Internet Cafe as a Business Venture in Makati

a) Rates and Services

ICAFEBUSINESS.com is one of the sites which offer Internet Cafe start-up packages for new, small-time entrepreneurs who want to earn a little extra income.

They have several packages, depending on the entrepreneur's financial capability or personal preference. They have a P35k package, as well as P63K, P65K, P49K, and P61K packages.

According to this site, they have setup the most number of Internet Cafés compared to others and their I-Cafe package is the cheapest in the market without compromising quality. Other features include:

- help to start and setup your Internet Café
- provide free training for your staff or "bantay"
- they are the only Internet Café setup that lets you access your server wherever you maybe as if you are sitting infront of it!
- Managed by seasoned professionals with extensive knowledge and background in computers
- Free CCTV Wireless Surveillance camera for Internet Cafe with 11 units or more!

Services of a typical Internet Cafe range from providing simple web surfing, printing documents, gaming and other online services.

b) some common problems encountered by Internet Cafes in general are: computer crashes, slow computers, dispute between smoking/non-smoking preferences, insufficient number of computers, employee problems (or the lack thereof) and most importantly, bad maintenance.

c) Elements of a successful Internet Cafe business include:

- Finance: Of course, finance plays a key role in this affair. Either obtained through loans, partnership or self-financing, this is very important when starting up a cyber café business.

- Location: Ensure you select a suitable location that will attract customers. Your goal as an entrepreneur is to make profits; so choose a strategic location, e.g. around a University campus will help your ticket sales and return customer patronage.

- Employees: Recruit capable and trustworthy hands. This is essential as it will help determine how long your business would eventually last. Engaging the services of capable individuals to run your business with little or no supervision is an important element to the success or failure of your cyber café business.

- You need to look out for a dedicated Internet Service Provider (ISP). Years ago, many cyber cafés relied on old radio technologies, but today with your VSAT or Wireless Broad Band technology, you can have a more effective and reliable internet connection your ISP. Your ISP should be able to dedicate an IP Address for less congestion and speed. The VSAT dish should be at least 1.8m in measurement, with a bandwidth of 512/256kbps.

- A Network server of high quality should be acquired. The latest HP Integrity BL870c server blade is a lovely asset to this business. It’s advisable to go for a rugged server that can withstand adversities such as power surge, data pressure etc.

- An efficient Internet & Firewall security system is highly needed. This is to help monitor the activities of customers and control any intrusion from hackers nearby. Today, there are many security systems to select from.
- The last but not the least is an excellent customer service. Even in the cyber café business, PR/Customer service plays a significant role in the success or failure of your business, so do not ignore this.

d) reference links:

http://www.andreweze.com/2009/08/how-to-run-effective-internet-cafe.html
http://www.icafebusiness.com/
http://www.ccautosoft.com/internet-cafe-guide/internet-cafe-common-mistakes.php