Opening an Internet cafe in the sticks in Isaan...

[ChoakMyDee]

OP, I never say this, but, forget it. Come up with a different business idea. It isn't going to work. You are going to lose money. Probably a lot of money. Most internet cafes are gone. The ones that are still around are empty. You've been told a number of times in this thread but you don't want to hear it.

[Glock3am]

Scanned over the thread and

* noticed OP doesn't seem to know anything about the business or its market

* didn't notice any grasp of the significance of Minecraft

therefore...

deadinthewaterbusinessisdeadinthewater

OP, you've had some good advice and experience already given to you about this specific idea and how it is unlikely to succeed, so do yourself a favour and come up with a different (better) idea.

Of course, there are many examples of successful businesses that rose out of the roar of pessimism during the beginning, and most likely many more that failed to heed good wisdom and failed.

To at least try at something is great, but at least try at something you have some kind of understanding of.

Hope this doesn't come across as offensive, it sure ain't meant that way.

Good luck with your decisions.

[Edited to add....]

I think my point is, if you had opened the thread by saying something like "Hey, I've noticed the Thai kids are every bit as crazy about Minecraft as they are in the rest of the world. I was thinking of exploiting this setting up an internet cafe focused on gaming and using X, Y and Z to make it stand out and appeal. What do you think?"

Then we could have at least warned you that you've probably missed the boat by 12 to 18 months but it might be worth a shot based on the X, Y and Z and taking previous advise offered into consideration.

Now, we are pretty much post-Minecraft and whilst Watchdogs is flavour of the month, if you know anything about gaming you'll also realize it's only one of a number of flavours of the month in the current gaming world, and certainly no replacement for Minecraft.

In fact, Watchdogs is a much more adult game more likely to appeal to 'Real Gamers' who will have their own setup at home rather than casuals and kids who depend on hanging round an internet cafe.

This is why - in my opinion - you missed the boat for Minecraft, because it's a much more casual-friendly multiplayer game with better potential for that kind of business. Really though, it's past its prime and a lot of the kids who last year were banging on about Minecraft are now into Cookie Run, a mobile game.

You're really going to need to not only research your basic internet cafe business, but if you want to exploit gaming you're going to need an understanding of gamers and games to find what would fit. If you press on with this I would advise you to have other avenues to draw an income beyond just gaming: Skype (of course), translation, printing and help to set up email/facebook/etc accounts and etc.

Real Gamers eh? Tell me which kids in the "sticks" are able to afford 16k for a PS4 plus 2k for Watch Dogs. That's 2-3 months salary for most Thais.

As for games with "adult" themes - they're precisely the games that appeal to teens! GTA always gets slammed in the mass media because whenever a new one is released, there's always parents buying it for their kids when they shouldn't be.

I'm sure that many local kids looking for something to do whilst kicking around the village would love the opportunity to play the latest consoles and games they could only dream of owning themselves. Why do you think those PS3 arcade machine are still popular over here? Even in Bangkok, where mean salaries are much higher. Expensive consoles are out of reach of the average Thai, they are a luxury item.

I could see FIFA 14 being huge in a village, all of the local school kids taking turns, perhaps the OP could even set up small tournaments and so on for a small entry fee.

Edited June 7, 2014 by Glock3am

[sirchai]

Or maybe you try to sell rice to rice farmers?

[Squeegee]

Scanned over the thread and

* noticed OP doesn't seem to know anything about the business or its market

* didn't notice any grasp of the significance of Minecraft

therefore...

deadinthewaterbusinessisdeadinthewater

OP, you've had some good advice and experience already given to you about this specific idea and how it is unlikely to succeed, so do yourself a favour and come up with a different (better) idea.

Of course, there are many examples of successful businesses that rose out of the roar of pessimism during the beginning, and most likely many more that failed to heed good wisdom and failed.

To at least try at something is great, but at least try at something you have some kind of understanding of.

Hope this doesn't come across as offensive, it sure ain't meant that way.

Good luck with your decisions.

[Edited to add....]

I think my point is, if you had opened the thread by saying something like "Hey, I've noticed the Thai kids are every bit as crazy about Minecraft as they are in the rest of the world. I was thinking of exploiting this setting up an internet cafe focused on gaming and using X, Y and Z to make it stand out and appeal. What do you think?"

Then we could have at least warned you that you've probably missed the boat by 12 to 18 months but it might be worth a shot based on the X, Y and Z and taking previous advise offered into consideration.

Now, we are pretty much post-Minecraft and whilst Watchdogs is flavour of the month, if you know anything about gaming you'll also realize it's only one of a number of flavours of the month in the current gaming world, and certainly no replacement for Minecraft.

In fact, Watchdogs is a much more adult game more likely to appeal to 'Real Gamers' who will have their own setup at home rather than casuals and kids who depend on hanging round an internet cafe.

This is why - in my opinion - you missed the boat for Minecraft, because it's a much more casual-friendly multiplayer game with better potential for that kind of business. Really though, it's past its prime and a lot of the kids who last year were banging on about Minecraft are now into Cookie Run, a mobile game.

You're really going to need to not only research your basic internet cafe business, but if you want to exploit gaming you're going to need an understanding of gamers and games to find what would fit. If you press on with this I would advise you to have other avenues to draw an income beyond just gaming: Skype (of course), translation, printing and help to set up email/facebook/etc accounts and etc.

Real Gamers eh? Tell me which kids in the "sticks" are able to afford 16k for a PS4 plus 2k for Watch Dogs. That's 2-3 months salary for most Thais.

As for games with "adult" themes - they're precisely the games that appeal to teens! GTA always gets slammed in the mass media because whenever a new one is released, there's always parents buying it for their kids when they shouldn't be.

I'm sure that many local kids looking for something to do whilst kicking around the village would love the opportunity to play the latest consoles and games they could only dream of owning themselves. Why do you think those PS3 arcade machine are still popular over here? Even in Bangkok, where mean salaries are much higher. Expensive consoles are out of reach of the average Thai, they are a luxury item.

I could see FIFA 14 being huge in a village, all of the local school kids taking turns, perhaps the OP could even set up small tournaments and so on for a small entry fee.

If the OP is determined to invest his time and energy on a business from the previous decade then FIFA 14 would definately be one of the games he should have available.

Watchdogs is an entirely different animal: it is a role-playing game (amongst other things) with a level of depth that would require more commitment than just to pick-up-and-play in this kind of setting. Granted, there would be some potential for its novelty factor to appeal in multiplayer for when the teens gather round, marveling at the graphics and goading on their mate to do whatever it is that inspires them, but really I use the term 'real gamers' as to refer to people who invest time and money into being immersed into their gameworlds, gaming geeks, nerds, video game fans, dads who grew up with it since the Atari days. I realise using the term is problemmatic in this context but I am trying to express that Watchdogs is not the same sort of game that a bunch of teens having a crack in a social setting are going to get the most out of. I would say one of those shooters that appeal to console gamers would be more appropriate, and I am thinking precisely in terms of depth of gameplay experience.

Watchdogs is a very specialized kind of game, hacking city camera networks really ain't what's going to be the best draw in a Thai village.

Thai gaming fans with the resources to do so will get into Watchdogs, and they may also go against the cliche of the Thai mentality of not thinking ahead in order to be able to cope with the challenge of a relatively intellectual gameplay experience incorporating strategy and forward-thinking, patience and stealth, but for a business out in the sticks presumably trying to engage farmer's kids a business like this would be better offering something that gives them a more instant hit.

It's not that I'm saying they are incapable of playing such a game, but that a sophisticated and urban thinking person's game like Watchdogs must also be evaluated for the context of a rural, socialized and pay-as-you-go setting.

There's no reason why it could not be included in a range of offerings at the establishment, but it probably wouldn't last after the novelty wears off. Watchdogs is NOT the new Minecraft. I say that, not because you claimed it so, but because Minecraft has been highly influential in the gaming world and Watchdogs is merely Another Great Game (hopefully) like GTA, like Star Citizen may be, like hundreds of big and small name titles that are coming out these days. Thus for a business like this one must think in terms of the customer and the setting and choose one's product carefully from there. FIFA on the other hand, is ideal.

And.... you are painting it as though these village kids dream of playing Watchdogs and this business will open the way for them to do so. I highly doubt that. The kids from the village with no computer of their own will be far better accommodated with the more casual, console style gameplay instant gratification. Others, as noted by another poster, will already be online if not on the lastest tech, then on cheap iCopyBookPadPhone knock-off crap from China or wherever, bought at the local Mall as part of the now very common big face these supposedly poor people are getting from their pick-up trucks, plasma TVs, smart phones and Fino scooter bikes that are all the rage.

The idea these poor kids will be crowded round, goggle-eyed at an otherwise unattainable Watchdogs, or even remotely interested in it as opposed to something else, is as dated as the OP's vision of the business.

Now, I imagine from your posts (and nick), Glock3am, that you are a gamer same as me, though I suspect you are a console gamer whereas I am a PC gamer. Although I am not known to be a snob or even partake in the console vs PC crud that some people argue about, I do think we are coming at this from different angles. This is precisely why I think the OP is getting himself into something he has no idea about and whilst I'm sure in an ideal world you or I could come up with a selection of great games to set up in a business like this, I think no amount of suggestions from us is going to help the OP towards making a success of this idea.

So please understand I am not trying to put down your idea of having Watchdogs on the menu, but I am saying the OP would be incapable of managing something you yourself already have a good knowledge of and natural passion for. Meanwhile, the OP would be utterly lost at sea as to how to promote what he is supposed to be selling, though as I said, something like FIFA would be fine.

Edited June 7, 2014 by Squeegee

[Glock3am]

Scanned over the thread and

* noticed OP doesn't seem to know anything about the business or its market

* didn't notice any grasp of the significance of Minecraft

therefore...

deadinthewaterbusinessisdeadinthewater

OP, you've had some good advice and experience already given to you about this specific idea and how it is unlikely to succeed, so do yourself a favour and come up with a different (better) idea.

Of course, there are many examples of successful businesses that rose out of the roar of pessimism during the beginning, and most likely many more that failed to heed good wisdom and failed.

To at least try at something is great, but at least try at something you have some kind of understanding of.

Hope this doesn't come across as offensive, it sure ain't meant that way.

Good luck with your decisions.

[Edited to add....]

I think my point is, if you had opened the thread by saying something like "Hey, I've noticed the Thai kids are every bit as crazy about Minecraft as they are in the rest of the world. I was thinking of exploiting this setting up an internet cafe focused on gaming and using X, Y and Z to make it stand out and appeal. What do you think?"

Then we could have at least warned you that you've probably missed the boat by 12 to 18 months but it might be worth a shot based on the X, Y and Z and taking previous advise offered into consideration.

Now, we are pretty much post-Minecraft and whilst Watchdogs is flavour of the month, if you know anything about gaming you'll also realize it's only one of a number of flavours of the month in the current gaming world, and certainly no replacement for Minecraft.

In fact, Watchdogs is a much more adult game more likely to appeal to 'Real Gamers' who will have their own setup at home rather than casuals and kids who depend on hanging round an internet cafe.

This is why - in my opinion - you missed the boat for Minecraft, because it's a much more casual-friendly multiplayer game with better potential for that kind of business. Really though, it's past its prime and a lot of the kids who last year were banging on about Minecraft are now into Cookie Run, a mobile game.

You're really going to need to not only research your basic internet cafe business, but if you want to exploit gaming you're going to need an understanding of gamers and games to find what would fit. If you press on with this I would advise you to have other avenues to draw an income beyond just gaming: Skype (of course), translation, printing and help to set up email/facebook/etc accounts and etc.

Real Gamers eh? Tell me which kids in the "sticks" are able to afford 16k for a PS4 plus 2k for Watch Dogs. That's 2-3 months salary for most Thais.

As for games with "adult" themes - they're precisely the games that appeal to teens! GTA always gets slammed in the mass media because whenever a new one is released, there's always parents buying it for their kids when they shouldn't be.

I'm sure that many local kids looking for something to do whilst kicking around the village would love the opportunity to play the latest consoles and games they could only dream of owning themselves. Why do you think those PS3 arcade machine are still popular over here? Even in Bangkok, where mean salaries are much higher. Expensive consoles are out of reach of the average Thai, they are a luxury item.

I could see FIFA 14 being huge in a village, all of the local school kids taking turns, perhaps the OP could even set up small tournaments and so on for a small entry fee.

If the OP is determined to invest his time and energy on a business from the previous decade then FIFA 14 would definately be one of the games he should have available.

Watchdogs is an entirely different animal: it is a role-playing game (amongst other things) with a level of depth that would require more commitment than just to pick-up-and-play in this kind of setting. Granted, there would be some potential for its novelty factor to appeal in multiplayer for when the teens gather round, marveling at the graphics and goading on their mate to do whatever it is that inspires them, but really I use the term 'real gamers' as to refer to people who invest time and money into being immersed into their gameworlds, gaming geeks, nerds, video game fans, dads who grew up with it since the Atari days. I realise using the term is problemmatic in this context but I am trying to express that Watchdogs is not the same sort of game that a bunch of teens having a crack in a social setting are going to get the most out of. I would say one of those shooters that appeal to console gamers would be more appropriate, and I am thinking precisely in terms of depth of gameplay experience.

Watchdogs is a very specialized kind of game, hacking city camera networks really ain't what's going to be the best draw in a Thai village.

Thai gaming fans with the resources to do so will get into Watchdogs, and they may also go against the cliche of the Thai mentality of not thinking ahead in order to be able to cope with the challenge of a relatively intellectual gameplay experience incorporating strategy and forward-thinking, patience and stealth, but for a business out in the sticks presumably trying to engage farmer's kids a business like this would be better offering something that gives them a more instant hit.

It's not that I'm saying they are incapable of playing such a game, but that a sophisticated and urban thinking person's game like Watchdogs must also be evaluated for the context of a rural, socialized and pay-as-you-go setting.

There's no reason why it could not be included in a range of offerings at the establishment, but it probably wouldn't last after the novelty wears off. Watchdogs is NOT the new Minecraft. I say that, not because you claimed it so, but because Minecraft has been highly influential in the gaming world and Watchdogs is merely Another Great Game (hopefully) like GTA, like Star Citizen may be, like hundreds of big and small name titles that are coming out these days. Thus for a business like this one must think in terms of the customer and the setting and choose one's product carefully from there. FIFA on the other hand, is ideal.

And.... you are painting it as though these village kids dream of playing Watchdogs and this business will open the way for them to do so. I highly doubt that. The kids from the village with no computer of their own will be far better accommodated with the more casual, console style gameplay instant gratification. Others, as noted by another poster, will already be online if not on the lastest tech, then on cheap iCopyBookPadPhone knock-off crap from China or wherever, bought at the local Mall as part of the now very common big face these supposedly poor people are getting from their pick-up trucks, plasma TVs, smart phones and Fino scooter bikes that are all the rage.

The idea these poor kids will be crowded round, goggle-eyed at an otherwise unattainable Watchdogs, or even remotely interested in it as opposed to something else, is as dated as the OP's vision of the business.

Now, I imagine from your posts (and nick), Glock3am, that you are a gamer same as me, though I suspect you are a console gamer whereas I am a PC gamer. Although I am not known to be a snob or even partake in the console vs PC crud that some people argue about, I do think we are coming at this from different angles. This is precisely why I think the OP is getting himself into something he has no idea about and whilst I'm sure in an ideal world you or I could come up with a selection of great games to set up in a business like this, I think no amount of suggestions from us is going to help the OP towards making a success of this idea.

So please understand I am not trying to put down your idea of having Watchdogs on the menu, but I am saying the OP would be incapable of managing something you yourself already have a good knowledge of and natural passion for. Meanwhile, the OP would be utterly lost at sea as to how to promote what he is supposed to be selling, though as I said, something like FIFA would be fine.

Whilst you have correctly deduced I am a gamer, I am certainly not primarily a console gamer - over 600 games on my Steam account says otherwise! (Plus many pre-ADSL days setting up and participating in LAN gaming events. In fact, I used to go to a small shop much like the OP is interested in setting up in the mid-90s because it was the only way at the time for my friends and I to experience proper multiplayer gaming together. It was so expensive, probably around $10 per hour!) Having said that, there are certain genres and exclusive titles that I play consoles for and I even have a ridiculous amount of mobile games too. I guess you could say I'm a "real gamer" as the format doesn't matter to me because they all have good things to offer!

My thinking of a game like Watch Dogs, or even better, another more arcade-like open world game like GTA V having appeal is in a bunch of kids sitting around rampaging against cops, dying, passing the controller to the next person, etc. Much like I did with friends for the first few on PS2.

I agree that there probably would not be any real lasting appeal with it compared to the sports games (football games in particular) or fighting games (Street Fighter seems popular enough here too) but it's worth having a diversion for when someone is interested in something different.

Edited June 8, 2014 by Glock3am

[bdenner]

I agree with several contributors, do your research. Our Isaan village (pop. about 1700) has seen several attempts at getting an Internet Shop viable over the past 12 years to no avail. Since 3G was commissioned here about 6 months ago most kids are wondering about with small iPad type devices and I'm guessing one in 5 homes now has Wifi installed.

[zyphodb]

Thanks for the comments people, including the nay sayers, all taken on board & just a point for some of you Iv'e been a PC gamer since about 2001 but I don't tend to go in for on-line gaming as being 50+ it's very frustrating being blown away by teenagers with much faster reactions than me & I'm not into long drawn out strategy or turn based games so can't beat them on intellect either, I just play as an escape when Iv'e nothing better to do, which is quite a lot in a small Village in Isaan.

Anyway Iv'e had my questions answered which is appriciated...

[krisb]

u will open yourself up to fines and tea money...anybody downloads a song then copyright is infringed and the police will be blackmailing you...forget it and play poker online instead

I'd tell the cop to get fkd.

[zyphodb]

So would I Krisb...

[Squeegee]

Whilst you have correctly deduced I am a gamer, I am certainly not primarily a console gamer - over 600 games on my Steam account says otherwise! (Plus many pre-ADSL days setting up and participating in LAN gaming events. In fact, I used to go to a small shop much like the OP is interested in setting up in the mid-90s because it was the only way at the time for my friends and I to experience proper multiplayer gaming together. It was so expensive, probably around $10 per hour!) Having said that, there are certain genres and exclusive titles that I play consoles for and I even have a ridiculous amount of mobile games too. I guess you could say I'm a "real gamer" as the format doesn't matter to me because they all have good things to offer!

My thinking of a game like Watch Dogs, or even better, another more arcade-like open world game like GTA V having appeal is in a bunch of kids sitting around rampaging against cops, dying, passing the controller to the next person, etc. Much like I did with friends for the first few on PS2.

I agree that there probably would not be any real lasting appeal with it compared to the sports games (football games in particular) or fighting games (Street Fighter seems popular enough here too) but it's worth having a diversion for when someone is interested in something different.

Yeah that's my point about Watchdogs: it might seem similar to GTA but it features hacking computer systems, stealth and strategy. For sure there are arcade-action style aspects to the gameplay but I think it's a totally different animal to GTA. If I were to set up a business like this I would go for GTA for a number of reasons, including the 'crime glamour' and it's multiplayer gameplay that ain't much different to the simple old days of mindless frag-fests. Both very good for appealing to kids bursting with fresh testosterone.

I was expecting my next post was going to be me saying something like "Well, we'll have to agree to disagree..." and I must say I'm really glad to read your last reply because I feel we're not really that far apart in our thinking.

I totally agree with you about fighting games, I was going to mention it before. Maybe it has something to do with the boxing tradition here.

Another point I could make to the OP is during your research you might also check out the Thai video gaming world. Thai kids have their own games and websites focused entired on this country whereby there's very little English on the screen. I noticed some of the extent of this mini-industry of Thai language games, sites and gaming when I was living up in Isaan and observed what the prathom kids were doing on school computers in their free time. Even the girls had their own thing with game/sites based around girly stuff; and if the boys were not blasting the enemy away they were on custom car design games.... all in Thai.

So it's not just the big names from the West or Japan/China/Korea that Thai kids consume.

Also, I meant to support another poster's suggestion of simply checking out what games are installed on a business competitor's systems. This would be the fastest way to get going for someone who is new to all this.

Finally, thanks OP for a nice comeback to our rather harsh criticism of your idea.

[belg]

one tablet per child operation on tax payers money and those internet cafes can close

but i guess those cheap tablets with 1 gig processor cannot play new or good games anyway

at night, you can turn it into an adult enterntainement gameplay business, do not forget to pay the BIB on time

[Daffy D]

The OP has obviously put a lot of thought into this venture and I hope it works for him

While there may not be any other internet cafe's in the area at the moment, if it is a success you can be sure someone will think what a good idea be along to open another one very quickly.

[zyphodb]

I realise that thanks Daffy, my saving grace is that to get internet here you need a 5 metre ariel with a line of sight dish on top capable of picking up from 18 Km away, rather expensive for the poor rice farmers around where I live unless they piggyback from mine which I'm, obviously not gonna let happen...

As I've said before beig, no BIB to pay where I live...

[Sayonarax]

Just start with 3-5 consoles with soccer games

Wasting you time with internet cafe. Sell snacks and drinks brought from makro? bulk buy store

Add a few desktops later for email and web chats

(Source: Ex GF set one up near ramkamheng university and still struggled with a 650k setup, sold her half and gtfo )

Edit: She did the console setup back in her town of buriram using the console and snack setup and did loads better.

Edited June 10, 2014 by Sayonarax

[Bardeh]

I realise that thanks Daffy, my saving grace is that to get internet here you need a 5 metre ariel with a line of sight dish on top capable of picking up from 18 Km away, rather expensive for the poor rice farmers around where I live unless they piggyback from mine which I'm, obviously not gonna let happen...

As I've said before beig, no BIB to pay where I live...

So you're on satellite internet? The latency will be awful for online gaming, and I really doubt the bandwidth will be sufficient for 10+ computers all connected and downloading at once.

[zyphodb]

Not sure if it's satellite at it's base, as I don't think we get satellite coverage around here, but it's relayed by microwave dish from about 18 km to me, I'm quite sketchy on the tek involved, only have to run 5 PC's on it so should be ok hopefully... I'm not anticipating all the PC's being used for online gaming most of the time, we're talking real hillbilly's out here, they'd be amazed just playing COD 4 modern warfare SP I should think...

[Bardeh]

Not sure if it's satellite at it's base, as I don't think we get satellite coverage around here, but it's relayed by microwave dish from about 18 km to me, I'm quite sketchy on the tek involved, only have to run 5 PC's on it so should be ok hopefully... I'm not anticipating all the PC's being used for online gaming most of the time, we're talking real hillbilly's out here, they'd be amazed just playing COD 4 modern warfare SP I should think...

Ah ok, I mean for just Facebooking and the like it should be fine, but the kids will already be able to do that on their phones. I would look at perhaps some games that would be able to be played over the LAN - then all the friends could come in together and play together. I think gaming will probably be your biggest draw - any internet cafe I've ever seen here in Thailand has always been full of kids playing games.

[zyphodb]

yep, I was thinking of LAN games too, but I live so far out in the sticks that most of the kids haven't even got tablets let alone smart phones, & most of the ones that have certainly can't afford monthly 3G bills...

[KunMatt]

You clearly haven't got any idea what you are doing, who you are trying to appeal to or how you are going to do it. Please give it a go and let us all know how it works out and how much money you make out of the "real hillbilly's out here", as you call them.

Anybody with a smart phone can get unlimited internet on 3G for 73 baht for 1 week with AIS, internet that is fast enough to stream video and play games, I presume you have phone signal where you live?. And anyone with a phone or tablet and a modicum of smarts will be able to make a wifi hotspot on their device and share it with all of their friends to use for a whole week, and I guarantee that this connection will be much better than the latency on your "satellite internet".

Promise you come back and tell everyone who warned you against this how much money and effort you lose to this silly venture.

[transam]

Is it still 10 bht an hour in the sticks ?...........

[KunMatt]

Is it still 10 bht an hour in the sticks ?...........

It's an untapped goldmine. Electricity is free, right?

[Oreganobag]

Most MMORPGs that Thais play are free, then they can buy in-game credits from game cards in shops like 7 and the like.

You've got free to play Valve games like TF2 and DotA2 and their pay to play CS:GO. One thing that these games all have in common - They're translated into Thai or require no translation (shooters). They're all free or cheap.

CoD probably isn't played by many (mostly because it is bigger on console than PC). Battlefield 3/4 is popular on PC though, but more Thai's would play TF2 and CS.

You won't find many people playing Western MMORPGs, mostly because they aren't translated to Thai and they're too complex to progress in without that translation or from someone that knows what they are doing (which there aren't many of). And because they're so expensive. WoW costs $60 for a license + $15 a month per account. This is common with many western MMORPGs. You probably wouldn't have to worry about these.

The console idea sounds genuine, though. Fifa will probably be a winner.

Other than that, most of the advice here has been sound. Internet is slowly catching up and in a 3-5 years will be within western standards of connectivity. You're probably too late to the bus, and while you might have a business for a little while, it won't flourish - it'll only flounder as time passes unless you have something incredibly unique that even better connectivity and cheaper computers/electronics that will come in a couple years couldn't fix.

From the sounds of it, you'd probably make more money opening an English tutoring school.