Dominic Deusdedith
1
Formulate an idea of how you
want to run your Internet café and write it down, the different
amenities and services you want to offer and the audience you wish to
cater to.
2
Research the feasibility of your plan in the area you wish to open your Internet café.
Look specifically at the demand for an Internet café and competitors in
the area and estimate how much money you will require as an initial
investment.
3
Create a comprehensive business plan.
Enumerate every detail for your Internet café from computers that you
will need to purchase to the type of atmosphere you want to create to
long-term operational costs. Incorporate the results from your previous
market research and explain how your café will stay afloat over time.
Make sure to make it clear and understandable and be able to explain it
to anyone, especially those who do not know the technical jargon.
4
Look for investment money whether it be from your own savings, an investment partner, or a bank.
5
Find a suitable location for your venture which is likely to attract stable as well as casual customers.
Locating near a school may attract younger customers or locate near
other café's or small shops to catch pedestrians in the area.
6
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.
7
Choose an Internet service
provider (ISP) for your cafés Internet connection which will most likely
need a higher grade, more robust connection than a normal household set
up. Negotiate with the ISP as they may offer special deals for
businesses, especially Internet cafés. (You also might want to determine
if you need a "static IP" address for possible LAN services and or
programs.)
8
Design the layout to fit the space, and if possible, use a professional designer.
Work with the designer so that they understand the special requirements
of an Internet café such as keeping food and beverage preparation and
consumption of damaging computer equipment. Include an electrician in
the design process to ensure that the infrastructure will be able to
handle the load of all the electronic devices in your café
9
Purchase all the necessary
equipment according to your plan such as computers, network cable,
routers, printers, crimping tools and RJ-45 jacks. Purchase any food and beverage preparation items if you are including amenities such as plates, cups, microwaves and ovens.
10
Set up your Internet café
which includes all the construction and renovations, electrical work,
network setup, computer and software installation, and security system
set up as well as any other specialty services such as food and drink
preparation.
11
Hire and train any employees you will need. Not only should they be technically savvy, but also friendly and easy to work with.
12
Promote your Internet café
in the neighborhood through fliers, advertisements in newspapers, word
of mouth and any other marketing strategies to target your audience.
13
Manage your software effectively. Use free software alternatives
such as Linux as an alternative to Microsoft Windows or the Mac OS and
the OpenOffice.org suite as an alternative to the Microsoft Office
suite. Consider using live CDs without hard disk drives (dumb terminals)
in the computers to reduce maintenance.
14
Listen to and incorporate feedback from your customers.
If they want more bandwidth, inquire with your ISP, or if they complain
about the amount of performance-degrading spyware (do dumb terminal),
or hire an expert to solve problems, if you don't already have a
suitable administrator.
15
This is also an opportunity
to expand your business into other areas such as color printing and
copying or hosting computer game competitions depending on the demand in
your area.
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