Iam Interested In Opening A Internet Store

davoucci19

New member
Apr 9, 2005
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Hi I Am Interested In Opening A Internet Store Where People Can Connect For A Cheap Price, Possibly Around The Puerto Plata Area Close To Tourist Or Ay Other Region Like Santiago Or Punta Cana..me And My Husband Are Trying To Get Something Going In The Dr, He Has Owned A Business Before And He Is Very Computer Sabi...this Will Be A Family Operated Businessandi Have Been Doing Some Research On The Type Of Business...i Just Wanted To Find Out Your Input If Its A Good Idea;)
 

jerryme

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Feb 1, 2004
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Go around the area all the way to Cabarete and you will see they are mostly empty. Even when they are full they are raking in that big $5.00 USD an hour. I don't think any of these make money.
 

MrMike

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Mar 2, 2003
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They don't make money. I had one for years and it was fun but I got tired of being broke all the time.

Stay away from tourist areas and stick to university areas. You will have to charge less but at least you will have some volume to work with. Hire some typists and do lazy student's homework for them, that's were most of the money is.
 

Ken

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Jan 1, 2002
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You are too late, as others have indicated. Judging from the number of internet stores/cafes, everybody and his brother had the idea this was a good way to make money. Because there are now so many, I don't see how any of them can make a profit. If we don't start seeing some of the closing their doors, I'll be very surprised.

The suggestion about staying near a university and offering typing besides internet sounds like a very good idea. Certainly better than the tourist areas.
 

duane gettis

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Mar 2, 2004
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I own one which i am selling. We do make money but we offer a lot of things the others don't including air conditioning, fastest internet connection available, ultra clean location in a plaza setting, parking, armed security, both electrical inverter and generator, 14 hour daily operation, business digitation, design services, web cams on every computer, snacks and sodas, membership discounts with large advance purchases, comfortable task chairs with everything working! It can be done but it's not easy here since you have to be on top of things.

We are located in La Vega but are moving to the capital because they tell me my daught is a quasi-musical prodigy (pride) and could benefit from instruction and opportunities there, along with other business interests of mine.

I'd be happy to talk with you and give you the benfit of my experience these two years, such as it is.

Good luck!

Duane
 

THE GAME

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Jul 13, 2005
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jerryme said:
Go around the area all the way to Cabarete and you will see they are mostly empty. Even when they are full they are raking in that big $5.00 USD an hour. I don't think any of these make money.

wow $5/hr is too expensive... in pto plata, santiago or any big city/small city
the highest i've seen is 60 pesos/hr (US$1.75/hr).

i agree,, i don't think internet stores generate much cash flows.
 

stallion

Mr. Main Event
May 28, 2004
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Internet cafe's don't make much money due to many competition open. Puerto plata is full of them. Maybe open one in the airport. Atleast you can charge lots there.
 

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
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Ken said:
You are too late, as others have indicated. Judging from the number of internet stores/cafes, everybody and his brother had the idea this was a good way to make money. Because there are now so many, I don't see how any of them can make a profit. If we don't start seeing some of the closing their doors, I'll be very surprised.

The suggestion about staying near a university and offering typing besides internet sounds like a very good idea. Certainly better than the tourist areas.
While the internet stores/cafes market has been saturated, this does not necessarily means there is no chance of making money. Let me explain:

The only difference between before and now is that before the market existed for internet cafes, where as now there could be a market for a certain type of internet cafe customer within the current market of internet cafes customers.

More emphasis on the ambiance of the place, whether the place is chic or not, to whom the place may be geared towards (funky surfers, old money, new riches, the local middle class, the average joe, etc) are some forms of creating new possibly profitable niches within an industry that has been saturated.

Now is the time for creative peoples/entrepreneurs to put on their thinking caps and begin to profit from a possible profitable niche that may exist within this saturated market.

As is the case with all business indevours, location location location is extremely important and this is highly dictated by the market segment being targeted, traffic around the preferred location of the market segment being targeted, and a host of other things.

My suggestion for those of you interested in creating a venture of this type, go to the DR and asks customers of Internet Cafes what they like the most and hate the most or want internet cafes to improve on. Listen carefully, write down what they say, and give the customers what they want via a new business model of internet cafes geared towards satisfying what people want.

Also ask them direct questions to give you an idea of what might work. For example, ask them "would you pay x amount for the service of an internet cafe if the place offered a relaxed, cozy ambiance with soft music, and excellent first class food/service?" or you could ask them "would you feel more comfortable in an internet cafe that has white walls and tile floors and slightly alive or in an internet cafe with soft color walls, and cozy seats and nice furniture?" in addition, "how much would you pay for the former vs. the latter?" etc. DO YOUR HOMEWORK before going into any business venture anywhere, not just in the DR. KNOW YOUR CUSTOMERS and if you fulfill their desires and are on top of the competition, you should be doing well.

When a community doesn't has electricity, the first thing they complain about is the lack of electricity. Once they got electricity, what they complain about is the service of electricity. Two ways of making money from the same industry, but only those with an open eye and a creative mind will reap the benefits.

-NALs
 
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