[plug] [OT] Transforming a technician run company

[Jonathan Young]

Hi Chris

I'd be happy to have a chat sometime since what you are describing is
basically exactly what I managed to do with my business at one stage. We
always designed our business systems (record keeping, job sheets etc.)
to work as though we were a much bigger organisation, franchise etc. and
ultimately that was the end goal more or less.

I started it in 1997 and by 2003 I came to work in order to make it
bigger and better, find new customers, new suppliers, better products
and refine our systems.  On the days (or weeks) where I took time off,
the business still ran and I still made the usual amount of money. I had
excellent staff too!

Some images of PC-PHIX in full swing remain on my website.

What unfortunately changed this was when I ended a defacto relationship
of 5 years and in the same weekend had a car accident which put me off
the road for some time, some personal health issues followed the next
year and having moved house 3 times since then and virtually started
again (financially speaking), I think I have a lot of experience of the
do's AND the don'ts as I am now doing the same thing (building a
business I can own rather than run) for the second time...

If you want to chat more, drop me a line at the usual address
(jonathan at pcphix.com).

- Jonathan.

On 11/17/2005, "Chris Caston" <caston at arach.net.au> wrote:

>On Thu, 2005-11-17 at 09:07, Chris Caston wrote:
>> Transforming a technician run company into an entrepreneurial business
>> and franchise
>>
>> I wish to discuss this. Who wants to suggest a time and venue?
>>
>>
>> regards,
>
>Hi list,
>
>I've had a couple of replies so far. This is basically what I have
>written back:
>
>I want to get some control over my life work on my business rather than
>in it as stated in the E-myth revisited. ie to have a business that
>serves my life rather than consumes it. This may also become a manifesto
>for the liberation of all self-employed manager/entrepreneur/technician
>people that I believe have most of the disadvantages of being a worker
>AND of being a boss and very few of the advantages of either.
>
>I also want to move my business
>into an office/workshop (that ideally that business has put the deposit
>down on and is mortgaging it rather than renting it) and develop the
>business to the point where it can employ people even though I have
>limited funds at
>the moment.
>
>I hope to make the business so that it could be franchised even if it
>doesn't end up being so. I'm also happy to make it an open source
>franchise if it is practical to do so.
>
>I would also like to make the business so that there is a recruitment
>procedure allowing the "new blood" techs to learn the ropes (most likey
>on a 18 month traineeship) fixing PCs for home users and micro
>businesses as they are readied to work with higher end enterprise
>technologies. Mature age trainee-ships are also very possible.
>
>People that would love to become involved in any way possible (such as
>contributing mental capital to design the franchise and or becoming a
>partner ) please speak up.
>
>regards,
>
>Chris
>
>
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--
Jonathan Young
Director of PC-PHIX
jonathan at pcphix.com

Phone: 0410 455 674
Web: http://www.pcphix.com/