Older Workers

[JustInspired]

Welcome aboard Mike. I have been where you are and I feel like I've come out the other side and now headed in the right direction. It's scary but absolutely doable.
I would like to help by giving a little something towards getting your local business licence. If you PM your PayPal email address, I'll get it sorted this weekend.
I hope you enjoy Technibble. I can't begin to express how helpful this place has been to me and I'm sure you'll find the same.
Kind regards,
Julian

 

[Mike McCall]

Welcome aboard Mike. I have been where you are and I feel like I've come out the other side and now headed in the right direction. It's scary but absolutely doable.
I would like to help by giving a little something towards getting your local business licence. If you PM your PayPal email address, I'll get it sorted this weekend.
I hope you enjoy Technibble. I can't begin to express how helpful this place has been to me and I'm sure you'll find the same.
Kind regards,
Julian

I'm speechless. I'm humbled by the support I've already received in tips, advise, and suggestions. In just the last few hours I've obtained some helpful eBooks, CC processing, and a website I can afford. I am absolutely stunned by your most generous offer, especially from across the pond! I'm afraid I don't have a PayPal account to use for such a transaction. Nevertheless, I'm extremely thankful for such a generous offer!

 

['putertutor]

Mike,

First, welcome to the community. You will not find a better more supportive bunch than the group that gathers here, and this thread is a great example of just that. Honestly, I have a pretty high opinion of this crowd, but this thread is over the top amazing!

I'm curious, though, if you need that $125 business license. I know on my area, a sole proprietorship in our business does not need a license. I thought Oregon was the same. Oregon has a great site to determine what licensing is needed per occupation. If you haven't already, check it out. There is also a link to a business wizard that will tell you exactly what paperwork and licenses you may need. I could easily be wrong, but at first glance, I'm thinking you don't have to spend that $125.

When I first started, I did all my repairs either onsite or at my kitchen table - something that my wife quickly tired of. I know many on here do a good business literally out of a corner in their bedroom. Make the best of what you have today and move on from there. The business kit is a great investment - tweak it, make it yours and you might not ever need to move away from it. This type of business is built almost entirely on your skill, knowledge, and efficiency. No one I have met cares that I work out of my basement, so long as I do quality work, so don't let what you might think of as your 'meager' beginnings hold you back.

Dive into these forums, there is a wealth of knowledge and information here better than anywhere else I have looked. The business threads will be extremely helpful to you at this stage. Personally, I look forward to seeing you here and hopefully reading about great successes in your business.

 

[Mike McCall]

@'putertutor: Thank you for the welcome. Yes, I'm taken aback by the generosity of this group that wouldn't know me from Alfred E. Newman should we meet on the street. I'm still processing all of this myself.

As for the business license, I'll paste below directly from the Silverton, Oregon website:

"General Business
You will need to acquire a General Business License if you are selling any goods or service, soliciting business or offering goods or services for sale or hire, and/or acquiring or using any vehicle or premises (except a residence) in the City limits for business purposes. Application for a license shall be made annually beginning at least 10 days before conducting business in the City limits and renewed effective January 1st, each year. All businesses must comply with Zoning and other regulations that have been adopted by the City, Marion County, and/or State.

Home Occupation Application and Home Occupation Addendum http://or-silverton.civicplus.com/DocumentView.aspx?DID=778
A Home Occupation Business License is required for any business that occurs within the same space that is utilized as a residence. Home Occupations include small-scale business ventures or personal hobbies, whether conducted for profit or not, which could not be sustained if it were necessary to lease commercial space. The business needs to be conducted in such a way that the outward appearance does not manifest the characteristics of a business nor infringe on the right of neighboring residents to enjoy the peaceful occupancy of their homes."

Silverton Oregon Business License

The page itself has links to the actual applications (which I've already filled out), which include the pricing. There's the business license itself, and the addendum for the privilege of working at home. <Insert comment about pound of flesh here.>

 

[JustInspired]

I'm speechless. I'm humbled by the support I've already received in tips, advise, and suggestions. In just the last few hours I've obtained some helpful eBooks, CC processing, and a website I can afford. I am absolutely stunned by your most generous offer, especially from across the pond! I'm afraid I don't have a PayPal account to use for such a transaction. Nevertheless, I'm extremely thankful for such a generous offer!

No need to thank me. I'm simply 'Paying Forward' the kindness that I have had bestowed upon me when I was in a pretty hard place. My offer still stands. There are other means beyond PayPal and I would really like to help a fellow tech.

 

[Martyn]

No need to thank me. I'm simply 'Paying Forward' the kindness that I have had bestowed upon me when I was in a pretty hard place. My offer still stands. There are other means beyond PayPal and I would really like to help a fellow tech.

And me. We've all been down on our luck at some point in our lives. If I was in your country I could probably donate you some equipment to help you set up. I setup my business from scratch at 59 years old and 5 years later I'm doing well. Just like you a one man band.

 

[bertie40]

Hey, Trolls have feelings as well you know !

This just puts things into perspective, between our great UK nation......... and you lot.

Over here, you can wake up in the morning, break wind, and start up a computer repair biz with no license requirements at all.

So I think we feel and appreciate the frustrations US bureaucracy imposes on you guys when you start up.

The only thing I can add is to, somehow, get your hands dirty on some machines. Even if its peanuts so long as you can move forward.

Also, try to make connections with suppliers, hopefully those you can physically visit.

I wish you all the best.................and for the love of god, keep an eye on updating your accounts.

 

[coffee]

Thanks for the tip! I've just gotten registered with them and the reader should be here in a few days. They do offer a free site to sell from, but it's preconfigured for either pickup or shipping with no way of changing that. So, I didn't turn that on yet and it doesn't show that I have anything to sell.

https://squareup.com/market/shamrock-computer-services

@mraikes: You're absolutely right about needing a website. Unfortunately, if I had $10 I'd have to buy food before a website, so I may have to use a free one at first. Hate them, but it's what I can afford.

@SilverLeaf: I'm humbled by the generous support. Thank you!

I do not have a lot of money either. What I did was install my own webserver on my internet connection and I use wordpress. I just registered my domain name and pointed it to my ip. Even though my ip is dynamic it hasnt changed in a long time. If it does I can always login and repoint my domain name. It works fine for now.

I agree that a website is a must. However, I find that a lot of my customers really do not visit it. Kinda wierd. Most of my customers keep my business card right next to their computer. When I mention my website they just kinda 'glass over' and just nod their heads.

coffee

 

[callthatgirl]

Mike, Paypal is free to sign up, you can use the free account for now. I did the $30 per month right off the bat because I thought in my head I would be building a million dollar business lol

 

[joydivision]

It will be very hard work to get traction but in your situation you really don't have a lot to loose. I set up my business in similar but very different circumstances. I was finding it hard to get a job, so setup a computer repair business just to pay enough money to get of the dole until I found a job. I did have a couple of jobs on the way but decided the best thing I could do was run my business full time.

9 years later I am still doing it.

I think it cost me around £200 to set my business up but in reality I did it too much on the cheap.

 

[Mike McCall]

@JustInspired: Again, thank you! You might enjoy the line under the home business addendum section which reads: "Occupations include small-scale business ventures or personal hobbies, whether conducted for profit or not, which could not be sustained if it were necessary to lease commercial space." I have a sports car that I enjoy. I may work on it in my garage sometimes. Yes, I would consider it a personal hobby. I certainly don't do it for profit, and no, I couldn't continue to engage in it if I were required to lease commercial space for it. Therefore, it seems that my simply having my car would require me to purchase a business license AND a home business addendum. It's because of this stance the city council takes that I am nervous about being caught without a license.

@Martyn: I appreciate the offer of hardware. I have a home network made up of 3Pc's, a Mac Mini, an underpowered server(yeah, I should replace this), a NAS, RAID backup, network printer, local printer, VOIP (Ooma), UPS, iPad, Android phone, Roku, a managed switch, and 3 unmanaged switches. My "server" is an old repurposed desktop with only 2Gb of RAM running WS 2012 Essentials. It boots, but not much more. No worries on that as I can deal with it later. Nothing but the OS on it so it's not mission critical by any means.

@bertie40: Yeah, not much gets done here without money changing hands. We seem to pay more for things than those in other countries. Our internet is relatively expensive for slower speeds compared to other countries from what I hear, and given my bill, I don't doubt it. Don't get me started on healthcare!

@coffee: My server isn't up to the task, but that's a good option. However, Weebly looks like it will do nicely for my needs.

@callthatgirl: Never been a big fan of PayPal. Just read too many horror stories. I may change my mind at some point, but I think Square will work for most things for now.

@joydivision: There seems to be a theme to all of the responses. I think I fit the current business model used by so many others here.

 

[Tlong]

Don't think of it as desperation and lack of options, but rather motivation & initiative!

You're right, it can take time to get things going. But read through the forums here for lots of ideas on getting the ball rolling and don't let fear or inertia keep you from giving it your best shot. Don't let analysis paralysis keep you from getting out there and getting customers. Some people come to these forums, buy the business kit, throw out a lot of questions and "what ifs?" and it seems don't move beyond that point.

You don't need a perfect business plan (or even any formal business plan) to get started. What you need are a few hardware tools, a few software tools, and a willingness to ask people for the work.

Your experience and (ahem) maturity will work in your favor. I'm 50 - and I'm absolutely certain it helps when generating a level of confidence and trust with my customers. Unlike a wet-behind-the-ears kid, there's NEVER a doubt regarding my experience and abilities. Grown-ups can relate to me. Younger people think I'm more experienced (and I am), and elderly folks aren't intimidated or embarrassed as they might be with a "kid".

Let the life skills you've acquired work in your favor. Stick to it, don't get discouraged. In time, you may look back at this as the greatest opportunity in your life.

Hello....this is an old post I know but new to me and I really needed to hear this.....thanks for encouraging us old timers

 

[sapphirescales]

The job market absolutely SUCKS for just about everyone. Because of this, a lot of new businesses are popping up. My recommendation is to keep your costs low, and charge high. Remember: You make just as much as someone that averages $100/client and has 30 clients if you can average $200/client and get 15. When you don't have a shop you have to charge more per client so you can survive on only 15 clients a month when you're starting out. My advice is to target higher end clientele and attack Craigslist and AdWords. Craigslist isn't exactly a hot spot for people with money, but you'd be surprised the kind of clients I get from there sometimes.

 

[MichaelEC]

Most definitely. I was one of those that Mike describes. I have been in the retail management sector for 30 years while working on electronics and computers on the side since I left the Air Force.

I hate the corporate environment and prospects are not great for people our age. I do love running my own business, but I too am trying to kick into high gear. Two or three customers a week, if that, aren't cutting it.

 

[Tlong]

The job market absolutely SUCKS for just about everyone. Because of this, a lot of new businesses are popping up. My recommendation is to keep your costs low, and charge high. Remember: You make just as much as someone that averages $100/client and has 30 clients if you can average $200/client and get 15. When you don't have a shop you have to charge more per client so you can survive on only 15 clients a month when you're starting out. My advice is to target higher end clientele and attack Craigslist and AdWords. Craigslist isn't exactly a hot spot for people with money, but you'd be surprised the kind of clients I get from there sometimes.

Thanks for the recommendations. I'll definitely take them to heart, especially "keep costs low". I've been reviewing list after list of tools, utils, etc. and need to make good distinctions between what is essential for starting out and what can wait until I'm more established. My wish list is getting too long!

 

[Tlong]

Most definitely. I was one of those that Mike describes. I have been in the retail management sector for 30 years while working on electronics and computers on the side since I left the Air Force.

I hate the corporate environment and prospects are not great for people our age. I do love running my own business, but I too am trying to kick into high gear. Two or three customers a week, if that, aren't cutting it.

That's what I like so much about TN, there's so much helpful information and I'm really thankful for those willing to share their experiences. Much appreciated!!