The kano in front driving, the Filipinos who grew up here, their perspective changed by years in the US, sitting in back going, “Oh my God, this is terrible here, it’s so dark. Oh, look out, that truck has no lights, How did you ever know that was the place to make your turn, there are no signs”and so on.

Both these ladies drive regularly in the US, and I’ve ridden with them, it’s not like they were just worried about things like new, timid drivers might be. I guess it’s a weird thing to be proud of, but then again, I felt good because it’s kind of proof that our two cultures are worlds apart in some ways, but the gap can be bridged, at least temporarily… if we want it to be ….

Whenever I have spare time I try to read and write blogs because it helps a lot in getting the temperature of the LAN shop biz. I am also looking at other businesses involving computers, will update you as soon as one of them materializes, maybe it can help some of your readers.

The way you described the new shop that opened near your place, it seems like a real nice place. I also got a call today from someone in Mandaluyong asking for my services to setup their shop. They already have 10 computers in place.

I don’t get any huge amount to traffic here, but a big percentage of what I get is from search engines, mostly people from overseas, foreigners, OFW’s and baikbayan. looking for information on how to open a shop in the Philippines, how much it costs, how much they can make, etc. I’ll point those who ask toward you.

Funny that today is the day you got around to answering, because I just got “shops: puched up to the front of my brain, someone just opened one brand new near my home here in Marilao, new building, nice signage, busy location and even a place to park in front. I have to visit and see if the place is as good as it looks.

Thank you very much for the kind words. Yes, the LAN Shop biz is pretty much a hands on business and since technology changes all the time, you have to be prepared for it. And if you can, you have to give what your customers need and not limit them to what you or your shop can offer.

Off topic:

I also worked as an employee in food chains, and what I saw was, if the brand is no longer exciting, then sales begin to go down. The food biz needs to reinvent themselves every now and then for the customers to be continuously excited and frequent their place. If the brand dies, then even if you launch new good products, you will not be able to sell them.

I applied this experience to my shop and so far it has worked for me.

JJ

PS: ULOP is a nice site. I have been a member there for many years now. Members there practice synergy, there is no trade secret whatsoever.

Like any business, there are examples of success, examples of failure and decline, and many stories in-between. But an old rule of thumb regarding business is, longevity means a lot. If a business stays open, year after year, the owner is at least mainking enough to pay his exspenses/support his/her family … there is no charity that distributes money to keeps cafe’s alive .

In the mall where I shop almost every day, there are a couple internet cafe’s/gaming shops that have bene going more thna three years now … and amall location is one of the more expensive venues. I also just came from a huge mall location in Metro Manila .. two huge floors of nothing but computer/cell phones/gaming stores in SM North, nearly as large as SM Mall of Asia. I saw a Netopia cafe (one of the top of the line franchis eoperations in the Philippines, with plenty of heads bent over keyboards at 11 am already, and in an open part of the top floor, a gaming operation, out in the central floorspace of the mall that was huge, priobably 50 or more gaming stations, and they were serving people even before lunch on a weekday. Not crowded with people, of course at that hour, but with “asses in seats” … a prime factor in the make or break of any operation like that.

So one can reasonably conclude the business model ain’t dead yet. Tell your SIL I’d be happy to post a guest article about her experiences, good or bad, pictures of her shop, etc. Same offer to any other shop operators out thre, becuase this is a popular subject here on PhilFAQS and I like to give people what they are interested in.

http://www.ulop.net/
http://www.pinoylanshop.com/