Starter guide

Tech Help for Neighbors

Set up phones, fix printers, teach adults the tech you already know.

Free to start
Medium

Things you find obvious are genuinely hard for a lot of adults. Getting photos off a phone, setting up a printer, organizing a mess of files, showing someone how to video call their grandkids. You already know how to do these. Somebody two streets over has been putting one of them off for six months.

Start for free

Fix one thing for free, on purpose

Pick the neighbor or relative who complains about their phone. Fix one thing. Take no money.

Then say this:

"If you ever get stuck again, I do this for [your price] an hour. And if you know anyone else who needs help with their phone or computer, tell them about me."

That free fix is not charity. In this business the referral is the whole engine, because the person you help will absolutely tell their friends, and their friends have the same problems.

The plan

Your simple plan

  1. Offer three specific things, not "tech help." Phone photo backup, printer setup, and "teach me to video call" get hired. "I'm good with computers" doesn't.
  2. Teach while you fix. Do it slowly and let them do the last step themselves. They'll call you back for the next thing instead of feeling embarrassed.
  3. Never touch money, passwords, or bank accounts. If a job needs a bank login, that's where you stop and get their family involved. Say that out loud, up front. It makes you more trustworthy, not less.
  4. Charge by the visit for small stuff. A flat price for "one problem, up to an hour" is easier to say yes to than an open clock.
The gear

What you need, and what you can skip

Your own knowledge, plus a small bag of the cables everybody has lost.

Get these
  • A multi-cable kit with the common phone and USB connectors. Shop this
  • A USB flash drive or two for moving photos and files. Shop this
  • Screen wipes and compressed air for cleanups. Shop this
  • A small notebook to leave written steps behind. Shop this
Skip these for now
  • Repair tool kits and screen replacement parts. Opening someone's device is a different business with real risk.
  • Any paid software or subscription. You're selling your time, not tools.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. We only list gear the guide actually calls for, and the skip list is there because most of it you do not need yet.

The lesson from the book

This is Sophie's line running underneath the whole deck: you can't read the label from inside the jar. What feels boringly obvious from where you're standing is the exact thing somebody else has been stuck on for months.

That gap is the business. You don't need a rare skill. You need to notice that something easy for you is hard for someone else, and then be willing to ask for money to close it.

The full program

Ready to build the whole thing?

The full Young Founder kit walks you through everything Andre and Sophie learned: how to find the gap between what you know and what people need, price it, and grow on referrals. The book, the workbook, the videos, and more.

See what is inside the kit

Questions about this idea

What should a kid charge to walk a dog?

A kid walking dogs in their own neighborhood usually starts between $10 and $18 for a thirty minute walk. Professional walkers average about $21 for the same walk.

Read the answer

How much money does a kid need to start a business?

Less than almost anyone expects, and for a lot of these ideas the honest answer is nothing until somebody has already said yes to a price.

Read the answer

How does a kid find their first customer?

Ten people who already know them, one prepared sentence, and an easy way for each of them to say no.

Read the answer

What do I do when my kid wants to quit?

Find out whether this is not working or just not fun right now. Those look identical from outside and they need opposite responses.

Read the answer

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Young Founder

A program from Founder's Best Friend. Built for kids 8 to 18 who want something of their own.

Young Founder, 2026