Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

pfeufer · Nov 9, 2003, 12:21 AM

I am a newbie to this Forum so please be patient. I am 36 and have worked in advertising in New York City for 13 years and have come to the crossroads and have decided to become a certified Mac Tech and would like to know how to build a client base serving small companies with no full-time IT dept. or accomodate individuals who work from home and need help at anytime (house calls). In other words, a Mac Tech.. will travel.

Is this type of work exist and is it lucrative?

Any advice would greatly appreciated.

Regards,
John

cms · Nov 9, 2003, 02:01 AM

Originally posted by pfeufer:
I am a newbie to this Forum so please be patient. I am 36 and have worked in advertising in New York City for 13 years and have come to the crossroads and have decided to become a certified Mac Tech and would like to know how to build a client base serving small companies with no full-time IT dept. or accomodate individuals who work from home and need help at anytime (house calls). In other words, a Mac Tech.. will travel.

Is this type of work exist and is it lucrative?

Any advice would greatly appreciated.

Regards,
John

Yes, it's what I do part time. It is both satisfying and financially quite lucrative.

I am self-taught, having used Macs (and PCs) for almost 20 years and just wanting to learn how they work and what is possible.

I started very small, doing some bits and pieces for friends for free. They recommeneded me to friends and colleagues, who in turned passed on my details to their contacts. Within 6 months I found I had more work than I could handle, including a couple of solid on-going retainer contracts with schools and local businesses.

What I like most about it is that you never stop learning. I encounter situations every day which challenge me. So make sure you know the basics inside out and then be prepared to apply your knowledge in a creative and flexible fashion.

If you're good at what you do and know your stuff, you'll find that people are very happy to pay for your time and expertise. My clients tell me that they really like the personal approach and the boutique style service I can offer. I also pride myself on being able to respond very quickly (within 24 hours usually) to calls for assistance, a time frame generally unavailable from larger tech-help organisations.

Good luck!

pfeufer · Nov 9, 2003, 03:50 AM

Thanks CMS.... I fully understand the networking concept. Are you primarily making house calls in the evening (after work) or weekends? How much of it consists of phone support? How old is your average client? Do you have to be certified or is this just for Warranty repairs?

Sorry for all the qeustions.

Regards,
John

fergnetserv · Nov 10, 2003, 09:10 PM

I to do Mac/PC support on the scale that you are looking for (SOHO). I have been working with Macs and PCs for about 25 years. I worked of a school that has a major install base of over 600 Macs and about 150 PCs. They were puting me through a course sponserd by Apple for becoming a certified tech for warrenty repairs. Apple also has courses in Network management and Server Admin.. I know because I went to work for Apple from that school.

These courses are not cheap. The tech courese has some strong requirements and costs about $1000/year to maintain but you are certified to do warrenty work and get cheap parts direct from Apple.

Just thought I would give you some info. I do this full time and am in the process of building a client base as CMS has done. The average age is around 40. This is because most of my customers are starting on their second career.

BurpetheadX · Nov 15, 2003, 10:15 PM

I'm also a Apple Desktop Support Specialiast, for the Duke University Medical Center. (But make house calls sometimes too.) I work for a on-site support company called Net Friends, but no real certification is needed. There are Apple Certifications (http://train.apple.com/cert/) but the training on them is very hard to come by, and there are no blueprints or practice tests to be found anywhere for them. I find that being Apple Certified has no real use in the world unless you want to work at an Apple Certified dealer/service center. The only thing is you obviously cant crack the case on a Mac under waranty, it will have to go to a Apple service center. Good luck!

tooki · Nov 16, 2003, 10:30 AM

Question for you guys who do Mac stuff freelance: have you incorporated? Do you do pay the taxes on it, etc, or do you do it under the table? Do you advertise at all, or just rely on word-of-mouth?

Me: no, haven't incorporated but plan to. Yes, pay taxes on it. Boo. No, don't advertise yet -- I will once I've incorporated.

Oh yeah, pfeufer: just a little warning -- watch out for the home users. Other than the rich, they will sap you dry. They (understandably) don't want to spend a fortune, but they will waste your time very quickly if you let them. (And they'll moan and complain when you tell them how much they owe you, even if you've given them a substantial discount.)

tooki

cms · Nov 16, 2003, 12:14 PM

Originally posted by tooki:
Question for you guys who do Mac stuff freelance: have you incorporated? Do you do pay the taxes on it, etc, or do you do it under the table? Do you advertise at all, or just rely on word-of-mouth?

Yes, have limited company (which I am guessing is the UK equivalent of being "incorparated".

Yes, pay taxes as self employed.

I don't advertise as I find I have more work than I can handle through referrals.

Agree with you completely on home users being reluctant to part with cash. I still have unpaid invoices outstanding since April!

fergnetserv · Nov 17, 2003, 05:27 PM

Yes I am setup as an LLC and I do pay taxes. I do some advertising but find that word of mouth is my best ads. I don't have any problems with the home user. I find them more then willing to fork over money if you before you begin and hand them a bill before you leave. Many speciality trades opperate this way.