What triggered it
Watching repair videos and realizing local shops were charging enough to make DIY seem plausible.
Goal
See if a practical repair skill could become a light side income.
What I did
Practiced on old phones, replaced batteries and screens, priced parts, and tested resale math on a few low-risk flips.
Summary notes
The profitable jobs were the boring ones with reliable parts availability.
Lessons learned
- Parts sourcing determines profitability more than speed at first.
- Face ID and waterproofing risks make some jobs emotionally expensive even when technically possible.
Mistakes and dead ends
- Took on one water-damaged phone that ate too much time.
- Underpriced labor because I was still learning.