I am in the computer fixing business as well so I know how you feel, I have a office as well been here just over a month now been trading sinc dec 2012.
So I am still trying to build up business and the customers to come to me, I had a another computer repai busines in a different town from 2009 to 2011 and decided to start up again in a different area there has been a massive difference in this time like I had a good web ranking and i got a lot of business from it today I am in the same boat good web rankings less phone calls.
The PC repair industry is declining as there's so much info on the Internet on how to fix computers plus everybody knows a mate who can fix computers.
I was charging £50 for virus removal with a basic tune up and people were saying that's expensive but the time it goes into getting rid of viruses thats cheap lol I have come to the point now to accommodate hard times I will lower my prices as see what happens.
I saw this coming in 2006 and that's why I went into laptops, and totally ruled out any software issues, if anyone wanted virus removal or tuning up id simply say as I do now, we will just clean install or take it somewhere else, although I can do it and would say I am better than most I do not have the inclanation or time unless they are going to pay me a large wad of money I cant be bothered
At the time when I chose to go soley laptops and servers most people who do everything you say above are too scared start fiddiling about with lappie hardware, but also with youtube that is changing now, but still there is a market for it and there is still people who take it apart as they do there Iphone and cant put it back together. Also you have to gain peoples trust, those people who buy the expensive £1400+ laptops are unlikely to give it to you unless they are confident, its the opposite for me, people throw them at us, so confidence in your ability is a major factor if your going to change from PC's to something else.
I am seeing a change now and I am going to have to diversify again, I am thinking of relocating to a country that is 2 years behind the UK with not so many people who can do what I feel I can do and get a bit more time out of it, charge a bit more and do less or charge less and pay less to live, Like the guy pointed out earlier (although I cant find the post) There is always enough work for the one man band around.
What id look at now is find the biggest selling items be it TV's washing machine or tablet HTC Phone or whatever, and buy one strip it put it back and do that again a few times, then start buying a few faulty ones of that product get them repaired and sold and get a bit of satisfaction out of it and then go national with repairs, you will then know that item inside out, you can repair it in a quick time and you know as its a the biggest selling item in its class there will be thousands of potential customers.
That's something I am considering now, I think its about getting known for what you do.
Its hard out there now and I have stupidly put all our eggs in one basket and have done since 2001 but I can now see I need to vary what I do otherwise it will just be 'same old same old' until something happens one day and it stops.
