Internet Cafe

There are many Internet cafes in big cities, but not in small . I'll tel you several advices about how to open own Internet cafe.

1. Be defined with the concept of your Internet cafe.
If you think about the business, as a long-term way of earning money, concept definition is a main problem. It is necessary to work out own style and give it an attention if you are going to develop business and open not only one internet cafe. Operational experience has shown that visitors want to see a perfect style.

2. When choosing a place for Internet cafe you need to start with a successful place, instead of the momentary possibilities
If you have decided that Internet cafe business is for you, huge value has a choice of the location of cafe. Here again, already at the initial stage, the majority of businessmen make widespread enough mistake. They estimate the budget and search for a certain room. It is incorrectly. When choosing a place it is necessary to think about a considerable quantity of factors, if you have not considered at least one of them, it will lead to changes in business model of functioning of Internet cafe. It is necessary to know well enough the clients, their habits, middle age, a prosperity where they study and where live, their movement in a city and as they spend leisure-time. Make a map where will be specified: sleeping areas, high schools, clubs, cinemas, hotels, metro stations. Impose routes of movement of townspeople, and points of their crossing will be «gold places».

Do a bit of travelling in a city, look what people live and work in this area, who sits in shops and in squares. Those places which have seemed to you interesting you must visit both in the morning, and in the afternoon, and in the evening, in good and bad weather, on weekends and work days. It will be a representation about the optimum location.The place choice can take much more long period of time, than you think.

3. It is unprofitably to open small cafe.
Many people have possibility to open Internet cafe. It is well to make cafe in any cellar. Similar business involves - the minimum rent, a minimum of an overhead charge, and other. But remember, incomes will be also minimum. Average term of a life of small single Internet cafe - one and a half-two year.
This term is necessary to update all computers which are available; videocards become outdated, problems with monitors, and so on. You will not have money for updating if you have low incomes, and considerable enough external investments in the project will be necessary. Therefore it makes sense to be guided at once by a minimum in 50 computers. By my estimations, it is border which can make real profit and will allow you to use money for the further work in the given business.

4. Do not repair computers yourself!
The following stage after place definition is office equipment purchase. If you have chosen the supplier of computers once, do not stop. The market of computers is very dynamical both in the prices, and in offers. There is update of a lineup and prices every half a year . So,  if you have agreement with any one supplier, in half a year you can find out that absolutely other computer with other configuration is on sale for the same money . Therefore it is necessary to study the market constantly. Besides, while buying hardware you must ask about warranty period of service: buying hardware for operative repair is too unprofitable.

You must be guided by 24-hour work of your Internet cafe

Try to organise Internet cafe work in the 24-hour mode. Main audience are people of 16-35 years old (the senior schoolboys, students, young graduates), and youth does not like to limit theyselves in time. The considerable part of them prefers to work in the Internet or to play computer games at night. So be going to work 24 hours, 7 days in a week, 365 days in a year.

5. Be not afraid to employ students!
Internet cafe with 50 PC should have 15 person staff. You don't need to add a personnel if you increase number of computers. Let's count: there is 24 hours in a day, work should be organised in three changes for 8 hours plus one reserve.

Atmosphere formation is a permanent job of people. The basic part of education is orientation to the client (occupies a competent set of employees, training and motivation of employees). Students are the biggest part of the personnel that is contacting with visitors of the Internet centres. There is an opinion that if your workers are students then the consequence of this is a that you don't have constant personnel. Apply flexible schemes of encouragements and awarding, show real interest in constant workers, show possibility of career growth, and you will manage to reduce to a minimum fluidity of student's personnel. Try to involve the personnel in business management and a life of the Internet centres. For example, it is surprising but some of security guards who work for a long time, can carry out functions of IT and if it is necessary can help with advice.

6. Do not use high prices!

The ideal business plan at the initial stage is one of the main components of success. The basic part of your monthly expenses will be made by payment of rent for a room, municipal payments, a telecommunication service, personnel wages. Profit in similar business is realisation of access to the Internet in the typical centre (near 50% of income), other incomes are brought by a coffee house, a game zone, the copy centre. Besides, the company receives the income of sale of the advertising areas.

7. Most difficult is choosing the worthy provider  in regions.
Choose the provider commensurating a suggested price and a prospective connection quality. There is one more very important criterion - it is loyalty of the partner to your project.

Whether what if centre in a regional city will be loaded not enough for a covering of monthly expenses and profit reception? To receive the answer to this question, it is necessary to conduct local researches in places of your interest.

8. For business advancement search for new partners and expand a spectrum of the services.
Try to create a complex of advertising campaigns. Carry out actions in high schools, clubs, hotels. Use advertising in mass-media, in the underground. Do not forget about a bright and remembered signboard - researches tell that nearly 30 % of visitors come to Internet cafe when they see it.

World practice shows that large Internet cafes go by the way of expansion of a spectrum of the services. Any offers interesting to target audience can become additional.

9. Try to capture all categories of visitors.
Besides a complex of advertising campaigns and expansion of services, do not forget about the personal approach to each client. It is the best advertising. For example, for attraction of visitors it is possible to open free courses for novice users of PC. Use club network cards. Many people smoke while using a PC - create a zone for smokers; some like to drink beer or coffee while using PC - give a possibility to do orders, without rising from a workplace. If you will think over all to trifles - customers will want to return more and more.