Should AJ Open Crazy AJ's?
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@scottalanmiller said:
It would be a very relaxing job. Site around at a computer all day, chatting on ML and writing articles waiting for people to come in and use the cafe.
If you were going to stay there for any length of time.. you should do it!
hell, even if you don't plan to stay you should still do it, then sell the business to a local..
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I don't see people leaving Central America too often. People who like it enough to come here seem to stay here. It's just a nice lifestyle.
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@scottalanmiller said:
I don't see people leaving Central America too often. People who like it enough to come here seem to stay here. It's just a nice lifestyle.
I was talking about you.
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the way to go would for sure be chromebox.
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@Dashrender said:
@scottalanmiller said:
I don't see people leaving Central America too often. People who like it enough to come here seem to stay here. It's just a nice lifestyle.
I was talking about you.
Oh, I should open a Crazy AJ's? Will I have to pay a franchise fee to @thanksajdotcom ?
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@Dashrender said:
@scottalanmiller said:
It would be a very relaxing job. Site around at a computer all day, chatting on ML and writing articles waiting for people to come in and use the cafe.
If you were going to stay there for any length of time.. you should do it!
hell, even if you don't plan to stay you should still do it, then sell the business to a local..
I'm working on bigger business plans here. Trying to talk @Eric into moving down here and opening a thousand acre farm near the coast.
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@scottalanmiller said:
@Dashrender said:
@scottalanmiller said:
I don't see people leaving Central America too often. People who like it enough to come here seem to stay here. It's just a nice lifestyle.
I was talking about you.
Oh, I should open a Crazy AJ's? Will I have to pay a franchise fee to @thanksajdotcom ?
Don't forget whose name is above the front door!
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Crazy's ?
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I'm imagining a room of say eight Chromeboxes with smallish LCDs for people to use. Make the place comfortable and you have a unique offering. The places that exist now aren't that nice really. They are very cheap. Have one Windows machine set up with Steam and GOG, buy some games as money allows. Hook it up with a projector and make a little gaming station. Rent it out for more money and do special events and stuff to hook the locals. Offer print services too.
Offer computer repair and supplies. Mostly basic stuff, but enough that people can get what they need to keep working. Cheap routers, cables, mice, keyboards, adapters, etc. Then go around to every hotel, hostel, bed and breakfast and the like around and drop off flyers for them to give to guests if they need anything. Have a business that takes care of the locals but also leverages the tourists.
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Invest in LED lights, nice fans and solar panels and you are way ahead of the locals who are paying too much for their electric in their shops.
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I would guess that being able to speak English well would be a major "selling point" for a venture like this. @thanksajdotcom would probably have a unique opportunity to easily interface with a lot of tourists?
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How many tourists wander through that area?
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so for 10-20K you could open an internet cafe down there and charge how much per session at a chromebox?
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@Dashrender said:
How many tourists wander through that area?
Well it is the off season now and maybe a few hundred would come by on any given day. Maybe a few thousand on the weekends. Hard to say. Not a ton, but a lot. I can walk outside and find tourists pretty quickly.
During the high season, OMG, I can't even imagine. This is the most touristy city in the entire part of the world. This is the top tourist destination in Central America just two blocks from my house.
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Well, in that case, you can charge more during tourist season, and lower it during the off season.
Perhaps to still help the locals, you could offer a few dedicated stations, and a prepay setup for them.. but not allow use on all machines to ensure the tourists are paying the higher price for better access.
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At Spiceworld, you mentioned beers were $0.90/ea... how much are they there? I think that was Panama, right?
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for real, how much say per hour could you realistically charge?
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@hubtechagain said:
so for 10-20K you could open an internet cafe down there and charge how much per session at a chromebox?
I'm pretty sure $10K is overkill. I'm not saying it wouldn't be good to have that much in the bank ready to go. But a rental shop can't be $500/mo. You would need a few months in the bank to be able to start up, of course. If you start with six stations, that's $1,200 in desktops. You'll need used LCDs, six of them. That's $100 - $600 tops. Say $2,500 in gear. Plus four months rent, say $2K there. Then some operational overhead (Internet, power) say another $800 for four months. That is $5,300 for the shop. Add in a bit to "fix the place up", desks and stuff. Hire a local to build that for you. Chairs are needed. Maybe $1,500 there (really guessing.) We are up to $6,800.
That's the shop cost. Now he'll need a place to live and food. He can live well outside of the tourist area and walk a bit (20 minutes tops?) to the "office." Rent should be $500 or less a month. Food, that's a tough one. It's cheaper than the US but not like free or anything. Figure groceries and stuff carefully for the rest.
So for four months say $8,800 + groceries. Okay, so $10K is pretty spot on. That's not bad for start up capital AND four months with zero income.
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@Dashrender said:
At Spiceworld, you mentioned beers were $0.90/ea... how much are they there? I think that was Panama, right?
Panama is $.90 for local pricing. Gringos pay $1.10.
Nicaragua the Gringos pay $.90.
Although the beer is better in Panama, you get what you pay for.
