Please tell me why this business idea will or won't work

April 1, 2009 7:41 PM

I have an idea for a small local business. However, I want honest feedback from a group of my peers about whether or not it's viable or marketable. That's where you come in...

I've been asked by a colleague at work to help her control her children's access to the internet. She is a very intelligent woman, but not technical by any stretch. She is also a therapist in behavioral health and has horror stories to tell about kids with unfettered web access 24/7. I have agreed to help her set up some basic access controls and monitoring software. If she needs this, how many other parents out there need it?

Here is my business idea: teach parents how to monitor and control their children's internet access in an age appropriate manner. Provide in home training on their own hardware. Sell them extra hardware if they need it. Do this in a friendly, courteous manner at a reasonable cost.


Details: for little kids, install sand-box white list controls and only allow access to what the parent okays ahead of time. For older kids, more freedom, but continued monitoring. For tech savvy teens, locked down configurations with router based filtering etc, but a clear explanation that there's only so much you can do once they really understand computers.

I see this as being an in home service, with the basic package being an hour of teaching/setup. Additional services could be wireless network setup, additional teaching, and maybe networking hardware.

Before you all scream at me for wanting to limit kids access to information, relax, I'm with you on that. That's one of the reasons I want to offer this service. I hate filters like NetNanny because they don't work and provide a false sense of security. I want parents to understand what the web is about and have an honest dialogue with their kids.

Here's where you can help:
1. Tell me why this idea will or won't work.
2. Point me to other people offering a similar service.
3. Profit???

posted by cosmicbandito to Computers & Internet (17 answers total)

Well, I'd sure as heck consult with a lawyer on a contract that will protect you from liability.

Remember the recent court case in which a teenager committed suicide after being taunted on a web forum of some kind? Imagine if there was someone involved who was hired to keep the teenager away from sites like that, but the kid got through it somehow. I can imagine that the parents might want to sue everybody they could.
posted by amtho at 7:50 PM on April 1, 2009

Your target demographic is professionals with young kids. They are mostly 30-40, college educated, make good money, and don't have much time. The subset of this group that is computer illiterate (i.e., unable to do this themselves) is minuscule. The subset of this group that doesn't have at least one technical friend is even smaller. Plus the fact that you will have no repeat clients makes this completely infeasible.

In addition, this is a solved problem. Anyone who doesn't know technology who wants this will go to the local Best Buy/equivalent-chain and tell a sales guy what they want to do. The sales guy will pull a $20 piece of software off the shelf, and will send them on their way. That's going to be more than sufficient for most people.
posted by lambdac at 7:51 PM on April 1, 2009

I think between existing software (both 3rd party and within the OS - and OS's are getting better and better about including this kind of functionality) and the information out on the 'net, most people (especially the segment of the population you would target) could figure this out fairly quickly. I just don't think this kind of expertise rises to the level of being business-worthy nor do I think it would be particularly profitable. It's just my hunch.

I'm not a dream killer though by any means so I'd say the best way to find out is to give it a go small-scale and utilize word-of-mouth advertising through your clients to determine the market and viability. You may or may not be pleasantly surprised.

Good luck!
posted by karizma at 8:11 PM on April 1, 2009

Why are you limiting yourself to this niche service? I doubt there's a particularly large market for your internet childproofing service. That isn't to say there is no market, just that it is likely very small.

Could you broaden out the class of services you offer -- maybe something like A to Z home networking installation with the kiddy-proofing as an optional service? If you are cheaper than Geek Squad, and provide a high quality service with the little extras that only a local small business could provide, you may be better off.

One thing that would be very cool (if not feasible) would be to target people who are moving to broadband (either new residents or upgraders), and offer to be on call during the cable/fios/dsl installation window, come over while the installer is there, check their work, and get to settin' up the network ASAP.
posted by i love cheese at 8:14 PM on April 1, 2009

I also think that the market could be pretty small for the same reasons others have listed. But I'm a member of a bigger and growing market: people with internet-based businesses in their homes. When I'm not figuring out how to solve my own problems, I'm at friends' houses trying to figure out theirs.

It's more than straightforward tech stuff. I need someone who understands small business and can recommend VOIP solutions and fax services, set up my Linux netbook for business use, figure out a way to get files from a client who insists on using some sort of synchronizing software that doesn't work on my machine, etc. etc. etc.

And for new equipment or software, I spend far too much time sorting through options. I need someone who understands my business needs and who can narrow down the options for me.

If I called a Geek Squad kind of place, I could get someone with little business knowledge, and I'd probably get a different person each time I called. But a local consultant who would become familiar with my business and my setup would be wonderful, and I'd pay a premium for that.
posted by PatoPata at 8:55 PM on April 1, 2009 [1 favorite]

Your target demographic is professionals with young kids. They are mostly 30-40, college educated, make good money, and don't have much time. The subset of this group that is computer illiterate (i.e., unable to do this themselves) is minuscule. The subset of this group that doesn't have at least one technical friend is even smaller. Plus the fact that you will have no repeat clients makes this completely infeasible.

I disagree; working helpdesk support at a Big 12 university, it's frightening how little people know about computers.

Unfortunately, as someone with more than a passing knowledge with behavioral theory, learning theory, and the technology at hand, I still don't think you've got a viable full-time business. A part-time business sure -- but I think it's going to cost you more in legal fees to get good contracts set up than you'll ever make off of it.

Behaviorally, all the restrictions that you're talking about putting in place will do is teach the children better avoidance skills at an earlier age. Case in point: At age 12, I was so addicted to BBSes that my parents were disconnecting the phone jack at the outside of the house when I was supposed to be doing homework because I'd soldered in a cutout on the modem speaker so that I could silence the old "beeeBEEEE *fryingbacon*" noise that it made. On one hand, I had some pretty amazing soldering skills for a 12 year old and I had figured out how to order the soldering and desoldering iron via mail order forms in the back of my Popular Science subscription. On the other hand, I'm not sure that this was exactly what they had in mind when they thought that a computer would be an excellent educational tool.

And we won't even TALK about the day I discovered internet porn.

The best way that I've seen for parents to manage their kids internet access is to actually manage it. There's no technical solutions that cannot be bypassed by a sufficiently motivated twelve year old. Not having computers and an internet connection is not an option; filtering software can be bypassed easily at need if a child has physical access to the machine and sufficient time and desire to bypass it. If I ever have children, the only computers in the house with a connection to the internet will be in a 'public' place, with the monitors facing a well-supervised area. They can have full, unfettered access to the worst the internet has to offer -- but I *will* be looking over their shoulders.
posted by SpecialK at 9:19 PM on April 1, 2009 [2 favorites]

Great idea - of course there are plenty of ways that parents could do this themselves, but the market for you is the fact that they don't. Laziness and inertia are your friends. You are providing a easy way to do (writing a check) something they know they should do themselves but "just haven't got around" to yet.

And it is a repeat business - kids age, technology evolves. Maybe there's a regular monitoring service you could provide.

Charge $149 a pop.

Personally however, I'm not sure how much of the this stuff (quoting you) "I want parents to understand what the web is about and have an honest dialogue with their kids". I suspect they just want is the end result. I don't think you'll succeed if you insist on making them better parents. Provide a well-defined service, take a fee. Repeat.


- Xhris

I'd love to brainstorm this idea further - if you wanted to memail me
posted by Xhris at 9:50 PM on April 1, 2009 [1 favorite]

I like the idea - especially as one of a number of services offered the professional person with little time but wants to keep their kids in check. Yes, the software can work - something you can provide as an expert instead of having spend hours finding the right program(s). Make this an 'on-the-spot' deal where you install the software, show them how it works, and so on. Pull together the info they need - the acronyms kids use, danger signs of too much internet, etc. Personal services have lost a lot of meaning - maybe you become known as the computer fix-it / maintenance man who still makes house calls. Nothing against Geek Squad, et al. but I've heard too many horror stories of computers getting 'lost' or leaving with fees and more problems than they started with.


I somewhat doubt you want to get into the business of 'I want parents to understand what the web is about and have an honest dialogue with their kids'. I'd prefer to explain some things to my (future) kids myself - the internet, the birds and bees, evolution vs. creationism.

As for the fear about contracts, a simple one-page boilerplate agreement can't be that hard to draft. It simply needs to absolve you of any issues that arise from your professional duties and obligations from your client hiring you. Find the service agreement from the Geek Squad et al and go from there.

Give it a try, starting with nights, weekends, whenever you're free. Advertise locally, word-of-mouth, but look and play the role of a professional. You're charging premium dollars for your professionalism and time - just like most of your clients do.
posted by chrisinseoul at 10:37 PM on April 1, 2009

I think some people here are overestimating the willingness and ability of a lot of professional parents to deal with hinky irritating stuff like setting up internet filtering. I have my doubts that you'd be able to make a living at it. You should run the numbers, how much do you plan/think you can charge, how much time do you think it will take you, how many customers will you need a month? What's it going to take to bring in that much business? I think you'd do better offering a wider range of home tech services. The parent internet safety stuff could be a something that might help you get attention and stand out a little.
posted by Good Brain at 11:08 PM on April 1, 2009 [1 favorite]

I hate filters like NetNanny because they don't work and provide a false sense of security.

Aren't there ISPs offer filtering as a 'value add' service? With a fairly simple on/off via web interface?

Admittedly, any filtering that messes with the client computer can be removed; and any filtering that doesn't mess with the client computer has to either allow encrypted connections without monitoring, or block them, and blocking them would be pretty lame. So ISP filtering isn't a panacea, but can you offer anything better?

You've got the idea of training users too, which is good, but how effectively can your training compete with the free advice/documentation already available on the web?
posted by Mike1024 at 12:27 AM on April 2, 2009

One thing that could make it even tougher to be profitable is that you'd get tech support calls every time something goes wrong the clients' internet connections (ADSL playing up, malware, misconfigured wifi, etc.). Even if it's nothing to do with the filtering they'll sometimes think it is, especially with the hardware option, and you really don't want to become their on-call tech support.

(If you want to make use of technical skills for a business then something like setting up Asterisk for small-/medium-sized businesses would probably be more viable)
posted by malevolent at 12:32 AM on April 2, 2009

It might work. Try it and see.

Mrs. Fields and Colonel Sanders had lousy ideas and they worked.

Here's the deal.... is there a market? Can you access it and serve it? Is it profitable?

Find ONE customer and meet his needs while charging him money. At the end of that project, ask these three questions again. When YOU have the answer, report back so we'll all know!

That's how enterprise works. Just do it.
posted by FauxScot at 3:41 AM on April 2, 2009

Whether or not your potential clients can do this is kind of irrelevant; what matters is whether they think it makes more sense for you to do this than for them. Are you more cost-effective? Faster? Give them time to make dinner rather than tinker with the monitor software? Focus your marketing: identify your market, figure out the problem they have, and show how you solve it.

I don't have kids so I have no idea whether this is a viable full-time business, but you never know; do it well, with an affluent and time-starved enough target clientele, and word of mouth may carry you into a good part-time business at least. Good luck!
posted by catlet at 5:17 AM on April 2, 2009

Behaviorally, all the restrictions that you're talking about putting in place will do is teach the children better avoidance skills at an earlier age. Case in point: ...

I concur. My parents put a BIOS password on the computer to keep me off without parental approval. Initially I would reset the BIOS by popping out the battery on the motherboard, but this would show obvious signs of tampering (To the point where they locked the case closed). To solve this problem, I wrote my first program: it emulated the BIOS password screen, saved the entered password to a file and promptly faux-locked-up the system leaving my victim (parent) none the wiser.

There is no technical solution a properly motivated aspiring geek cannot circumvent. I guess those who circumvent the system are probably destined for decent math/science/tech jobs at least...
posted by wrok at 5:46 AM on April 2, 2009

I don't have any kids and I don't plan to have any, but if I did and if I wanted to restrict kid access to the Internet, I'd outfit the kid's computer with a 9600 baud modem. There it is, kid. Wait for it.
posted by notyou at 7:38 AM on April 2, 2009

1. Tell me why this idea will or won't work.
2. Point me to other people offering a similar service.
3. Profit???

First of all, great questions! And Great Answers!
1. This idea will work, but I agree with those saying you shouldn't limit yourself. With the economy the way it is, I suggest you perform a personal "geek squad" service.
2. There are a lot of new ventures in this nature. However, there is a big need for it. Companies and individuals will not pay for a new computer if you can fix it for them at an affordable price. This would be the problem with AS400s. They are still using them but no one is trained on managing them. You could make a Killing!
3. The profit margin is small. They key here is to get independent contractors (preferably, geeks in college). The overhead is low and the knowledge is plentiful.
Good Luck!
posted by redandblue at 9:09 AM on April 2, 2009 [1 favorite]

I don't know how feasible of a business idea this could be, but if I were in the market for what you're offering, here's what I would do/expect:

Set up a small workstation that functions as a home router and has installed a piece of software like Dansguardian. It allows different levels of permissions for different users, but you do need to have an authentication scheme set up.

For younger kids, set it up with the most restrictive settings.
For older teens, set it up with the temporary override feature, where it will block access to a restricted page but allow the user to temporarily override it and log the occurrence.

Have the software send an email to the parent every time the override is invoked, and (I don't know if DG can do it, but...) figure out some way to generate reports that show the most commonly visited sites and other statistics. Make it easily readable and relevant so someone with no technical understanding whatsoever can figure out what their kid is doing.

A lot of pressure is put on parents to automagically "know" what their kids are doing online, but it's an unrealistic expectation when their kids have more time to play, experiment and learn the technology (and ways to circumvent it) than they do. See the stories above about kids programming false interfaces and soldering off speaker connections. Parents just can't compete with that.
posted by Ziggy Zaga at 10:05 AM on April 2, 2009