Q&A for How to Set up an Internet Cafe

You need a software to run the internet user time limit, a number of PCs, a central internet server, a router, network cables, an Internet Service Provider (ISP), the chairs, workstation tables, a suitable place to do the business, legal licensing and of course labor. For the money, it depends on which country are you doing that business in.

There are two important components here: the café side and the internet side. Since the internet side is pretty much set-up-and-go, the majority of your staff's time will be spent making drinks and snacks and serving customers. You should make sure they can run the point of sale system, can follow the directions to make the drinks and pastries you're serving, and can deal with customers. For the internet side, a basic troubleshooting knowledge will be fine. Make sure the staff know how to turn on and use the computers and who to call if there is something they can't fix. Most 20-somethings will already have some tech skills.

10 or so computers would be the optimal number to start with.

Internet cafes are a dying trend. Wifi is so easily accessible in many places that the demand will continue to wane.

It depends on the business you want to start, but wikiHow has lots of articles that can help you. For more general advice, you could check out articles like How to Start a Small Business and How to Start a Company . If there's something more specific you want to do, you could find articles that are targeted towards one particular business, like How to Start a Small Restaurant or Coffee Shop or How to Open a Bakery .

You should have good background knowledge on running a business and a good understanding of how computers work and how to troubleshoot problems with them.

It depends on what you mean by refreshments. If all you want to sell is sodas, you can easily get a company to set up a vending machine at the place. However, if you want to actually have a cafe area you might need additional permits to run it depending on where you live.

It depends on whether or not your business is already known or you are just new in the block but it makes good business sense to have your own website, as it will not only make your business look legit but it will also get you the audience you want to attract.

Perhaps you could try raising your prices slightly. Don't raise them so much that you lose customers, though. If you can cut costs, that will help too. If you have enough equipment, finding more customers would be a good idea.

You could offer print and copy services. You could connect a high-end printer/copier/scanner to one of the computers and either use it for customers or let them use it themselves. (Or both! If you have one rate for normal computers, you could charge more for the one with the printer, and also offer to do the work yourself for an even higher rate.)