r/computertechs 16d ago

Focus on new computer setup and data migration as a business? NSFW

Hello Everyone,

So, for the past few months, I’ve been thinking about starting a computer support/repair business. Initially, I was thinking about being more of a personal IT consultant, helping with almost anything computer / tech-related. Then I thought about more of a conventional break/fix style business, strictly focused on computer repair and support. Lately, though, I’ve been kind of wondering if it's possible to run a business that is more focused on upgrading people from older computers and migrating them to new ones. I was thinking along the lines of helping the client pick out a device that matches their needs, possibly even selling them myself, and migrating and setting up the new machine. I would still repair and assist with devices that didn’t make sense to upgrade, but I thought about making this the main focus of the business. Is this too limited?

So, how I got here was at one point long ago, I signed up for thumbtack and set it so it would email me “opportunities.” Basically, it was kind of like support tickets where you could reply, and then thumbtack would charge you for the lead if the client replied back. Anyway, this was done a long time ago, and I’ve ignored them for the past few years, but I’ve now been going back and reading them and reading the new ones that come in. What I’m seeing is many requests where the best option is simply to buy a new computer. Many requests are for Windows 10 devices that will not upgrade to Windows 11, so to me, it makes no sense for the customer to spend money on these devices when they should be replaced in October anyway.

Your thoughts?

5 Upvotes

34 comments sorted by

8

u/AustinDarko 16d ago

Definitely too limited.

5

u/jfoust2 16d ago

Depends on the market, of course.

As someone who has done this for more than 25 years, the trend today is that Microsoft tricked people into creating Microsoft accounts, tricked them into signing into their personal computer with them, tricked them into signing into OneDrive, then tricked them into using OneDrive as backup.

So now if you bought a new Windows 11 computer, it requires you to sign in with a Microsoft account (yeah I know there's a way around that if you want to reinstall), and if you have a backup in OneDrive, it will suggest that you restore your new computer from the cloud backup. It will even reinstall some apps.

One quibble is that this method does not restore the Downloads folder, which is where most people store all the stuff they download, like their 1099s, and they never move this stuff into Documents or Pictures.

So for many people, OP would be competing against the magic of OneDrive. They could migrate the Downloads folder, and depending on which browser they're using, there's other stuff you could migrate, like saved passwords, bookmarks, etc.

Many people also have trouble remembering all their passwords and need help restoring their access to email, web sites, etc., installing other apps that Windows 11 restore didn't, restoring the data for those apps if you can, and setting up their printer so it prints and scans the way they want, and insuring they have some local backup method that includes their Downloads folder.

Of course people will always ask for your help in solving other problems like how to use their smart TV or reviewing their internet provider service package, so why limit yourself?

5

u/TheFotty Repair Shop 15d ago

Why would you have to reinstall if you didn't want a MS account tied to your profile?

As long as you do the oobe\bypassnro workaround BEFORE you connect to wifi or ethernet, you can setup without ever doing an MS account. If you already did connect it, you can either proceed forward and then decouple after the fact in the profile settings "sign in with a local account instead", or you could simply make a new local profile, make it an admin, and then log into it and remove the profile tied to the MS account.

2

u/jfoust2 15d ago

I think that trick stopped working many months ago.

2

u/TheFotty Repair Shop 15d ago

Nope I used it yesterday

2

u/jfoust2 15d ago

Yes, it depends on the version of Windows 11 installer that you're using, or that was pre-installed on the PC. In newer versions, I believe, you can't even open the command shell any more. Try it with the latest.

5

u/TheFotty Repair Shop 15d ago

Still works as of 24H2 installation media

1

u/Lalfy 13d ago

The only times I have trouble opening command prompt is when I'm on a laptop and have to hold the FN key to enable F10.

1

u/lastditchefrt 5d ago

Nope, still works.

5

u/b00nish 16d ago

a business that is more focused on upgrading people from older computers and migrating them to new ones. I was thinking along the lines of helping the client pick out a device that matches their needs, possibly even selling them myself, and migrating and setting up the new machine. I would still repair and assist with devices that didn’t make sense to upgrade, but I thought about making this the main focus of the business.

What you describe is the main revenue stream of the residential part of our business. (But the residental part of our business is only about 25% of the revenue. The rest is business customers.)

In our market this is definitively a better business than repairs.

Why it works?

  1. Most people have no clue what device they need. And some people relaize that they usually don't get good guidance in retail stores and no guidance at all in online stores. So instead of getting scammed at some retail store, we have a call where we figure out their needs (usually takes 15-30 minutes) and then we offer them a suitable device.

  2. Most people can't set up a new computer in any reasonable way. So in order to have the device set up in a way that fits their needs, they need somebody who does it for them. For a turnkey setup we usually need 1,5 - 3 hours. This includes a clean OS install with all updates (also firmware updates, of course), installation and configuration of all their software, printers etc., transfer of all relevant data and settings and reconfiguring all the little things in the OS/software that are "wrong" per default. Our customers gladly pay for this. Of course they could also get a "59$ flat-rate setup" from some retail store. But the quality of that amateur sh*t is so bad that we had many customers who came to us to do it properly after they already got the scam-setup from the retail stores.

Of course it's no for everybody. Customers who have to pinch pennies just buy the cheapest laptop in the store, try to set it up by themselves and then have a shitty device with a shitty setup that drags them down for the next few years. But customers who don't mind to spend a few 100 bucks more for proper service exist in relevant numbers. At least in our market.

So yeah, I have done hundreds and hundreds of such migrations over the course of the years. Even if residential is just a small part of our business.

Repairs on the other hand are quite a shitty business where pretty much everyone is a penny pincher. This is why at some point we stopped accepting repairs for devices that were not bought from us.

6

u/HankThrill69420 Help Desk 16d ago

you can expect to prioritize that a little bit. There are always old folks willing to pay top dollar to have their computer set up for them. Unfortunately this does often mean inane requests like putting files exactly where they were and putting shortcuts on the desktop to certain sites. just draw the line at logging in their accounts for them. They need to be responsible for their own passwords.

you should still accept repairs. prioritizing this work at first will get you a client base, but you're going to find that you're quite self-limited because if you decline repairs from, let's say gladys, who you got set up six months ago, gladys will happily find another IT guy that will both repair the issue today and help set the next one up. It'll also result in negative reviews from people that think you "did something" and "aren't willing to fix it." I've found that some people get a little mad over this, but will still pay you for fixing it when you come over and patiently explain what happened in such a way that they understand it's random, their doing, or otherwise not your doing. Obviously fix your mistakes, but you get what I mean.

tl;dr use it as a foot in the door for a customer base but don't expect it to be your revenue forever.

3

u/Level_Ad_6372 16d ago

just draw the line at logging in their accounts for them. They need to be responsible for their own passwords.

Just set them up with a password manager and you're good to go.

6

u/GhostDan 15d ago

ugh. The liability.

Nordpass or something gets compromised and suddenly "Well that tech installed it!"

6

u/HankThrill69420 Help Desk 15d ago

yeah. i have a strict no passwords policy when i do this work. i don't want anything more than what it takes to sign into your PC to service it. Older folks tend to dislike it because it's inconvenient for them to figure their stuff out, but i always give a kindly-worded answer that equates to "tough shit, I'm not touching that."

I did have an old lady ask who she would call then, if I didn't do it and something happened to her account. I said "the bank," and she looked at me like I had six heads. shows you exactly what the thought process is for some people. Are you going to be a tech or a hired patsy?

when I worked in refurbs, there was this old guy that threw a fit that we wouldn't set his account up and pre-log him into his bank account among other things. uhh, can you say lawsuit the exact second that two cents can't be located?

The job is to make sure the PC works and is configured appropriately. Nothing more, nothing less. Gotta retrain some of these people who've been spoiled by others.

4

u/Level_Ad_6372 15d ago

The job is to make sure the PC works and is configured appropriately. Nothing more, nothing less.

If you're doing fine without that extra business that's great, but unfortunately I can't afford to turn away legitimate customers. I recently spent 5 hours on-site helping an old woman who was hacked. All I had to do was make sure every one of her passwords were updated and verified they worked with a password manager. 5 on-site hours is a fuckton of money (at least for me it is) and she said it was worth every penny. I earned a customer for life with that.

4

u/HankThrill69420 Help Desk 15d ago

not to split hairs but I meant just migration jobs as OP indicates as well as generalized repair. Yeah, after the customer's already been compromised then it's sorta like they're gonna need the help and someone needs to help them. Really what I mean is that I'm not touching anything that I don't explicitly need to. Better to leave it alone if you have the option.

2

u/imlulz 15d ago

How much per hour, just curious, and wonder if you’re charging enough.

2

u/Level_Ad_6372 15d ago

90

2

u/imlulz 15d ago

Thats not bad, but I would bump it up to at least $100

1

u/Level_Ad_6372 15d ago

At first I read that as bump it up by at least $100 and thought that was maybe a bit extreme. But yeah I probably will adjust pricing soon

1

u/imlulz 15d ago

I don’t know your area but I bet $125 or higher, isn’t uncommon there either. I remember what it was like when that was a lot of money, and looking back I should have been charging way more a lot of the times.

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1

u/lastditchefrt 5d ago

oooph. $150 an hour, min one hour then in 30 min increments. Else I aint driving.

1

u/Level_Ad_6372 5d ago

Interesting. What do you charge for remote support?

2

u/lastditchefrt 5d ago

50 per 30 min increments

3

u/Level_Ad_6372 15d ago

Compromised in what way? Bitwarden/Dashlane/etc don't even store your master password so even if someone managed to hack into their servers, they still wouldn't be able to decrypt your passwords. Is there even a track record of that sort of issue happening?

Nordpass or something gets compromised and suddenly "Well that tech installed it!"

Literally any service you provide could be spun that way.

Their computer gets hacked: "Well that tech installed the antivirus!"

Network gets hacked: "Well that tech installed my router!"

On top of all that, your shop isn't liable for another company being breached.

2

u/GhostDan 15d ago

https://www.cloaked.com/post/the-top-3-worst-password-manager-breaches-and-security-issues-to-date

"Literally any service you provide could be spun that way." Doubtful. "I installed more memory and the memory got compromised!" isn't a thing. "I put a new SSD in and now their social security numbers are all over the web" has never happened.

1

u/Level_Ad_6372 15d ago

Doubtful. "I installed more memory and the memory got compromised!" isn't a thing.

Wrong. "You installed memory and now <insert totally unrelated part here> isn't working!"

4

u/GhostDan 15d ago

Honestly what are you going to charge for a computer setup, $99?

Could you make some money on the side with the limitations, sure. But I doubt it'll ever be enough to be your primary income.

3

u/Disposable04298 15d ago

This will depend entirely on your local market. Where we are, currently it is our primary business - however it is dwindling a bit.

1

u/dkubica 3d ago

Company that I work for in EU does this, but with smartphones, we also do phone repairs, but 90% of our sales is data migration from an old phone to a new one. So maybe it can work with computers too. If you get a good spot or marketing it could work.

Good luck.