What to know to open your own small pc building business?

[calmius]

Alright, I know I am neither Gateway nor Dell. But I could build some computers for locals. What things do I need to know to make everything legit, official, and without any problems in future?

[Eric H.]

http://www.fonerbooks.com/compbiz.htm

[LawyerRon]

Eric posted an excellent reference; I suggest you read it.

From most members on this forum that are in the business, it seems you will make most of your money from "service" and not parts.

[Force Flow]

Wow! I just started reading it. It's very interesting. I read the article about "Your First Sale". Man, I've seen that happen so many times (and actually done the house call thing many, many, many times). Being uncertified, I usually charge about $20-$25 for a house call.

[ILLPHIL]

well my suggestion would be to keep some sort of other job, while doing your first fefw builds. Get a reputation for being a good builder, and then once you can get a steady flow, somewhat, try to shift all the way over.
keep in mind im still in highschool and have no clue hpw business' actually work.

[Hot Rod]

You will have a very hard time competing pricewise if you emphasize the hardware side. Of course you need to build good quality PCs but then emphasize to your customer what you can provide after the sale....the service. That will be your edge over Gateway or Dell.