💬 My repair shop near Mehdipatnam is slower than I hoped

6 months ago I opened a small electronics repair shop near Mehdipatnam. I'd worked 12 years in Muscat. Started in repairs there, then moved up to supervising at a bigger chain. I put all my savings in. Rent here is far lower than Oman, so I told myself it would pick up fast. It hasn't. Not a disaster, just slower than my spreadsheet said. People walk in every day, so footfall isn't the problem. Getting them to come back is. Most customers here have a shop they've used for years, or their father used. I'm the new guy. Last week a man handed me a phone, asked who had fixed it before, and took it back unopened. That one stung for a day. I fix things well, but nobody can see that from outside. My cousin runs a similar shop 15 minutes away and he's been a big help. He told me which suppliers sell good parts at a fair price. That would've taken me months alone. He also told me to stop dropping my prices, since people read cheap as bad. I didn't want to hear it, but he's right. I've held my rates for 2 months now. On money, the shop covers its costs and gives me a small salary. Nothing more yet. I've told myself I'll give it 2 full years before judging whether this works. What keeps me going is small. Last Thursday a woman came back with her second phone, without a word. I recognise 5 or 6 faces now. 12 years of a steady job didn't prepare me for this part.

I'm in New York and I've watched my brother run a small shop in Tolichowki for 3 years. Year 1 he nearly closed it. Year 2 the repeat customers carried it, same story as yours.