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Dan F
02-11-2009, 08:28 AM
Hi guys :)

I'm still 21, and I'm seriously thinking of starting my own small business. I haven't studied business nor accounts or any similar subjects, but I'm into IT.

What I'm planning is to have a computer servicing business in my village, maybe also sales in the future. Till now I have some good clients which seem to be happy with my service, so I think it's a good idea to expand. Due to lack of income, because I don't have a job, I'm investing the majority of my income into needed tools etc...

From now on, I don't know how to proceed, and I need your professional help. I still think that finding a job, even a part-time job, would help... but at the moment I'm unemployed so I need to use the few income very very wisely for a good start.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions :)

Regards,
Dan

huggytree
02-11-2009, 10:48 AM
one of my friends in my networking group is an IT guy, so i know how he works.

$90 per hour
he fixes Pc's, he Sells Pc's
picking it up at your house and dropping it back off is part of his service(they love this)
join a BNI group (he gets a tip a week or more)
he has a sign on his car and also a card box right on the side...he gets business when he goes to the grocery store.

if your unemployed why not try..its always best to start out part time and build up if you can!
it may take years until you have enough business to be full time.

you need to figure out how to find customers. who can you contact who can find you work? who works in a similar field that you can network with(swap customers).

Almost all my jobs are leads from people i know..past customers, contractors, people i network with....the more people you know the better!

join things and talk to people...learn how to sell yourself....people must remember you! figure out how to do that...something must be different about you or your product...a silly tag line may be enough...a special unique logo may be enough....a special business idea is the best way!

Spider
02-11-2009, 11:02 AM
The nice thing about a face-to-face networking group is that you can barter for services. Which is great when you are starting out and have minimal income.

See if the accountant in your group will set up your books and explain how to keep them, in exchange for you helping him with his computers, software, defragging, and general maintrrenance.

See if an advertising person in the group will get you free advertising in exchange for servicing their computers, training them how to get the most out of their software, etc.

Once you have them as a "clients" you can promote them to customers you already have and they can promote you to their existing clients and customers. That's what networking is all about.

The approach I find works best is not, "I need XYZ service and I can do your IT stuff for free." Instead, offer your service and then "If you like, we can exchange, because I need your XYZ service and we won't have to charge each other."

Good luck.

Dan F
02-11-2009, 11:23 AM
Thanks for your informative reply huggytree.

- I don't think charging per hour is a good idea. However I might be wrong. Since now I've charged according to the problem. I like to explain the customers what I'm doing while working on their system, as well as after the job. If it's a silly problem and I didn't recognize the exact fault from the beginning I can't think how can I charge them $90 per hour. This was just an example, this stuff happens a lot when troubleshooting computer systems.

- I would also like to know more about actually selling. Till now I've repaired and when I needed to replace an hardware I've always bought them as retail, from another shop which offers the same service as me. Most of the customers also ask me to suggest a specific model of a specific device, and even ask me to suggest a store; and usually computer stores offer repair service as well. I really need to get around this, as it doesn't make sense.

- It's a good idea to stick a card on the car, a business card on the windscreen would be a good idea I guess.

- What exactly is BNI?

- Getting a job is not easy at the moment, I've been searching and searching for months non stop till late and it's really difficult. Unemployment rate is sky high. But I ain't stopping.

- Thanks for the rest of the tips, really useful.

Thanks mate.


one of my friends in my networking group is an IT guy, so i know how he works.

$90 per hour
he fixes Pc's, he Sells Pc's
picking it up at your house and dropping it back off is part of his service(they love this)
join a BNI group (he gets a tip a week or more)
he has a sign on his car and also a card box right on the side...he gets business when he goes to the grocery store.

if your unemployed why not try..its always best to start out part time and build up if you can!
it may take years until you have enough business to be full time.

you need to figure out how to find customers. who can you contact who can find you work? who works in a similar field that you can network with(swap customers).

Almost all my jobs are leads from people i know..past customers, contractors, people i network with....the more people you know the better!

join things and talk to people...learn how to sell yourself....people must remember you! figure out how to do that...something must be different about you or your product...a silly tag line may be enough...a special unique logo may be enough....a special business idea is the best way!

Dan F
02-11-2009, 11:30 AM
Excuse the stupid question, but what group are you talking about?

I understood most of the tips, great tips :)

Till now I've only advertised on a local mag once, this is when I really had my first customers. Recently I was fixing a system at a pet shot owner and they were really satisfied with the job done, so he asked me to give him a number of business cards so that he could put them in his shop for his clients to have :)

At the moment I only have a personal business card, which displays my name and tags me as a Qualified Computer Technician ... and contact details etc... Do you think it's time to think of a proper name for the business before it's too late?

Huge thanks for you as well Spider :)


The nice thing about a face-to-face networking group is that you can barter for services. Which is great when you are starting out and have minimal income.

See if the accountant in your group will set up your books and explain how to keep them, in exchange for you helping him with his computers, software, defragging, and general maintrrenance.

See if an advertising person in the group will get you free advertising in exchange for servicing their computers, training them how to get the most out of their software, etc.

Once you have them as a "clients" you can promote them to customers you already have and they can promote you to their existing clients and customers. That's what networking is all about.

The approach I find works best is not, "I need XYZ service and I can do your IT stuff for free." Instead, offer your service and then "If you like, we can exchange, because I need your XYZ service and we won't have to charge each other."

Good luck.

vangogh
02-11-2009, 12:12 PM
I don't think charging per hour is a good idea.

You could charge people for an hour of diagnostic time which would then be applied to the total cost of fixing things. I understand that you don't want to charge people if you haven't fixed their problem, but you have to understand this is your business and you should be compensated for your time. There's nothing wrong with charging for your time.

BNI is a networking group. Most will meet once a week or once a month over breakfast or some other meal. Usually each group will have one member only from each industry. The idea is you each get to know about the other's business and recommend them when you can. Success with a networking group usually depends on the specific group. You can likely find some by going through your local Chamber of Commerce. Chamber meetings are often just one big networking opportunity.

I would think word of mouth will be your best source for new business, but it takes time to get that going. I would also think having an ad in the phone book would work for you. Do you have a website? Is the URL on your business card?

Since your market is local I would suggest spending time with as many local communities as you can. Look online as well as offline. Get the word out in your area about who you are and the services that exist.

thx4yrtym
02-11-2009, 12:25 PM
Daniel,

You really should consider charging by the hour for your services. Maybe in your area you won't be competitive at $90 per hour, maybe you will. Just because you quote someone an hourly rate doesn't mean that that is what you have to charge them. Part of what you are doing is establishing a base line and letting customers know that you value your time and that you have a certain amount of expertise in IT. What's wrong with quoting someone one hour minimum and then when they get the bill you actually bill them for 1/2 because it was something simple that took 20 minutes and when you explain it right they are grateful and take some cards and tell others that you know what you are doing and more important you are fair. That type of approach can go farther that all kind of expensive advertising.

As you are trying to figure out what to do and how to do it, put yourself in your customer's shoes. If you were them with a problem, how would you like to be treated? What would impress you?

Best of luck,

Dan F
02-11-2009, 12:26 PM
Thanks VG :)

The situation in Malta is quite different from other places. First of all, Malta is so small that if you talk to someone make sure he knows some relatives of yours. At the moment I'm selling my service in my village only. Villages are really small as well, for example the population of my village is only around 3500 and you cross the island in about 30 minutes by car. I'm bringing this to your attention just to make it easier for your advises.

I don't have a website yet, and I don't even have a proper name. Till now I've used my name... so I advertise myself with my real name. I don't think it's a good idea to get known with a name and then all of a sudden simply change to another name, so might as well start thinking at this point in time. To be honest I was thinking of studying web design as well, and offer this service in conjunction with repairs and servicing of computer systems, and then build the website myself. Then I could also expand this service internationally. However, learning web design is not going to happen overnight, and another problem is that since I don't work I'm being really really strict on my expenses... without limiting any investment.

Dan F
02-11-2009, 12:30 PM
Great advise, thanks. To be honest, yes I'm a little bit shy when charging and I know it's not a good thing to do. The nearest shop which offers the same service is 10 minutes away by car, which is situated on our neighbor village and I think I'm fortunate enough that he charges high fees and is doesn't really do his job well.


Daniel,

You really should consider charging by the hour for your services. Maybe in your area you won't be competitive at $90 per hour, maybe you will. Just because you quote someone an hourly rate doesn't mean that that is what you have to charge them. Part of what you are doing is establishing a base line and letting customers know that you value your time and that you have a certain amount of expertise in IT. What's wrong with quoting someone one hour minimum and then when they get the bill you actually bill them for 1/2 because it was something simple that took 20 minutes and when you explain it right they are grateful and take some cards and tell others that you know what you are doing and more important you are fair. That type of approach can go farther that all kind of expensive advertising.

As you are trying to figure out what to do and how to do it, put yourself in your customer's shoes. If you were them with a problem, how would you like to be treated? What would impress you?

Best of luck,

huggytree
02-11-2009, 02:13 PM
BNI = a world wide networking group...there is 1 in every city..sometimes 2...they meet weekly and exchange leads with each other...you have to get up in every meeting and give a tip or give a testimonial about someone in the group....it forces people to get you a tip....it costs $500ish to join....i got $45,000 in business last year from it...this year its already $15,000.....its just a way to meet 20-30 different people who specialize in networking....chamber of commerce ive found to be worthless...everyone networks, but throws the cards away on the way out the door...i quit my chapter....BNI is all about getting tips for others, not just yourself...some chapters are better than others..mine is known as one of the best around...its one of the best things i did.

you have alot to work on...you need a name...and a slogan....you need to think through everything...it can take months to get it right....come up with some idea's and pitch them to us?........Geek Squad is over $100....id charge what they charge...take a computer in to them to be fixed..see how they charge for their service...then do it better....they make a plastic business card holder which velcro's to your window..it says TAKE ONE on it...get a nice logo for the sides of your car..make it big and loud!...

i dont know how you could do your job without charging by the hour...id charge a flat rate fee to see whats wrong and then call them with a quote of how much to fix..$50 to check it out and $90 per hour to do the work....everything you do must be paid for including people who waste your time....you never lose....all costs are passed on....

you need to come up with a list of expenses....gasoline, car payment, insurance, office time, office materials, call backs

my friend gets alot of people asking for free advice...be careful of this...remember the more time you waste on the phone the higher your prices will be for the people who actually use your service..everything must be paid for by someone including your office time and travel time...people who waste your time could become customers, but you have to screen and learn their keywords for 'im just wasting your time and will fix it myself'.....i know the keywords in my business and when i hear them i throw out a price..usually the conversation ends quickly because its double what they want to pay.....ive cut my wasted bidding 1/2 or more...i used to get 1 out of 10 and now its 1 out of 2...screening is the key.....my office time is now lowered and i can lower my hourly rate or keep that extra profit....

Dan F
02-11-2009, 02:33 PM
Yeah, you're right.

Well, I guess at the moment I need to focus more on advertising.

As I'm without experience, may I ask where can I find tips of how to choose a name or anything? :o :p

huggytree
02-11-2009, 05:33 PM
these are things that no one can tell you...you have to think of your own name and idea's....your success is all going to come from YOUR HEAD....time to start being successful.....

suggestion: to succeed you need to run your business different than your competition. you need a unique idea....come up with the idea and look for a name that fits with it. think of logo's that will also work with it... Idea,Name,Logo = all 3 need to flow(to be perfect)

my Plumbing logo is just a Blue house with a bright yellow WP inside it...the WP looks like pipes...not to special....anyone who looks at it knows im a plumber without knowing what WP stands for.

in plumbing most guys use their last names...mine is long and hard to pronounce, so i went with the largest city in the area....also the website was open for that name...its a name everyone can remember.it sounds like a company which has been around forever..this is why i chose it. it was a good idea, but may not have been the best idea now that i look back on it..if your last name is basic and easy its an option...using your last name says quality to me....but has zero imagination...the easy way out basically


a catchy name....AAA-IT is not a good name....i feel it hurts me with a name in the W's in the phone book, but I wouldnt consider basing your name entirely on where you land..the phone book is pretty worthless....im sure it costs me a couple calls a year though.whoopee.

all your decisions will effect how well you do..your name is extremely important, screw it up badly enough and it will cost you business...i know a guy who named his company something totally stupid(im afraid to say the name incase it comes up in a web search)..people giggle when they hear the name...he survives....but never does well....the name just makes no sense what so ever....the name costs him business in my opinion..it sounds like a bad handyman on crack.

spend a few days writing down names
research what you can do to be different...i still think take a computer to Geek Squad is the best idea to see how they charge and how they do business...what do they do that makes no sense or that you can do better? what should they be doing that they arent?..you must have that 1 idea!...being lower price is not an original idea...you will fail if thats what you come up with.

your very young....lack of life experience is going to make this all more difficult...i wouldnt be able to do it at 21...most business owners seem to start in their 30's or later...ive known a few young guys but their fathers were businessmen...you have to see how poorly service is in our world and know what you need to do to be better....this takes years of crap..youve only had a couple of years of it.

Dan F
02-11-2009, 06:39 PM
I'm aware it is something which takes time. And I'm also aware that I still have to learn lots of stuff, especially when I don't have any business ideas and my parents are not into business. My uncle and cousin are into business but I doubt it's going to help, it really depends on what I do, it's mine not theirs.

I used to work for a major company here in Malta, which is the largest computer store over here and they offer repair service as well, so I know the ups and downs of large stores. The main difference is not price, but they do the repairs like they're working in a factory. I have the advantage of looking deeper into the system and can easily do a better job than them.

I will start thinking about a name and make a list, I know it's going to take long. After all, I don't really have enough money to continue at the moment until I find a job. Should start taking note of everything, I'm starting to loose the tips and ideas from my mind quickly ;)

vangogh
02-11-2009, 09:02 PM
Daniel I've seen you mention feeling a little put off charging by the hour a few times. It's not always easy, especially in the beginning, to feel comfortable charging for some things, but know that you have to. You have to treat your business like a business and charging for your time is one way to do that.


The main difference is not price, but they do the repairs like they're working in a factory. I have the advantage of looking deeper into the system and can easily do a better job than them.

That's how you differentiate yourself from some of your competition.

As far as web design is concerned there's no reason you can't learn how and be able to later offer the service. It's a separate industry so you may want to add it as a service after the IT part of the business is already doing well, but you can definitely learn web design.

Start by teaching yourself html. If you're not sure where to look to get started just let me know and I'll point you in the right direction. After that I'd learn css and javascript. None are particularly difficult to learn. Also be learning design, at least some basic design principles while you're learning the other languages.

Dan F
02-12-2009, 04:10 AM
Thanks VanGogh :) Someone suggested w3schools. I'm more concerned about the images rather than the coding as I guess you'd need to learn image editing / creation to have a complete package.

Anyways, I'd appreciate any tips seeing you're a great designer yourself :) Have already visited your websites yesterday and I loved them, well done. I'm planning to start teaching myself sometime during the next week, as I have 2 easy exams pending which I'm planning to do between this week and the upcoming week.

I'm still thinking of a name, but it's not that easy... the paper is still empty :p Will keep you informed though.

Thanks a lot guys, you're great.

huggytree
02-12-2009, 07:51 AM
i think a part time business is the way to go for you right now.

id concentrate on getting a full time job first and keep working on YOUR business 2nd.

it costs money to start up....save up for a couple of years.....and figure everything out in those couple of years....instead of jumping into something your not ready for.

Dan F
02-12-2009, 10:21 AM
You're right huggytree. Still working on that, ain't easy especially nowadays.

vangogh
02-12-2009, 10:45 AM
Daniel do you have an image editing program like Photoshop? You can even try The GIMP (http://www.gimp.org) which is free.

You won't find tutorials for design like you will for development, but there are places you can look. One site I really like for design advice is Web Design from Scratch (http://www.webdesignfromscratch.com/). Reading through the articles at the site will help.

The best thing to do is practice. Grab an image editor and start designing some sites. Try to keep things simple. When you come across sites you like take some time to look at them and understand why you like them. Is it the colors? The layout? A few smaller details? Try and emulate those sites without copying them. The more you design the better you'll get so don't get down on yourself in the beginning if you can't create some of the designs you see elsewhere.

Dan F
02-12-2009, 10:57 AM
Yeah I have Photoshop ¬¬ That site looks interesting, I'm starting immediately as I managed to book the pending exams for tomorrow rather than for the next week ;)

Thanks VG.

cbscreative
02-12-2009, 12:55 PM
As far as web design is concerned there's no reason you can't learn how and be able to later offer the service. It's a separate industry so you may want to add it as a service after the IT part of the business is already doing well, but you can definitely learn web design.

That's exactly what I was thinking when you mentioned web design. Start with what you know and work your way up. I would point out that your skill as a tech will help you in web design. I went the other way around being a graphics guy, but learning the IT end of things really helped improve my web design.

I would also second what vangogh said about differentiating yourself. Since vangogh and I seem to think a lot alike, he already said what I would have, so now I'm left with just agreeing. Learn everything you can about marketing too because that will help you a lot in your business.

As I'm sure you can aleady see, this forum is very helpful because of all the experience people here have. Starting out part time and working from there seems to be the best plan based on your situation, and you've received some excellent advice in this thread. I agree with huggy on seeking employment, then any jobs you get "on the side" will be extra to help you save for a full time biz. Trying to survive exlusively on a new biz will probably just add more stress to your life.

Spider
02-12-2009, 02:00 PM
...Till now I've only advertised on a local mag once, this is when I really had my first customers. Recently I was fixing a system at a pet shot owner and they were really satisfied with the job done, so he asked me to give him a number of business cards so that he could put them in his shop for his clients to have :) ...Contrary to other posters, I believe going full time would be best. Because you can very quickly ramp up the business. Here's why. If living in Malta is anything like the small silands I have lived in, you are already known to more people than you might imagine. And the people that know you know fewer people doing what you do than someone who is living in a big city in a metropolitan country. You can leverage that knowledge.

This is a method I have used myself and which I often recommend to others -- Briefly, make a list of all the people you know and who know you. Talk to each one in turn and tell them that you are starting a business and who do they know that can help you get started.

Notice, you are not asking them for names of people who can hire you. You are asking for people they know who can help you get started in your business. That help might be advice, information or contacts.

Now you contact the people your first contacts tell you about. As you live in a small island, some of this second line of contacts you may already know. That will make this easier. But whether you know them or not, contact this second list of people and tell them that you are starting a new business, what you will be doing and that Xxxxxx (your first line contact) suggested you contact them (your second line contact) as it was felt that they would know someone who could help you get started. And so on.

Notice, you are not asking anyone for business, nor are you asking anyone for a referral for business. You are asking for help. And lots of people like helping other people. Especially as you have been advised to contact them by a friend.

But, you say, I don't want help, I want business. If you ask for business, people are inclined to reject you. If you ask for help, they are inclined to help you. However, what happens if you call someone and tell them that you fix computers and who do they know who can help you get started - and the person you are talking to has a brken computer? Isn't he going to say, Hey! You can help me! ....Bingo! You just got a client!

This might not be so clear as I'm trying to keep it short for this post. If you think the process has possibilities, you can read more about it in my article about prospecting. (http://frederickpearce.com/prospecting.html)

Good luck, Daniel.

Dan F
02-12-2009, 03:25 PM
Never though of how business could be so vast. It's all about decisions.

Spider, first of all thanks so much for your contribution. However I want to make something clearer; it's not that I don't want help but it's that I don't want to be carried away by, let's say my uncle or cousin's ideas... and the reason is that I don't like the way they manage their business :p Simple as that, however I'm still going to talk with them as they have experience and I do not.

You may be right about starting it as full time from now, but I'm not going to risk investing all my money right away, considering that my parents can't help me financially if I end up bankrupt. So in my opinion, the best way to start is to have an alternative income and keep working slowly on the growth of this business until it's the time I start working full time.

Spider, I will read that article. Since I've opened this thread I've been reading and searching non stop... about business, advertising, and also about web design. At the moment I'm reading the ebook named Save the Pixel which is great.

Anyways, I will keep you informed about my progress. Can't go really fast at the moment due to no income at all, but at least I'm trying to achieve some goals which I can do without any money, like teaching myself web design... which in return I can offer it as a service later on.

Thanks for your wishes :)

vangogh
02-12-2009, 09:53 PM
Never though of how business could be so vast. It's all about decisions.

Yep. If you have a goal in mind for your business and you keep making small decisions to move you toward your goal you'll eventually get to your goal. Try to keep the big picture in mind when making the seemingly little decisions.

Dan F
02-13-2009, 09:13 AM
I 'don't' keep my goal in mind... I stick them on the wall beside my desk! :D

Next week I shall be registering for full time work, instead of part time, hoping to find a job sooner. Today I managed to finish the pending exams I had so I can focus on other things, like learning web designing and others. I'll keep you updated ;)

Thanks so much.

vangogh
02-13-2009, 11:05 AM
Glad to help Daniel. Don't hesitate to ask more questions as they come up. Much of this stuff gets less confusing over time.

Dan F
02-14-2009, 04:35 AM
Due to lack of knowledge about business and marketing, do you suggest reading any specific books on the subject? I believe that the know how is gained by time and experience, but I guess knowing more about the subject would help.

If you had to ask me to define the word marketing, I'd tell you it's all about selling your products, but I doubt marketing is all about that.

Thanks :)

vangogh
02-14-2009, 11:23 AM
Ultimately you'll learn more by doing, but sure I think it's a good idea to do some reading. There are plenty of marketing books out there. Here's a freebie called Unleasing the IdeaVirus (http://www.sethgodin.com/ideavirus/01-getit.html) by Seth Godin. He's hardly the only marketing author our there, but hey it's a free ebook, basically about viral marketing.

Marketing probably has a fuzzy definition. It can really include everything you do in order to sell your products and services from knowing your target market to crafting the words on your advertising materials. It's all marketing.

Dan F
02-20-2009, 11:38 AM
Fortunately, I'm getting a few customers there and then. I have some good friends, even shop owners, who are giving out my business cards to others.

Do you think that setting up a referral system would help? If do you think so, what is the best system in your opinion? I thought of giving out a number of cards to certain friends or even customers with a random number (the referral number) and when a client comes in and shows the card they will get a discount next time they require a service. Not sure if it's the best system, maybe you have better experience :)

Thanks all.

EDIT: After reading the following thread, I don't think it's a good idea to start with...

http://www.small-business-forum.net/traditional-marketing/995-referral-technique.html

huggytree
02-20-2009, 12:57 PM
i read some business books....a few specific ones having to do with my business...most are so vague that they dont really help you...they dont say do this, then this, then this... its more about vague idea's which i find worthless.

common sense and understanding people is all you need. common sense is for the running of the business and understanding people is for sales.

knowing your weakness is important to. Im naturally a glass is 1/2 empty person..that doesnt work well for sales....i have to appear to be a glass is 1/2 full person because thats the type of person people like to be around and work with. my wife laughs after i hang up with customers because i sound like someone else...not her husband

nighthawk
02-21-2009, 12:48 PM
Do you think that setting up a referral system would help? If do you think so, what is the best system in your opinion? I thought of giving out a number of cards to certain friends or even customers with a random number (the referral number) and when a client comes in and shows the card they will get a discount next time they require a service. Not sure if it's the best system, maybe you have better experience :)

Thanks all.


I'm not sure a formal referral scheme would be terribly beneficial here, but it might be worth asking any new client how they heard about you, and if the same name keeps cropping up then it may well be worth rewarding that person, either by sending them a gift as a thankyou (flowers, box of muffins etc) , or perhaps next time they ask you to do some work for them, give them a bit of a discount.

As vangogh mentioned - marketing has a very wide definition thats hard to describe. Marketing covers every stage of the product development, from designing a product that appeals to the masses, down to name, packaging and finally advertising and product placement. The colour of a product isnt just picked at random by a designer - more often than not it is a marketing guru that has chosen it in order to appeal to as many people as possible.

Have you had much success choosing a name yet? I would recommend trying to find a name that conveys what you do - without being too cliche. perhaps write down a list of various tech terms, and a second list of words that describe what you do, and try and find two that match well. Perhaps "byte, gigabyte, PC, mouse, keyboard" and "pc repair, services, IT, repair" etc. Matching them up you could have "Gigabyte PC Repair", "Byte Services" etc.

A local PC repair company from where I used to live was called ByteBack.

Hopefully that will provide some inspiration.

Dan F
02-21-2009, 06:05 PM
Thanks everyone :)

nighthawk... no luck with the name yet. Actually, I'm afraid of advertising with the new name... sort of. That's why I want to choose a name asap. We've got a Gigabyte store here... and yes lots of shops are called like that... scan, gigabyte etc... Will let you know as soon as I decide something :)

Dan F
02-22-2009, 04:21 PM
I was thinking about these names, and thought they sound old and aren't catchy, or too long for a name. Such as firewall computer repairs (don't like), The Computer Pitstop / PC Pitstop... My cousin have a jewelery shop and it's name is 202 Jewelers, now that's what I call a catchy but simple name.

IT-GUY
02-22-2009, 10:09 PM
I was thinking about these names, and thought they sound old and aren't catchy, or too long for a name. Such as firewall computer repairs (don't like), The Computer Pitstop / PC Pitstop... My cousin have a jewelery shop and it's name is 202 Jewelers, now that's what I call a catchy but simple name.

PC Pitstop may not be a good choice. It's for certain that you can't get the Website name. They have it. PC Pitstop: Free PC Scans and Tune-up Utilities (http://pcpitstop.com/)

But it sounded great! You're thinking....

Dan F
02-23-2009, 04:32 AM
Yeah thanks for that :) Totally forgot about that website, it's not the first time I've encountered it.

Just got to know that someone else opened a similar business in my village (which only consists of around 3500 people), so I got to work harder. He's also selling parts, so that's a disadvantage for me. Need to find a job asap!

On the other hand I've talked with a few people as regards to the business name as well as getting a VAT number or not. Lots of them have different opinions. Some say that there's no reason why I shouldn't keep my name, and that there is no reason to get a VAT number for now, some disagree.

Decisions, decisions, decisions...

nighthawk
02-23-2009, 07:53 AM
Yeah thanks for that :) Totally forgot about that website, it's not the first time I've encountered it.



Your business will be mainly local based, so a dot.com domain isnt really necessary, perhaps look at buying a malta domain (.mt). If you do find a name you like, dont be put off because .com isnt available. However you may need to be weary of trademark infringement in doing this.

Thats a shame that someone else has set up a similar business - it just shows, if your not first your last. Its not the end of the world, but it might make things a little harder. On the other hand, it may be worth speaking to him and asking if he is hiring staff or looking for a partnership.

Dan F
02-24-2009, 08:44 AM
Thanks nighthawk :) What's the reason to ask him if he's hiring? And what kind of partnership? From what I've heard from my customers, they do not know about him, as they tell me that I'm the only one offering this service in my village. Well, I didn't know about him neighter.

On the other hand, for those who started this thread from the beginning, you're aware that I don't have a full time job, so this makes it even more difficult. I've promised to keep you updated on my process. Today I've registered with the local employment corporation and in the meantime I'm thinking of attending some courses, related to IT; marketing, business and even electrical if I don't find a job anytime soon. They're all free :)

The problem is that I can't register myself as self employed and as unemployed at the same time. So having a VAT number is... not possible. Haven't found any promising name till now.

huggytree
02-24-2009, 10:25 AM
i dont like any of the names....the firewall name has the advantage of being easy for a logo

pitstop sounds like a large company....doesnt say 'quality or service' to me though..

what do you want to sound like? large or small, low price or expensive...your name can convey these things....

i think if you come up with a unique idea and then name yourself to express that difference it will work the best...

think of a name that no one can forget.....something that you can make a good tag line off of...something funny will keep you remembered.

when making speaches to large groups i always use a funny/gross tag line..because im a plumber i can get away with the gross part....everyone in the room remembers me and will come up to me afterwards to talk with me....they know i have a sense of humor that they like and want to get a card from me.

Dan F
02-27-2009, 10:17 AM
What about... Ample Computer Services?

Domains are already token, both .net and .com. But I can always use the .com.mt or whatever.

Whatever name I decide to use, I'm not going to use it right now as I'm going to stay locally for the moment. But when things get better, hopefully in a few months, I'd have everything planned :)

As always... will keep you informed.