How to Start a Repair Business in 2024

Starting a computer or electronics repair business might seem like easy money if you have the skills.

As of 2023, there are 31,355 Electronic & Computer Repair Services businesses in the US, a decrease of 6.4% from 2022, indicating a shrinking market.

This means that without the right strategy, your business could fail quickly.

But, if you do a few things right, you can stand out and grow your repair business successfully.

In this article, we’ll explain how to start your repair business the right way. We’ll also show you how to use smart tools to optimize, grow, and boost your profits.

Navigate to the section that interests you most:

• What You Need to Start a Repair Business
• Simple 4-Step Plan for a Successful Repair Business
• Stand Out by Offering At-Home Service Calls
• Scaling and Optimizing Your Repair Business Using eLogii

What You Need to Start a Repair Business

In most states, all you need to start repairing and getting paid is a valid business license and insurance.

To ensure your business is ready to grow and succeed, it's smart to set up a few key things from the start:

• Get the right business licenses for your city or state. For instance, in San Francisco, you'll need an Electronics and Appliance Repair License.
• Open a separate business bank account for handling payments and expenses.
• Find interested customers or have a plan to market your services.
• Get basic business liability insurance to protect against any mistakes.
• And of course, having a business plan is always a good idea.

Simple 4-Step Plan for a Successful Repair Business

You probably won’t be looking for Silicon Valley-style venture capital for this small business, so keep it simple.

Here’s a straightforward 4-step plan to get you started on the right path.

1. Find Your Target Market and Competition

Market research is a crucial first step.

Namely, it is the most important investment for companies that want long-term viability.

Fortunately, a simplified approach works here. Use Google and local business directories to find similar repair businesses in your area.

Then, think about the unique demographics of your area and identify your ideal customers.

For example, you might target people over 40 with desktop computers or other appliances who are successful in their careers and prefer at-home repairs or appliance care.

2. Offer Services That Suit Your Target Market

Find services that are especially useful to your target market.

If you're targeting busy older professionals, home service calls could be a great fit. They don't want to carry their electronics to your store before or after work.

To ensure a competitive advantage from day one, answer these questions:

• What unique needs do your ideal customers have?
• What services can you offer to meet those needs?
• Are other local businesses offering the same or similar services?
• How can you provide even more unique value to your ideal customers?

3. Use Your Budget Wisely Instead of Taking a Loan

You probably don’t have an unlimited budget, so launching a full-scale business right away might be tough.

According to CNBC, 47% of startups failed in 2022 due to a lack of finances.

Even if you have significant savings, you shouldn’t spend it all at the start.

Stretch your savings to last as long as possible by being strategic with your budget.

If you can, start with a home office and offer service calls to fix appliances at people’s homes. Offer services that need less expensive or no gear, like virus or malware removal, until your revenue grows. You might need to put some business ideas on hold until you have enough cash flow to invest.

4. Make a Simple Marketing Plan

Just printing and handing out business cards isn’t enough.

To succeed, you need to find the best ways to reach your ideal customers both online and offline.

• Where do your ideal customers spend their time? Are they part of any communities?
• What’s the best way to get their attention?
• What makes you stand out from the competition (why should customers choose you)?

For industries with immediate, time-sensitive demand like electronics repairs, search engines are very helpful.

Ads can help you reach potential customers right when they need repair services. Learn about important small business metrics before starting a campaign.

But remember, you need something to set your business apart from the competition.

Stand Out by Offering At-Home Service Calls

For desktop, TV, and other medium-sized appliance repairs, people don’t want to lug them to a repair shop.

Yet, most small local businesses don’t offer service calls or at-home repairs.

By offering these services, you can set your business apart and make marketing and sales much easier.

Scaling and Optimizing Your Repair Business Using eLogii

When covering a large service area, technicians spend considerable time driving and traveling between locations.

To enhance productivity, a repair service company requires a more efficient process for managing dispatch and routing service calls.

Achieve More Repairs in Less Time With Your Existing Workforce

Using eLogii’s advanced scheduling tools, dispatch managers can efficiently plan and predict service capacity days in advance while maintaining flexibility.

Technicians can be scheduled in advance, considering factors like service area, customer availability, technician skills, capacity, and work shifts.

This capability enables the team to handle extra jobs each day, boosting productivity without needing to hire new staff.

Send the Correct Technician to the Right Job (and Enhance First-Time Fix Rate)

When someone calls a technician to repair a broken fridge or oven, they don't want to hear, "I can't fix it right now."

To keep your customers satisfied, it's crucial to always send the appropriate technician to each job.

eLogii automates this process, ensuring technicians have the necessary skills and tools to likely resolve the issue during the first visit.

This eliminates the need for dispatchers to spend time coordinating for each job, resulting in an impressive first-time fix rate.

Enhance Customer Satisfaction and Reduce Missed Appointments with Live ETAs

Ensure customer satisfaction and reduce missed appointments with live ETAs for both dispatchers and customers.

Without eLogii, dispatch managers would spend 2–3 unnecessary working hours daily manually calling customers to alert them about technician arrivals.

eLogii automates this process by sending real-time notifications via email or SMS, significantly minimizing missed appointments.

This approach enhances the customer experience as many prefer not to receive phone calls for notifications.

Improved Flexibility with Real-time-adjustments and Mobile App for Techs

eLogii facilitates real-time adjustments for ongoing tasks, making it easy to accommodate last-minute orders seamlessly. You can assign these orders to new technicians or integrate them into the schedules of available techs.

Companies can use eLogii's driver app for their technicians, enabling dispatchers to instantly synchronize planned schedules without the need for last-minute calls.

Boost Your Business with Intelligent Solutions

With advanced scheduling and routing software such as eLogii, you can serve customers more effectively and safeguard your profit margins. It also simplifies maintaining consistent service as demand increases.

Because you can schedule and plan all weekly service calls quickly—minutes instead of hours—you, as the owner, have more time to concentrate on activities that generate revenue, like marketing and sales.