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"Have a Good Time or Make it Your Good Time"
December 12, 2009
Category: Business Reviews
I don’t know how you feel about it, but I love the concept behind hotels, pubs and similar establishments, as they build a business on the idea of making your stay a memorable one in a city, district or region you occassionally visit, or where you are a regular. The owners of such ventures are all-rounders by nature, by not only providing a place to chat, drink, or a room to rent, but they constantly seek methods to broaden their services to please their customers, and in turn, to attract more customers. So it is in First Life, and it is no wonder that similar businesses spawned within the realm of Second Life, as well.
This time reporter, Vazul Neximus, will introduce you to the trade secrets of such a Second life business, which is the establishment called Good Times. I teleported to their first location at http://slurl.com/secondlife/Noul/23/86/150 where owner, Povo Magic, showed me around the place.
Good Times has been in business since November 28, 2008. They started as a small rental plaza, which over time grew to a more substantial size offering many more services and products. By November 27, 2009, they opened their second, much larger location (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Tryggvason/157/157/49 in-world).
The beginning
The vital question in any business is the founding idea, so my first question was about their motivation. Povo explained that building in Second Life always has been his interest, and he saw the business aspect as an opportunity to fund a building project. Good Times was designed to provide needed goods and services to the SL community at affordable rates. That remained their main goal ever since. They want to provide an atmosphere where people can feel relaxed while they come to hang out, shop, or check some of their rentals. Sure you want to find out if they had success in their efforts? Keep reading, as we will take a look at their business aspects below as well.
As I mentioned, such establishments are abudant in First Life, and there are a few in Second Life as well, so I inquired what makes their place special among the same on the market? Povo told me, "It is definitely the atmosphere they maintain". At their place, everyone can feel comfortable and welcome; however, it is also important that people know how they can find the place. They use various advertising methods, but what they noticed to be the most effective is word of mouth. They see first time visitors come back with friends all the time.
Talking about visitors and friends, I inquired about them a bit. Povo told me "They have numerous people, of all kinds, come through both their locations every day". He pointed out the business aspect of it, as well as all of their ad boards are rented out and most of them receive lots of clicks. This can also help contribute to the running fees of such ventures.
Services, Support and Employment Possibilities
About all the diverse facilities can be found there. I was told that Good Times provides services for everybody. For newer players, they offer services, jobs, lindens, and a great customer support staff that can help them with anything.
For their business minded visitors, they offer low cost advertising boards and shop rentals. Other services they offer; include gaming, apartments, shopping, theaters, events and a club. Povo also told me about one of his hobbies, as he has been known to make custom tattoos for friends and customers on request.
They have conveniently placed Help buttons all over their land, in order to provide their users with quick and easy access to their customer service team to learn more. Also, their staff is fluent in 5 languages, and they are trained to help people with all their needs; regardless, if they are one day in or they are SL Business Veterans. Furthermore, the staff is there to assist everyone, not just paying customers, as they want to make sure everyone has the best possible SL experience.
Additionally, Good Times is home to Second Life Resources, an up and coming Job Agency in Second Life, which has provided jobs to many SL Residents already. Also, Good Times II (their second location) does private parties and events at extremely affordable rates.
As I bet many of our readers are curious to find out more about employment possibilities, so I proceeded to ask Povo, if they themselves are seeking Residents to strengthen their ranks. He told me that "Good Times" is always hiring new staff, and their mission is to hire people they can teach, train and develop to help guide them into the next level of their Second Life". "Many members of their staff have climbed the ranks and developed the knowledge, experience and skills they need to start their own business ventures, he said.
Running Costs and Advice
Hey, this is SL Business News, isn’t it? So let’s take a look at the maintenance costs as well; so we can determine if it is worth it to start such a venture in-world, if there’s good money in it, and how we can start such a business.
I was the most curious about if they generate enough revenue to keep it going by itself.
Regarding this, Povo explained that just like in First Life, a Second Life business takes a lot of time and investments to get started. Initially, "Good Times" was funded with a good combination of lindens he has earned in-world, as well as personal funds. Over time, he learned more and as "Good Times" grew, they had reached a point where their sales covered their tiers and they were able to maintain a small profit. Typically; however, all their profit is reinvested into their business, at this point, or donated to neighborhood newbies to help them get a good start in SL.
Opening their second location was definitely a very positive memory for him.
"It feels great to see "Good Times" presence in SL grow, and to know that all the time invested has payed off". "I am absolutely certain that the best days are still ahead of us and I am really excited for whats to come”, he commented.
Related to this and their future plans, he pointed out they have just gone through a nearly 300 percent expansion in size in the past month, so they are currently busy improving the new place. Thus, he summarized their plans as, "We will see where that takes us and until then, play it by ear”.
As for newcomers, he also had a bit of advice. According to him, if you intend to start a business, you should have a lot of patience and don’t expect immediate results. Start small, and grow as you start to see your business grow. If you don’t see results at first, keep trying, as sometimes it takes a bit of patience to find the formula that works right.
So, no matter if you are a businessman searching for a nice place to open your own shop, a new Resident looking for a job and free lindens, or an advertiser seeking a place with high traffic so that many people can be informed about your products; you will find something useful at "Good Times". Above all, you can meet fellow Residents of all kinds there, while enjoying the provided services, and there is a good chance that these contacts will prove fruitful in your future businesses.
I hope I could also provide you an insight about the know-how of such a venture. Make sure you pay them a visit, if for nothing else; to chat, experience free games, and to get informed about the possibilities of your Second Life, just like I have done, when I was a newcomer to this world as well!
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