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Ask HN: Experience with bundling laptops w/ startup app?

4 points by aik ↗ HN
I've got a complete management system web-app (with a 2-year contract) I'm selling to a particular small business niche. More often than not, these businesses don't have computers, which I believe is one factor limiting sales. I believe if I could offer hardware along with my app, more businesses would bite.

Does anyone here have experience with bundling hardware (laptops) with your product? Do any major hardware sellers work with small guys like me (Dell for example)? I haven't been able to find anything. I'd even be willing to swallow some of the laptop costs to gain a few more sales.

Any advice?

6 comments

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brudgers
Pure speculation:

Price the computers, figure a healthy markup and list them on your sales sheet to see if anyone bites. Worry about the logistics of volume later if you have it. Don't eat any costs.

aik
What I'm specifically wondering though is if there are any special programs for situations like these. For example, it's common for corporations to have contracts with large computer manufacturers (like Dell) where they pay a flat sum and get upgrades every so often and support. Does anyone do that on a smaller scale? There's definitely no way I can support the hardware in addition to my app.

This could perhaps even be a new startup idea: A startup that provides consultation services or in some way handles all hardware related tasks for specific small businesses with specific needs.

apowell
It'll be tough to avoid supporting the hardware. If it's provided by you and used to run your application, then you're going to get the support calls.

You can push the client to call the hardware vendor ("we don't support hardware, read your contract, here's the number for Dell"), but that's going to frustrate the client and reflect poorly on your business.

It sounds like a losing proposition unless you price the hardware and hardware support into the cost of your system.

aquark
And lock down the OS as much as possible. It will be bad enough supporting genuine issues, dealing with 'your laptop doesn't run XYZ' would be even worse.
brudgers
One could possibly provide the hardware on a capital lease agreement and then use their retained ownership to obtain warranty service on behalf of the customer from the hardware vendor...though IANAL.

The other option would simply to be a reseller. http://www.techdata.com/

aik
Yeah, good point. We already get hardware related calls and just deal with them. Getting more of those and actually being responsible for them, especially from around the country, I don't believe would be worth the cost if can be avoided.

Perhaps we could just provide consultation services for the client on what good and applicable hardware they could purchase. That is something most of them already need, since they have no IT department or IT knowledge, and at the same time it would be removed enough from us.