I started my home based IT support business more than four years ago. There are many advantages to a home based business, from lower overhead and monthly operating cost to a more appealing image to your residential customers.
If you intend on serving small business clients though, you better have your stuff together. Many small businesses are hesitant to go with a provider that works from a home office, so you will need to be on your game and VERY likable, personable and stand behind your word/work 110%. If you can manage to get just a few small business service contracts, the rewards from referrals will be what enables you to take off.
In computer support, the real money is in commercial/small business service contracts. I, myself, am trying to step away from residential customers, as there are just too many "fly-by-night" wannabes who will show up for $20-30.00, and unfortunately the home user mindset will almost ALWAYS go with whoever promises to be the cheapest... even if they are not a real licensed small business or even certified.
When I started I almost immediately quit my "job". My reasoning was that if I could book 2-3 service appointments a week, I would make more than I could working 40+ hours. Everyones situation is different, and everyone is afraid of the unknown. If I could do it over again, I would of stayed employed for another year or two, but only putting some money back for advertising my IT support business. Advertising is the single greatest expense, aside from general liability insurance. "Strongly Recommended"
Trial and Error.
Protection. First and foremost if a good attorney to write up your contracts, disclaimers and such. Second is General Liability Insurance. Third is Don't get in over your head trying to do anything you are un-experienced in, like Data/RAID recovery without the knowledge to do it properly. Stay within your comfort zone and acquire the skills you need before advertising and serving clients with those services. Nothing could be worse than goofing up on a companies Data recovery project and loosing or corrupting potentially invaluable data. Signed disclaimer or not, you're likely to end up in court.
As far as your company image; I am still building my own image. It has taken time for me to do so. I have changed my image several times, as I have freely experimented with different ad styles and different "Identities" to see what works the best. Maybe I have done things just a little back-wards, but I have found what works for me.
You will too, just don't rush it and don't be afraid to try out ideas and experiment.
Cory - Beyond Communications LLC
Hi everyone ?
First, thanks for your patience in reading this lengthy post but I?m sure many in the same boat as I will ask questions of their own after reading it, and I thank those who will take the time to read and respond to my questions. Thanks!
I am considering starting up an Information Technology (IT) business, and I believe I have a few key strategies in mind that I think will differentiate my business from the saturation of other IT services businesses here in New York (NYC). I am a really hardworking technology administrator with a 4-year computer science degree, and over 10 years experience and I have consulted for both small companies and some well known corporations in my career thus far. I have always been told that I have excellent mentoring, communication and leadership skills, and I feel I could put my skills to better use than working 9-5. However, I do need to understand many things, as I'd hate to make any silly mistakes that could prevent me from having a viable business plan and a successful business. Perhaps some of you on this board can give me some of your insights.
Company profile: technology services/solutions
Customer: small and mid size businesses
Operating Hours: 24x7 (emergency response service only at night)
1. first, i have not gotten the company off ground because I am working full-time (I can't afford not to at this point). The challenge is that I don't see how I can quit or even do part-time before being assured that my business is working and is viable. Any comments?
2. so far it has been very difficult to come up with a professional image of my company (logo, website, etc.) I am hung up on trying to find a logo and company name that communicates my company identity to be proactive, resourceful, in-depth, forward-thinking, unparalleled expertise and 24x7 support. I want to get it right and don't want to mess up my company identity and image. Any advice on moving forward with this? (Note: the logo design shops in my area have not exactly shown me something I'm satisfied with for the logo, am I doing something wrong? I have thus far by myself come up with a company name, registered a domain, designed my own logo, and website which you can see at www. encoretechsolutions.com)
2.1. I am also considering having an free service offering to very small not-for-profit organizations (less than 10 employees) , and customers will be required to go to a special page on my company website to put in their service request, and this page will be supported by some kind of advertising which can kick in some revenue to support the cost of this offering, while giving me exposure, and at the same time helping out small non-profits. What do you think?
3. I plan to be a 24x7x365 business (emergency response late night; it is one of the ways I will be competitive and differentiate myself, since many companies in the New York area are open late). Any challenges in doing this that you believe I am not taking into consideration?
4. I plan to have the option to pay per incident (or to have a maintenance/service agreement with different tier, some of which will be certain # of incidents per month, or an unlimited option). Any dangers in doing any of this?
5. One of the things that I am very uncertain about is how to approach the issue of liability. How do I protect myself and my business once my company starts handling important company systems and data? Is seeking a business lawyer enough, or are there other things I need to be aware of?
6. At one point, I considered having a business partner, but some research revealed horror stories. Is it better going at it alone? I prefer to do it alone unless there is compelling reason(s) to have a business partner. Please comment.

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