§1What this business is

You run a room with a few computers, a printer and an internet line. Walk-in customers pay to browse, email, print and fill online forms. Between walk-ins you take back-office work from offices that do not want their own staff for it — data entry, insurance-claim papers, payroll sheets and tax filings. The KVIC profile starts with 5 computers and adds more as customers grow.

Capacity: Service income ₹11.00 lakh a year at full use (profile cost table).

§2Is it right for you?

Who it is for

Someone comfortable with computers and government websites who can sit at the counter all day.

Who it is not for

Someone who expects income from browsing alone — the money is in form-filling, printing and office work.

Advantages

  • Small investment and a short start-up time
  • Online forms, printing and scanning are needed in every town
  • Back-office work gives steady income beyond walk-ins
  • No raw material to store

Drawbacks

  • Most people now browse on their phones, so plain browsing income is low
  • Computers go out of date in 3–4 years
  • Income depends on the shop's location and hours
  • Price competition from Common Service Centres and print shops

Skills you need

  • Computer and printer upkeep
  • Government portals and online forms
  • Typing and data entry
  • Customer handling

Why difficulty 2/5: Easy to set up; the hard part is finding steady office work beyond walk-ins.

§3Market

Who buys

  • People without their own internet access
  • Travellers who need to stay in touch
  • Institutions, organisations and individuals who outsource back-office work

How it sells

  • Walk-in customers at the centre
  • Contracts for insurance-claim processing, payroll and tax work

Good to know

  • The profile lists equipment of ₹4,98,200 in total; the itemised lines above add up to less, so ask suppliers for a full quote.
  • Start with 5 PCs and add more as customers grow (profile advice).

§4Raw material & machinery

ItemQtyCost
Computers5₹2.25 lakh
Proxy server1₹0.75 lakh
10/100 Mbps hub1₹5,000
UPS (C-DOT)1₹17,500
ISDN modem1₹17,000
Telephone sets3₹2,400
UTP CAT5 cable60 m₹1,800
Inkjet printer (HP)1₹8,000

From: KVIC Project Profile — CYBER CAFÉ & BACK OFFICE SERVICES (PMEGP)

  • Paper, ink and stationerythe profile books ₹72,300 a year under raw material
  • Internet bandwidthmore PCs need more bandwidth (the profile adds phone lines through an internet gateway)

From: KVIC Project Profile — CYBER CAFÉ & BACK OFFICE SERVICES (PMEGP)

§5Licences & registration

  1. Udyam
  2. GST (if turnover crosses the limit)
  3. Shop and establishment registration / trade licence
  4. Police or local-body permission for a cyber café where the state rules require it

We can do this registration for you

§6Schemes & subsidies

A ₹6.67 lakh service project: PMEGP fits; MUDRA (Shishu/Kishore) can fund the computers; small enough for UP's CM-YUVA range.

§7Money

How the investment is worked out: KVIC profile: workshed 480 sq ft ₹96,000 + equipment ₹4,98,200 (5 computers, proxy server, hub, UPS, modem, phones, cabling, printer) = capital ₹5,94,200; working capital ₹72,300; total ₹6,66,500. Land own.

Working capital: Working capital ₹72,300 — mostly paper, ink and running costs.

Year not printed on the KVIC profile — check current machinery prices. The equipment list (ISDN modem, telephone lines) is old; today's set-up uses broadband.

How to prepare a loan file

§8Export potential

A local service business; it has no goods to export.

§9Risks — where people fail

  • Falling demand for paid browsing
  • Hardware breakdowns and virus problems
  • Cyber-law duties — keeping a user log where the state requires it
  • Late payment from office clients

§1030 / 60 / 90-day plan

A general plan that applies to any business. A plan for this business will be added after research.

  1. Days 1–30: Visit a working cyber café & back-office services unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
  2. Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (Udyam, GST (if turnover crosses the limit)), a project report (DPR), and the scheme or loan file.
  3. Days 61–90: Space and machines, trial production, and first deliveries to 10 customers.

§11Who to connect with

Not verified yet

Associations, clusters and training institutes — the directory is being built. Connect

§12Watch

There is no episode on this business yet. Shows are coming soon on the Podcast page.

Want to start Cyber Café & Back-Office Services?

DPR, loan file or registration — ask us on WhatsApp.

Get a DPR / loan file made

Sources

  1. KVIC Project Profile — CYBER CAFÉ & BACK OFFICE SERVICES (PMEGP)

Data review: 6 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Report it. For information only — not legal or financial advice.