Considering starting a business and need some insight

[Van]

Hotels do offer free wifi as are some cities but my experience has been that the quality of the signal and the speeds leave alot to be desired, for email and simple cruising its not to bad but the gaming aspect is where they take a hit on it at. Drinks and snack stuff would be easy, I've already been looking at stuff geared towards gamers and someone pulling an all nighter and I would be limiting stuff thats going to be taking them away from the comps as much as possible.

Ive been looking over the idea further and have been considering a themed net cafe with specific foods and drinks, it would just be a matter of finding the right city to put it into wich then leads to the problem of the family wanting to live in a coastal city versus where I can put the type of cafe Ive been thinking of.

 

[Bob Haller]

Hotels do offer free wifi as are some cities but my experience has been that the quality of the signal and the speeds leave alot to be desired, for email and simple cruising its not to bad but the gaming aspect is where they take a hit on it at. Drinks and snack stuff would be easy, I've already been looking at stuff geared towards gamers and someone pulling an all nighter and I would be limiting stuff thats going to be taking them away from the comps as much as possible.

Ive been looking over the idea further and have been considering a themed net cafe with specific foods and drinks, it would just be a matter of finding the right city to put it into wich then leads to the problem of the family wanting to live in a coastal city versus where I can put the type of cafe Ive been thinking of.

I wish you all the best! Do you have start up capital and are willing to relocate your family?

I have realtives who own a large regional pizza chain. I was dumb I could of been invoved in that when it started.
they have done very well. what started as one store is now about 20

 

[Van]

I have some capital, we had to close out my 401k earlier this year after some medical bills came up, its enough to get most if not all of the computers and related supplies.

 

[Bob Haller]

I have some capital, we had to close out my 401k earlier this year after some medical bills came up, its enough to get most if not all of the computers and related supplies.

with any new business assume you wouldnt have any income for 3 to 6 months if things go well. all sorts of stuff comes up.

rent a space, rent begins immediately, meanwhile you have to furnish and equip the space, get necessary licenses, like for serving food. may need americans with disabilty bathrooms, wide doors wheel chair accesible. the list is very long.

not to discourage you, this is so your aware of whats involved. take your idea to SCORE they will help inform you of whats needed

 

[kenny911]

As I said earlier, If you bring a laptop. Combine with the gaming aspect and lite food and beverage, the internet/gaming model still can be succesful in the right areas. Such as downtown Altanta or Washington DC

You're forgetting the whole blackberry/pda/cell phone email. If email is vital, people will bring a laptop. We've had a couple open up in the area back during the .com boom and they all closed down.

 

[Bob Haller]

You're forgetting the whole blackberry/pda/cell phone email. If email is vital, people will bring a laptop. We've had a couple open up in the area back during the .com boom and they all closed down.

i think its panera bread locally offer free internet access. panera bread sells food beverages and deserts, kinda piricey high class overpriced stuff.

 

[kenny911]

They offer it and they aren't high class. A sandwich with chips is $5. That is the going rate at subway.

 

[navychop]

i think its panera bread locally offer free internet access. panera bread sells food beverages and deserts, kinda piricey high class overpriced stuff.

Panera Bread food is superb! Better, healthier, and tastier than the usual lunch spot. Not cheap, I'll admit. But if you're getting avocado on that sandwich, it ain't free. Great bread and soups, too. Try their French Onion.

So- Panera Bread is expanding. Maybe you should look into a franchise of some sort?

 

[kenny911]

Its hard to get a franchise because you need to have a lot of money. A lot of them want you to have liquid assets of at least 500k and have a net worth of over $1 mil.

 

[Bob Haller]

Yeah roy rodger restaurants is about 1.5 Mil. Largely because start up costs are so high and new businesses of all types take a while to get established and tend to lose money at the beginning.

 

[navychop]

Lesser known and no-name franchises are much less. I wonder what Edible Arrangements is at? Anyway, these are high risk.

 

[Van]

Michigans not a place that I would even want to open up a net cafe wether during the .com boom or now, the places that they could work well are very few there. Panera bread does offer free wifi, its basic high speed and at the one here in town there is always people using it for email, chatting, and school work. Now what hurts this store is its location, its outside of the downtown location on the main road thats always busy with traffic, its not convenient for someone who is going to the college or doesnt have a vehicle and doesnt want to sit on a bus for 30+ minutes to get to it. The free wifi that that is offered downtown also has some majour drawbacks in that it overlaps onto the universities wifi and you get kicked off alot, its signal isnt strong and its speeds are sub par and if you go into any shops then you loose it within 15 feet of the windows.

 

[Bob Haller]

Michigans not a place that I would even want to open up a net cafe wether during the .com boom or now, the places that they could work well are very few there. Panera bread does offer free wifi, its basic high speed and at the one here in town there is always people using it for email, chatting, and school work. Now what hurts this store is its location, its outside of the downtown location on the main road thats always busy with traffic, its not convenient for someone who is going to the college or doesnt have a vehicle and doesnt want to sit on a bus for 30+ minutes to get to it. The free wifi that that is offered downtown also has some majour drawbacks in that it overlaps onto the universities wifi and you get kicked off alot, its signal isnt strong and its speeds are sub par and if you go into any shops then you loose it within 15 feet of the windows.

see what the monthly rents are in your perspective areas. had a friend with a small hardware store in run down strip mall. his rent was 3K per month plus a percentage of gross sales over the mnimum. i was astounded at his overhead. rent included no utilities at all. he finally closed unable to cover expenses. a appliance store closed just off mc knight rd. rent was 10 grand a month

 

[navychop]

That rental agreement is pretty standard for retail shops. Malls get more.

 

[Paul Wozniak]

Michigans not a place that I would even want to open up a net cafe wether during the .com boom or now, the places that they could work well are very few there. Panera bread does offer free wifi, its basic high speed and at the one here in town there is always people using it for email, chatting, and school work. Now what hurts this store is its location, its outside of the downtown location on the main road thats always busy with traffic, its not convenient for someone who is going to the college or doesnt have a vehicle and doesnt want to sit on a bus for 30+ minutes to get to it. The free wifi that that is offered downtown also has some majour drawbacks in that it overlaps onto the universities wifi and you get kicked off alot, its signal isnt strong and its speeds are sub par and if you go into any shops then you loose it within 15 feet of the windows.

Lately Michigan hasn't been a good place to open ANYTHING!

 

[ToddMeister]

Lately Michigan hasn't been a good place to open ANYTHING!

Except....

New roads leading OUT of the state! LOL

 

[Van]

It reminds of the late 70's early 80's and the economy was tanking bad there, I think its worse now than then specialy with so few manufacturers left.

 

[navychop]

I've seen forecasts that expect auto manufacturing in this country to die out within 10 years. Hope not. But then, I also don't want my tax dollars to pay off the "Jobs Bank" or generous pensions/medical plans for auto company retirees. That's what the unions and car companies want, to "remain competitive."

 

[Bob Haller]

all manufacturing is leaving US.

china pay 3 bucks a hour including benefits

US pay 20 bucks or more per hour.

yet few seem concerned the stock market is up up up.

how will we support ourselves if we make nothing?

 

[Paul Wozniak]

Moving all this manufacturing out of this country will come back to haunt us. This country was built on our manufacturing might. I'd rather pay more for American built products, than buy products from Walmart that produced outside of our borders. If we don't build it , where are our children going to work?

Buy American!