Business with DIY Electronics Projects

[Jimut]

I am a electronics freak, I have knowledge on intermediate digital and analog electronics. I want to start a business by writing educational blog, or more like tutorials, and by the side I want to sell some electronics equipment that are referred thorough my tutorials. Something like makezine.com and newbiehack.com.

I want to make videos more than articles because I don't like to write much.
I want to give tutorials from basic electronics to some intermediate DIY Projects.

Will it be a smart step to take as a student (19 years)?
Is there any other options that will be more smarter than this?
How do I proceed?

[billbenson]

It's kind of a hard question. I graduated in 1980 with an electronics degree. Back then you did component level repair and radio shack was thriving. Today, whole boards are made into an IC (I have a friend who basically finds commonly used boards and makes them into a chip and sells them).

Today TV's are throw away items if you have a component failure.

We'd need to know more about what you are trying to do to give an accurate option, but it doesn't seem like a good path to financial success to me.

If I were to start again, I'd look at products and see what I can make the most money at. Many will say do what you have a passion for. I disagree with that. Whether its adult stuff or selling nuts and bolts, it just becomes a product after a while.

Some of the people here have a better chance at keeping it interesting. Web developers for example. They may be developing sites for very different products or applications. That helps to keep things interesting. Most employees or self employed people get up and do the same thing every day. That gets boring even if its something you are passionate about in most cases.

[Jimut]

Basically I want to earn some money, from the knowledge that I have gathered all these years.

I choose these option because I know a little bit of web designing and SEO which would help me in managing websites. Your point is though very reasonable because it would be a very lousy path to gain success, in which I may loose patience.

Somedays ago I thought of building audio amplifiers and selling them online, but people always get attracted by the looks of the product first, and it was hard for me to design a good chassis because I had little or no resource for building those, and selling in local market was also a hard job for me (no one would take product from a 19 years old).

As you told your friend made ICs, how do I make an IC from scratch?


I'd look at products and see what I can make the most money at
The products that I can make among these are maybe lights, blue-tooth speaker, mp3 player etc (anything else?). Still I will need resources for making a good chassis. How can I find that?

[billbenson]

As you told your friend made ICs, how do I make an IC from scratch?

I really don't know other than he writes a spec and outsources it it to India. Over the years he has developed good contacts here and abroad for marketing, development, and VC. It just takes time to do the networking.


I'd look at products and see what I can make the most money at

When I say that, I am referring to the actual product which could be an HP printer or stocks, bonds, and options. What do you know the most about or can learn about, and what industry makes the most money. Personally if I was starting from scratch, I would look to the financial industry because there is a lot of money there and its technical which I would enjoy.

[Jimut]

By financial industries did you mean stock exchange? I tried it also, but I could hardly make 1-2 days a week to do it as because I have to attend collage most of the days and stocks are closed on Sunday and Saturday and another reason is that I could hardly invest Rs 6000 or 100 dollars by myself.

Anything else that I could try out, which I will be able to give time like at night or on weekends, with a investment that I can make?

[billbenson]

Do google research. Look for what you can make money at that you would enjoy. Then learn everything about the produces, industry, technology, and what it takes to sell the product. Then you are armed and dangerous.

Oh, and the 'what you can make money at part' you need to look at product margins, cost of sales, distribution, etc. Also your desired income. Frequently it doesn't take much more effort to do something that makes millions as something that makes $60k.

[Jimut]

I was thinking of starting a business of refurbishing or almost making new audio amplifiers in a small volume maybe one or two during the start and expanding it later if I succeed. Side by side I want to start a online website on tutorials on electronics and selling or promoting DIY products.

I want to start these two because both have pros and cons for me, the online website cons is it would draw me customers like students who are like to buy less and I will make less profit, and it takes too much time to get some profit from websites and pros are that I can keep myself in my comfort zone like working a home and working anytime.
On the other hand if I do the amp selling job it would draw me high value customers and my profit will be quick and cons are that I will need to go outside in local market to find customers that is a hard job for me, and making chassis is also out my comfort zone.

So I choose to do both. Am I going the right direction?

[billbenson]

I would target the commercial products, not consumer. They will be more demanding and want a product for tomorrows concert, but the products will be more expensive and they will be more willing to to pay top dollar.

[Joseph A. Norcross]

I would absolutely target the consumer because those are far more likely to recommend you to others. Sure the business market would mean steady pay, but it might be difficult to get people’s attention at first. I think that the underlying concept that you have though does certainly offer some solid perspective.