Extra Income

[messengerhot]

Question. Can a 26 year old male pursuing a masters degree in Business make money out teaching about computers or fixing computers in IL? In Niles, to be exact? He is really good with computers. He just can't get a full time work or he will sacrifice his studies. :):):)

[Gardenarian]

I don't know about your location, but where I live it would be possible.

I'm paying a local college student $15 per hour to tutor my daughter in math. That's probably not as much as you would make repairing computers, but it is something.

[SteveinMN]

Probably, yes. Not a lot of money. He most likely will do best on his own; businesses (like Geek Squad) probably will require "retail" hours that he may not be able to accommodate/change easily and may see enough candidates that they can insist on certifications and experiences he does not have now. His best bet, IMHO, is to offer "house calls" -- to visit people's homes to fix the problems (which could be, say, connection to broadband or watching DVDs from their computer on their TV). That's something that's not so easy to come by. All the more so in more-rural areas. A friend of mine does a decent side business in somewhere east of Frozen Nose, Minnesota, doing just that. It's how he competes with the Best Buys and ChipHeads around here.

[Blackdog Lin]

His best bet, IMHO, is to offer "house calls" -- to visit people's homes to fix the problems (which could be, say, connection to broadband or watching DVDs from their computer on their TV). That's something that's not so easy to come by. All the more so in more-rural areas. A friend of mine does a decent side business in somewhere east of Frozen Nose

Oh my yes. This. I am a computer illiterate in a rural area without a teenager in the house, and at least 3-4 times a year have a computer problem that I would be happy to throw money at if someone would just show up and fix the problem. I haven't been able to find such a person - and would love to. I'm sure there's a market for this type of thing.

[Float On]

I know in my "little town" there are 3 mobile computer guys and they seem to stay busy.

[messengerhot]

From the looks of it, the strategy can only work in small towns. There is a small senior community close to where he lives, maybe I can recommend he offer his services there, but then they might think he is a stalker or up to no good. :( He does have experience with computers. He used to work with a computer company. I am not a hundred percent sure if this (http://parachutetechs.com/) is it, but I know it is a big company. So, he has some experience to back him up. He just really needs to find out how to legally go about it or what permits to get. He tried odesk, but they pay so little and the competition is tough with all those from other countries also advertising their services at very low rates. So, question of the day really is how to start getting clients. :)

[SteveinMN]

messenger, I don't think there's any real procedure (permits, etc.) to hanging out one's shingle as a computer consultant. He might consider doing something to prevent his being taken to the proverbial cleaners by someone who is unhappy that he didn't fix their problem (or broke something else in the attempt). I'm not sure if that might be an umbrella insurance policy or spending the (not-inconsiderable) money to incorporate or what, but he should consider that not everything he does will follow "the happy path". I learned that lesson vividly but, fortunately for me, it was not a business-killing event.

As for getting clients, there are lots of places where one can post a flyer with his info and contact details on it. Maybe at the senior community. Or where they hang out. Or see if he can put an ad in their monthly newsletter. Word of mouth probably will work best, but that will require knowing people and asking them to talk up his services -- he may have to start slowly. He also could consider teaching adult-ed computer classes or at the local school district/community college after hours. Or asking the senior community if he could come in and demonstrate some new tech. Our community center does that and advertises it as a "Tech Petting Zoo" -- a chance for people to get their hands on a live smartphone or a tablet or something else they may not feel comfortable exploring on their own. He may just have to be a little inventive about what he offers and how he gets his foot in the door.

One thing I would urge is for him to appear and act professionally at all times. It would not hurt to show up for classes/petting zoos/home visits wearing nicer clothes than jeans and a polo shirt. Might not be a bad idea to have business cards made up. Or maybe a vinyl-magnetic sign for the car he can put on when he's on calls. Something that makes him look like more than a guy out to make a few bucks.

[iris lilies]

If he is going into business for himself, he likely will need to pay for a business license for his city or county. They want their pound of flesh.

As Steve says, this business is 0 impact on city resources. He will not need, for instance,industrial dumpsters.

if he never advertised (unlikely) then it is less necessessary because "they" won't catch him.

DH has liability insurance for his handyman business and it was rEasonable at $1,000 annually, but who knows what it really covered. It did not cover him doing roof work or electrical work.