Would you choose the name brand over the small business computer? It seems like people would rather do that, anyway...
The local place I go to lets me stand by and watch as they assemble, test, and install whatever the hell I pay them to do. I like that.
Been trying to get a job there for a few months now, but to no avail, 
It's not something people hear about.
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/dev/null had this to say:
Not really. I've been getting more and more pissed as people ask for a computer to do XYZ and when I show them the price tag they go out and buy a $399 EMachine from Walmart.
... and spend the rest of the computer's working life yelling and cussing at it. 
Zephyer had an EMachine. It was terror incarnate.
As a local business, you can actually offer "live" support in the sense that you can drive to peoples' houses and fix their stuff, or they can drop the PC off and you can fix it in the shop.
I always go to the local shops mostly because people there have a clue, and they're not iffy about ordering specific things you might want instead of having this policy of "if it aint on our list, it dont exist".
ben(at)netmastering(dot)nl
If you offer kick ass service, you can clean up against the major corperations. Sure you can't compete on price alone but lots of people concider computers to be alien technology and having someone local to help them understand it, fix it when it breaks, or upgrade it when it needs upgrading will weigh heavily on their decision. Another factor to concider, lots of people prefer to spend their money locally, and will support a local business on the premise that doing so supports their local economy, in turn supporting their own businesses.
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A sleep deprived Where's Waisz? stammered:
I'm trying to get a little computer building/upgrading business going with Demos (one of the Waisztlings), and I've noticed we would be very hard pressed to beat a corporate computer maker's prices for "economical" computers. It seems like it'd be hard to get business even if there is a local demand.Would you choose the name brand over the small business computer? It seems like people would rather do that, anyway...
In order to compete you will have to offer things that will eventually drive you insane.
Trust me.
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KaLourin had this to say about Cuba:
I always get all my hardware upgrades from local shops. Only thing I get from the big name corps are games.
Wisdom.
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Naimah wrote this then went back to looking for porn:
You can't beat them up front. What you have to beat them on, as everyone has stated is on service and performance. If you are going to do this little undertaking then i suggest you know WinXP inside and out because you are going to be helping alot of people with it.
Isn't that why we have EC?
Then it crashed, and crashed hard.
My friend now works as a tech at the local CompUSA. I ask his advice on stuff, and try to make sure that he's the one that works on it.
The others had to find whatever jobs they could. The dad? I dunno what ever happened to him money/business wise. But QPC (his business) went down in flames.
In hindsight, it wasn't that they didn't know computers. They were great with them. The problem was that they didn't know business well enough, and it killed 'em. Learn from their misfortune.
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KaLourin probably says this to all the girls:
I always get all my hardware upgrades from local shops. Only thing I get from the big name corps are games.
What this duder said. 
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Palador ChibiDragon's account was hax0red to write:
I have a friend. His dad started such a business. It grew, and soon he and some of my other friends were all working for this business. Life was good.Then it crashed, and crashed hard.
My friend now works as a tech at the local CompUSA. I ask his advice on stuff, and try to make sure that he's the one that works on it.
The others had to find whatever jobs they could. The dad? I dunno what ever happened to him money/business wise. But QPC (his business) went down in flames.
In hindsight, it wasn't that they didn't know computers. They were great with them. The problem was that they didn't know business well enough, and it killed 'em. Learn from their misfortune.
However, if you didn't know any more about a computer than how to use a few programs, but are good at business, provided you have someone who does know computers, you can make a computer business that stays up, and does damn well. Kind of unfair really.
