wikiHow to Set up an Internet Cafe

culled from:wikihow .com

Steps

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.

1. 
   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.
2. 
   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.
3. 
   4
   Look for investment money whether it be from your own savings, an investment partner, or a bank.
4. 
   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 cafés or small shops to catch pedestrians in the area.
5. 
   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.
6. 
   7
   Choose an Internet service provider (ISP) for your café's 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.)
7. 
   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.
8. 
   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.
9. 
   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.
10. 
    11
    Hire and train any employees you will need. Not only should they be technically savvy, but also friendly and easy to work with.
11. 
    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.
12. 
    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.
13. 
    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.
14. 
    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.