Toying with the idea of an......................

Toying with the idea of an......................

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Discussion

umar b

Original Poster:

1,484 posts

267 months

Wednesday 23rd July 2003
quotequote all
Hello people, I was wandering if you people could give me a few ideas.

I am in the ’thinking out loud’ process at the moment. I have a few ideas about a business I would like to start up but don’t know where to begin.

I am looking at an Internet café type of thing. Now I already know about how to set up the computers and networks, but thats all I know! I need to know about all the other aspects of running a small business.

Who would be the best people to talk to about this, the banks?

Has anybody done it? Is it worth it? I am going to be in for the long haul and I realy am determined to do something (fed up of filling out application forms only to be rejected )

Also are there any other business ideas, along the same lines as an Internet café, worth considering?

Anyway, any help will be much appreciated.

plotloss

67,280 posts

270 months

Wednesday 23rd July 2003
quotequote all
Dwindling market mate unless its sited right in the middle of a tourist area.

Something like 60% of homes have an internet connection.

Wheres yer market?

Podie

46,630 posts

275 months

Wednesday 23rd July 2003
quotequote all
plotloss said:
Dwindling market mate unless its sited right in the middle of a tourist area.

Something like 60% of homes have an internet connection.

Wheres yer market?


Afraid so.. and it's on the increase... and those who don't have access at home, do so at work... and you can do it on yer mobile these days too...

alunr

1,672 posts

264 months

Wednesday 23rd July 2003
quotequote all
Better to have a cafe that happens to have wireless access or something than make it an internet cafe

Doing something similar for one of my customers at the mo

umar b

Original Poster:

1,484 posts

267 months

Wednesday 23rd July 2003
quotequote all
Thanks guys,

As said, i was really thinking out loud. i'll see what other ideas come into my head.

If you had the oppertunity, what type of business would you have?

M@H

11,296 posts

272 months

Wednesday 23rd July 2003
quotequote all
umar b said:


If you had the oppertunity, what type of business would you have?




A Trout fishery... been planning it for years... all I need is about 12 acres in a good spot and about £50k to set it up...
: onedaypleaseandthankyou :

Matt.

plotloss

67,280 posts

270 months

Wednesday 23rd July 2003
quotequote all
Funny that Matt, I have this plan for organic, umm, vegetables that revolves around a trout farm.

Let me know if you get it up and running.

As for dream businesses I'd have a Mini specialist garage or a record shop tommorow if I thought there was money in it...

umar b

Original Poster:

1,484 posts

267 months

Wednesday 23rd July 2003
quotequote all
M@H said:

umar b said:


If you had the oppertunity, what type of business would you have?



A Trout fishery... been planning it for years... all I need is about 12 acres in a good spot and about £50k to set it up...
: onedaypleaseandthankyou :

Matt.


Hmmmmmm

Don't know if you're taking the mic or something, but i'll take you word for it

Thanks for the input though


its difficult isnt it? this career decision malerky, the only direction i feel i am going in at the moment is




Help meeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!

aahhhhh, that feels better....


M@H

11,296 posts

272 months

Wednesday 23rd July 2003
quotequote all
umar b said:

M@H said:


umar b said:


If you had the oppertunity, what type of business would you have?




A Trout fishery... been planning it for years... all I need is about 12 acres in a good spot and about £50k to set it up...
: onedaypleaseandthankyou :

Matt.



Hmmmmmm

Don't know if you're taking the mic or something, but i'll take you word for it


Not in the slightest.. just answering the question.. I have posted on here about it before once or twice, I just need to get a bit of savings together then quit the IT industry

Cheers
Matt.

victormeldrew

8,293 posts

277 months

Wednesday 23rd July 2003
quotequote all
Dream business? Anything non-IT basically!

For any business to be a success the most important factor by far is that is must be something you enjoy. By implication that will mean it will be something you know quite a bit about (hell, you're PASSIONATE about it!).

For me that means it can't be IT ... used to be, but there is no respect for IT bods anymore, and IT is too much of a commodity now.

My passions are cars, hi-fi, working out, my wife and my son. My ideal business then would be a car "themed" gym, with a large kids club providing creche and nursery plus kids sports activities, and a car valet and minor upgrades workshop in the car park.

You could roll up in your Cerbera, drop the kids off for a few hours supervised activity, have your car cleaned and kitted out with Leven bits, a sports exhaust and some ICE, while you buff up your physique and catch some drag racing action on the big screen TV's at the same time.

I'd probably want to throw in some karting action at the same time.

Even got a name for it ... the Macho Megaplex!

Mmm , sounding too good for just a dream business. Just in case .....

Copyright Phil Short, 2003. All rights reserved.

zorro

4,383 posts

282 months

Wednesday 23rd July 2003
quotequote all
Internet Cafe ?....(intake of breath) oooooohhhh, naaaaaa not in that colour...ole Stelios longgreekname lost a bundle on his.....

Try a sandwich business, if it loses money at least you won't starve..

Robertuk

591 posts

262 months

Wednesday 23rd July 2003
quotequote all
Yep the internet cafe thing is gone I'm afraid.

Table of internet use and charges at a local cafe:
(Here in South London)

first is charge per hour , second is printing cost

1999 £6 per hour .25p printing
2000 £4 .25p
2001 £3 .25p
2002 £2 .25p
2003 £1.50 .20p

They used to have ten PCs. Now they only have three and are focusing on notebooks and hardware sales+Repairs.

To put it into context, broadband at home used to cost £45 per month + £150 for an ADSL modem.
Currently , broadband at home is between £21 and £30 pounds and modems start at £45.
Interestingly faster packages are not that much more
(Useful for more than one PC at home for shared use / families.).

But with more home computers + hardware , training needs increase. Perhaps you could set up a business as a tutor (Similar to driving lessons)?

You visit people on their business premises or at home.
Start up costs are small and overheads are low.

You can win new clients form word of mouth and small local adverts.

thoughts / comments ???

Ramesh



>> Edited by Robertuk on Wednesday 23 July 15:14

granville

18,764 posts

261 months

Wednesday 23rd July 2003
quotequote all
umar b said:


If you had the oppertunity, what type of business would you have?




Something hugely illegal or at least grossly disreputable: running a legitimate, new enetrprise with the truly abysmal quagmire of red tape and anarchic litigation facing many incumbent business owners, is something to be considered with great circumpspect.

Frankly, I envy those lucky Victorian bastards who could simply get on with business, amassing as they went, a bewildering collection of daunting top hats and the like, not once having to concern themselves with whether or not some interfering little shoe stain from the ministry of silly communist w@nkers would stick their grotty little noses into the rights and wrongs of the RPM faced by little Nell McGrateful whilst dutifully attending to Mr.Crompton's latest spinning jenny.

Hope that helps!

alan_driver

1,281 posts

257 months

Wednesday 23rd July 2003
quotequote all
What about a gaming network cafe. Similar to a internet cafe but computer nerds play games against each other. There is one above a shop in Leeds which is apparently very popular for LAN games. Can also do the internet and buy rip off food.

agent006

12,034 posts

264 months

Wednesday 23rd July 2003
quotequote all
umar b said:
If you had the opportunity, what type of business would you have?



Logistics and Event management is the way to go.

Logistics because more and more things are being delivered in more complex ways. Supply and intergrated IT supply chain solution tied to your delivery network and your sorted.

Event management, because wanky corporate types are getting tired of buying their own prawn sandwiches.

Pies

13,116 posts

256 months

Wednesday 23rd July 2003
quotequote all
M@H said:

umar b said:


If you had the oppertunity, what type of business would you have?



Similar lines to me im thinking of setting up a match fishery one day





A Trout fishery... been planning it for years... all I need is about 12 acres in a good spot and about £50k to set it up...
: onedaypleaseandthankyou :

Matt.

thepeoplespal

1,620 posts

277 months

Thursday 24th July 2003
quotequote all
agent006 said:

umar b said:
If you had the opportunity, what type of business would you have?




Logistics and Event management is the way to go.

Logistics because more and more things are being delivered in more complex ways. Supply and intergrated IT supply chain solution tied to your delivery network and your sorted.

Event management, because wanky corporate types are getting tired of buying their own prawn sandwiches.


Only thing is you sort of need to know a bit about Logistics first and have access to some pretty expensive software and thats before you get your foot firmly wedged in the door of a company willing to pay you. To be honest IR35 killed off a lot of custom for me, so if given the choice I'd jump at a permanent position doing something similiar.

'Alan- Currently burning the candle at both ends, jumping through the hoops required for a pretty substantial Logistics I.T.T. contract'

Graham

16,368 posts

284 months

Friday 25th July 2003
quotequote all
M@H said:

umar b said:


If you had the oppertunity, what type of business would you have?





A Trout fishery... been planning it for years... all I need is about 12 acres in a good spot and about £50k to set it up...
: onedaypleaseandthankyou :

Matt.



well my brother in law has a trout farm that is slowly morfing into a garden center with fish....


i want to run a raceing team, so i can hang around race tracks all day without spending my money

simonrockman

6,848 posts

255 months

Friday 25th July 2003
quotequote all
umar b said:


If you had the oppertunity, what type of business would you have?




A cross between laser tag and karting. Electric karts with sensors all over them. A laser canon on the front. You could charge the gun either by holding down the trigger or by driving over a speed up. It would be very super-Mario kart with neons to show when you had an invulnerability cloak. go slow and go faster squares etc.

I think it's all technically possible but don't know how many people you'd have to get through the door, and at what price, to make it pay.

Simon

>> Edited by simonrockman on Friday 25th July 17:18

Oi_Oi_Savaloy

2,313 posts

260 months

Friday 1st August 2003
quotequote all
I've been thinking about this too.

My wife (and me) want to leave London but what to do in West Wales for income when we go>?

THoughts have run long the lines of 'what generates cash?

So I've been thinking about a Launderette (plonk it in a poor area and it might do fairly well....) with a dry cleaning business on the side. And it's cash. Cash is king!

I'd then try and build up some momentum and open a golf range.