Freelance PC building?

[Armakar]

I want to get into freelance comptuer services, like building / upgrading computers, virus removal, optimisations etc.

 

I can't find good methods of advertising. I tried applying at my local stores ( there is only 2 ) for jobs but didn't hear back, so I wanted to get in to freelancing.

 

I tried advertising on Facebook in my local  ' items for sale ' group, and on Craigslist. I know they are shitty methods of advertising but I cannot think of any ideas.

 

Any suggestions will be greatly accepted!

[Joelbanks5]

I've been told by many people that doing this as a full time job to support yourself isn't a great idea. And their are many problems and obstacles to overcome such as accidentally breaking it or after fixing it and giving it back the person then breaks it or something themselves unknowingly and blames you. 

 

Other than thag that if you still are interested you can post it on cork boards in local coffee shops or whatever stores may have them in your area. Also those little signs you stick in the ground on the side of the road or even putting advertising on your car or yourself (shirts or hats)

[meenmeen1103]

8 minutes ago, Joelbanks5 said:

I've been told by many people that doing this as a full time job to support yourself isn't a great idea. And their are many problems and obstacles to overcome such as accidentally breaking it or after fixing it and giving it back the person then breaks it or something themselves unknowingly and blames you. 

 

Other than thag that if you still are interested you can post it on cork boards in local coffee shops or whatever stores may have them in your area. Also those little signs you stick in the ground on the side of the road or even putting advertising on your car or yourself (shirts or hats)

For most of what was said here, I think it makes more sense as a means for extra income while just being a hobby you enjoy. Word of mouth from satisfied customers is probably the best advertisement, but as for finding customers, this person has the right ideas. You could also hand out some business cards

[Mi26]

Start a YouTube channel and filming the build process might help in advertising

[Joelbanks5]

51 minutes ago, meenmeen1103 said:

For most of what was said here, I think it makes more sense as a means for extra income while just being a hobby you enjoy. Word of mouth from satisfied customers is probably the best advertisement, but as for finding customers, this person has the right ideas. You could also hand out some business cards

I changed my name to this person?

[SLAYR]

5 hours ago, Armakar said:

I want to get into freelance comptuer services, like building / upgrading computers, virus removal, optimisations etc.

 

I can't find good methods of advertising. I tried applying at my local stores ( there is only 2 ) for jobs but didn't hear back, so I wanted to get in to freelancing.

 

I tried advertising on Facebook in my local  ' items for sale ' group, and on Craigslist. I know they are shitty methods of advertising but I cannot think of any ideas.

 

Any suggestions will be greatly accepted!

If you are doing this a job to support yourself, or even to make a substansial amount of money on the side, it isn't going to be too sucessful, look for places outside of computer stores, and such for a job don't just limit yourself to one specific type of job. Apply anywhere and everywhere, and someone will at least interview you if you try hard enough.

 

First do you have experience doing tech support work? Just because you built a computer doesn't make you an expert on computers, but if you need to google how to do everything to fix a computer, or come to the LTT forum to ask basic computer repair questions then you might want to try to offer services to your family and such and familiarize yourself with what you are getting into.

 

Most of the demand will be for "computer is slow fix please, which is knowing how to troubleshoot computers, you may need a good test bench or secondary computer to help out with repairs and have parts on hand for quick repairs such as extra ram/hdds.

 

There is not a lot of demand for building computers and it is the most risky to get into, I would stay away from it entirely, offer some free advice to people who want it, but when things go wrong people will expect you to take care of it even if it is just the cable isn't plugged in and people will most likely expect this done for free, and if it breaks you will have to either provide a warranty because the manufacturer's warranties may not apply to a 2nd owner.

 

 

[Mira Yurizaki]

From what I've seen in most indie computer tech stores is that they offer technical support service primarily. Selling systems and parts is just secondary.

 

People don't really care for buying a custom built machine, they just care their machine works.

[corrado33]

29 minutes ago, SLAYR said:

First do you have experience doing tech support work? Just because you built a computer doesn't make you an expert on computers, but if you need to google how to do everything to fix a computer, or come to the LTT forum to ask basic computer repair questions then you might want to try to offer services to your family and such and familiarize yourself with what you are getting into.

This 100x! I ran into this realization when I started volunteering to fix bikes at the local bike COOP. I could work on my bikes and build my bikes very easily, but as soon as someone else's bike with unfamiliar technology came to me I was slow in fixing it because I had to figure it out first. I soon realized that I knew very little about bikes. Now, a year and half later, I can say that I know a moderate amount about repairing bikes, but there is still plenty more to learn.

 

Same thing with computers. 

[DogeOfTech]

15 hours ago, Armakar said:

I want to get into freelance comptuer services, like building / upgrading computers, virus removal, optimisations etc.

 

I can't find good methods of advertising. I tried applying at my local stores ( there is only 2 ) for jobs but didn't hear back, so I wanted to get in to freelancing.

 

I tried advertising on Facebook in my local  ' items for sale ' group, and on Craigslist. I know they are shitty methods of advertising but I cannot think of any ideas.

 

Any suggestions will be greatly accepted!

I only posted on craigslist and just got my first request for a build. I had the ad posted for about a month so I'd recommend just waiting a while until it starts getting traction and your clients (potentially) recommend you.

 

Again, this is my first anonymous request, but from my experience, it's more for like cash on the side and isnt enough for a constant stream of income.

[ElZamo92]

I started doing this and It has been fun. I built a gaming PC for a friend with $100 of profit (I gave him credit though) and like 15 $100 PCs for use as PoS. I haven't had a single complaint and I get a little bit of extra cash on the side. Just be sure to buy nice components with good reviews so you don't have to deal with a burnt machine on a client's desk.