11–15 of 15 posts
Quick Version: 1) Charge at least 45/hour. Yes you can charge less, but no it doesn't scale. I might even go higher. You have to make enough so you can pay all the fun taxes and insurance premiums you need -- even if you decide to skip out of them for a while. 2) Have a minimum hour block. Back in the dark ages, I used to have a 3 hour minimum. So if you had a problem and were willing to pay for 3 hours, I would come…
I used to love a small business in my local town that used to do this. He sold cheap, korean PC hardware and charged by the hour to fix problems for people. He had a real store front and was in business for at least 5 years before Best Buy moved into town and took his business away. I think that small companies like this are a dying breed and sorely missed. I like Best Buy but only because they seem to be the only ga…
My own two cents: I wouldn't do this because your customers are cheap idiots who don't realize they're cheap idiots . I personally don't think the small amount of money you make is worth the headaches you will face. I think you'll have better luck targeting small businesses as "outsourced IT" help than targeting home users. Good luck to you though, regardless.
My own two cents: I wouldn't do this because your customers are cheap idiots who don't realize they're cheap idiots . I personally don't think the small amount of money you make is worth the headaches you will face. I think you'll have better luck targeting small businesses as "outsourced IT" help than targeting home users. Good luck to you though, regardless.
I mostly agree. The single most important thing you have to do when starting a company (esp. without funding) is to choose the right customers. How efficiently can you reach them? How well can you turn these leads into customers? What is their willingness and ability to pay, i.e. how much would your service be worth to them (e.g. in otherwise lost productivity)? The last point kills a lot of consumer market segments…
This is not a startup...it's a small business. Nothing wrong with that, of course. A small business is awesome, and generally better for your finances and emotional well-being than working for someone else. But, it doesn't have the same end result as a startup, and the way you build one successfully is very different. I've done contract work for a few small businesses over the years, similar to the business you descr…