How to Set up an Internet Cafe
As the popularity of using computers for everything continues to increase, people without their own computers, business travelers and those on vacations need to use computers more and more. If computers, food creation and meeting people interest you, it may be a great solution for you to combine these passions into opening your own internet café and turn your skills into earning money in an enjoyable and profitable way.
Steps
1. Raise money. If this is your first venture, you will need to ask people to invest, and/or get loans so that you can to start out your business. It is extremely important to have in place a well prepared Business Plan to show potential investors and the bank. Nobody will invest in something that you are not clear about 100%. Think of all the angles and if you don't know the answers up front, find out before you seek investment funding. It is really important to address such questions as:
o The market being targeted
o The profits expected
o The expenses expected
o The market demand for your café in your chosen location
2. Choose a suitable location that will attract customers. Areas that will be likely to attract customers include being near a school or tourist destination. Travelers are always in need of internet resources. Places that have a heavy load of people willing to stop (for example, around other cafés, small shops etc.) are also good.
3. Obtain permits. Check with your local municipality for the types of permits required. Get a legal adviser if you don't know how to fill out the forms - better to pay small costs up front and have peace of mind than to have expensive complications down the track.
4. Choose your ISP. Most likely you will need to get a business grade internet connection to provide enough bandwidth for your café. Talk to an engineer at the ISP about the possibilities and ask what special deals are offered for businesses.
5. Hire a designer to design the layout. Hire a carpenter to build all the necessary furniture or buy all the computer tables. If you are having an eating/drinking area, work with the carpenter and designer to ensure that computing equipment is kept safe from beverage and food preparation and consumption.
6. Purchase all the necessary equipment such as computers, network cable, router, printer, crimping tools and rj 45 jacks. A network attached color laser printer is expensive but might be appropriate for your café. Also purchase any food and beverage preparation items if you are including these. Think coffee making facilities, plates and cups, microwave or other ovens etc.
7. Hire an electrician and set up all the necessary wiring.
8. Value add. Consider other elements customers are likely to seek. Printing, photocopying, disk sale and loading, photo sending etc. are just some possible value-adding items that will set you apart from competitors and drive customers to your café in place of others.
9. Install all the items.
10. Put up your prices and times on the wall in clear print. For example, a $5 flat fee and 10 cents for every minute after that or whatever works out best given your ISP deal and the need to cover overheads, wages and make some profit.
11. Set up the network or hire somebody to do it for you.
12. Get some security. You will need an alarm and some CCTV cameras located in the store and facing the parking lot. Having an alarm and cameras installed may lower your insurance premiums.
13. Personalize your café. Get some coffee mugs with the café logo and some computer supplies to sell as well. Paint the café a cool color. Put up some enjoyable decorations, or prints. Play some entertaining background music. Use your creativity to make your café the most fun place to visit as possible.
14. Manage your software effectively. Each computer is likely to have a Windows OS key, Microsoft Office key, any games installed will also have keys. Record all the serial numbers and model numbers of each computer. Store all the information in a secure place online.
· Remember to always go the extra mile for your customers. The customer is your first priority.
· Firefox and Internet Explorer are the most popular and practical browsers. Not far behind in Opera and Safari.
· You can keep discs for computer games to rent out to people to play while they are there.
· Your customers' job is to pay and your job is to serve them, making sure they are satisfied and being able to answer any of their questions.
· You need some form of virus protection for all your computers.
· Most routers have a firewall, if yours does not, install one. Firewalls will help protect your network from worms, viruses and outside attacks.
· Install some sort of basic network traffic monitors. While you don't want to invade your customer's privacy you do want to keep an eye out if one of your customers is using your legitimate business to send out spam.
· You may want to block common p2p ports on your router. p2p programs can eat up a majority of the bandwidth and can bring a lawsuit if pirated software is uploaded from your network.
· Do not install pirated software on your computers. You may save yourself a few hundred dollars installing one copy of MS Office on several machines but you may end up with a lawsuit costing tens of thousands.
· The cafe computers will probably have spyware on them frequently, make it a habit to run anti spyware programs often.
· Wireless Router
· 10-30 computers (new and fast) with mice, keyboards, and monitors
· Virus protection
· UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) units to protect your café from power surges...
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