My new business is finally up and running

Still no phone calls I am starting to get extremely worried now. I am sure there is a market there but it seems people just take their PC to PC World.

 

AT, being in a not dissimilar boat but a bit further down the stream, I sympathise but patience dear boy, its been no time since you started and it takes time.

Seriously, PM me if you fancy a chat about it.

 

I agree, it takes time for people to pick up on these things, I'm only just starting to get more work and its been 6 months since I started.

I certainly wouldn't be worried after a week!

Once you get a few, word of mouth should soon get more work

 

Hopefully.

I have delivered 1000 leaflets now, put a few adds in newsagents but my website is just not getting any traffic.

A couple of people have said that if people cannot fix their own PC they will just take it to PCWORLD.

I am not worried about the lack of work yet, just the lack of interest.

 

That is why you want to look at businesses instead of individuals. I wouldn't worry about the website, if they need help I doubt they will check the website first. I haven't even bothered doing a website or flyers for my IT support work, I'm simply relying on referrals.

I wouldn't spend too much on advertising, I spent over £1k on newspaper adverts which resulted in 3 phone calls, since then I have had more from word of mouth than anything else.

 

How would I target businesses though?

 

I started up my business at the start of the new year, and after 3 weeks I have supplied just 5 quotes, but today got my very first order! :MILD:

Everyone has told me too how long it takes to start your own thing up and for it to really start running....but I for one know that it doesn't make it any easier knowing this when you're still waiting for the calls to come in - so you have my sympathy as I am in a similar situation!!

Fingers crossed that once the ball is rolling, word of mouth will help things along, as mentioned already. I do think that it's difficult to get the advertising exactly right, you need to know exactly who you're preaching to and how and where to put your adverts so that your target audience will see them - I'm still in the process of working that bit out.....

 

My company moved premises about 4 years ago, so against better judgement decided to try out some of the advertising opportunities we keep getting offered. A few 100 quid and a couple of years later we decided that (as we already knew), Yellow Pages, targeted mailings and word of mouth are the one's that work. Our policy with newspaper ads is to only do support ads for regular customers, newspaper ads for our business at least is just throwing away money.

AT I wouldn't worry about the lack of calls yet, we've only really started getting orders in again last week and talking to people it's taking time for things to get going after Christmas. Not that there was much happening before Christmas.

I'm a printer BTW and some of our customers swear that handing out business cards to just about anyone who'll take one is a good idea as supposedly cards don't get thrown out so easily. Don't know how true that is.

Of course when you get a job there's then the fun of getting paid, a surprising number of people find ways of trying not to pay or paying very slowly. You'll have to learn to be tough about money owed to you.

 

I am hoping that is partly the problem.

My biggest fear is that people just take their PC to PCWORLD to get it fixed or ask a friend. If there is a market for it then I reckon I have the ability to suceed. But if there is no market if Richard Branson wouldn't have a chance.

With the wireless installation business I am trying to create a new market i.e to sell to people know didn't realise they wanted one.

 

Definitely target small businesses. A lot of people run from home now.

When the computer goes wrong they certainly don't want to spend their own time fixing it! Time IS money.

I kinda hinted at this before but didn't want to tell you how to run your business.

I had all that trouble from doing home stuff... working for business is another matter though. Especially tutoring. People running a business will see what you teach them as an investment in their own business. As such they are very happy to have you around and will pay extremely well. A friend of my mum's for example gets about £600 a day! She doesn't do IT through.

I suggest finding a local group of small business. There are usually networking groups and so on. Even webpages (my Dad runs a webpage service for business’ in Kent for example – www.kentuk.net Check out the FreeAdds section and the WebDirectory. Find somewhere like this and let people know when they have computer troubles to call you out to the scene.

Note all these people are in Kent so not much point trying them

 

I think I need to try this market, I am going to do some mailshots to businesses in the hope of getting some work.

I was thinking of offering how to keep safe on the net lessons, businesses may well be interested in this.

I might also do sample websites for business in the hope they comission me to do one.

 

The more possible things you offer the more likely you are to attarct the attention of someone who wants what you have to offer.

You have a short pm - a longer one later when I'm a bit less rushed off my feet.

 

I have recieved my first phone call today anyway, some woman wanting to bring her laptop in but I said its not a shop. She said she will phone next week when she knows when she has time off.

I am not sure if any work will come from it but at least its a start.

 

You need to be more accomadating AT, offer to collect it, from her home or her workplace or at least let her drop it off. If you don't grab the moment people will go elsewhere, but if you offer good service they'll pass the word around. You can't always start a business on your terms, you have to offer what Joe Public wants

 

AT in a weeks time she might have found somewhere else to go.

Did you get a phone number to call her back on?

 

Its not my house though and my parents won't let people come to the house.

I do have her mobile number she phoned on. I am out tonight so I can#t dp anything today anyway but I may phone her tomorrow and offer to collect it.

 

I phoned her back and offered to go in the evening so I have now booked my first job in - that is if I can fix it, its a crashing laptop so I am hoping its just a software issue.

If its not then I can't really fix it unless its a faulty hard drive or somthing.

I cannot collect things because I am not insured to that I don't have a car although I have use of a car.

 

Good luck with it! And good luck trying to get your Morrissey tickets tomorrow!

 

Thanks for reminding me I am dreading not being able to get the tickets. As he is playing four venues in Manchester it shouldn't be too hard as longs as I am online at 9:00 sharpish.

 

Good luck AT with your business. Try an AD in a church mag, will only cost you a few quid.