Start Your Own Computer Business: Building a Successful PC Repair and Service Business by Supporting Customers and Managing Money - Softcover

Rosenthal, Morris

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0972380108 ISBN 13: 9780972380102

Publisher: Foner Books, 2013

Synopsis

2013 UPDATED EDITION - If you purchase the book as new or used through Marketplace, check with the seller that you are getting the updated edition with an "Updated" banner on the cover.

From buying and selling PC hardware to product development and selling services, "Start Your Own Computer Business: The Unembellished Guide" offers a realistic picture of making it on your own. Bestselling author, Morris Rosenthal, has 15 years of experience in the computer business, building and repairing thousands of PCs and helping hundreds of customers. The book mixes practical advice and cautions with real-world anecdotes of successes and failures. Dollars and cents play a prominent role in the book, as Rosenthal stresses that the real challenge of succeeding in the computer business is the business part of the equation. Managing employees, inventory and scarce financial resources are covered, along with how to remain sane and when to quit. The book is illustrated with a series of original cartoons on the computer business subject.

About this title

From the Author

I updated this book in 2013 to get rid of references to companies and business opportunities that no longer exist, while adding a little text about the new tools of the trade, such as smartphones and Craigslist, and generally bringing the context ten years forward. But the changes were limited, so we didn't publish a "second edition" which may have led people who already owned the book to buy a new copy unnecessarily. Shoppers who buy a copy through Marketplace and want the updated edition must e-mail the seller to make sure it has the "Updated" banner on the cover, don't go by the picture, which is supplied by Amazon.

I originally started writing this book after a childhood friend mentioned he might quit his government job to go into the computer business. He had never been in business, and he thought that if he could build a PC and mark the parts cost up 10%, he could make a pretty good living with a small shop. I explained that he'd be lucky not to lose money working out of his basement at that margin, and that he'd lose his house if he rented a storefront. In the end, he stuck with the government job, though he may try the PC business when he retires with a full pension in a couple years.

I didn't write this book to promote some get-rich-quick recipe that will fail for 99 out of 100 people. I wrote the book to show what to expect based on my own experience in the computer business, from working out of the house to a storefront business with millions in sales. The idea isn't to scare you out of trying, as some kids who've reviewed the book have suggested. It's to give you a heads-up on where to concentrate your time to make money and what problems to expect. If you want somebody to tell you, "It's easy, all you have to do is Step 1, Step 2, Step 3..." this isn't the book for you.

Morris Rosenthal - February 15th, 2013

About the Author

Morris Rosenthal is the founder of the Yahoo! computer_business group for independent computer business owners, with over 4500 members. He is the author of McGraw-Hill's bestselling "Build Your Own PC" series, "Computer Repair with Diagnostic Flowcharts" and "The Laptop Repair Workbook." His books and eBooks have been translated into a half dozen languages and sold in over 80 countries around the world.

Edition details

• Publisher: Foner Books
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0972380108
• ISBN 13: 9780972380102
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 161
• Illustrator: Rubenstein Reva