beginnings superconnected part 2

In total, it took nearly a year to finalize the business plan using a few sample templates the Small Business Association officer gave me.

Corrections and revisions flew by, and finally, the idea was as focused and as sharp as it was going to get. (A business plan is detailed description of how you expect to build and maintain your business, including employees, suppliers, location, and exit strategies)

The idea was simple... an internet cafe that not only rented out high end computers by the hour for internet access and for gaming in the store, but a shop that also repaired PC's, activated cell phones, sold cell phone accessories, and served coffee and snacks.


The business plan was one of a few that was approved by the SBA that year (link). They loved that it was multi-faceted but tied together well.
I shopped the business plan around to several banks. The "Yes we can bank" became the "No we wont bank". Bank after bank turned it down. One bank didnt even read the plan, instead the loan officer asked the IT guy if internet cafe's were profitable.
At last one bank looked at it and wanted to work something out. They wouldnt fund the whole thing tho, so I had to trim the budget and cut something out. The first thing to go was the cafe. (On retrospect, that may have been the wrong choice, as time proved that cell phone dealers and profitability were waning.) Things may have been different if the cafe part was implemented, but that is one of those shoulda-woulda-coulda's that on retrospect, looks like an obvious mistake.

-- to be continued --