Appliance repair business. Gone are the days when one would graduate from college with professional courses such as engineering and get employed within a very short time.
With thousands of graduates flocking out of our universities every year, just pursuing a professional course is not a guarantee that a job is waiting for you when you graduate.
Many graduates get depressed due to a lack of job openings upon graduation even after becoming top in their classes.
Electrical and electronics engineering students have a chance to put into practice the skills they acquired in college even as they wait to get employed. You never know how long the wait may be.
If you graduated with a bachelor’s degree or a diploma in electrical and electronics engineering, don’t get depressed job hunting. As you write applications and drop your CV and other documents, start an appliance repair business to keep you busy while earning some money.
Potential of the appliance repair business
All homes have electrical gadgets and machines of all types, such as television sets, radios, fridges, iron boxes, cookers, air conditioners, microwaves, computers, and many others. Businesses have machines that use electrical energy.
These appliances need service and repair every now and then and with the number of homes and businesses ever-increasing, an appliance repair business has a very huge potential to succeed.
Many homes will have breakdowns on this equipment once in a while, same with the machines in businesses and other organizations.
Setting up this appliance repair business will therefore be a good idea since you will have lots of opportunities. Household gadgetry and automation are expanding, ensuring a future revenue stream for people who are able to repair them.
Tools for the appliance repair business
Armed with your knowledge in electronics and electrical engineering, starting this busyness is very simple. All you will need are simple tools such as screwdrivers, pliers (long-nosed and normal type), cutters, soldering gun and soldering iron/wire, and a set of spanners (get the common small range such as 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19 MM).
Don’t start with big sizes. Appliance repair jobs do not need those. Big sizes are mostly used for mechanical engineering jobs. You will also need a tester and a small voltage meter. Remember the screwdrivers should be of various sizes, small, big and medium, both star and flat
(sometimes called ‘minus’).
With a budget of about Ksh.15,000 – Ksh.25,000, you can buy these tools and remember to go for quality tools to avoid going back to the shop after a few jobs.
These tools will be enough to start you off in your appliance repair jobs but you can buy more with time as you proceed with the business. Later when your budget allows, you can look for a complete professional toolbox with many other tools.
Use your tools well and treat them with care since your business will depend on them. Without the right tools, or if they are faulty, you will be greatly limited. This is in terms of your ability to successfully accomplish the tasks.
Marketing your appliance repair business
Just like in any other business, marketing is a very important aspect of this appliance repair business. Do not sit back and wait for those with broken-down equipment to call you.
Chances are that they may not even know that you exist.
Go out and tell people that you are in the appliance repair business. Tell everyone including your neighbors, friends, relatives, and even strangers. Print out business cards and place them in local shops, businesses, and homes.
Form a partnership with used appliance dealers and appliance shops. Ask them to refer those who need a service technician to you. You can also post advertisements in shopping malls and other areas with high foot traffic for maximum exposure.
Word of mouth will also be a very good form of marketing in the appliance repair business. Just do a good job, be courteous, honest, punctual, flexible, keen, organized and cheerful and your customers will spread the good news about you.
It is a good idea to have simple spares such as fuses, fuse wires, extra wires, screws, and nuts which you can use
whenever necessary. This will reduce the time it takes to carry out some of these repair jobs.
Income needed for the appliance repair business
In this appliance repair business, your income will come from the fee you charge for repair and service of appliances and other gadgets. You should come up with a suitable form of charging for your labour. Your charges will depend on the appliances repaired and if there are spare parts to fix, you should include the cost of these in your fee, if you buy them with your money.
However, the best way is to have the client buy the spares as per your recommendations and just charge for labour. Some may give you money to buy the spares.
The most common method of charging for these repairs is by assessing the work required and coming up with a fixed figure, say Ksh.5,000 or Ksh.2,000 or whatever amount depending on the work involved.
The rule of thumb is; charge more for more expensive appliances and less for cheaper appliances. Allow room for negotiations as well, don’t be too rigid.
The good thing with these repairs is that some can take a very short time, even 10 – 20 minutes. It could just be a blown fuse, a broken or loose connection or a simple short circuit that earns you Ksh.500 or ksh.1,000.
If you have a good network and get a number of such jobs a day, you could earn a decent income by the end of the day or week.
Advantages of this business
- The business is flexible and you may not need fixed premises. You can work 24 hours since most of the work will either be at your client’s home or at your home.
- Business is assured since more and more gadgets and appliances are being bought in homes and businesses.
- Very little capital is required to set up the business.
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Disadvantages of the appliance repair business
- Possibility of injuries while using work tools or transporting heavy appliances plus exposure to electrical shocks.
- More consumers are replacing rather than repairing broken appliances because it’s often cost-effective.
- Some tasks may need very specialized equipment that may not be readily available.
If you do not have the qualifications or engineering skills, you can still start this business and employ qualified people to work for you while you deal with the marketing and business management aspects of your business.
This article was first shared in the PROFITABLE BUSINESS IDEAS WhatsApp group Written By; Timothy Angwenyi (Business Consultant +254701711058)
