Ever been in business for yourself?

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I am surprised at my achievement while it lasted, I started with classified ads in the newspapers for computers. At the time when first starting I was 15 or 16 and worked with a computer vendors in S. California. I was fascinated with just building computers and trying to beat the prices of others. For anyone that may know of computer show prices mine were just above that price level.

Which by comparison at the time to major model computers were much less. Their upgrade incompatibilities were much less in cost and more logical to purchase because of the upgrade abilities.

Due to the ads in the papers I did and working from home making my own business they chose me to do a story on. Then another paper from a neighboring town which was larger did one as well both of which had front page references with my picture.

I then started my own retail location for $300 a month in rent and just rebuilt computers all the time. I was not at all good at sales, organizing and paperwork. IF I could have just did computer rebuilding I would have done much better.

Once I started the retail location a news station in the bay area did a very short story on the business, it was other young entrepreneurs.

The experience of it was very stressful to do business, I worked 6-7 days a week for 8-10 hours. There were always things to do, always building computers and new ideas.

There are some people that like to chat, nothing about computers, I had to try to fake conversations of things other then computers, it sucked.


I am glad for the experience, would not have had it without the help of having articles done on me. Allot of motivation but thinking of how I was able to envision going in business, doing it and making that dream come true was amazing.

I ended up moving again to a main street location after getting an order from a computer school, after that it was too much work for one person. My overhead was nearly $1,200 a month at 17 years old. The business at retail locations I think lasted almost 2-years, so it was an effort non-the-less.

How I got to work everyday,

my mom took me!

Also I got to work on the Mayors computer and he came by my office to introduce himself.

A bookkeeper was right next door as well, also when I moved to the new store location they moved as well at the same time as there were openings on the main street so it was good advertising.

Everything was a mess with paperwork, though with cleaning I did that all the time and the working on computers.

The second location had a tech room, a front room but I did not keep much inventory and a back room I used for used component storage.

I still wonder how I achieved it, it was crazy.

Edit:
"Their upgrade incompatibilities were much less in cost and more logical to purchase because of the upgrade abilities.
"

From the first post, I wrote wrong.. Tried to write two different things. Major brand PC's are harder to upgrade. So it is wiser to buy computers that are 100% upgradable, well to most.

I don't like building computers anymore. Sort of sick of the things!