How to Setup a Cyber Cafe

Introduction

Many people asked me "How to run or do a Cyber Cafe business?". Today, I'm going to write on "How to Setup a Cyber Cafe". In this article I will tell you about almost anything on how to start a Cyber Cafe business. Running a Cyber Cafe is fun and enjoyable job.

The First Big Step

Opening up your own business can bring up benefits:-

1. Freedom!
2. Flexible working hours
3. More carrier opportunities
4. Many of your dreams could come true, e.g. BMW M5 hehe..

Decision

So.. you've make a decision. You have to make a Cyber Cafe business. But before you do this! Please follow this checklist to get started, then write it down the answers on a piece of paper.

1. Examine yourself. Your personal self. Why do you want to start a business?
2. Consider your work habits especially working hours. Business services like Cyber Cafes has peak time and downtime. Do you prefer working in the morning, evening, or even 24 hours?
3. Why people would go to your Cyber Cafe? What kind of audience do you target? List down your service that you'll offer in your Cyber Cafe and what type of Cyber Cafe that everyone love?
4. List down a potential suppliers around you. The electricity, Computer hardwares, Air cond, everything!
5. Financial plan. How much profit do you need to stay afloat?

As most people already know, starting a business will take a lot of efforts, investment, courage and a pure interests about what business you gonna do. Number one priority is, plan your business well. In this case, I will tell you how to plan your Cyber Cafe business.

Plan Your Business.

Location! Location! Location! This is really important for Cyber Cafe business. I'm running a Cyber Cafe for villagers! Yes its funny but its true. I'm not going to tell you how I'm running a Cyber Cafe business in a village here lol. Of course its really hard but villagers needs to be educate too right? With the right method, I'm really sure that this business will flow smoothly with good income. A good location for Cyber Cafe is where people living around there know how to use your product, which is in this case, computers. With little or no explaination, they can use your computer and understand if something goes wrong with the computers. Towns are targeted for Cyber Cafes. Even parents in towns will give permission for their kids to play with computers nowadays. Well, mostly. The point is minimize the problems as much as you could! Choose your destiny on that location, either to educate, entertain or both.

Plan Your Business - Budget sample for smallest RM 10.000 business for Cyber Cafe.

Let's say you only have RM 10.000 to start a Cyber Cafe business. Wow RM 10.000!? This is a really small budget to start a Cyber Cafe business. To start a Cyber Cafe business, the most important thing is the location. The second is what type of your computer and services that you'll offer in your Cyber Cafe. So now you have RM 10.000. With small budget, get a small shop that can support up to only 10 PCs and you can rent it about RM 150-250 per month. Minimum deposit with that shop will be about RM 500. The format for Malaysian Cyber Cafe is bright entrance, preferably white glass. White front aluminium glass door costs about RM 400. SSM(Suruhanjaya Syarikat Malaysia) now is about RM 70.00 for business registration, the license for the shop is about RM 250.00 and lastly two fire extinguisher( one for front door, one for back door. This is needed for shop license). Combined all budget now at least RM 1300.00

Wiring

Do we need a wiring for this shop? The bigger wire can support stable electricity, thus prevent it from being burnt. We'll only use an extension plug here because we have small budget PC that will use minimal power on each PCs. We'll use a Pentium 4 PC for this type of Cyber Cafe. Wiring cost is about RM 25 x 4 = RM 100.00.

I recommend you to modify a bit on the main fuse of electricity in all shops that requires power like Cyber Cafe shops. Get a fuse of 60 amp per fuse so it can support more stable electricity.

The table

We'll need only one table or two for cashier. One big table with lock for money and server PC or one table for server PC and one table for money. Two table costs about RM 140. For workstation PCs, we'll use two thickest plywood, drilled with L shaped metal or steel. This cuts a lot of money compared to workstations on each desk or table. Each 3 feet desk costs about RM 75. Two plywood costs only about RM 190 for all PCs. L shaped steel costs about RM 100. Budget for the tables is RM 140 + 190 + 100 = RM 430

The Air Flow

We'll need only one horsepower Aircond here. A new Air Cond cost about RM 800.

The Internet

The heart of Cyber Cafe. In Malaysia we have ADSL broadband service called Streamyx. This service needs a telephone line to connect to the Internet. Telephone line registration for Malaysian shops is RM 400. The Streamyx package for the fastest Internet experience now is 4MB cost RM 268 per month. First time registration will be about RM 400 + (268 x 2 + activation cost) Its about RM 1000.

Combine all budget is about RM 430 + 100 + 1300 + 800 + 1000= RM 3630

RM 10.000 - 3630 = RM 6370

What type of PCs we can do with RM 6370? Lol! Only 2 PCs running in Cyber Cafe?? How cool! :p

Ok now, the most important part is choosing the right juice for your Cyber Cafe shop. With this small budget what type of service will you offer in this Cyber Cafe?

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