Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Need Your Suggestions Friends. Please Help Me! - Revised and Posted

Hi my dear friends! you all know that I have been served with a notice by this building owner to vacate the place by the month of May 2011. I am yet to find a suitable place for my business.

I am running this Cyber Cafe since 2002 and I have a very strong Client Base. I am going to miss them and vice versa. My customers has already started sharing their disappointment.

It is true that I have been hunting for a place since September last year. And I should admit that the search was a good experience in itself. I found that the commercial building owners has become more greedy these days. The office space that is quarter of the size of my present office cost three times the rent that I pay now. And the size of the space equivalent to the present one is only available for Lease for Lakhs of Rupees, which is not affordable. Real Estate is doing really well, I guess.

I was looking for an office space in an around  T.Nagar. Because there is no other Cyber Cafe within 2 kms radius, that can provide a good service such as mine.There is another Cyber Cafe, which is situated within 1km from my Cafe, but customers still prefer to use my Service. Hence the decision to look in and around this T.Nagar.


There were instances, where I found that the owners demanded us to pay the commission to the brokers, even if we were not referred by the brokers. And there were places, that looked like a go-down, without a proper ventilation and no space to fix my Air conditioner. Some offices didn't have a 3phase electricity connection and the owners either refused to share the cost to set up a 3 phase electricity connection or they didn't let us to set up a 3phase electricity connection. Some commercial complexes don't have the rest room facility. I need one, since I stay in my office from 11.00am to 9.30pm every day. Some business centers don't allow any office to work after 7pm. 

So I started looking for a place in Suburban areas. But still didn't succeed.


I should mention about an interesting incident that happened during the search.I once called a mobile number that I took from an advertisement of Free Ads from the "Commercial Space Available" section. When I called him in the morning, he said that he was watching movie and asked me to call him in the afternoon. I called him again in the afternoon at 3pm. He told me that he was busy and asked me to call after 5pm. I did. When I said that I was looking for a place to set up a Cyber Cafe, he told me that it was a residential area and not sure whether it would serve my purpose.I asked his suggestion. He asked me to come and check for myself. He asked me to come to a place near a car service shop, from where he took me to a building. He was a middle aged man and looked like he was boozing all day. I followed him. That was a multi-storey building, which didn't look well in the ground floor itself. A woman was washing clothes on the way to the entrance of the pathway of the ground floor. There were a group of persons who were sitting and chatting in the adjacent room. The alley was dark. I was expecting him to switch on the light. But he just walked passed the alley and I felt suspicious and stopped near the lady who was washing clothes. This man went inside the dark and disappeared. He came back with a torch light in his hand and switched on the torch light and showed me a space below the staircase. I was confused and irritated. He then said that a screen can be used to get some privacy over there in the corner. I was silently bearing my confused and mixed emotions. I wanted to yell at him. At the same time I laughed at my vulnerable position there.And I was also wondering what made this man to call me and show me a space below the staircase, that can only be used to steal a hug or a smooch by the young inmates of that building. My friend Haseem, accompanied me to that place and we both were laughing out louder, all the way to my Cafe, after we left that building.

Few days back one of my friends suggested me to take a up a job, instead of running around the city to find a place.He also reminded me about the struggle that I had to make to get my Cyber Cafe License renewed last year. If those of you who remember reading those blogs, that I have deleted, after my friends suggested to delete it, would also recommend the same, I guess. It was a nightmare for three days to get the Police to inspect my Cyber Cafe to renew my License.

I know that my business is not doing as good as it used to be three years back. But I thought that I can add more services like networking games to pull the young crowd and adding up an eating joint. This will again demand me to pump in more money apart from my expenses that I will have to bear in shifting and setting up. Since everyone can check mails in their mobile these days, I don't get much browsing customers. I get more business from Typing jobs, Print jobs, Scan jobs and cd writing jobs. And then kids come to play in the playstation. When my friend suggested me this, I was tempted to consider the option.

And many of you, know that I also freelance and I have almost 9 overseas clients. And I keep assisting them throughout the year. So I am thinking to take up this job as well as help my online clients, which will be an added advantage for me.

I am going to preserve my Computer Cabins for future use. I shall gift the computers to my 5yr old niece and other kids, who can use it for their studies. I shall also gift the Playstation to my nephew and niece.

Now, I need your suggestion, my dear friends. What would you suggest? Would you suggest me to take up this job, right now? Or would you want me to continue with my Cyber Cafe business? Please help me to take a decision.

Deep into my heart, I have always wanted to be an entrepreneur. Owner of atleast a small enterprise, if not a big one. I shall wait until I find myself financially sound to start an enterprise again to run it successfully for the rest of my life.


P.S. I have revised this post.

Luv u all
Uma
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14 comments:

  1. Hey Uma...

    I feel comfy and happy to be the first to comment on this situation of urs. Well many people knw ur strglngs for the past few months... Close your eyes and go for the interview and ul get it for sure... It will be a Valentines day gift for u from a stranger named STADCO.... my best wishes....

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  2. Thanks you very much for your comment Vijay. Two of my friends has already called me on my mobile to tell me the same. I am proud of you guys. Love you all.

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  3. Mahi,

    These are two cases which requires entirely different mindset to find the decision
    To take over a job, U should be working under someone and should enjoy the nature of job and the environment, the people around you. The risk factor is very less in this case. Anytime you can resign and take up another job but your budget is limited to what you earn as salary.
    The second case is that having own business, you enjoy the privilege of a boss , the job of your choice and in your own sweet timings. But here the risk factor is more when compared to the job!! As you said the buzin could come down and you will have to keep investing to get good returns, have to run around to get things done yourself. Tensions like shop owners, Internet service providers, Licenses and managing of clients etc…
    Knowing fully and having an experience in both the above cases , I would suggest you to take up the job and continue with your assignments of clients in your off working hours.
    GOD BLESS !!!!!!!!!!!!

    WITH LOVE
    Ajith

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  4. @Ajith. I agree with your risk factors knowing fully well that you were also in this business earlier. Thanks darling. You have suggested the same. Will consider your suggestion too.

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  5. Hi Uma,
    I could realize your passion for entrepreneurship.
    Internet slowly migrating as a personal gadget and this business wouldn't yield more going forward.
    Think about doing a freelance consulting even for this opportunity which would satisfy your passion and financial support or take up the job if finance is short.
    My best wishes ...

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  6. I would suggest to take up the job and continue the freelance work with your esteemed client.

    -K

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  7. Situation is a real tight-rope. But at this time what you need the most is your self-confidence, self-esteem, and a high level of energy. I wud not suggest you to take that job, as that wud be a compromise. We wud lose our darling Uma to the meticulous run-of-the mill job. Uma can be herself only when she's a free bird. My suggestion - Send a mail to all your friends in Chennai to hunt for a place. Visit each and every place found out by your friends. Keep this routine for sundays and devote the entire day to the search. Order your friends to scout and find atleast 1 good shop location in a week. This way you should be able to get a decent place before you have to move out from the present place.

    KPK

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  8. Okay. Now Pradeep's suggestion is making me to think deeper. His words has kindled the flame again, giving me all the energy to fight back. Friends! are we listening? I still have 4 more days to take the call. Jeez! am more excited now.

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  9. Uma! Hugs. I tend to agree with what "peekay" has said. Unless it is an absolute emergency, do not cave in to the job offer. We can all look for spaces in different neighbourhoods. Something really good and suitable will turn up. As they say, when the going gets tough, the tough gets going. You can do it! We are around you.

    Love,

    Ani

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  10. Wow, Here goes my darling Ani!Thank you very much Ani.That has given me a lot of energy and confidence. Hoping that something good will eventually happen to me. Love you all.

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  11. uma, will try to let u know if there is any place available..in and around t.nagar..dont lose hear. i have always admired you for your courage and business skills.may be it will take time. dont lose hope..all the best.do keep in touch..and i can never forget the help u extended for my theisis and moms official letters.

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  12. Thanks for those words Karthik. Hoping to see light at the end of the tunnel.

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