bhutocracy
 

Have you set up a LAN gaming business yet...or have you given up on the idea? My brother started with ten computers and now has 20 and is running all nighters every weekend now. He also now has two part time employees...or at least he did the last time I talked to him. He had to pay an electrician to do some work as the extra computers was blowing the circuit breakers.

Are your still around?

Hi mate, I wanted to start this month, but i've put it off for a couple of months depending on one or two other biz investments, there were one or two things that were "surer" things and required less investment and time to try first, but it's definately still on the cards - it's been a bit of a thing of mine to own and run one, I just really need to make sure it's profitable enough to be able to pay an employee run it and still make a couple of hundred bucks a week. I know I can make money running it myself but there are far better uses for my time, and with the outlay required i don't want to get stuck running it 80% of the time for 3 years while it pays off equipment loans.

The other thing was I need to run it 5pm onwards as the council wanted to hit me up for 10k ea for parking spaces for the extra load it would put on the cbd's parking. Those aren't hours i want to babysit it during the early stages of getting it profitable depending on how long that would take.

So I need to see what these other investments do and whether it frees up more cash to put in so I don't have to worry so much about being totally hands on, I want to be able to throw 10k at it set it up and have it almost run itself - ie requiring no more than about 5-7 hours of my time a week.

I also need better figures to go off, even though I got very far with the plan - almost to the point of purchasing equipment Im still flying in the dark a little bit.

What is the "cbd's" and are you saying 10,000 for each parking space? WTF?

Bump

cbd = central business district

central business district.. a fairly grandiose term for a town of 30k people but the one used nonetheless. Yes apparently if my business creates the need for more parking spaces i have to pay for them to be built! heheh.. well it's not as simple as that, they would review the submission and work out the impact of the business it's not if it creates ANY more need - more a substantial need for more places.. like if you always had 5 cars clogging up the street out front during peak hour.. but it's not concrete that place i was looking at had rear parking and was probvably exempt i don't know.. have to put the plans in but that was one thing that made me go wtf!

Theking, how much did your brother invest into this project to get it running? I've been toying with the idea of setting one up in my hometown. It's a smaller college city (3 colleges, 3 high schools) with not a lot of recreation. I think it would do really well if setup properly.

Sounds like a really good idea...good luck :thumbsup

What are you talking about? :helpme

When he opened the doors I think he had around between five and six thousand invested...but he got a really good deal on the lease for the building...he got a really good deal on the lease for the original 10 computers (I think he bought the last 10...but I am not sure)...because he agreed to add their computer business to his advertisements...he leased two big screen tvs for the X-boxes...which he had purchased (he has since returned one of the big screens) as he was not getting enough X-box play to support the second big screen. Other expenses were internet hookup (he originally went with a dish but someone stole it so he went to cable with a dedicated IP)...insurance...security...advertising which he did via the paper radio and flyers...an additional computer and professional gaming software (which cost several hundreds of dollars) to contol the game play...player profiles...game time...monies paid etc....and of course the cost of game CD's. I think that about covers it.

If you do not have competition in your area (he does not) I suspect you would do well.

Well...if one has to pay that kind of money (or basically any money more than a token amount) for parking...it would be a business killer...if it were me.

LAN Gaming business.

don't worry about him he's replying crap in every thread at the moment, he's not actually interested just a post whore... i wonder if tcg are still paying per post.. i thought they stopped that.

Did you read the info Sly?

some guys down here( dragon's lair ) have one running.. they hire games out and buy games also.. PC, PS2,XBOX etc, and they are cheaper than video stores and don't care if u copy the games or whatever.. they have a LAN with about 15 machines all with access to cable internet. They seem to have a lot of oyal younger customers.
eg;

Last time i went in, i returned 2 games.. i was asked what i thought of them.. i said.. they sucked.. i hired another game.. an overnighter and was given it for a week at the same price.. i'd like to see blockbuster do that.