What is needed?

Thank you for asking such a great question. You will need to contact a Corporate Law Attorney, specializing in Business and Corporate Law. You are correct, you should register as a DBA if you don't want to do business under your full legal name: "John Doe" but DBA will be "John Doe Computer Repair" or whatever name you like. Due to the nature of your business, I would prefer you to get as much protection from liability as possible. Protecting yourself would come better from forming a corporation or a limited liability company. Both have pros and cons. I don't personally like LLC as it requires too much money and time to form one compared to a corporation. C-Corporation is cost effective. The cost to form a Flordia Corporation or LLC is anywhere from $450.00 - $1,200 depending on which attorney you hire. Once you have formed an entity, Corporation or LLC you will and should get your attorney to provide you a discount to create agreements for you to protect yourself and the business. Sales/Service Agreements is one that you should consider most important as your business nature will greatly benefit from it. Liability of operating from home and a mishap happens on your client computer such as a spill, or drop or in accurately installing software or parts, you should also consider obtaining a business liability insurance. Please consult with a Corporate Law Attorney to go over all your options and how much will all this cost, I would estimate anywhere from $1,200 and $2,000 to keep as a start-up cost. You can do payment plans or pay for the services you will use. Good luck in your business and don't hesitate to call for a free consultation with an attorney.