operated my computer repair / retail business for 5 profitable years before best buy came in with low cost pc?s and forced me to close down.
Here are some things I learned along the way that will help you to maximize profits
1. Offer a maintenance contract instead of the traditional first come first serve systems repair. I used to charge customers 50.00 per month on contract with the understanding that when ( not if) something went wrong with their pc I would fix it under the contract. I then made sure there computers were in tip top share ( antivirus etc etc) and I hardly ever had to service the contract
2. Set your base hourly rate very high? and push the contract. Believe me this is best for you and the customer.
3. Cytrix was my friend but in this day and age remote desktop can be used for most issues
4. Power supplies are one of the biggest points of failure on a pc.. under voltage.. over voltage? check this before anything else
3. never believe your customer? when they tell you they did not download or install anything? they mean within the last 5 minutes. Create restore points on the systems of your regular customers? this will save you a gang of time.
4. Exercise ? its really easy to fall in a slump in the pc repair biz
5. If a major chain moves in close by? do not hang around to see wether or not this will have an impact on your business? it will? get out
hope this helped good luck
