Leaving full time job to work for self

Gtiracer

Gtiracer

Gtiracer

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Joined
14 Jan 2010
Posts
2,424
Location
Essex
Thinking of doing this and starting my own it support/custom PC build type venture.

I would also run a separate website because i do photography as well to maximise income

I have the experience and qualifications required, would start to try and establish myself Before I leave but is a big step with family and rent to pay.

Has anybody been in a similar situation that can offer any advice
 
Very difficult to make a living from that now.

Of course it can be done but it's a lot of hassle, what kind of warranty and aftercare support are you going to offer them? There's a lot of people who can break things easily or blame you for something that isn't your fault.

How are you going to beat the big business on pricing/support when they can buy in components in bulk and have the staff to offer excellent customer service?
 
Ayahuasca said:
Very difficult to make a living from that now.

Of course it can be done but it's a lot of hassle, what kind of warranty and aftercare support are you going to offer them? There's a lot of people who can break things easily or blame you for something that isn't your fault.

How are you going to beat the big business on pricing/support when they can buy in components in bulk and have the staff to offer excellent customer service?
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Personal it support to the person's very door, of course people breaking things is a risk but there are measures you can put in place to minimise this, plus I deliver the PC to the customers door and even set up for them at an extra charge.
Covered by liability insurance as well should damage something in their property.

It is something I have done before, just not full time so couldn't put my all into it

Big businesses would be beat with a personal touch and the fact they can meet me face to face and would hopefully recommend me to others
 
why quit your job? why not get the photography website up and running now, see how that goes, and also get your it support business going and when work comes in take a sicky or book a day holiday off until it takes off. reduces the risk of going it alone with absolutely no income for rent and family. there are enough hours in the day.

who needs custom pc builds these days? i can't see a market for that. they are so easy to build yourself so those wanting a custom built one can easily do that themselves, and all other pc owners will happily buy ready made devices, and they will be more than happy with the device they get.

i can only imagine IT support is worth anything if you do it for commercial sites. for domestic users i can't see this being something that you'd be flat out with all day every day, so you'd want to charge a higher rate to cover the quite periods, but then pc are cheap enough these days people would rather spend the money and a bit more on buying a nice new shiny poweful pc than get their old slow one fixed.
 
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The question is are there enough people interested in having a custom PC built and the associated extra cost compared to a mass market OEM to make this viable?

99% of the time most people will just pick up a Dell and be more than happy with it, also there's a big shift towards laptops/tablets so even if it's viable now how long is it going to be?

Most people these days are at least vaguely IT savvy or know someone who is unlike the old days where plugging in a printer was a mystical black art best left to the IT guy.

I'd say it's best kept as a little pocket money earner as a side to your full time job.
 
If you think you have the answers, and for some reason can offer more than other competition in the area, then go for it. Like you've said, you've done it before so you know it works small scale, why not ramp it up a bit and treat it like a full time job on your weekends? Sure it'll be tough having no "time off", but it'll be proof of scalability.
 
Gtiracer said:
Thinking of doing this and starting my own it support/custom PC build type venture.
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I'm pretty sure there's no money in this.

As people have already posted, there simply isn't the market for it:

People can buy a £300 PC off the shelf which is enough to check their Facebook/email/iplayer etc. The majority of people who are savvy enough to want a custom machine will probably have the skills (or Google) to do it themselves.

If people need support/maintenance/repairs, most will either know someone, or know someone who knows someone, or will take it to PC World.

Sorry to be negative, but I can't see this working in the consumer market, and it's only going to get worse.

You may be able to get some business on the commercial side, but then you have to think; what can you offer that the already established companies can't?
 
I was full time, company went into insolvency, trying to get a business off the ground while paying full house bills is an absolute nightmare. Not enough income trying to juggle it all isn't nice at all!

If anything get the business off the ground first before leaving!
 
Thank you for the advice everyone. Some good advice but also some very negative opinions out there.

I believe with enough strings to my bow I can and will make this work.

We won't be completely pocketless as my wife will be getting a job too, I am getting it off the ground before I hand my notice in and establishing what will work well.

If all else fails I will just get another job
 
Gtiracer said:
Thank you for the advice everyone. Some good advice but also some very negative opinions out there.

I believe with enough strings to my bow I can and will make this work.

We won't be completely pocketless as my wife will be getting a job too, I am getting it off the ground before I hand my notice in and establishing what will work well.

If all else fails I will just get another job
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Another job you say? I've been out of work since Feb... not as easy as it sounds. Another set of income is better. I don't have that option unfortunately.
 
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