"Why can't you just go get a job?"

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I'm trying to start a computer repair business, and I'm on a computer technician's forum, and all the other techs do is discourage me. They say I should just go get a job. I have AS, and have told a couple of them that not only do I have AS but I have no formal work experience either because of it, AND where I live there are a thousand applicants for even the most entry level tech jobs, and most of them have many years of experience, so just getting a job isn't really an option for me. They refuse to listen, every business idea I come up with is a bad one, and they just keep saying "get a job". I wouldn't be doing this if it were that easy for me to get a job guys!

One of the really senior members of the forum is really mad at me, and I won't get banned but every explanation I try and do of why I just don't go out and get a job makes him even angrier, and he can't figure out why I won't just do as he says. I have $19k of debt to pay off, it takes half of my SSI check to make the minimum monthly payments, and I NEED to get that debt paid. So I need to succeed in my own business. I can't get a job for the reasons I outlined. If I could just get a job, I wouldn't be on SSI for a DISABILITY, folks! I think I'm gonna stay away from that forum for a while.

say no way, say no way, say no way-ay-ay-ay.
sorry, the lyrics were too hard to resist.

yeah it's super easy for people to say 'get a job', you don't have to justify yourself to them.

It's easier to tell someone to get a job and blame it on them if they can't apperently.

I suppose all you can do is leave him in his anger and ignorance.

In school, I took a few business and marketing courses and had the opportunity to hear from and meet with some very successful who had a hand in some of the most successful business endeavors of our age.

One of them had commented that you know it's a good idea when lots of people doubt you. While I wouldn't take this literally, I do think it conveys a few important points. When someone doubts an idea it's because it's usually a foreign idea to them (after all, they didn't think of it themselves) which they have no idea how to execute either at all, or in the context of the current market environment. They only see the risks and they have no strategy for dealing with them.

People who are very successful figure out strategies to deal with these risks.

People who are very successful aren't afraid of failure.Most very successful people experience at least three big failures in life. Many very successful companies struggled for over a decade before their product became profitable.

Most average people, on the other hand, are crushed by failures and don't have long term commitment to things. In fact, most average people are content with sitting on the couch wishing they as successful as Bill Gates and absolutely convinced such a dream is impractical.

So you want to start a computer repair business. Ok. Do you need a business license? What about insurance? How much money do you need to start this? Don't be afraid of the cost, just be honest about it. If you want to give this a chance of succeeding you need to be honest about your risks.

Who are your competitors? I live in a big city and most computer repair places here are small businesses. In the suburbs, most people take their computers to the larger chains for repairs.
What would make someone want to bring their computer to you rather than a competitor? Cost differentiation isn't always the best way to go strangely enough. Some people get nervous when the price is much lower than would be expected. With computer repairs though, people do like convenience. They also like things that look "official" because it gives them a sense of security. In the American mind, and probably the minds of most westerners, things that are branded equate to official.

Have a big vision. You might start out as a small computer repair place, but why stay in such a position of vulnerability and small earning potential? Grow your business wisely. You might aim to get yourself in a position where you can go after business contracts.

Goodluck. And remember, average people don't make the world go around, they just go around with it.

You try and get a job by getting your own business started but yet they won't help you with that and tell you to get a job instead. Isn't that funny?

What if most people don't want to hire us?

I've been trying to get a job for the past 5 years - I have a 2.1, 3 A levels, 9 years work experience, etc... and they won't hire me because I have difficulty looking in people's eyes and sometimes take their questions too literally .

You realise, I'll probably have to work as a cleaner, because that'll be the only people who'll employ me! God forbid I should be allowed into an office with normal people...

Just a curious question.

Did most of those guys get their experiance from their local Geek Squad, who tend to BS their customers, and pat their overactive egoes?

(I hate the Geek Squad, sorry there.)

Yes, that is so irritating when someone says something like "Why don't you just get a job?". Yeah I think that thought already occurred to you.
If it were so obvious and simple, it would already be done.
BTW, I don't stay where I am not wanted. Why do you need to be on that forum?

I actually don't mind being disliked, so long as I don't need to rely on those people. The way I see it, if lots of people like you, it's because of two things: a.) you have something they want (money, talent, etc.) b.) you are unoriginal.

The above is not to suggest there aren't genuinely nice people out there. I am privileged to know many. But being nice just doesn't come naturally to most people. In business, being nice can be a liability.

Coming from a family of businesspeople, I can say that their secret to success is perseverance. Lots of people hate them, which they ignore with great stoicism.

Of course, sometimes personal attacks can just get to you. If that happens, just remind yourself why you are in business in the first place. Judging from the OP, I say that you value your independence a lot. Remind yourself of that.