How to open a computer club: a detailed plan. Step by step business plan for a computer club

15.10.2019

Although now almost every home has a personal computer and Internet access, the popularity of computer clubs does not decrease. This is due to the fact that the computer literacy of the population is growing much faster than the number of PCs in homes, and multiplayer online games are now very popular, which lead people to computer clubs. Such establishments can have two formats: a mini computer club and an electronic Cafe. In the first case, several (up to 20) workstations equipped with computers with unlicensed software are equipped in a small room. In contrast, large computer clubs have 30-50 powerful machines with high-speed Internet, and are also equipped with air conditioners, cafes and VIP rooms. In the first case, the maintenance of such a semi-legal computer club takes about 400 USD. per month, but the revenue from one workplace is about 200 USD. The cost of one workplace in an electronic cafe can reach 1500 USD, and taking into account the cost of maintaining the premises - and all 2000. The owners of large computer clubs should not count on a quick payback for their project, but they also have no problems with regulatory authorities .Let's consider an example of opening a small legalized computer club.

Location

The most successful place for such an institution would be a sleeping area with a large population. It is good if there are several schools in this residential area. As for the location, the most successful location would be at a busy intersection or near a large store or market. It is better not to deal with residential buildings, since the public in computer clubs is noisy, which means that residents will complain. In addition, a club in a residential building, as a rule, is located in the basement, which means that it will be very difficult to obtain permission from the fire inspection and the sanitation station. Rent in residential areas rarely exceeds $10. per square meter, so the annual rent of a room of 25-30 square meters. meters will cost about 3000 USD.

Equipment

The next step is to buy equipment. At the same time, you should not save money, because most visitors come to a computer club to play, and computer games are very demanding on equipment resources. The more powerful the equipment, the more clients in the club. On average, it is necessary to spend 700 USD per workplace, therefore, 10,500 USD will be needed for 15 machines. and about 500 USD more you will need to spend on furniture: tables, chairs, administrator's workplace.

Legalization

To open a computer club, you need a standard package of documents for entrepreneurship: an IP certificate, a cash register, etc. All this will cost 150 USD. More efforts will be needed to settle all cases with regulatory authorities. It is difficult to name the exact amount, since it is known that it is almost impossible to meet all the requirements, and the decision will depend on many factors. As for licensed software, it makes no sense to spend money on it immediately after opening, but in the future you need to be ready to purchase it. This expense item can take the entire monthly revenue of a computer club.

Staff

Several people will be needed to set up and maintain software and computer equipment. the best option would be students of specialized universities living nearby. A small club usually employs 2-3 people for software maintenance and customer service, as well as one system administrator. Salary - from 150 USD per month. Most computer clubs work around the clock, so it is necessary to provide for the work of staff in 2 shifts. The computer club also needs a security guard.

Advertising

So, having spent about 15,000 USD. you can open a club and start a company. It should consist of the following steps:

  1. Posting leaflets with the coordinates of the new club and its prices on the entrances of houses and schools. When drawing up the layout, it should be borne in mind that the target audience is teenagers 10-18 years old.
  2. Announcements on specialized sites on the Internet.
  3. Distribution of promotional flyers and business cards among club visitors
  4. A prominent bright sign with a detailed list of services.
  5. Conducting various promotions and tournaments.

You can also make discounts for regular customers and, for example, those who spend more than three hours at the computer.

Computer club development

In the new club, it is important to provide a sufficient level of service, because many of these establishments suffer from inattention to their clientele. Since the audience in computer clubs is specific, it is necessary to act outside the box. For example, there are often cases when older guys extort money from younger ones. One of the clubs solved this problem by giving hooligans free monthly subscriptions. You can also try to tie customers to your club through various tournaments with prizes for the club's money. You can even make a leader board. If you constantly develop your club, then even in a small institution you can achieve revenues of 150-200 USD. from one computer. Over time, a computer club can be turned into. The clients of such an institution are no longer children, but a more affluent public. Internet cafe services include:

  • Providing access to the Internet
  • Burning and copying discs
  • Working with office applications
  • Scanning Documents
  • File printout
  • Photocopying
  • Computer courses

Results

The net profit of a popular computer club can be from 1000 USD. the profitability of the project is 33%, and the payback period is on average 17%. At the same time, it is important to understand that you can open a computer club only in those places where there are no competitors nearby. In this case, the profits will be greater, and the payback period will be shorter.

The Internet is becoming a deeper part of the life of a modern person. Its popularity is growing every day, but, unfortunately, not everyone has the opportunity to extend fiber optics to an apartment or private property, and even at an affordable price. In this case, an excellent alternative to the home Internet is a computer club, where for a small hourly fee, anyone can use the worldwide network for work or entertainment.

Relevance

The services provided by computer organizations are always in high enough, and, importantly, stable demand. Studies in this area have shown that during certain seasonal periods there is an increase / decrease in demand for certain services. So, during sessions and exams, the popularity of such operations as scanning, printing documents and photocopying is growing. During the holidays, interest in games increases.

At the same time, the success of a business also depends on criteria such as:

  • cost of services - it is necessary to analyze the prices of competitors' companies, take into account the purchasing power of potential customers and derive average values ​​in order to maintain competition and remain accessible to customers;
  • range of services - the more a computer club can offer, the more potential customers it will attract, and at the same time, the range and types of services must be constantly expanded.

Registration and organization of business

The most convenient organizational and legal form is a private enterprise. A good start to work will be a sonorous, bright, memorable name.

To register an establishment on a legal basis, you must:

  • application for registration of an enterprise;
  • memorandum of association or decision to establish an enterprise;
  • charter, authorized capital and confirmation of its availability;
  • payment of the state duty for registration and a receipt certifying this;
  • documents confirming the consent of the antimonopoly authorities.

It is important that when opening such an enterprise, it is necessary to take care of the wiring, fire safety and the level of radiation of electromagnetic equipment. Each indicator will be systematically checked by departmental bodies and, in case of discrepancy, the club's management will be in trouble, starting with fines and ending with the suspension of the club's activities.

Location and premises

There are a few questions to consider when choosing a location:

  1. Space - the club must be spacious to accommodate at least ten modern computers and other equipment for work. There must be at least 4 square meters of space per workplace.
  2. Availability of high-speed Internet - it is necessary to analyze all available providers, choose the best one in terms of price-quality ratio and, based on the result, look for a hall. In megacities, there will be no problems with either, in small towns the search for a suitable provider and premises will take more time.

A computer club is best opened in a residential area, near schools and universities, in a well-travelled place. It is not necessary to rent basements of residential buildings for these purposes for several reasons:

  • noise - visitors to the Internet establishment, as a rule, the public is loud and the residents of the house will certainly complain, call the district police officer and interfere with the work of the club in every possible way;
  • high humidity, adversely affecting the operation of equipment;
  • problematic installation of climate control and ventilation systems.

Equipment and equipment

Buying equipment is the most financially expensive operation. Machines must be modern, powerful, which can be equally easy to work with text documents and play online games in real time. For efficient and profitable activities, it is advisable to start with at least ten cars, each of which will cost 30-40 thousand rubles.

You can save on this only by buying computer components separately and assembling them yourself.

The software must be licensed, which, of course, costs some money, but exempts from sanctions, fines, and even the closure of the institution by higher authorities. Additionally, you will have to spend money on the purchase of equipment such as a scanner, printer, photo printing machine, copier, etc., depending on the range of services offered.

The design of the room should be appropriate - the same modern furniture, posters on the walls, maybe even a large LCD monitor for watching various gaming competitions. Every detail must be thought out so that visitors feel comfortable in the institution.

Organization of the computer club

Such establishments may have a different mode of operation:

  • day;
  • night;
  • around the clock.

Working with text documents, letters, social networks is usually done during the daytime. Children and adolescents who have not reached the age of majority also go to Internet organizations during the day. Fans of computer games and online battles prefer night time more.

In this regard, 24-hour establishments are more profitable, as they are always within the reach of visitors, but you need to obtain permission from the police to open such establishments.

Work can be organized in one or more shifts, depending on the working hours. If two administrators can work in a daytime institution, changing after a few days, then working in a 24-hour club involves several administrators replacing each other in shifts.

Staff

For the organization and the greatest efficiency of work, the following personnel are needed:

  • director - can work and coordinate work at a distance, systematically checking subordinates;
  • administrator - depending on the number of computers and the mode of operation, one or more administrators can be hired, whose duties include small financial transactions (cashier), helping visitors, maintaining order in the institution;
  • visiting accountant;
  • cleaning woman;
  • security guard or video surveillance system in conjunction with the conclusion of a contract with a security company, to avoid cases of theft of expensive equipment, money theft and conflict situations.

Advertising

  • mass media - radio, television;
  • banners and posters hung around the city;
  • flyers handed out in the city;
  • holding various promotions and discounts.

The financial component of the business

Like any business activity, opening a computer club requires certain financial investments, concluding contracts with some organizations and obtaining permits.

In the context of global computerization and ever-increasing consumer interest in the virtual world, all investments are more than justified. A properly located establishment with a wide range of services will bring profit to the owners very quickly.

Cost of opening and maintaining

The start-up capital required to get started includes the following cost items:

  • rent of premises - 50,000 rubles;
  • Internet connection - 10-15,000 rubles per month;
  • repair, change of wiring - 50,000 rubles;
  • purchase of equipment and software - 800-850,000 rubles;
  • furniture - 300,000 rubles;
  • payment of utility bills - from 15,000 rubles;
  • advertising - 20,000 rubles;
  • other minor expenses - 30,000 rubles.

Total: 1,330,000 rubles.

Monthly costs will include salaries of employees, rent of premises, Internet and utility bills, advertising and expenses for minor repairs, replacement of cartridges, and so on, which in total will amount to about 300,000 rubles.

Size of future income

The average cost of a stay for a visitor will cost 10-30 rubles per hour. Understating these limits is not advisable, since such a club will definitely not be profitable, it is also pointless to overestimate, this will scare away potential customers.

The estimated profit of a computer institution will be about 600-650,000 rubles, net earnings from this amount will be about 200-250,000 rubles.

Payback period

The full return on investment, of course, directly depends on the popularity of the club. So, a well-organized and properly located institution offering a wide range of services at affordable prices will pay off in 1-1.5 years.

In conclusion, we can say that with the advent of a large number of different gadgets and the globalization of the Internet, establishments of this kind are gradually losing their popularity. In large cities, it is quite difficult to promote such a business, with the exception of single establishments in the center of educational institutions. It is advisable to open computer clubs in small towns and areas where the prevalence of home networks is lower.

MS Word Volume: 33 pages

Business plan

Reviews (36)

By choosing a business plan for a computer club, if you have the desire and opportunity to try yourself in this endeavor, you can decide on priorities. Computer literacy has swept the country, according to experts, more than 70% of our fellow citizens are already mastering the art of communicating on the Internet, getting information from search engines, using social networks, creating blogs and shopping using convenient tools of the World Wide Web. A significant part of the huge army of users are gamers - people who devote part of their free time to their favorite hobby: computer games.

In order for the document on organizing a gaming club to work for you, you should immediately correctly determine where to start this business? Renting a room, carrying out repairs there, purchasing powerful computers, monitors, comfortable mice, and creating a safe electrical supply will be necessary at the first stage. You should think about attracting computer network specialists, administrators, system administrators, technicians to the staff, that is, the smooth functioning of machines will need to be constantly monitored.

A high-quality document on opening a computer salon will allow you to understand how to attract future customers, at first you can organize discounts, as well as provide various bonuses to regular members of your computer club. Do not forget that you should install powerful antivirus programs, as well as purchase licensed games: strategies, tactics, arcades, shooters and other toys that gamers love so much. This document opens the way to an undertaking that guarantees a constant profit to the owner.

The computer club industry is still actively developing, despite the fact that almost every home now has its own computer. It is noteworthy that the payback of a computer club is quite high. Profitability in business on computer games reaches 100% per annum, and sometimes more. According to experts' forecasts, computer clubs have a good future, and it is not so difficult to enter this business today.

As a rule, the maximum prospects open up for entrepreneurs in the provinces, since the level of computerization there is much lower than in the central part of Russia. Moreover, there is a trend towards an increase in demand for these services, since computer literacy among residents of small towns is growing faster than the number of computers per capita.

Commercial demand is spurring the emergence of more and more games in the so-called "multiplayer format". All this leads to the fact that the opening of a computer club portends to the entrepreneur a very significant income and active development of the business as a whole.

Recently, large computer clubs or Internet cafes have begun to develop most actively, such a business brings good dividends, although entrepreneurs have a lot of problems in the process of work. Businessmen who have experience in creating computer clubs say that it is most efficient to create clubs with at least 30 computers. Such establishments are distinguished by a higher service, which is manifested in the presence of VIP rooms, high-speed Internet access, division into Internet zones and gaming halls.

As for the problems that every entrepreneur who decides to open a gaming computer club runs the risk of encountering, they are not so few. First of all, this is competition with smaller gaming clubs that attract customers with low prices. This can only be countered by a significant improvement in the quality of services, as well as by expanding their range. Communication with regulatory authorities promises additional difficulties for entrepreneurs, but strict compliance with all the requirements for this type of activity will help to cope with this task.

A significant cost item in computer clubs is the acquisition of licensed software. It is extremely difficult to hide violations committed in the field of intellectual property in such establishments. The need to constantly update equipment that is becoming obsolete both physically and morally is another difficulty that no businessman can avoid. In a particularly disadvantageous situation are those entrepreneurs who decide to save "on hardware" by buying low-quality computer equipment at a low price.

How much money do you need to open your own computer club and constantly develop it? Each entrepreneur can carry out such calculations independently, using in practice a competent computer club business plan. A ready-made business project for a computer club contains a detailed description of all the technological processes for creating a computer club. You will learn how to open a business with computers with minimal investment, counting on the maximum profit.

In Russia, and in Vladivostok in particular, an entire industry of computer clubs has quietly grown, providing its owners with a return of 100% or more per annum. Today, this market continues to develop dynamically, and it is not so difficult to enter it.

Today Vladivostok is 2.5 times ahead of Moscow in terms of the number of computer clubs per capita. Experts attribute this to a lower level of computerization in the provinces. Due to low solvency, a smaller percentage of the population owns home computers. Moreover, demand will continue to grow, as the computer literacy of the population is growing much faster than the number of computers in homes. In addition, the emergence of new games, including games with "multiplayer mode" with renewed vigor spurred the commercial demand for such establishments.

Large computer clubs have from 30 to 50 machines, high-speed Internet access, a bar, VIP rooms with air conditioning. The halls are divided into purely gaming and Internet zones. That is, these are not just gaming clubs in their purest form, but electronic cafes.

But outwardly prosperous electronic cafes have a lot of problems. Among them are the main ones: cost management, competition with small clubs and work with regulatory authorities.

In order to compete with small clubs and at the same time ensure high club occupancy, it is necessary to keep the same price level (on average, 15 rubles per hour on a gaming computer), and constantly improve the quality of services. The latter entails a sharp increase in transaction costs, which can only be compensated by expanding the range of additional services. The Internet and computer games bring 60-70% of turnover, 20-30% - bar, 5-10% comes from additional office services (printing, reproduction of documents, recording on magnetic media, etc.).

As a result, the mass of small transactions generates cash flow. Managing all this flow of transactions is difficult. For large clubs with hired staff, expensive accounting programs are needed. If the cash desk is not automated, the theft of administrators can reach 40-50% of the proceeds.

Working with regulatory authorities also requires a lot of costs. To satisfy all the requirements of the Sanitary and Epidemiological Supervision, firefighters, architects and the police, a tidy sum will be required.

Another important and costly aspect is the use of licensed software. It is computer clubs that have minimal opportunities to hide violations in the field of intellectual property from law enforcement agencies.

The next most important item of expenditure is the constant renewal of equipment that is rapidly becoming obsolete both morally and physically.

The cost of one workplace in the club is about $1600, and with the cost of repairing the premises - and all $2000. At the same time, the rate of monthly revenue in most large clubs from one computer is no more than $100-150.

In practice, the initial investment is returned to the owners very slowly. Only those clubs that are part of a larger business feel confident.

Unlike large computer clubs, small ones are opened with a minimum of costs, but revenues are maximum. Most of them are semi-legal establishments. There are only two expenditure items: maintenance of the premises and maintenance of equipment, everything usually fits into $200-400. On the other hand, the monthly revenue rate of one gaming place reaches $200, since, as a rule, there are no problems with occupancy.

conclusions

Big clubs try to ensure the maximum civility of business. A high level of service and a wide range of services, along with affordable prices, strengthen their position in the long term.

In the meantime, it is small semi-legal establishments that will operate as efficiently as possible on this market for a long time to come. The high profitability obtained by minimizing costs and the quality of services give them a good margin of safety for the next few years. But their main drawback is the lack of long-term prospects. Whatever it was, but the risk of "arrival" of regulatory authorities is always there. Therefore, investing profits in the development of an illegal club is absolutely inappropriate.

Based on the article by Viktor Gomanova for the site www.zrpress.ru

Computer technology and the Internet have captured almost the entire world. More and more people are involved in them, not seeing a day of life without visiting online pages. Moreover, such a need can be both working and just a desire to play a game or watch a movie. Despite the huge prevalence of computers at home, not everyone has access to high-speed Internet. Therefore, as an alternative, computer clubs are very popular. It is about what steps you need to go through to open such an institution, we will talk later in the article.

Project organization

Computer clubs come in two formats: internet cafe and mini computer club. The second is usually designed for up to 20 computers and occupies a small area. On average, it will cost about 400 dollars a month to maintain it. But at the expense of income, one computer will bring $ 200. Therefore, the business is quite profitable.
When planning the size of the club, you need to be guided by the size of the city. For large cities, large computer clubs that can accommodate about 50 computers will be more relevant, since the target audience is larger here. For work, you can equip separate small rooms.

In addition, the club may have a cafeteria. Depending on size and additional services, costs can exceed $2,000 per month. However, the income will be much higher.

It is advisable to place a small Internet cafe in a residential area densely populated with people. The area should be chosen based on the availability of schools, shops, shopping centers and other places where the flow of people is as large as possible.
In no case is it recommended to open such an institution in a residential building or at a very short distance to it. This is due to the increased noise in it, which disturbs and annoys residents, especially at night. This will become a reason for a negative reputation and will only bring losses.

Equipment set

After choosing a room, the next step is to support the appropriate equipment. It must be of high quality. It is not worth saving at this point, since the constant repair of low-quality equipment in general will cost much more than a one-time purchase of high-quality equipment. In addition, frequent visitors to computer clubs are young people who love online games. And for this you need powerful computers. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to the technical specifications that will allow you to support as many games as possible. Therefore, the purchase of 15 computers will require about $10,000.
In addition, you need to pay attention to the choice of furniture, which will require you to spend 1000-1500 dollars. An important detail is the purchase of uninterruptible power supplies that can protect equipment during power surges, thereby increasing their service life.

Separately, it is worthwhile to deal with the equipment of the administrator's place. He will also need a table, a chair and a powerful computer. In addition, a cash register is most often required to pay customers.

Documents for opening a computer club

To open a computer club, it is not enough to find a room and buy equipment. To avoid problems that may arise during inspections, the business must be legal. Therefore, certain documents and official registration are required.
The best thing in this case would be the registration of an individual entrepreneur, which will cost about $ 150. The amount may be more. Its size may depend on the ability to negotiate and negotiate, since you will need to go through more than one instance.

So, the documents you will need the following:

  • application for registration;
  • company charter;
  • memorandum of association;
  • certificates provided by the antimonopoly service;
  • check for payment of state duty.
If you have a cash register, you also need a permit. It is worth paying attention to the software. At first, it is possible to use pirated versions. However, after the business has paid off, it is still important to install licensed software in order to avoid fines, which will become quite likely during inspections. Although this will require a considerable amount, the payment of fines can be more expensive, after which you still need to fulfill this condition.

Definition of the target audience

An equally important point is the definition of the target audience, since the work of any enterprise is intended directly for consumers. Without knowing for whom the computer club will work, it will not be easy to decide on other nuances, for example, to find the right location, or to conduct an advertising campaign in the right direction.

Who would need such an institution the most?
First of all, do not forget that most residents have computers, and possibly more than one. Therefore, it is important that it is not only powerful, but has an uninterrupted Internet network. Secondly, it was previously said that many people use this network source for online games. Based on this, the majority of the target audience are schoolchildren, students and, in general, the young population aged 14-26 years. Therefore, the emphasis should be on them.
In addition, employees of organizations requiring urgent access to the Internet can also use the computer club. Just for them, it would be advisable to equip separate rooms where you can work in a relaxed atmosphere.

Personnel selection and training

The atmosphere in any institution is set by the staff who work in it, and of course the quality of service.
A managerial position should be held by an administrator who organizes work and resolves customer issues regarding service.

In order for the equipment in the computer club to always be in working condition, it is necessary to hire a system administrator to repair it. In addition, his duties can include the services of printing, photocopying and scanning documents, while equipping his workplace accordingly.

Other employees may also be needed to help customers use the equipment. It will be very good to have highly qualified staff who can provide computer literacy training to customers. To do this, it is necessary to send employees to courses that can increase their knowledge. Such a service will be quite popular, since there are few places where you can get training directly for the software package that the client needs separately.
As in any organization, an accountant is needed to calculate financial results in a computer club. Due to the large amount of expensive equipment, it is necessary to hire a security guard.

Promotion and advertising methods

To attract a large number of customers, they must first know about the opening of a computer club. One of the options for disseminating information can be the distribution of leaflets in which you need to indicate the coordinates of the club, prices, interesting promotions. They should be distributed in large crowds of people. Regarding time, on weekdays it is better to do it in the morning and in the evening, but on weekends, on the contrary, in the daytime.

Another effective way is advertising on the Internet. This includes advertising on the city's websites, as well as on social networks, which are so popular among young people. It is possible to develop flyers that, upon presentation, provide a discount or other privileges. You can regularly hold promotions or tournaments for computer games, information about which can also be indicated on websites or Lithuanians.
Attracts customers and a bright sign, which should be installed near the institution. In it you need to specify the list of services provided in the club. Many people read the reviews of other customers before visiting this or that institution. Therefore, it will not be superfluous to provide them with such an opportunity.

Club development

After they know about the club, the work will be established, it is highly likely that regular customers will appear, it is worth thinking about its development and possible expansion. First of all, it is necessary to achieve a high quality of service, which will win over consumers and win the target audience.

If you intend to hold regular online gaming tournaments, you can develop privileges for the winners, for example, as free playing time for a certain period. Alternatively, you can create a scoreboard.
The next steps could be to expand the club by adding more computers and expanding the area. Additional services are a great option to attract new customers and possibly expand your audience. Opening two halls is an attractive option. In one, young people can play online games, and the second will be designed for more reputable customers with an appropriate interior. Also, an additional source of income will be the opening of a mini-bar where you can have a bite to eat and drink a cup of coffee.
Thus, it is important to competently approach the task, and then even a small Internet cafe will be able to generate significant income. When choosing equipment and training personnel, you should not save money, as in the future it will not only pay off, but also save on additional repairs and install additional services