How to Start a Computer Repair Business

There are very few people that don't have computers in this day and age—which means that having certain technical skills, such as the ability to repair or build computers, can be incredibly handy. If you happen to possess such a rare set of skills, then you may be thinking about starting a computer repair business. However, it's important to understand that it takes a lot of work to build a computer repair business from the ground up, which is why you may want to consider investing in a franchise instead.

Computer Repair Startups vs. Computer Repair Franchises

If your want to own and operate a computer repair business, then you've got two options—you can start your own computer repair shop and build it from the ground up, or your become a franchise and become part of a major brand.

Big brands in the computer repair industry are selling the rights to operate under their name to other entrepreneurs. These computer repair franchise opportunities are typically a safer investment from a business point of view. This is because you'll be working with an already established brand—and technically, you won't even have to have any repair skills yourself. You can focus solely on the management side. Of course, you'll have to undergo training to get a basic understanding of the computer repair services you'll be offering, but most companies will offer this to new owners.

However, if you're considering building your own computer repair business, then you'll most likely have to take a much different route to doing so.

Building Your Own Computer Repair Business

The following are some of the tips you'll want to keep in mind when planning your own computer repair business. 

• Identify your strengths and weaknesses - You may have excellent technical skills, but you may lack in business acumen. Or, perhaps you have both, but you lack social skills. All three of these are extremely important when it comes to running your own business. Knowing where your strengths lie ahead of time will allow you to focus on those while knowing what your weaknesses are will give you a chance to figure out how to overcome them.
• Determine who your customer base is - Computer repair is a very broad service. Having a niche makes it easier to corner that part of the market. For example, you could focus on repairing computer systems for local businesses. Or you could focus on repairing Apple computers. By emphasizing a specialty service, it will make marketing and sales a lot easier.
• Set your rates properly - If your rates are too high, you'll scare away potential customers. But if they're too low, you may not make enough money. Don't set them low in order to hook new customers either. Once you try to raise those rates, you'll risk losing those customers as well as risk hurting your reputation. Do your research to determine the proper value of your services.
• Market your business - Running a few ads in the local paper isn't going to cut it. As a startup, you need to invest in marketing to help increase awareness of your business. Focus on digital marketing by setting up a website, creating a social media presence, creating valuable content enriched by SEO keywords and engaging with your customers online. Keep in mind that marketing is something that has to be done on a daily basis for it to be effective.
• Gather inventory - As a computer repair service, you may want to sell used computers or parts. You'll also want plenty of replacement components that can be used for computer repairs. If you have a specialized service, it will be easier to keep an inventory of the parts you might need. If your inventory is lacking, computer repairs could end up taking a while since you'll have to wait around for parts that you've had to order from other sources.
• Hire the right staff - You're going to need employees that are both computer savvy and sociable. An employee that can repair any type of computer isn't going to very valuable if they are rude to your customers, after all. Your business could sink or swim based on your staff.

There are a lot of things to consider when it comes to opening up your own computer repair business. While it's certainly possible, many independent computer repair shops end up failing because their owners are unable to juggle all of these responsibilities effectively. If you want to run a computer repair service, but you don't want the risk involved with building one from the ground up, consider investing in a computer repair franchise instead.