Lessons in Junk Removal: Should I Repair or Recycle My Old Laptop?

“Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations.”

~ Steve Jobs

“Don’t tell me what you value, show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what you value.”

~ Joe Biden

“Money is simple. Buy cash flow producing assets.”

~ Grant Cardone

I was born to be an entrepreneur.

However, as a youth, in a momentary lapse of reason, trapped in my own deception, I made a critical move that would set a path for my future. And it is time to come clean. When I was a young man, my plight of being “dazed and confused” all started when I made the misguided decision to go to college.

And, let it be known, if the consistent time invested in debauchery highlighted by excessive attendance to parties was the equivalent of a degree, well, you might say I could have double majored.

Shortly after my 4-5 years in higher education, I cleaned up my wayward lifestyle and started investing in maintenance businesses, and I found my place in consulting.

I was not really skilled at anything, unlike members of my family. Finding a career path on my own would not be easy.

I learned through my own experience. . .

Those that cannot do, teach. And, those that cannot teach become consultants.

After watching a few YouTube videos and unlocking expert status by purchasing classes from unverified, experienced gurus in their early twenties, I found my niche.

Today, I consult consultants on becoming better consultants consulting others on how to do the same. A simple formula, really. Rinse and Repeat.

Surprisingly, it’s much more lucrative than doing skilled labor, teaching classes, or offering any sort of value. And, it’s ambiguous enough to sound intellectually important.

Almost as important as titles, we need to have the right set of tools and consistently make educated financial decisions in business.

My mentor taught me, one of the most important tools you can have is your laptop. For the amount of meaningless “work” you will get from consulting, a smartphone does not have enough storage space to accommodate all of the useless information you will need to repackage and sell later.

As a self-accredited expert in finance and serial blogging, I don’t want to see you wasting your hard-earned money on buying new products from other countries that don’t bring much value to our economy. When you have something that works regardless of the condition, don’t just throw it away. This is America, and we preserve what matters most.

So, if you plan to repair or recycle your laptop, you will want to consider the following:

Protect Your Personal Information

Have a separate hard drive for personal family photos and other important documents. This will help the laptop’s life, mitigate the amount of used memory, and keep your private affairs separate from business.

Find a Repair Shop You Can Trust

If your laptop needs repair and you need to hire a professional to fix it, hire someone you trust. Your business is your private intellectual property, so have signed non-disclosure agreements, especially if privileged information will be shared with a repair shop technician. The wrong repair company could share your information with your competitors.

Be Conscientious of Others on Your Team

While we are entrepreneurs who work for ourselves, some of us are not in business by ourselves. We often have partners, investors, and other constituents that have a vested interest in our company. It is best to notify them before taking a laptop in for repair since they might have personal or business information they do not want to share with an outside source.

Stay on Schedule

Time is Money. When your laptop is fixed, be sure to pick it up when the repair company contacts you so that you can get back to work. A tool “left in the shed” is not producing for your business.

Recycle

If your laptop has reached the end of its rope, recycle and make yourself some side money. Take precautions. Destroy your hard drive before recycling to protect against the breach of any personal or business information.

Hire a Junk Removal Company

Junk Removers, located throughout the United States, are experienced and resourceful with unwanted and broken products. They can often guide you in the steps to handle the hard drive, recycle, and dispose of your laptop.

Wishing you the best in your business.