Home business ideas for transition out of 9-5?
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This is the same old question. I want to discuss truly viable options for home businesses.
There is bottom of the barrel stuff like in home computer repair. And all the way up to MSP services or even custom application programming.
The situation is that I have a family and kids and not really interested in hugely risky business types. I live in a small-ish town of 40k people with another town 20 miles away with another 40k people. The type of business I do can't depend on living in huge cities to make it work.
I am skilled at the intermediate level in many different things such as web design, programming, IT, and graphics. Freelance work is often on my mind for example.
I mainly want to discuss options for a single-owner IT business. What can I do that has potential for good income and is sustainable by a single owner? I don't think I have the temperament for herding cats so I don't really want 5 or 20 employees to manage. An accountant and personal assistant/secretary is just about enough for me. That said, the business(es) needs to pull in anywhere from $60k to $150k.
I think computer repair is low hanging fruit. People buy $399 computers from Walmart, they don't want to pay $75/hr to move icons around and install printers. Most of my time is waiting on slow internet connections and slow computers to catch up. I feel like every in home job I do is a rip off. It's 20% work and 80% waiting for their Walmart special to catch up.
MSP is overreaching for me. It's more than I want to chew. It's the type of thing where, even if I could find some businesses to do this for, I would be limited to servicing everything myself, and thus could only have a few clients in the first place. One lost client could represent a huge chunk of income, which is risky.
Somewhere in the consulting space is where I see myself. Consulting has a specific niche though. If a business is large enough or complicated enough, they will have their own IT staff already. If the business is a cut-n-paste business, they already have an IT blueprint and use local providers.
The niche is small businesses without IT staff who don't lean on local providers, and yet have the funds and need for IT services.
In a small town, this niche may be hard to find? I'm not sure.
If a company "needs" IT services, you'd think they would have found it already. Either that, or computer stuff is easy enough to find and buy, setup, or rent online, that they rarely need IT in the first place.I see mom-n-pop tech shops open and close regularly in this town. One week I'll see a car driving around some slogan pasted on the window "Call Bill's Super Deluxe Nerd Shop Today!" These companies are fly-by-night. I think home-based servicing is almost dead. Computers are fairly reliable, and when they die, you get a new one for $399. Plus people are going to iPads and phones for a lot of stuff. Most of my in-home stuff people only use them for email and printing things and shopping sometimes, etc.
I'm looking for actual viable businesses that will work for single-proprietors in smaller towns that are known for being successful for the most part.
This is likely going to involve a combination of local work, freelance work, and maybe even running smaller businesses on the side (think like gumball machine route, etc), anything easy that turns an ok profit without a ton of work.I'm curious what some of you do for a living if you are in this situation. I know only a handful of you that are part of MSPs or what have you, but otherwise I'm curious what many of you do.
Is the in-home IT business dying too? Am I better off trying to work for a large company? Beside mom-n-pop "computer repair" companies, what else can a guy do?
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I'm looking to transition as well from my "job" to IT. I have had a decently sucessful shop here in town since 2010. And in fact I would venture to say that we could even live in the same town given the few stats you rattled off.
It is hard here, as you said the companies that want it (and can afford it) likely have an IT dept.
And the other businesses are going to be resistive to IT. They always want to bake their own solution. I have found it rare that they are willing to pay.
The walmart special will always be thrown in your face. So not worth selling hardware.
I tried the MSP model with minimum sucess. To much cost, not enough demand.
I offer services like
*Data migration and system backup services.
*Virus removal
*Managed endpoint security solution
*Software and driver assistance
*Win OS installs
*Managed WiFi solution
*Managed SMB firewall solution starting at $49 a month
*Network design, install, and troubleshooting
*Device troubleshooting (printers and stuff)
*Email\website hosting
*Business VOIP phone solutions
*Assist customers with moving to their next device.
*Password management serviceThere's more but I can't think of them.
I have gone back to the break fix model.
I educate when possible. That walmart special is always there and they will dangle it in your face. They forget that they still have all their data that needs migration and without help the transition can be very cumbersome.
I have been able to gain many excellent customers who repeat because they know at the end of the day I will offer my best opinion on a given topic. But I will do it honestly and openly. I try very hard to empower them at all times.
Not sure if it helps. I will respond more once you see this, and if you have any other thoughts.
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@guyinpv said in Home business ideas for transition out of 9-5?:
The niche is small businesses without IT staff who don't lean on local providers, and yet have the funds and need for IT services.
You just described MSP.
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@guyinpv said in Home business ideas for transition out of 9-5?:
If a company "needs" IT services, you'd think they would have found it already. Either that, or computer stuff is easy enough to find and buy, setup, or rent online, that they rarely need IT in the first place.
Yes, every viable company already has IT today. You will be looking to displace the incumbent IT people.
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@guyinpv said in Home business ideas for transition out of 9-5?:
Is the in-home IT business dying too?
I think so. The Geek Squads and Staples of the world have eaten all of the profitable people in this market (those with deep pockets and no idea what they are doing.) Everyone who is competent doesn't need tech support at home. The number of people needing in home service is a small number and constantly shrinking as the number of computer users decreases.
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@scottalanmiller said in Home business ideas for transition out of 9-5?:
@guyinpv said in Home business ideas for transition out of 9-5?:
Is the in-home IT business dying too?
I think so. The Geek Squads and Staples of the world have eaten all of the profitable people in this market (those with deep pockets and no idea what they are doing.) Everyone who is competent doesn't need tech support at home. The number of people needing in home service is a small number and constantly shrinking as the number of computer users decreases.
I have heard horror stories from my customers from places like best buy and staples. They get charged huge prices for simple services, or they get pushed to reinstall an OS when it was simple setting causing the connectivity issue. And they pay a very hefty fee for it.
I do agree, I think that the market is shrinking most people are moving to mobile platforms and away from computers. The need for IT support will remain in the SMB and enterprise market and a few residential customers.
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@prcssupport said in Home business ideas for transition out of 9-5?:
I have heard horror stories from my customers from places like best buy and staples. They get charged huge prices for simple services, or they get pushed to reinstall an OS when it was simple setting causing the connectivity issue. And they pay a very hefty fee for it.
But then again... if they went there in the first place, what were they expecting? It's ridiculously common knowledge that no one qualified is there and that you will always get treated terribly and get ripped off. It's violating the basic rule of knowledge transactions built into the human social experience - paying the sales guy to do your consulting. It's both common knowledge that these places specifically are problems, and common sense that the guy paid to sell you a computer has no interest in fixing it AND insanely obvious that to be skilled in computer repair you'd not have time to also be a good sales person AND crazy obvious that if someone was skilled enough to do the work that they couldn't be working in a situation like that. There are SO many safety nets to make sure that anyone who cares at all about not getting ripped off won't that you can't fault Best Buy for taking advantage of the people who end up there.
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@scottalanmiller said in Home business ideas for transition out of 9-5?:
@prcssupport said in Home business ideas for transition out of 9-5?:
I have heard horror stories from my customers from places like best buy and staples. They get charged huge prices for simple services, or they get pushed to reinstall an OS when it was simple setting causing the connectivity issue. And they pay a very hefty fee for it.
But then again... if they went there in the first place, what were they expecting? It's ridiculously common knowledge that no one qualified is there and that you will always get treated terribly and get ripped off. It's violating the basic rule of knowledge transactions built into the human social experience - paying the sales guy to do your consulting. It's both common knowledge that these places specifically are problems, and common sense that the guy paid to sell you a computer has no interest in fixing it AND insanely obvious that to be skilled in computer repair you'd not have time to also be a good sales person AND crazy obvious that if someone was skilled enough to do the work that they couldn't be working in a situation like that. There are SO many safety nets to make sure that anyone who cares at all about not getting ripped off won't that you can't fault Best Buy for taking advantage of the people who end up there.
Yes that is true.
I fight to inform the customers of that as well. I forgot to reference (address) your statement that I agree with, about how best buy and staples have tapped into and essentially drained the deep pockets of people without a clue.
I paraphrased that from your post, because I didn't quote it first.Anyways this topic is still a struggle and I want to remain relevent, and help while making the money to live on that I need.
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@prcssupport said in Home business ideas for transition out of 9-5?:
@scottalanmiller said in Home business ideas for transition out of 9-5?:
@prcssupport said in Home business ideas for transition out of 9-5?:
I have heard horror stories from my customers from places like best buy and staples. They get charged huge prices for simple services, or they get pushed to reinstall an OS when it was simple setting causing the connectivity issue. And they pay a very hefty fee for it.
But then again... if they went there in the first place, what were they expecting? It's ridiculously common knowledge that no one qualified is there and that you will always get treated terribly and get ripped off. It's violating the basic rule of knowledge transactions built into the human social experience - paying the sales guy to do your consulting. It's both common knowledge that these places specifically are problems, and common sense that the guy paid to sell you a computer has no interest in fixing it AND insanely obvious that to be skilled in computer repair you'd not have time to also be a good sales person AND crazy obvious that if someone was skilled enough to do the work that they couldn't be working in a situation like that. There are SO many safety nets to make sure that anyone who cares at all about not getting ripped off won't that you can't fault Best Buy for taking advantage of the people who end up there.
Yes that is true.
I fight to inform the customers of that as well. I forgot to reference (address) your statement that I agree with, about how best buy and staples have tapped into and essentially drained the deep pockets of people without a clue.
I paraphrased that from your post, because I didn't quote it first.Anyways this topic is still a struggle and I want to remain relevent, and help while making the money to live on that I need.
How many of them really care, in the end, though?
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@aaron said in Home business ideas for transition out of 9-5?:
@scottalanmiller said in Home business ideas for transition out of 9-5?:
@guyinpv said in Home business ideas for transition out of 9-5?:
If a company "needs" IT services, you'd think they would have found it already. Either that, or computer stuff is easy enough to find and buy, setup, or rent online, that they rarely need IT in the first place.
Yes, every viable company already has IT today. You will be looking to displace the incumbent IT people.
Company? Sure! But... I live in a small town and I know a lot of small business, especially restaurants that have zero IT or MSP. I don't know if the market is sustainable, but it's there. Especially since the owners all know each other and once you impress one of them...
Have you ACTUALLY found owners that talk to each other about IT? That's not something we've seen. Even when companies rave about their IT, they never share it with other business owners. Either they don't think about it, or they don't want their MSP getting busy or they see the other business as competition... whatever. Vendor sharing between SMBs isn't something that we ever see.
Maybe in restaurants, but restaurants are specifically one of those "no IT" businesses.
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@aaron said in Home business ideas for transition out of 9-5?:
Since I was explicitly talking about restaurants, yes. Yes I have found ones that talk about IT.
Small town restaurants don't think about competition as much as getting people to come to their area together.
Like when independent coffee shops like it when a Starbucks opens across the street...
And they buy IT? We never find restaurants buy IT at all.
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I just looked it up. I have talked to about 175 restaurants over the last 4 years. Usually they need an hour of our time to put up Access Points. That's it. Any aspect of IT is not something they worry about. Small town single location least of all. Sure once in awhile one will call to ask a quick question. But Staples is cheaper and they aren't paid by their customers because of IT stuff. They are paid to cook food. IT is the lowest thing on the list.
One of the biggest chains we talked to (international and over 400 locations world wide). They have an IT department, 1 guy can handle it all. He calls on us for consultations for infrastructure upgrades. But one guy can handle 400 locations and he isn't even full time IT. He also handles new product purchasing (choosing new craft beers for locations etc).
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@Minion-Queen and I've talked to likely scores of them too, over the years. Always the same story... maybe one computer in the back office for basic stuff, no needs, no concerns. No customer data or anything.
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@scottalanmiller said in Home business ideas for transition out of 9-5?:
@aaron said in Home business ideas for transition out of 9-5?:
Since I was explicitly talking about restaurants, yes. Yes I have found ones that talk about IT.
Small town restaurants don't think about competition as much as getting people to come to their area together.
Like when independent coffee shops like it when a Starbucks opens across the street...
And they buy IT? We never find restaurants buy IT at all.
I have also seen that. The restaurants don't care about it. They have a small system and other stuff. But in the end it is their lowest priority. They won't budget for it.
I know restaurants with flat and open networks, no firewalls, just computers running Xp and chugging along swiping cards on the swiper all day.
I could talk till I'm blue in the face they don't care.
They also are a proud bunch... they tend to look down on you (especially if the owner is the chef)
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@Minion-Queen said in Home business ideas for transition out of 9-5?:
I just looked it up. I have talked to about 175 restaurants over the last 4 years. Usually they need an hour of our time to put up Access Points. That's it. Any aspect of IT is not something they worry about. Small town single location least of all. Sure once in awhile one will call to ask a quick question. But Staples is cheaper and they aren't paid by their customers because of IT stuff. They are paid to cook food. IT is the lowest thing on the list.
One of the biggest chains we talked to (international and over 400 locations world wide). They have an IT department, 1 guy can handle it all. He calls on us for consultations for infrastructure upgrades. But one guy can handle 400 locations and he isn't even full time IT. He also handles new product purchasing (choosing new craft beers for locations etc).
I was going to do a public wifi system for one of the local restaurants. Planned to get 3 APs in and configured in 2 hours at most, and with Ubiquiti the entire quote was $500. Would've covered the entire place, and most likely the parking lot as well.
Instead of me spending an evening putting this stuff in, the local cable company did it for free. Of course they only put a single AP in, so only about 1/2 of the restaurant actually has a signal, with 1/3 of the space actually having a usable signal. Yeah, great advertising for your cable company, especially when someone like me realizes that runs on a DSL connection (really, what were they thinking?)
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@travisdh1 good point, in the restaurant world you are really up against "free" pretty significantly for everything.
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@guyinpv said in Home business ideas for transition out of 9-5?:
The situation is that I have a family and kids and not really interested in hugely risky business types. I live in a small-ish town of 40k people with another town 20 miles away with another 40k people. The type of business I do can't depend on living in huge cities to make it work.
Somewhere in the consulting space is where I see myself. Consulting has a specific niche though. If a business is large enough or complicated enough, they will have their own IT staff already. If the business is a cut-n-paste business, they already have an IT blueprint and use local providers.
Is the in-home IT business dying too? Am I better off trying to work for a large company? Beside mom-n-pop "computer repair" companies, what else can a guy do?Become an expert in your "area" whatever "area" that might be. Go deeper than anyone else, be more knowledgable, be hungry for that knowledge, be passionate about the topic. If you are THE guy who knows about topic X and you develop a reputation and a name based on that, you can be a consultant specialising in that topic. Takes takes a long time...
Don't go mom and pop route, that's a dying/closing market. Now I provide tech support to home users but they are not the spend peanuts, nickle and dime. They want that 1 to 1 high end service and everything to work at business level, they want all the stress taken away.
