two hours on the internet each day - reading the latest tech info and research solutions to new problems.

11. Be prepared - Always bring a laptop with you, to help connect a clients broadband or wireless network. Keep a toolkit with software (like a memory key with disktools, and antispyware software). Bring extra power strips, network cables, and a full range of screw drivers for any upgrade work.

12. Certain equipment I order for the client and charge 10% extra. Most don't want to be bothered with figuring out what router or printer to get. Find a good online retailer to order your equipment from. Keep up with the latest hardware reviews.

Home tech support is better than flipping burgers at a fast food joint - but know that you won't get rich overnight. You'll know if this is what you want to do for the long haul, or while you're waiting for your dream job. It certainly keeps your skills current and remember that onsite personal tech support can never be outsourced. Good luck to you!

Building a new business from scratch can be an exciting and rewarding experience!

-Building a Customer Base-
I started an on-site computer support company for homes and businesses in Phoenix about 3 1/2 years ago. At the time I hardly knew anyone in the area, and was about to embark on an advertising campaign. However, I was invited to visit a BNI (Business Networking International Group) for a breakfast meeting. These groups meet once a week, and only have one profession per group (One Accountant, attorney, dry cleaner, insurance agent, computer tech, etc.). The main purpose of the group is to form a trusting relationship with the other members, which allows members to be comfortable in exchanging business referrals. Between my BNI group, and an independant networking group I grew my customer base to over 170 clients in a three year period. Many of my new customers were referrals of referrals that initially came from one of the groups. I've recently decided to leave the computer industry (after 20 years), but my customer base had enough value that I was able to sell it. Word of mouth is the most powerful marketing available, and joining a network group is a great way to start from scratch. BNI's website is www.bni.com, and there are other groups such as LeTips out there as well.

-Home Users-
I had quite a few home users as customers, but was fortunate in never having a payment issue. In fact, I usually got a check before leaving. My good fortune may be due to the fact that these home users were not random callers from an advertisement, but actually knew a person who knew me. That counts for a lot of credibility on both sides. I almost never had a customer looking over my shoulder.

-Biggest Expense-
My biggest expense was travel time between jobs. The Phoenix area is huge, and I would often spend almost as much time traveling in a day as I would doing billable work. As my client base developed I was able to refer some customers in outlying areas to other techs based near them, which helped my profitability and helped the customer get more prompt service. Although a number of techs in the Phoenix area charge trip fees, I liked giving something to my customers for their money, so my last rate was $70/hour with a one hour minimum for most areas (a higher minimum for outlying areas).

-Returning Phone Calls-
One thing that amazed potential new customers is that I would return phone calls in a timely manner. It surprised me how much business other companies lost to me simply because they didn't return their customers' requests for service.

-Prequalifying Customers-
Before heading out to a customer site for a first visit, I'd spend 5-10 minutes on the phone with them to get as much information as possible about the issue, and about the equipment they owned. This would allow me to be armed with the appropriate parts and do any research needed. I would buy the parts locally, and sell them to the customer for cost, but charge a shopping fee.

-Setting Your Hours-
Although I had more home users than business customers, most of my calls and income were from businesses. Since most of these business were closed on evenings and weekends, I rarely got calls outside of business hours. However, I would get the occasional home user calling at odd hours, but was able to manage their expectations as to my availability. Just because you are a home-based business doesn't mean you have to be available whenever you are at home! However, it is important to set these boundries from the beginning, since some cusomters really do need support at odd hours, and others will just take advantage.

-Building Computers-
Consider carefully before building computers for customers. If ANYTHING goes wrong, whether hardware, a Windows hiccup, or something the user did or installed, they will say "the computer you built for me doesn't work" and expect you to diagnose the problem and fix it for free. I built a few computers for customers, but that was one situation where I was unable to set expections. There is little to no money is selling hardware.

-Utility CD-
There are only two tools that I used on a regular basis. One was a phillips screwdriver. The other was a Utility CD that contained Windows patches, Adaware, Spybot, the latest virus definitions for Norton, McAfee, and Trend, Virus Removal Tools from the Norton site, XXCOPY, and WinZIP.

Best wishes to all who are seeking to start a similar business!

EMJ I haven't gotten through all the replies yet but based on my experience I'd say go for it!

Follow the legal advice given, get permits/licenses in order first! Read up on small business portals (Wisconsin has a good one that applies to most locations).

I've been going to homes and small businesses for about three months now. I took over for a service guy "retiring" from servicing home computers. In the time I've been going out 90% (or more) of my visits have been clearing up viri and spyware.

I begin by charging a flat fee for the on-site visit. This fee "buys" the owner two hours of my time (this includes travel to the location). I make that clear before setting the appointment.

If I can fix the problem in that two hours I do and the repair is covered by the on-site visit fee (this is usually the case). In the first 20 minutes I'm usually able to tell if I can get things done in the time allotted for the on-site fee.

If it looks like I can't then I let the client know that it may take longer and that I bill an hourly rate in 15-minute increments. I write this on the service order and have the client sign to show their acknowledgement.

I adhere strictly to an ethical work code. At least 85% of my jobs are only charged the on-site visit and nothing more (sans new hardware like modems, drives, mice, NICs, etc.). People respect that and give me regular referrals to their friends and family. So much so that I don't even have to advertise to stay busy.

Above all be honest and ethical and you'll stay busy. You may run into the occasional bad apple but the risk is worth the reward!

Good Luck!

EMJ,

I've been starting my consulting business for the past couple of months now with a half-dozen clients onboard. My local newspaper did nothing to get customers for me, it only drained my wallet.

If you have a lot of assets, protect them by at least making your business a LLC. I'm set up as a sole proprietor (I have a business license issued by my town), but I have my house protected with a trust.

The only method that has gotten me clients is word of mouth. Do things well, stand by your work, and build relationships, not just a client list.

What part of the country are you doing this?

Good luck,

Rich

Check out https://www.computerrepair.com/index.php for their "service" and forums.

You can see a listing of other techs in your area with the services and rates that they charge. If you register (free) as a provider for your area they can refer clients to you. You set your rate and they charge 10% of your total fee for the referrals they give you. They handle all the billing even!

Regards,

Christopher

I am a retired chemical engineer that does computer support for family members. My sister in Arizona calls me whenever she has a computer problem. There are a world of people still running Windows 98 who need frequent computer support in the following areas:

1. Windows update
2. Scandisk
3. Antivirus
4. Spyware removal
5. Wireless networking

People also want to transfer VHS tapes to DVD and LP vinyl records to CD.

You have received a wealth of good information here so I won't bother giving you advice. I will share with you my experience to date. I did onsite home and small business support for someone else for a year in the big city then moved out to the country ans setup my own. Been at it here for a year.

Get a laptop with a NIC and a good modem and subscribe to a dial service. If the clients system is down you will be able to get some things from dial. It also gives you an alternate system to test if the problem lies external to their system.

Tools: Victorinox, (Swiss Army), make a "Cybertool" that has everything you will ever need to work on a PC. Have spare cables, printer, cat5(x-over & straight thru), telephone, ribbon cable, power cord, etc.

Never leave without payment or at least leaving a signed invoice. Clients don't always appreciate how quickly the bill grows.

I charge $50/hour for residential, $64/hour for business. I charge by the 1/2 hour and the first hour is weighted to cover travel, ($45 and $60). Overtime rates apply for commercial clients.

Advertise in the business directory section of your local paper.

Build a collection of useful utilities and carry them with you. Keep them up to date. I burn a CD for the big ones and carry diskettes with the little ones that are more popular, ie: CWShredder, HJT, etc.

I sell services ONLY. I will buy hardware/software on a clients behalf. I give them the origianl invoice which they reimburse me for plus I invoice $25 for the service.

I have a network at home of computers running a variety of OS's. Win98, WinME, WinXP.

If a job is going to take a long time waiting, like virus scans and removals, I offer to take the system home and work on it for a fixed rate.

If I can answer a question or talk a client through a problem on the phone it is free. This has paid off in follow up business and referrals umpteen times. Great PR too.

You will need literally hundreds of residential clients to generate enough service calls to make a living at this. If you can get in with any local small business or home based businesses consider an offering that you can charge a retainer for, ie: monthly health checks, virus scans, driver updates, etc.

Good luck and be patient. It takes a long time to build a large clinet base.

As a female with 6+ years in the IT field, I have worked for and with, been interviewed by, consulted with and given advise mostly to men. I have not let anybody use my gender as an excuse to take me less seriously- I consider myself and IT professional- professional being the key.

As an IT professional, I dress and present myself appropriately for my profession. A few key points for dress:
* No tight or revealing clothing
* Hair simple and not in the way (I have fabulous long hair, but I show it off on a date- not at work)
* No excessive makeup or jewelry
* Working hands... short nails, no fussy nailpolish or large rings
* Go easy on the perfume

A few key points for presentation:

* Have confidence in your ability to do the job
* Do not flirt or be coy EVER... even if a male is the one who started it. As a professional I completely ignore those signals if I see them.
* Make sure you have the proper tools neatly organized to do the job. Don't put software or a pair of pliers in your purse... use a backpack, briefcase, software case, or toolkit to store your tools.
* Every once in a while, casually mention something that will remind anyone who cares that you know what you are doing. Some of my favorites are: 1) talking about some of the latest tech gadgets- I frequently mention I have "monitor envy" if someone has a really cool computer monitor. 2) State why you like one version of a particular software over another.
* If you are in a situation that seems like it could be dangerous, confidently and tactfully remove yourself at the earliest possible moment- do not stick around to see if it gets better because chances are it will only get worse.

From a female perspective... this is GirlGeek04 signing off.

I haven't taken the time to read ALL the messages but out of the ones I did read, VERY GOOD ADVICE! I hope I don't repeat what has already been said since that's certainly unnecessary.

One thing that does make a difference is location. I live outside a small town, 5,000 people. The whole trade area is about 15,000 people. That's a 20 mile radius from me. Logistics are much harder to overcome here. Also, you must realize that everyone who is a potential customer already has someone that has done something for them. They may be good or bad but more on that later. So the value you bring to the business must be perceived, by them, as greater than what they get now.

One of the messages said they provided competent, honest work and so he didn't need to advertise. True enough but you don't have a reputation yet. A principle I've discovered about 20 years ago is when I talk to someone, no matter who or why, I want them to leave and think to themselves, 'I'm glad I talked/met (to) Frank'. I truely don't care if I ever do business with them, as long as they feel good about our conversation. The side effect is they do call me back when they need help.

I started out in Jan 1995. I worked from home until Mar 1999 when I rented a store in town. I did that just to get out of the house because the business was taking over too much space. My daughter and I formed an LLC in Jan 1998. She started helping me on nearly a full-time basis then. In 2000 we hired a third part-time person. Here's when we found out for sure how competent the general tech population really is. If you get to this point, this could be one of the hardest areas you will have to endure, finding someone competent to hire. It seems everyone has a son or cousin or someone who is a 'computer whiz'. This only means the 'whiz' can do something the admirer can't. Don't be fooled. Anyway, to sum up. We went through several people to find those that don't already no it all and can still learn. We now have a store in two different, small towns and are starting a nation-wide franchise store in one of them in Aug. We also have 5 F/T and 1 P/T people working with us.

I whole-heartedly encourage you to pursue this endeavor. Take all the advise given from all the other people and pick out what's right for you. Mostly you have to believe in yourself and your goal. Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, you can achieve!

EMJ
Thanks for the topic. I'm a female who has been in this business for about 5 years and I've certainly gotten a lot of good suggestions from reading the replies.

My experience is that I started by "helping a few friends" and word of mouth forced me into charging for my services and people were willing so I'm still doing. I billed myself initially as computer training and most of my clients were older women who were not computer literate.

The business has evolved as the market has changed. Most of my work these days involves cleaning virus and/or spyware, moving data from old pc to new pc, small network installations, software installation/assistance, and web page setup. I occasionally get a new computer setup, but that is usually an existing customer who is upgrading their computer.

I do not get into hardware other than adding a memory stick or nic card for really good clients . Even then they buy the hardware (usually with my assistance) so I totally avoid the sales tax issues.

I've stayed with the home market with a few exceptions and rely on word of mouth advertising. Personal safety is an issue with me so personal referrals help me feel fairly comfortable. I sometimes charge by the hour and sometimes by the job depending on the nature. Sometimes I volunteer to take the pc home if there is a lot of downloading. It' s also helpful to bring pc home when troubleshooting and multiple scans and/or research is required.

I carry a utility disc with virus and spyware removal tools, winzip, and a few freeware utility programs that "I can't live without". I also have a CD from Microsoft with IE6 sp1 that saves hours of download time.

I try to keep a few copies of antivirus software because I've found that most home users think that it came on their computer so they don't have to worry about it ever again. Saves lots of time if I can just install a new AV package while I'm there instead of sending them out to buy it and having to come back. I charge my cost...again to avoid sales tax issues.

Keep good records, as others have pointed out. I found that my tax software package took care of the business forms so that part really wasn't complicated.

Good luck

Patti

I am self taught through years of just "wanting to know" and a graduate of "Crash & Learn 101". (started with an IBM 8086) Over the years, I have helped friends, relatives, and currently handle the network where I work. I have also given advice and assistance in computer chat room, and forums. (And work on the side on computer, restoration of data, etc.)

What I have mostly run into, is a mild surprise, and admiration, that a female can know so much about "techie" stuff, which has been primarily a male field.

There has never been any hesitation from a male in taking my advice, or in asking me for advice. I have found that women prefer to ask me for advice, so they won't feel "talked down to", and they feel safe with me.

Kids in particular, who are interested in computers, just want to KNOW. They show no particular prejudice if you are male or female, as long as you can answer them, or steer them to a place to find an answer. They are willing to be taught by anyone, how to keep the computer running safely, and without it crashing.

When I go to a house, and both spouse's are there, I make of point of meeting both. I try to get both involved, especially if it is a teaching session, and find out what software each primarily use. Or the kids, so they can all learn how to prevent crashing in the first place.

I have also found that a lot of times, it's the woman that is interested in watching you fix hardware or software. It depends on which one has the interest in the computer, not the gender.

Good luck in your venture, and I do really think there is a demand for home support. Add a course on computer basics to your repertoire, once you have fixed the problem. They will want you to come back to teach it.

There are several areas you might want to think about before going into this arena. Firstly, home users generally don't really want to pay for technical support. They want it for "free". This will automatically limit your client base to those that can and will pay. And those will squeak every bit of value per buck they can. i.e. if you charge $60.00 /h and have a one hour minimum they will expect you to be sitting at their computer for a minimum of one hour. They don't take into consideration nor do they care about your travel time. Secondly, "free consultations" although admirable will soon lead to your bankruptcy. Most service calls will be done on the first call. If you can do a "free consultation" why are you billing them for your service? Their attitude, not mine. Thirdly, why would you undervalue your service. By undercutting your colleagues you send a message to your potential clients. Your service is not as good as theirs. Your talents are every bit as valuable as theirs so charge as much as they are. You deserve it as much as them. As well you might come to need some help from your colleagues and by undercutting them they will not be willing to help you at all. Also would you like it if they tried to take the food off your plate? No, so why would you try to take the food off theirs? Fourth, and this falls in with your rate. There is a reason why the rate is as high as it is. You will need to have business insurance. This doesn't come cheap. If you are transporting a client's computer in your car and you are in an accident and that computer is destroyed, it's not covered by your auto policy. It's also not covered by your home policy. If you don't want the cost to come out of your pocket you know where I'm going with this. Tech business policies are expensive. I know, I've had them. You also have the cost of fuel, and I believe you know that cost is going through the roof now. Not to mention your auto insurance which will also rise once they find out you are using your vehicle for business purposes. And you'd better tell the insurer or face some dire consequences if there's a problem and they find out through other means.
Now the up side. The reason for all these "business expenses" is so that you can claim them on your taxes. Of course you will need to open a company. You can open a "Sole Proprietorship", which will work just fine for tax purposes, and claim not only the expenses mentioned above but also part of your house, phone, electric bills, etc. You will of course need to hire an acct. which will of course become another expense, and write off on the taxes. Now after all these expenses perhaps $60.00 an hour isn't looking like that much. Believe me, (and I speak from experience here) it isn't. Oh yes, lastly, if you want to bill eight hours a day, you will have to put in roughly twelve hours. You will find you just can't bill for every hour you are actually working. We all like to believe we can, but it just isn't possible. Oh yes, one more thing, you might want to try to find yourself a good wholesale parts supplier. You will invariably find yourself needing to replace parts in systems and you'll find it better if you can keep the cost cheaper for your clients. If you still want to get into the business after all this I wish you the best of luck with your endeavour. If there's anything else I can help you will feel free to email me.

Again, WELL SAID (oops I guess it's written?)

Great info. from a lot of generous and helpful people...I felt I needed to contribute. I have been running this type of business since 1997 and have 3 people currently working for me. I am just now (finally) incorporating and creating a business plan. Don't do what I did (if you are really serious about this); incorporate and create your business plan *before* you actually start doing the work! Otherwise, you will end up like me, having to deal with it 7 years down the road, trying to change the engine in your car while driving in the fast lane at 75 mph. Two other things: 1) differentiate your business by creating invoices that *fully explain* what you did, when you did it, who authorized it, etc. I use the journalism technique of the 5 Ws--who, what, when, where, why, how...the app. program I use to accomplish this is Timeslips (www.timeslips.com), 2) I carry both liability insurance, as well as Errors and Ommissions--I have never had to use the E&O insurance, but I use it as a selling point, and it helps me sleep at night since I am responsible for a lot of corporate data. Even if you are supporting only small businesses, once you make contact and they start to depend on you, they will automatically assume that you are responsible for ensuring that their data will never be lost. You not only need to make sure that this is truly the case (-:, but you also need to protect yourself from the inevitable fire, tornado, or not-followed employee procedure, that could put *your* business in harm's way. My company specializes in backups and data integrity, and I have done very well by this approach. I started working in the computer business in 1985, and this has always been--and remains--*every* users' biggest gut-level concern: losing data brings tears to corporations and mom&pop alike. Strive for no data loss for all your clients (though there are levels of liability for each).

All the best and good luck to all...

Michael A.

if it feels right, then go for it. Like you I have been in the industry for over ten years.
With the advancements in motherboards it is unwise to try and repair dry soldered joints, this will cause you more headaches, as multi layered boards are now common place. As for tools, one peice of software will be invaluable, this is PC Check. In all the years I have been in computer support, it has only failed to locate a fault once. Good luck !

I work full time as a network administrator, on the side I have been helping small businesses organise their IT&T requirements - everything from domain name registration to getting them the most suitable mobile phone deals. I even dig around in the shed for old RAM if they are trying to use an old PC for their new business. It is a lot more rewarding than working for a faceless multinational!!! If you are doing it as an official business get your legalities sorted out first.

Depending on the Franchise, the startup cost could be quite steep, also the actual rate of pay not equal what you are worth. Read the fine print.

Mu suggestion is to start out on your own, I did that very sting and started small, haging flyers on mail boxes of people in the town where I live. Have had a fairly good success rate & has lead to other jobs at small companies.

Goo Luck!

Hi,
I have done this myself. After two years full time 'techie' college course, I went into partnership with a bloke from my course (big mistake!), but then went it alone after a year. Yes, women do feel more comfortable with you (especially as I don't talk 'techie' - or down to them). I got bags of work giving support to primary schools - in fact this has become full time. Again, because the staff are predominantly female - they don't mind admitting to me when they don't understand things! So although I initially developed the business to give hardware/software support, there is also an element of training too.
All you need is a basic toolkit - and a good set of disks (which you will accumulate over time) to diagnose or rectify problems, especially if you work in a specific area.
Have confidence in what you know - it's easy for us girls to put ourselves down - but we are usually more willing to seek external support - and don't usually get stuck!
Good luck - hope it all works out for you as well as it has for me!
Sandra

Jackson, after 3 years in this business it is so satisfying to read that someone else's approach mirrors my own. It's all common sense really and puts the customer first. I'd just add that patience and professionlism are my "watchwords".

Good luck with your venture
Don

Great information in this thread. Can anybody contribute some income estimates along with an estimate of how long it would take to reach that kind of level. I'm in a fairly large city of ~400,000. Thanks!

Check out our 13-week start-up course, Up and Running, that will help you research your industry, identify your customers, develop a pricing structure and sales strategy, assess strategic alliances, develop a pricing strategy, and complete a business plan. All for $495. Where is this gem? At the (National Not only for) Women's Business Center, Washington DC. www.wbisnet.biz. It is a fabulous course, offered six times a year, with top-rated entrepreneurs or other advisers (legal etc) teaching each week. Email me and I will send you a flyer....Interview required.

There is no reason to mention that fact that you are female, until you knock on that door. Like the man before me said, speak of the technician in the third person, as if you are just making the arrangements. As for carrying a weapon, I can't think of anything more retarded. You mind is your biggest asset. Just pay attention to what is going on around you. If the situation seems sketchy, get out.

That's really nice that you helped out your mother-in-law.

I suppose you didn't heave the heart to charge her for your time. Of course you didn't. You're a nice person.

It seems that everone knows some kid, relative, or neighbour who can fix their PCs or help with some weird software problem. Payment for services rendered consists of MILK AND COOKIES.

Is this a good business to be in? No way. I tried. No one in their right mind will pay you good money when they can always get it for free.

Why pay for the cow when you can get the milk for free?

Now, if you can find shut-ins and recluses who don' know anybody, maybe then you'll have a client base.

I have recently decided to start my own business doing just that. I currently am charging a bargain basement price of 35/hour. So far, the business has been good, but that was form the initial word of mouth. Now comes the worry and stress time until I can get it going steadily. I don't know what is exactly right for you, but if you have ten years experience under your belt, you should be pretty confident about your abilities. Good luck.

My first thought is, why do you want to be the cheapest? Does the 89 cent/slice pizza sell better than the 99 cent/slice pizza? Remember, if you sell to people who shop for price only you have to deal with really cheap people.

Lots of computer service franchises out there - check www.entrepreneur.com and go through the franchise section. Geeks On Call, Rescuecom, Nerds On Site, Computer Moms, Friendly Mobile, and of course the absolute best, Computer Troubleshooters.
(CAn you tell which one I work for?)
www.comptroub.com

First thing Monday get down to your local court house and ask them for a DBA form. This is called a doing business as form and after you fill it in and return it to the clerk along with the fee; as far as your state is concerned you're in business.
The fee probably won't exceed $25. Some states accept plastic others demand cash. So what? Next head for your local Kinko or QuikPrint and have them make 500 business cards. Put the name of your business somwhere on the card where is not so important as long as it doesn't conflictwith what I'll say next. Place name as large as possible smack in the middle of the card. If you want to be pretentious you can give yourself a title but put in print 1/3 the size of your name, below your name. In the upper right hand corner put your phone number which for the time being will be your regular home number. When you make some money you can order a second line. On a line below your phone number show your e-mail address and for the sake of professionalism I hope it doesn't include AOL or Hotmail. Hopefully you have a high speed connection and not a dial up. If not get one. Don't worry about a web page yet, that will come later if you are successful. Anyway we're ahead of ourselves here because you're still in Kinko's about to wet yourself in excitement. Pay in plastic thus leaving $75 if you had to pay cash at the court house. Now go to your bank and tell them you want to open a business account. They will ask for the
stamped copy of the DBA form. Make sure you keep your copy of the form but let the bank make a copy. Give them $10-$20 and while there find out all the requirements necessary to accept credit cards. Visa and MasterCard are all you will need for now but don't set them up just yet as you are going to shop around to see which financial institution will give you the best deal. On your way back to Kinko's stop off at the state taxation office and open up a tax account so that you can charge and collect the state taxes. After you've retrieved your cards; go home; get an empty shoe box out of your closet, find a table with nothing on it but a phone, your computer, space for the shoe box(file cabinet for your receipts). This is now your "office". Measure the area of the room and work out what percentage it is of the total area of your accomodations. This is the percent of your utilities and mortgage or rent payments you can deduct as operating costs. There is a lot more to go into but those are the basic essentials. Put a paper clip on the left over cash -$40-$75 put it in an envelope and write petty cash on it and throw it in the shoe box. Any time you dip into this be sure to rerturn the change and the receipt for whatever you bought. Now go on line find the cheapest site on which you can buy QuikBooks or you may already have Quicken which you can use until you've generated the cash to pay for QuikBooks. Anotther good accounting package is CA's Simply Accounting but wait until you cam justify the cost. All the other stuff -
lawyers, insurance, accountants etc can be found on line. Hardware and software are all available online and are as far away as UPS or FedEx next day service. By the way I don't know if you've realized it yet but I didn't tell you where to put your address on your card. The reason for this is:
1: It's unnecessary since you are not a store front and since you are of the feminine persuasion, it is a measure of security so that some amourous clown doesn't show up on your doorstep uninvited.
2:Your municipality may have zoning ordinances restricting businesses in your district. Maybe yes and maybe no but you don't have to make it easy for them to find you.
3:You're in the computer business and that means equipment which has value for a thief or burglar.
Anyway you've got the basic idea and you are now in business and you didn't need a fortune to get started.

just see our website, comptroub.com

EMJ,
I happen to be a woman and I have a 2 year old very successful computer support business. You are very right when you say you think women would rather deal with other women. The majority of home computers are under the control of the person running the household - usually the woman. They are much more comfortable having another woman to relate to when it comes to computer issues. I have a few customer who will only use a woman becasue they are concerned about security.
The thing you need to decide is not whether or not to do it, but how to do it. Do you plan to start a business or work as an independent contractor? There are many resources out there (including Tech Republic of course) that have a wealth of information on choosing the best path for you. $50 is ok depending on where you reside, but don't sell yourself short. Good luck!
Regina

I quit my job two years ago and started a business like you are talking about.

I am a female computer tech with my A+.

My business is very small, pretty much word of mouth. I did some advertising in the beginning but it did not pull in enough to be worth the expense and I prefer to work with people I know through someone else, a safety thing I guess.

I find that 90% of what I do is software. When I do run it to a hardware problem the client pays for the parts in advance and I purchase them from a local supplier.

I set things up by phone, my cell phone is a crucial part of my business, and charge $50 for a service call, some times more depending on the job but never without discussing it with the client first. Occasionally someone gets creative with payment, I have been paid with chicken, fortuatly it was frozen.

I do not watch my time as closely as I should probably, I like to relax and enjoy my work. I have close relationship with most of my clients and they get chatty sometimes, it's okay with me.

The job I had before paid pretty well but the stress was literaly killing me. Now I have a part time job doing something else and fill in with the business. I make half of what I did before but I am no longer walking on eggshells all the time. The only quotas I have to meet are the one I set for my self. The clients I have now have never screamed or cursed at me and I do not spend eight hours a day working with weasles.

thats the best alternative for the IT people. ive been doin that for a year and it help me support my financial atleast while looking for another job.

thats the best alternative for the IT people. ive been doin that for a year and it help me support my financial atleast while looking for another job.

The best place for you to get free advise from a business executive is your local Small Business Administration's SCORE Program (Service Corp of Retired Executives). www.sba.gov

I have started four such consulting companies as a junior partner and have just started my first at the helm and they were an invaluable resource.

You get mentoring from a retired executive in your field of expertise.

If you have any questions I woulb be happy to help.

Give a call to 843.270.8094

Bill Johns