Everyone has heard the phrase, “pull oneself up by the bootstraps.” ((Photo courtesy of Jarl van Hoother)) It basically refers to using your current resources to reach the next step.
In a prior post I talked about “How to Start a Business: Plan B,” which was mainly about fund raising. Fund raising is the exact opposite of bootstrapping. If you can’t raise funding for your business and you’re really committed to it, you’ve got to find another way. That would be “Plan B.” In hindsight I would have entitled that post, “B is for Bootstrapping” or “Starting A Business On A Budget.”
For a very nuts-and-bolts look at starting a business, look to Guy Kawasaki‘s “The Art of Bootstrapping.” This is an excerpt from his new book, “Reality Check.” My understanding is that this book is a distillation of his prior books and blog posts. Its on my Christmas wish list, so I’ll look forward to reading it in about a month.
I used many of these bootstrapping techniques while building this website. Using the bullet points from Guy’s post, here’s some of the things I used to start this business:
“Ship then test.” To be more exact, I tested the calculators rigorously but didn’t spend nearly as much time testing how the earliest versions of this website looked in different web browsers. Once I got it to work in Internet Explorer, I started marketing it.
“Start a service business.” In the first few months of building this website I worked as a technology consultant and part-time programmer. In addition to being a nice change from my day job as an attorney and earning a little extra, it also gave me the chance to learn some new programming languages and techniques.
“Go direct.” I schlepped my laptop to every appearance and showed off the website to every single attorney that was foolish enough to sit still and listen to me. Besides not having the resources to hire people to sell for me, it also allowed me to learn more about what my customers wanted. Keeping in touch with my clients/customers has lead to a LOT of new developments on this site.
As to “how” I started this business, here was my process:
I wanted to build my own online rating calculators. ((The exact reasons why are the topic of an entirely different blog post altogether.))
I bought some books about web based programming languages. $55.00 or so for two books.
“SAM’s Teach Yourself PHP, MySQL, and Apache” is probably written for the beginning programmer who’s already familiar with other programming language structures, but not with PHP, MySQL or Apache. I found this book the more helpful of the two.
Before I start talking computer repair, I offer three caveats. First, I have no formal training in diagnosing, repairing, or even using computers. Second, I have no experience with repairing an Apple or Mac computer. Third, all of the below only applies to laptop repair. Its incredibly easy to swap out components on a desktop.
You’ve done the math and decided that it is a better use of your resources to repair your non-functional and out-of-warranty laptop. ((Photo courtesy of Just Us 3.)) You know that sending an out of warranty laptop to the manufacturer is a bad idea. But, what about a big box store like Best Buy, Circuit City ((They’re bankrupt, so don’t bother)) , and Fry’s? ((For those of you who just can’t wait to find out: I think a dedicated computer facility is best.))
Option 2: Big Box Stores
When I’m not buying computer or electronics components online, I like Best Buy for products and Fry’s for components. However, I would never have a computer diagnosed or repaired by either place.
First, let’s recognize that a big box store has certain priorities. As such, their staff are trained to sell, not to diagnose or repair. I imagine their priorities are, in order: (1) Sell you things, (2) sell you warranties for things, (3) sell you new things, and (4) sell you warranties for those new things, (5) LLR. ((LLR – Lather, rinse, repeat.)) From a capitalistic perspective, its hard to argue with a business plan like this.
A little burned out component on the motherboard takes very special equipment and skill to replace. When faced with such a problem you can replace the entire computer, the motherboard ((Which, by the time you need it, costs as much as your computer is worth.)) , or just that one component.
From calling numerous computer repair facilities, I know very few of them have the special equipment and skill required to replace a single tiny component on a motherboard. If dedicated repair facilities do not typically have this equipment, I doubt big box stores would be up to the task.
I think everyone’s heard the horror stories or seen the TV investigations of big box computer store repair services scamming unwary or uninformed consumers. I have friends who hired Best Buy’s “Geek Squad” and still didn’t have their problems fixed.
If I were a very cynical person ((And, I am.)) I’d suggest that big box stores hire untrained staff who have a vested interest in charging a diagnostic fee to tell you that your computer and all your data is beyond recovery.
Luckily, I believe the third option, finding a reliable dedicated computer repair shop, is your best bet.
Before I start talking computer repair, I offer three caveats. First, I have no formal training in diagnosing, repairing, or even using computers. Second, I have no experience with repairing an Apple or Mac computer. Third, all of the below only applies to laptop repair. Its incredibly easy to swap out components on a desktop.
When my laptop died back I Googled and called around trying to find and decide upon someone to repair my laptop. There are several possible options when it comes to choosing a laptop repairer. When your laptop is still under warranty, its a no-brainer to send it back to the manufacturer. ((Tech support in this circumstance isn’t so much free as it is pre-paid.)) But, what about a computer that’s either no longer in warranty or with no warranty?
Option 1: Manufacturer
I’ve owned three laptops – a Compaq, a Dell, and then another Dell. On the one hand, I never had to call Compaq for technical support. On the other hand, by the time the laptop was three years old it was in pretty bad shape.
I called Dell first. Sure, I’d had truly terrible experiences with Dell tech support in the past. ((A long story for another day.)) I figured it couldn’t possibly have gotten worse, right? ((I was sooo naive.))
Dell offered a three stop process to fix the problem:
Phone diagnostic. $50.00.
Selling me new parts ((At cost, supposedly.)) and walking me through the repair over the phone. $200.00 – $300.00.
Sending in the laptop to Dell for repair. $300.00 – $500.00.
There are several problems with Dell’s repair process. First, its tremendously time consuming. Second, most of Dell’s processes are developed with the idea that the user is the most common problem. Third, if you have an actual problem you are all but guarrantted to spend more money than the computer is worth. Fourth, Dell tech support is just about the worst ever.
Time Consuming
Dell tech support is nothing if not standardized. Their tech support staff all have binders ((Or the digital equivalent of binders. Decision tree programs, if you will.)) which list tons of symptoms, diagnostic tests, and possible fixes. But, before you even start such a scenario you will be asked to check all cables, that everything is plugged in, and restart your computer several times. Even if you eliminate all time you spend on hold, that’s half an hour right there.
By the time you’ve run through a few diagnostic programs, you’ve easily spent two hours on the phone.
Computer Users Are The Problem
As best as I can tell, Dell’s tech support binder has them verify that the problem is not the user, then not software, then not user-replaceable hardware, then not Dell-replaceable hardware. Obviously, their goal is to minimize tech support time by ruling out simple issues, and thereby minimizing costs.
I’m not saying this is a bad system. But, if the problem is obviously a hardware problem, restarting the computer or dimming the monitor isn’t going to help. I have sent in two Dell laptops becuase the left mouse click button stopped springing back up. After fully describing the problem several times, they still asked me to fiddle with the battery, check that the laptop was plugged in, etc.
The problem is that by requiring you go through the Dell checklist of basic problems with their tech support staff, they are guarranting that every single call, no matter how trivial, will require a minimum of 30-45 minutes.
My former “left mouse button won’t pop back up” problem is really a 5 minute phone call that should go something like this:
Jay calls Dell.
“Hi, my name is Roger, please state the nature of your technical emergency.” ((Thank you Robert Picardo!))
Jay: “Hi Roger, I have a Dell XPS 1210 and the left mouse button won’t pop back up.”
Roger: “Hmm. Well, try tapping the button. Does that work?”
Jay: “No, that doesn’t seem to work.”
Roger: “Hmm. Can you see anything jammed in there?”
Jay: “Nope.”
Roger: “Yeah, that was a longshot. Okay, well, I’ll send you a box and a shipping label.”
Jay gives Roger his information and is happy with Dell service.
Ideally, Dell would have a way to jump past certain steps. Perhaps by answering a computer trivia question or by hitting “3” for “I have performed all basic rudimentary tests and diagnostics and know what I’m doing.”
Or, more likely: “I have checked all cables, restarted the computer, removed the battery, reinserted the battery, restarted again, booted into Safe Mode, restarted, booted into the command prompt, booted back in Safe Mode, restarted, booted from a recovery disk, restarted, restarted, booted from a Linux CD, restarted, wished on a falling star, and my brand new laptop still arrived with a giant gaping hole in the middle of the screen.” ((I had a scarily similar experience to the one I just described with a friend’s Dell laptop that arrived with a non-functional CD-burner.))
Dell’s Guaranteed Expensive Fix
If your computer has an actual hardware problem, and you’re trying to get Dell to fix it, you’re all but guaranteed to spend more money than the computer is worth. If your laptop is out of warranty, then its probably more than a year old. If you go through Dell’s repair process above (phone diagnostic, user-repair, Dell repair), you’re going to spend a minimum of $550.00. This is a losing proposition. Unless you have a high end gaming rig, it probably cost between $750.00 to $1,500.00.
Dell’s tech support is the opposite of helpful. Their tech support personnel are trained to read from their scripts, repeat what you say as if they understood the problem, and then simply do the next thing on the script. Any request for deviation from the script results in a denial or, best case scenario, holding for ten minutes while they find out from their supervisor the reason for denying your request.
You can eventually get what you want from Dell’s technical support, but you better be prepared to fight like hell for it. You will need to argue and haggle with two layers of technical support grunts and as many supervisors as it takes to reach a technical support person located in the United States.
Even if Dell agrees to repair your laptop in an acceptable fashion, you’ve probably 10 hours in the process. Add this to the actual cost of the repair and its a losing proposition.
Look, I’m Indian and I hate Dell’s Indian tech support.
Last week a website user notified me of a problem he was experiencing with this website’s rating calculators. He’s been a regular user for nearly a year now. When he tried to perform a calculation the calculators would just show waiting indicators without showing the answer. If he closed the browser window and reopened it, it would sometimes fix the problem. To complicate matters, his coworker was having a similar problem.
Worst of all, this problem had been plaguing them for two weeks. If you have a problem with this website, let me know as soon as possible so that I can track down the last change to the site to see if its causing a problem.
My troubleshooting went like this:
Get a detailed description of the symptoms.
Try to replicate the problem.
Reiterate the problem to make sure I’ve got it right.
While working to diagnose and fix the problem, offer a temporary fix (putting up a temporary site for their use).
Look into recent changes in the website (going back two weeks).
Since I couldn’t replicate the problem, ask additional questions.
Does the problem occur at a particular time of the day? ((This would indicate a data bottleneck at the server. Time to upgrade!))
What web browser and version do they use? ((And, tell them how to find this information.))
Explain how to figure out their version of Windows and how to install update.
Do they have any third-party “toolbars” installed? Yahoo, Google, MSN, etc toolbars. ((These browser helper objects are notorious for interfering with normal browser operations. Worse, you can’t rule them out based upon when they were installed because they’re constantly downloading and installing updates to themselves.))
Ask them to temporarily disable or uninstall the toolbar. Give them links to where they can re-download the toolbar software.
Do they single-click or double-click on buttons? ((Double clicks send two requests to the server – and might be confusing the browser.))
Are other co-workers having the same problem? ((Two computers on a single network could be a coincidence, a sign of a problem with the website, or a sign of a problem with the client’s network.))
Do they have this same problem on different computers? ((If not, its a problem with that computer. If so, could still be a problem with either the website or their computers/network.))
Is the browser showing javascript errors? ((Tell them how to tell if there’s an error and how to give you the error code information.))
If the problem disappears, its obviously in their computer or network. If the problem persists, it could still possibly be their network or the website.
Above all else: KEEP THE CLIENT INFORMED. ((They may not care for the constant updates, but they will know you’re on the case.))
As of right now, one of this client’s co-workers has contacted me to say that he’s no longer having trouble with the website.
Calculator Performance Issue: It has come to my attention that some users are having problems with the “Body Part” code finder. This problem apparently occurs when you click on the “Body Part” button and just see a spinning blue “waiting” disc instead of a list of body parts.
Temporary Fix: Even though the Body Part code search function does not work for some users, the rating functions still appears to work just fine. If you know the Body Part code, you should be able to enter it manually in the box provided. If you are performing a 2005 schedule rating, please use the full 8 digit body part code.
Permanent Solution: I am working on a fix for this problem and will update this website as soon as I am able. I cannot be sure, but I suspect that the problem is being caused, in part, by the recent increase in the popularity of this website. ((Yay, popularity! Boo, problems!))
To all paid-subscription users:
I value your business and appreciate your patience. If this problem persists, I will create a second website exclusively for your use.
In the meantime, if you’re having problems with the calculators, however small, please e-mail through the Contact Us link at the top. The more information I have about the problem, the better able I will be to diagnose and fix it.
