Ok, I started making website about 6 years ago (2003) and it was going well but then I decided to get into Computer Repair and Networking to compete with the "geeks". So what I am wondering is if I should keep up with the web design or if I should just focus on the Computer Repair? I don't know if I can do both at the same time. I was thinking about out sourcing the web design but I'm not sure what to do. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks.



Tim Jacobs
http://dusterscreations.com (in the middle of redesigning it)

why not try to do both and you can always out source the web design if you do not have the time to do it that way you will always have enough business?

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I would not do either.

Both are dated jobs and industries. Web design was a huge business in 2003 and so was computer repair. But its almost impossible these days to make money with either.

If you have a hardware background and design experience you should try building a website hosting company. With a recurring income every month it is the only industry that is growing right now.

It takes a bit to get off the ground but with reseller programs like iamawebhost.com you can get started with nothing and later build your own servers and run your own network.

It is about the only business you can run from home and make a millon dollars a year without working very hard.

At this point, the primary hardware companies like Dell and HP are dieing a slow death. Circut city just went bankrupt and bextbuy may be next.

But one thing for sure, people are still buying websites. And unlike design, you bill the client every month for life, so no shopping for new customers every day.

I agree that web hosting could be another option, but I'd have to say that people are still buying websites. My husband and I have a design firm where we design and build websites and the economy hasn't affected us too too much in this area. I think people might be actually buying websites more now that the economy is bad because they want their business to be able to compete with others in their field.

The thing about being in a computer/internet related business is that people will ask you to refer them to someone else within that field. By that I mean that if you focus on only promoting your computer repair business you might just naturally get people asking for websites as well. So, if you decide to go for the repair business then you could always accept or outsource those website jobs, depending on how busy you are with your main business.

Hope some of that helps!

Mindy Lepp
http://www.saltedwebsites.com/
$50 off your website if you mention Idea Cafe!!

Hi Tim:

I think the question to ask yourself is are you making money with either business? If yes, then ask are you making a profit with either business? Go with the one making the largest profit

It the answer is no to either... then start looking at other options.

I'm involved with numerous start ups and small business operations. A big problem is always finding reasonably priced tech/web people.

Just being able to guide a small business in those areas can be valuable.

Billing yourself as an all around "as needed" IT person for small business might be the way to go.

Paul

It has been my recent experience that more and more people are not willing to pay what the time, effort, and expertise building a website is worth. I like the idea of computer repair/networking, but is there really a market for that type of work in your area?

Many people I communicate with are interested in free, or low cost, click and drag website design and hosting services - where they create their site via a simple to use platform and their site's name is a subdoamin of your company. Is this something you can get into developing?