“It’s fast, it’s easy and it’s low on risk” that is how Jilal Aziz describes how he is planning to setup an internet cafe in Karachi. Been in Karachi for three years Jalil had been struggling between jobs but was not able to find an adequate one that could fit him, “All companies want is to get the most out of an employee and give them the least pay possible”.
After three years of continuous struggling Jalil has decided to become an entrepreneur himself. He with the help of a partner is now trying to setup an internet cafe of his own with a sum of 2 lac.
He describes the process to setup an internet cafe is considered hard but if we go in to details it sounds easy. “All an internet cafe consists of is loads of computers, printer and scanner and some good network management”.
About the rent of the place Jalil says that due to critical conditions in Karachi it is considerably hard to find a suitable spot for an internet cafe. Moreover he says that due to the availability of Internet in homes only a few internet cafes really make profit. So, the best practice is to set up an internet cafe where demand of internet is much more than other areas.
He highlights that in Karachi most areas have heavy load shedding due to which more people look for an alternative for their online work. An internet cafe provides all possibilities like printing, playing games, and availability of internet at all times because of generators.
Below is a list of things that are needed to setup an Internet Cafe:
Place for Internet Cafe – A shop or Office
A local shop that has a large room to house almost 15 computers is a great place to start business.
“You can rent a shop in 8 thousand. However, the price can rise in high posh areas”, Jalil says.
Rent: 8 – 10K
Generator to Avoid Load shedding:
A generator will be needed for uninterrupted power supply. Therefore, the price of a Generator will be:
Price: 35
As Jalil places it “With more heavy generator more computers can be operated”
Computer Systems:
Jalil tells that a normal internet cafe houses 10 – 15 computer systems. “One computer system is around 8000 rupees but if we buy them in bulk, they will cost much lower”.
Price: 10 * 6 = 60,000
Printer Price: 6000 rupees
Wiring:
15000 rupees
Wall fan:
10 fans *4000 rupees = 40,000 rupees
Cabin Price:
He further describes that Cabins vary from vendor to vendor. A good cabin can cost around 6000 rupees. “But if you have a friend who can book them for you in low price than bring him on deck”.
Price: 10 cabins * 6000 rupees = 60,000 rupees
Light Bulbs:
Ten light bulbs of 24 watt each will cost around 1500 rupees
Price: 1500 rupees
While talking about the profit that one can earn in a month, Jalil says, “It varies, sometime customers are more sometimes less”. On a serious note, one can earn around 50,000 rupees to 80,000 rupees if all goes well. He further adds,
“More ideas for earning profit are to arrange gaming competitions and team matches on weekends”.
