I just made my first $25 as a small business guy

[Northern Lawn]

3rd party cell phone repair, pretty niche. Why don't you just mow lawns, much bigger market place.

 

[FM2n]

Make sure you retain 70% to pay off income tax and Obamacare.

 

[jagec]

You can make a whole lot more money as an entrepreneur by blowing dudes at the bus stop.

Remember sonz70?

 

[Imp]

I do computer repairs/builds and I also teach English to Japanese people over Skype. I make some pretty decent booze money from my efforts.

I charge $12 bucks/hour for English lessons. I normally only teach in 2 hour blocks as the language exchange takes a toll on both parties. I get to sharpen my Japanese skills and they get English skills in exchange. I don't have lesson plans for each lesson, I leave it as an open topic. We can discuss movies, music, tv..whatever. We speak Japanese and English interchangeably but I encourage English only when asking questions.

Last year, one of my students, Nina, sent me a care package from Japan with Meiji chocolates and a warm pair of gloves, a scarf, and a hat for the winter!

If I weren't so socially awkward (I can fake it to hell and back, but I still get uncomfortable), that'd be a great way to make money. As a native speaker, you are probably better than someone just learning, even if you failed high school English (all grades).

In general, it's funny what ideas people come up with when they're desperate for money. Most people don't consider a job a "job" unless it's 9-5 with benefits, but these little side things add up.

 

[rudeguy]

3rd party cell phone repair, pretty niche. Why don't you just mow lawns, much bigger market place.

I love to learn new things. I also love a challenge.

I could go back to doing computer repair and make $50+ per hour and have as much work as I could handle. But that is boring and I hate it.


I for sure had a rough start. I completely screwed up the first phone I did. The first iPod I did I tore another ribbon cable and ended up paying more to fix the thing than I charged.

Now I've really gotten the hang of things. I just did a 4S screen in an hour flat. No issues whatsoever. I'm thinking about getting into iPads since there is so much money in fixing those but I am scared to break something I can't replace without putting myself into a big hole.

Hopefully I'll start getting some word of mouth so I don't have to deal with Craigslist crap anymore.

 

[dbk]

I did a similar thing a week ago.. bought my coworkers iphone 4 cracked both sides for $50.. bought new front and back for $40. watched some vids online.. swapped it in an hour.. EZ

 

[Ichinisan]

Up until 2 weeks ago, I worked loads of overtime at work to make extra pocket money. I like to buy stupid things on the internet and its always nice to have a couple bucks laying around.

That is until the scheduling department at my work pulled some stupid stuff. I've been one of their best allies and they decided to deny moving a couple vacation days as it their right. I also have the right to not help them any more, so I won't.

I've always liked working with cell phones and so I decided to slowly ease into the cell phone repair business. I bought a couple iPhone screens and put up some ads on Craigslist. Today I got my first reply but all he needed done was have his phone flashed back to stock. Easy peasy! My first job took less than 30 minutes and I made $25. My goal is to have a job or two per night and hopefully make an extra $200-$500 per month depending on the job.


Anyone do side jobs?

iThought you were an Android guy?

 

[Ichinisan]

Me, my brother, and our friends are asked to do this sort of thing all the time.

 

[Ichinisan]

3rd party cell phone repair, pretty niche. Why don't you just mow lawns, much bigger market place.

You clearly have NO %^#*ING CLUE. After just a couple jobs, his phone will not stop ringing.

Tips for rudeguy: Get a dedicated phone number for your side business or your personal number will be trash in no time.

 

[rudeguy]

iThought you were an Android guy?

I am.

I'm currently rocking a Galaxy Nexus with AOKP and Zen Kernel. I'm waiting to hear something positive about the N4 before I take the plunge.

 

[rudeguy]

You clearly have NO %^#*ING CLUE. After just a couple jobs, his phone will not stop ringing.

Tips for rudeguy: Get a dedicated phone number for your side business or your personal number will be trash in no time.

Google Voice my friend..Google voice.

 

[CZroe]

I do this kinda stuff for people for the cost of parts because I don't want to be held responsible if I trash their phone (I was already broken; now it's more broken) or get a surprise at tax time. Ichinisan is right: Word gets around.

I recently replaced the screen on a white iPhone 4 but my first replacement screen was DOA. Tonight I'm putting CM9 on a new coworker's HP TouchPad. I also just found the parts in my mailbox for doing a gold conversion on a black iPhone 4 using a conversion kit (suggested because the girl had no home button and the glass on both sides was shattered). The Apple logo has poor contrast and the iPhone lettering is really hard to read, but it was still enough for Apple to get the seller kicked off eBay shortly after I ordered. I hope this one isn't DOA or else I might be SOL. It seems that these people are getting kicked off eBay left and right judging by how many disappeared from my Watched Items list. At least the replacement screen has the speaker grill though I will still need to do the Sharpie trick for the proximity sensor and move the camera lens isolator.

I also have an iPod Touch 2G that I haven't returned to the owner after replacing the screen along with her PSP1000 that she wanted CFW on.

No real horror stories yet. I fixed an HTC Sensation with cracked glass and blank screen about a year ago and the guy recently came back saying that the screen is blank and it won't boot, but that's not my fault and he clearly has other issues (doesn't seem to boot; may have trouble charging; suggested trying someone else's known-good charged battery). Oh, I did replace the screen on a MyTouch Q and never got paid for the part. A coworker brought it to me on behalf of her husband I never met and then left him a day after he got his phone back through her. Luckily I just got a call from her today about something else she needs my help with so I will make it contingent on payment for prior services even if they were technically for her ex.

For myself I've done things like replace the back glass of an iPhone 4 and re-house an AT&T-exclusive Stealth Blue Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY 4G in white. Of course, there's also jailbreaking, rooting, and all that stuff for all my stuff.

 

[paperfist]

So my second gig was not as smooth.

I offered to replace my friend's iPhone 4s screen for free just to get experience. After tearing the battery ribbon cable and having to buy a new one of those, I spent a full day trying to figure out why it wouldn't power on. Turns out I had gotten a bad screen. The only other 4s screen I had was a black one and her phone is white. Well...I should say was white. Its now got a white back, black front and white home button until I can get another screen in.

Of course pics of my screwup:

Let me know when you're up to iPad screens

 

[Doppel]

Up until 2 weeks ago, I worked loads of overtime at work to make extra pocket money. I like to buy stupid things on the internet and its always nice to have a couple bucks laying around.

That is until the scheduling department at my work pulled some stupid stuff. I've been one of their best allies and they decided to deny moving a couple vacation days as it their right. I also have the right to not help them any more, so I won't.

I've always liked working with cell phones and so I decided to slowly ease into the cell phone repair business. I bought a couple iPhone screens and put up some ads on Craigslist. Today I got my first reply but all he needed done was have his phone flashed back to stock. Easy peasy! My first job took less than 30 minutes and I made $25. My goal is to have a job or two per night and hopefully make an extra $200-$500 per month depending on the job.


Anyone do side jobs?

Good luck, I mean it. But, with my dealings on craigslist i have to warn it's absolutely no way to rely on business. The people on there are in the majority unreliable.

 

[rudeguy]

Let me know when you're up to iPad screens

if you are willing to be my guinea pig, I'm ready now.

 

[Ichinisan]

Google Voice my friend..Google voice.

Perfect (that's what I use).

 

[rudeguy]

Getting better...

Another 4G iPod Touch. Managed not to snap any cables this time. Was in and out in right about an hour. iPods are much more of a pain in the ass than iPhones.

before:

after:

What I walked in on today:

 

[Sonikku]

I thought about doing that.

Instead I invested in some inventory. Which I used up when I messed up

But I did buy myself a Rockstar!

You should have saved a Dime of it and put it in a glass jar. Then it could have been your "lucky dime" and been the start of your entrepreneurship leading to a massive vault full of gold coins.

But not now. :thumbsdown:

 

[MrsBugi]

w00t, congrats!

 

[CZroe]

I do this kinda stuff for people for the cost of parts because I don't want to be held responsible if I trash their phone (I was already broken; now it's more broken) or get a surprise at tax time. Ichinisan is right: Word gets around.

I recently replaced the screen on a white iPhone 4 but my first replacement screen was DOA. Tonight I'm putting CM9 on a new coworker's HP TouchPad. I also just found the parts in my mailbox for doing a gold conversion on a black iPhone 4 using a conversion kit (suggested because the girl had no home button and the glass on both sides was shattered). The Apple logo has poor contrast and the iPhone lettering is really hard to read, but it was still enough for Apple to get the seller kicked off eBay shortly after I ordered. I hope this one isn't DOA or else I might be SOL. It seems that these people are getting kicked off eBay left and right judging by how many disappeared from my Watched Items list. At least the replacement screen has the speaker grill though I will still need to do the Sharpie trick for the proximity sensor and move the camera lens isolator

A quick update: I finished doing her gold iPhone 4 with all new exterior and gave it to her when she was getting back in the car after work. She dropped it right then and there without even getting her car door closed. It gets worse: I saw her again a few days later and she had already dropped it again and shattered the glass! I'm sure these clone parts do not have the same quality glass as the Apple originals, but... damn.

 

[OverVolt]

Skills to pay the bills :awe:

 

[Loop2kil]

Up until 2 weeks ago, I worked loads of overtime at work to make extra pocket money. I like to buy stupid things on the internet and its always nice to have a couple bucks laying around.

That is until the scheduling department at my work pulled some stupid stuff. I've been one of their best allies and they decided to deny moving a couple vacation days as it their right. I also have the right to not help them any more, so I won't.

I've always liked working with cell phones and so I decided to slowly ease into the cell phone repair business. I bought a couple iPhone screens and put up some ads on Craigslist. Today I got my first reply but all he needed done was have his phone flashed back to stock. Easy peasy! My first job took less than 30 minutes and I made $25. My goal is to have a job or two per night and hopefully make an extra $200-$500 per month depending on the job.


Anyone do side jobs?

I do an offsite backup for a small company that's on the way to work for $250/mo. I have to go in once a week for about 1-1.5 hours. Made them buy the external HD and I Teamviewer in the night before and 7zip what needs to be backed up so it doesn't take as long.

 

[OCGuy]

I have insurance to make sure that if I ever have to pay a dime for my phone....it is for a new (or refurb) one.

 

[rudeguy]

I have insurance to make sure that if I ever have to pay a dime for my phone....it is for a new (or refurb) one.

and you are lying

EVERY cell phone insurance plan has a deductible.

Thanks for playing though!

 

[OCGuy]

and you are lying

EVERY cell phone insurance plan has a deductible.

Thanks for playing though!

If you can point out where I said I didn't have to pay, I will send you $26 USD, effectively being the biggest score of your new business.