Small office network installer

Small offices, medical and dental practices, tradies' workshops, cafes and retail shops with no in-house IT.

Project fees for installs, equipment margin, and a monthly support retainer for monitoring, updates and fast call-outs.

• Network design and configuration
• Firewalls, VLANs and basic security
• Quoting, documentation and project organisation

• Public liability and professional indemnity insurance, as a network fault can stop a client trading
• Cabling work may need an ACMA-registered cabler; check the current rules, or subcontract the cabling
• Privacy and data security responsibilities when you access client systems
• Workers compensation insurance if you hire help, which varies by state
• Clear contracts on responsibility, backups and after-hours support

Startup costs are typically around $2,000 to $10,000, depending on the tools, test gear, demo equipment and insurance you need. These are estimates, so list your own requirements and get quotes before you begin.

Monthly revenue is typically around $2,000 to $10,000, depending on how many clients you take on and the mix of installs and ongoing support. These are estimates of revenue, not profit, starting from about 15 hours a week.

Cabling work may need an ACMA-registered cabler, so check the current rules or subcontract it. Also check public liability and professional indemnity insurance, privacy and data security duties, and clear contracts covering backups and after-hours support.