Do you own your own business?

[Speedin96]

Tell me your startup stories, how'd you get started, how did you gain your customer base? Did you maintain a part-time job, while you started?

I'm thinking about starting a business working on people's computers at their home or business. I'd rather businesses only but I don't know that would provide enough revenue. I'd rather work for another business but without that expensive peice of paper that tells employers I know what I know, it's hard. If things go well, I might be able to afford getting that Bachelors or maybe even a Masters. I know what I know, I've been doing this as a job for almost 2 years and a hobby since I was 12. I probably know more than these people that go to school for a degree, but do employers care? no...

I worked for a computer store, building, repairing, networking computers in homes and offices. Mainly I stayed in the office though. I did ALL the work in the office and onsite. My manager played solitare or handled personal affairs all throughout the day. 7.50, 7.50 is all I made when I did 95% of the work. He denied me a raise, said when I start putting down 2 hours instead of just the 1 it REALLY took me or such on any of the jobs I performed, he might consider it. I don't believe that overcharging a customer is going to bring them back.

I've already looked into how many businesses I'd be up against. There are about 10 in the phone book. I thought about doing business cards and fliers and going from door to door in business areas. I don't really need any money to get started. My girlfriend broadcast an email at her work at the bank mentioning anyone that needs any computer help could get in contact with me. Already a lady contacted her this morning. I went to a doctors house the other day to replace a modem that had been struck by lightning from the storms we recently had. I charged her $45 for an hour. I think that or $50 is what I'm going to charge an hour. At Southern computers we were charging $75 an hour onsite, $45 at the office an hour. I'm gonna do this all from home. I have a cell phone number I'll give out so I can make appointments.

[epic]

I'm working on getting my small business up and going.
:: cough www.visionsconnect.com cough :: ;)

The BEST way to get a customer base is word of mouth. No matter what, that's what is going to make you successful. Definately get some business cards made, along with the appropriate letter heads, etc. It's always good to offer discounts like, "Refer a friend and receive $10 back" and what not. It may lower the revenue in the beginning, but you'll be getting a nice trend started of being noticed. That's what I've been doing and have been raking in quite nicely, being only 21. Incentives are key in my opinion.

It's always nice to have a website, too, when referring others to see your credentials or contact you. Many of the companies that I do work for have testimonial sections on their site where customers can talk about the business. I ask each of my clients if it's worth adding, and they say it's what puts trust in the consumers' eyes. [img]smile.gif[/img]