Table of contents for Running an Internet cafe
- Real World Business — Running An Internet Cafe — Part 1
- Real World Business — Running An Internet Cafe — Part 2
- Real World Business — Running An Internet Cafe — Part 3
- Real World Business — Running An Internet Cafe — Part 4
- Real World Business — Running An Internet Cafe — Part 5
Nice treat coming up this week, folks. One of my neighbors, Arvin, is an experienced Filipino businessman. He has real-world experience setting up and running an Internet Cafe, or as it’s also commonly called in many areas of the Philippines, a Computer Shop. I’ve been studying the subject of living in the Philippines for nearly 8 years now … and living in Marilao, Bulacan for more than 7 months. “How do I open an Internet Cafe” is one of the most frequent questions I have heard from my non-Filipino friends and readers, so this subject should be quite useful.
Arvin was kind enough to write quite a bit on his experiences. I’m going to break it up into five daily posts with a few of my comments added.
Top 5 things to consider when starting your own Internet café:
1. Capital:
First and foremost, if you wanna venture into this kind of business, money should be your first priority. If you don’t have enough capital to start it with then forget about it. Unless, of course, you’re lucky enough to find a computer shop who’d allow you to make partial payments. Canvass for the lowest prices, as much as possible, through every computer shop that you would see, without sacrificing quality of course. Planning is very important. The risks are high when going for this kind of business so you should only allot the right amount of money needed. Be sure you won’t be touching any of your family savings. Also, spare some money for your future expenses, just to be safe.
My additional thoughts on this are:
- Avoid bank credit, especially Philippine banks. Interest rates are high and they’ll eat up your profit
- DO NOT put the investment for you new business on your credit card(s) Those “zero percent” sort of deals look so promising but there are a thousand and one reasons your rate can go up, way up, and you’ll be paying out everything you can clear, and more to make ends meet
- Patience is never a popular subject, nor is saving up money in advance. But there is a great advantage to your future success in making the move with no debt and without the hassles of a business and in learning your new environment first. It’s a key factor in making any business a success.
The next 4 parts of this series will follow on succeeding days. Arvin is just starting out in the world of blogging, perhaps he’ll start his own blog soon. If you like this series (or hate it) leave a comment.
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