Some of you may know that I'm planning to open a custom computer /
gaming center shop here in Fairbanks. If you didn't know that... well,
there it is. In keeping with my weird brain ideas about such things,
it's helpful to gauge public opinion. I realize that my "audience" here
(or on FB, twitter,
etc.) isn't huge, and may not reach the majority of folks I'd like it
to reach. So sharing this post with friends or other interested parties
would be greatly appreciated, especially if one lives in the Fairbanks
area, and even if you don't, opinions are always appreciated. That
being said, I'd like to have some of these ideas down on (non-existent)
paper, if for nothing else than to see how they look outside my head.
Computer Shop
This may not be the big money making aspect of the shop, but it'll be an important part nonetheless. I've already gone over some aspects of this in a previous post, so I won't go over those again, but there's still a decent amount to mention in regards to this. Granted, there are plenty of computer shops in Fairbanks, and for the most part they do their jobs fairly well. I'm not going to claim that I can put them all out of business with my awesome skillz, because that's just not true. (Also, "skillz" is spelled wrong.) But what I've seen (and heard from others) of these places are a couple things I've mentioned in yet another previous post: pricing, and service. Again, not to repeat things, but these are important aspects that get ignored by customers, mainly because there's a kind of mindset customers get that says, "Well, it's not like there are any other options." (Locally, at least.) I'd like to bring an alternative to these folks.
That being said, local shops aren't the only thing I'll be up against. Online shops like Amazon and Newegg tend to kill in terms of pricing structures for components. While I'm going to do my best to get as close to these as I can, it's a tough road for that sort of thing. Luckily, Alaskan customers are slightly accustomed to paying a bit more for things, thanks to high shipping rates and availability issues. So, while I'm not planning to gouge customers in any way, I'll be able to find a fair price that, while not up to raw online deals, will still be very comparable. However, this may limit my ability to sell individual components, as I might not be able to be as close to the various "sale" prices as I'd like to.
In light of that, I'm aware that there are people who will order components online no matter what, whether from a limited online sale or other such promotions. Some of these folks, while certainly budget conscious, aren't always knowledgeable enough or brave enough to build a system on their own. So, I plan to offer a builder's fee. Bring in your components, we'll build it for you for a modest fee. This fee may have to vary depending on what exactly the customer wants done to the system (windows install, drivers, transfer of old data, custom cooling or lighting, etc.), but will in the end be fair while still giving us (the store) a valuable income source.
It's worth mentioning at this point that any system we build or sell will be thoroughly tested and benchmarked. Once the OS is installed, and the relevant drivers are updated, We'll be running much in the way of hardware diagnostics, stress tests, software testing, and other important services that ensure any system we deal with is up to the tasks customers want from it. We can also install other software at the customer's request, for a minor fee, depending on the amount or type of software requested. Some tasks (such as old data transfer) can be done for a fee as well.
Now on to something that's not quite as "income conscious" as it could be. In fact, it could even incur more effort and time than it might be worth. However, I think it's important, and more importantly, it's unique. I don't think any shop in town is doing anything like this. (Though that might be for good reason.) Anyone who knows me knows that I'm pretty big on commentaries for movies and TV shows. They can be informative and entertaining simultaneously, which is a fairly rare thing. So, I'm proposing this: film the building process and sell it to the customer on a DVD.
YouTube gets lots of videos like this, typically very instructional and fairly dry. Now neither myself or the short list of people I'm wanting to work with me in this venture are stand-up comedians by any stretch of the imagination, but I'd like to think we're fairly funny folks. So by filming the building process, step-by-step, with a running commentary that's funny, interesting, and educational, we can provide a valuable service to the customer (education, information, and entertainment) while connecting with the customers on a personal level, showing we're all part of the same group. These videos would be custom made for each custom build customer (including systems brought in for us to build), incorporating their names and what we know about them into how these videos are presented. I'd also want to create more generalized versions for each of our pre-built system tiers that's tailored to how those systems are built. These would, of course, be an optional purchase, most likely no more than $15.
Like the podcast idea I mentioned previously, this wouldn't be a hugely profitable venture, at least not right away. There's equipment and software to purchase, not to mention the extra time it will take to edit and produce these DVDs. Unlike the podcasts, however, there is an actual revenue stream associated with this, albeit a small one. What this has in common with the podcast idea is that it's unique, and can bring in customers that might not have bothered or noticed otherwise. It's a hard thing to bring up in a straight advertisement (say a 30-second radio or TV ad), but that's why we're going to use lots of social media to push public awareness.
So, there's another post out into the world. Feedback, folks. Gimme some.
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