Help with my business plan

[Ripfox]

Hi guys and gals...it's been a minute!

Anyways, I have secured myself a backer to go ahead and start a computer repair / sales business in my town. I am wondering if my collection of great minds on the UF could help me with one thing. I need a list of small stuff like USB flash drives and the like that you think people would have a demand for. Even as an impulse buy. I am starting a list, but you people surely will think of some things I do not!

Thank you in advance for your input!!

Rip

P.S. I am going to try to promote some Ubuntu-isms at my shop!! :P:P

[WalmartSniperLX]

Wish you the best for your future business.

[Dayofswords]

blank CDs tend to be impulse buy when in 1-5 packs(same with dvds)

Shapies perhaps

[fluxlizard]

canned air to blow dust out

inexpensive usb joysticks

joystick converters (I had one once that I got for $10 walmart that let me hook up different game system joysticks to the computer, including our gamecube joysticks).

[Ripfox]

canned air to blow dust out

inexpensive usb joysticks

joystick converters (I had one once that I got for $10 walmart that let me hook up different game system joysticks to the computer, including our gamecube joysticks).

Yes...canned air was not on the list yet!! Keep em comin'!!

[Gone fishing]

seriously I'd consider having the option of buying PCs with Ubuntu pre-installed and fully set up with video codecs etc and possibly a KDE distro, have them in the shop for folk to play with. As you will be supporting Windows I'd retail the NOD32 Anti Virus as it is the best and maybe you could start a LUG for your town.

You could probably sell at a nominal price some Open-source programs for Windows Open office, Parted Magic and the like save folk from down loading. In terms of hardware. USB hard drives, those things for cleaning scratches off CDs, Flash drives, cable tidyies.

[mendhak]

SD cards, USB sticks, mice, keyboards, XBox controllers, LAN cables.

Also, the moon on a stick.

[Naiki Muliaina]

Mouse mats?

[Kdar]

Mouse mats?

too bad Apple owns trademark for word pad now :P

--

How about some of those repair kits, tool sets, Anti Static Wrist Strap?

[Zlatan]

-wireless mouse with nano receiver with batteries and a charger- useful for laptops and PCs (hate wires:) )
-usb/wifi adapter for PCs
-basic wifi access point probably

[WalmartSniperLX]

Ok I decided to not be lazy and brainstorm for you. :)

Cables... all sorts, and lots of them! Have a good price. Over here, stores charge so much money for cables. Just order large spools, cut them and buy the appropriate ends and apply them yourself. Or, order from websites like monoprice.com individually at extremely good prices. Just sell them in packages with your DBA printed on a label. They will be your store 'brand' cables.

[Dayofswords]

EDIT: walmart there took my idea

99% Isopropyl alcohol
microfiber clothes
butterfingers (just cuz)
jewel cases
larger disc cases(like dvds come in)

[WalmartSniperLX]

If/when you sell Ubuntu systems, see if there's a way to sell a support service that uses remote desktop for you to help people with their systems remotely. Of course, overhead management will be important when offering such services. Who knows how many people will 'convert' and need the help. :D

[Ripfox]

Wow thanks guys so much. I got some really good ideas here, and hope to get more. This will be tough in this economy, but nothing ventured, nothing gained!

[Megaptera]

Cd / DVD labelling pens
Printer inks?

Print / photo papers.
Photo albums - old fashioned I know but you never know.

[panozzaj]

Maybe small screwdrivers for opening up hardware?

[WalmartSniperLX]

Maybe small screwdrivers for opening up hardware?

+10000

I see this selling very well to techies. Sell mini torx drivers too.

[pricetech]

Mouse mats?

With your business logo on them. Include one with each computer sold and sell them separately at a nominal price, or even throw them in when someone buys over a certain amount.

[lisati]

Maybe small screwdrivers for opening up hardware?

+2. In the Lisati household, these have a habit of going walkabouts when Mrs Lisati switches into spring-cleaning mode or when she wants to try her hand at fixing something herself.

[pricetech]

Cables... all sorts, and lots of them! Have a good price.

PCCables dot com. I used to buy all my "stock" cables from them. They have stuff that's hard to find too.

[Old_Grey_Wolf]

For impulse buying, I would suggest Lanyards and Badge Reels.

I typically have one around my neck with my company badge, thumb-dives, secure key fob for connecting to the company VPN. You can have them custom made with your company logo on them. They are inexpensive; however, they are typically made from cloth ribbon that gets dirty, and needs to be replaced quit often. In other words, repeat business on small revenue items with a large markup. You can easily charge twice what you pay for them.

[Austin25]

Neodymium magnets?
Linux compatible wifi cards.
External hard drives.
Soldering guns/solder.
Arduinos (http://www.arduino.cc/)?

[MasterNetra]

Nachos & Cheese + Soft Drinks.

Brainstorming for Impulse Mercandise != Business Plan

Thread title is misleading. :/

[Ripfox]

Well, maybe a little misleading...:o

BUT, it is actually technically PART of the plan, so, yeah.

OK this is turning into a great source of ideas for us. I feel fortunate to be familiar with a forum of people who know what a person walking into a computer store wants right away. I am one of you, so I have thought of some of these things off the top of course, but I am getting all the items that slipped through the brain cracks here!

Thanks!!

[Khakilang]

Here is the list.

1. Storage - pen drive, DVD/CD RW, R, SD, CF card and internal and external hard disk of various capacity.
2. Cables - printer cables, IDE and Sata drive cable, USB cables with different connector, network cable of different length, floppy drive cable (you never know).
3. Accessories - wire and wireless mouse and keyboard, speakers of various range, headphone, webcam and microphone, USB hub, multi card reader, USB wifi adapter, media player.
4. Tools - screw driver with various heads, test pen, dust blower, soldering gun, multimeter tester, liquid cleaner, linen cloth
5. PC - computer case, PSUs, RAM, CPUs, VGA display card, motherboard, voltage regulator, battery back up power supply.
6. Network - network switch hub, router, wifi modem router, PCI network card, USB wifi adapter
7. Computer books and magazine.
8. Softwares - Various Linux Distro, Windows 7 or Vista, various anti virus and internet security, Window utilities, games.

I think thats about all I can think of but I believe there is more. Anyway best of luck to you.

[Ripfox]

These are some good ideas...

[Zorgoth]

I would definitely recommend building PCs and branding them as your own. Low-end desktops in particular are overpriced in big box stores I think and building those and putting Ubuntu on them might be profitable as you could sell them at very competitive prices. I would recommend something like Pentium Dual Core 2.5-3 GHz + GT 220 or similar + 2-4 GB memory. You should be able to put those together in an hour each for maybe $250-350 and selling them for $350-400 I bet you could make a tidy profit, since a $350 computer at Best Buy is a Celeron with onboard graphics.

Along with those perhaps marketing products like commercial Linux games would be a good idea. Most users probably will not know they exist, and selling them in the same store where they buy the computer might be profitable.

[Ripfox]

Awesome idea...

[kamaboko]

I hope you're not near one of those mega sized Fry's Electronic stores. They killed nearly all the small computer part/repair shops in my area.

[juancarlospaco]

I want a Photo of that Business ;)

[undecim]

Another service you might consider offering is data backup.

Hard Drive space is cheap, and as long as you can keep the data safe (something like RAID 6), it would cost you maybe $0.05/GB/month tops to hold other people's data. Resell that in packages for $0.10/GB. (i.e. 100 GB backup for $10/month).

For each customer you work with, give them a pamphlet that explains it. You can stress some benefits of your backup solution over internet based backup solutions (price, upload/download speed, low risk of hackers, etc) and also play on the fear factor. Get some statistics about stolen laptops and failed hard drives to make people think that their data is insecure. This will get you a $2-$5 profit each month for many customers.

I've found that Truecrypt file containers, which are essentially encrypted drive images, work well for this. Just create some in advance, because they take a while to create. You can just change the password for them and let the owner of the data hold onto the password themselves, or you can manage it for them. (they take a while to create, but changing the password for one is quick)

Small businesses might take to that backup service too, but you will want to be able to restore their data ASAP if they need it. (because that could be lost sales while they don't have that data, and last I checked, "lost sales" wasn't on the list of things small business owners like)

[PhilGil]

Awesome idea...anybody have any info on the Windows re-install legality? Their website is so convoluted...

For new build machines, you have a couple of choices:

- Base price computer comes without an OS. Customer can buy a retail-packaged version of Windows; you'll install it for them. This is how most of the ebay sellers work. You can also offer your customer a computer with Ubuntu pre-installed (installation for free or for a small fee).

- Buy OEM licenses. This is what the big boys do. There may be a minimum number of licenses you have to purchase and you may have to be a MS certified reseller.

For a repairs you shouldn't have a problem reinstalling Windows as long as the customer has the product key (the key is often on a sticker affixed to the computer ccase). An OEM Windows license is only valid for the computer it was originally installed on.

It is the customer's responsibility to activate the copy of Windows you have installed. I would include language on your invoice to the effect that you are only responsible for failed activations on newly-built machines, not re-installs.

Good luck with your new business.

[Ripfox]

This will be fun...

[Ripfox]

Any new ideas?

[samalex]

One 'service' that I've yet to see any computer shop offer is custom length cables. It's like I often need a cable of X length and a standard 3' or 6' cable is too long or too short.

Offer Cat6 with RJ11 or RJ45 connectors, coax (various types - RG58/59/62), and even USB, HDMI, VGA, and DVI. It's hard to find cables of a custom length, and not everyone has the skill, tools, or extra cable laying around to make them.

Charge $1/foot, and heck a 1000 foot box of Cat6 that might cost you $80 (not counting connectors) could yield a nice profit over time :) And heck, it takes a few seconds for someone to make the cables if they have the tools on hand, so there's really little time invested in it.

Just a thought-- And I bet if advertised you'd have network guys, amateur radio operators, home theater gurus, and more coming your way for custom length cables.

Sam

[jonathonblake]

I need a list of small stuff like USB flash drives and the like that you think people would have a demand for.

a) I have no idea what it is called, but it is the cable that provides the power to the SATA device in the computer;

b) Custom length cables. If it is a cable that a computer user might need, be able and willing to provide it in the length that the customers wants. The sole exception being when that length is too long for the cable to reliable work;

c) Replacement batteries for GPS unites, smart phones, netbooks, laptops, and similar devices. If the person brings the device in, install it for gratis. (You'll have to open the device, to verify that the battery they claim is required is the one that is actually required.);

d) Consider whether or not you also want to get into repairing game consoles;

e) Consider whether or not you also want to get into repairing smart phones, PDAs, and the like;

f) Consider learning how to use, install, and support hardware and software on computing devices (netbooks, laptops, desktops, PDAs, etc.) for those who have accessibility issues. (Neither the first tier computer hardware assemblers, nor local white box assemblers seem to be capable of providing a system that "just works" for those with accessibility issues.);

jonathon

[Ripfox]

OK so, we are going on 4 months now, mostly doing PC repair and fixing red ringed XBOX 360s & YLOD PS3s. It's tough, but we are making it. 14 hours a day, no joke. The retail end is still lacking. Thanks for all the great suggestions! I am installing Ubuntu for a customer today who wanted to avoid upgrading from 2000 to XP (too costly for the age of their PC)

[linuxforartists]

Just curious, do you have a website for your business? I'm sure I'm not the only one who'd like to check it out.

Kind of an off-the-wall suggestion, but it'd be fun if you sold merchandise with Tux, the Linux penguin mascot. Magnets, stickers, maybe plush penguin dolls you can put on your desk. Customers' kids might be into that. Or maybe I'm still a big kid myself.

[Ripfox]

Yes we do

www.gearupelectronics.com

[Ripfox]

We have proudly been in business for ONE YEAR!

I have installed Linux on at least 25 customers laptops and desktops.
Funny how you never hear back from them...everyone else is in for a virus removal at least once!

[PhilGil]

Congratulations, glad to hear of your continued success.

Have you considered adding a little interactive content to your website - like putting your used game inventory online?

[bluexrider]

Good idea, think I will follow this thread because I too was interested in a PC business

[sidewalkcynic]

I need a list of small stuff like USB flash drives and the like that you think people would have a demand for. Even as an impulse buy.Try pre-installing porn on the USBs - that should enhance the impulsive computer shopper.

[Ripfox]

Try pre-installing porn on the USBs - that should enhance the impulsive computer shopper.

Ahhh nooooo

[Ripfox]

Congratulations, glad to hear of your continued success.

Have you considered adding a little interactive content to your website - like putting your used game inventory online?

It changes too fast, that's my issue with that...