Thinking about opening a bar or club? Well, there is one question you need to think through. Is the nightclub industry the right choice for you?
There are, to put it simply, two types of people in the nightclub
industry: those who make it and those who don't. This is not an easy
route to take and far too many clubs fail within months due to poor management, lack of knowledge or both.
But there is also something else that causes failure and that is the basic
reason a person chooses to enter this business. Those just seeking to live
out a dream and who have nothing more than that to sustain it are most
likely going to lose everything. This is not some fantasy job, where you can
simply serve drinks, play music and expect to make money. It is a genuine
business and, if you are the wrong kind of person for it or have the wrong
reason of entering it, you will fail. On the other hand, if you approach it properly and are well prepared, you can succeed beyond your dreams.
I stress the dark side because it happens all the time, far too frequently to be
a coincidence. Even intelligent, well-prepared people can lose their
business so what chance does a person who is only entering this through the
basis of "It looks exciting"? You need a plan, a stable financial one. You need to be able to do things on your own. A mistake many people make is
filtering out all responsibilities; they do this to the point of excess and
no one is even aware who is in charge. You do not get into the nightclub
business to waive your rights to ownership. This is a full-time, full-effort
commitment.
Giving all control to club promoters is also a mistake; simply relying on your
passion is a mistake. These are not the reasons to go into the nightclub
business nor will they alone support you. Yes, I know, passion is important. It is your driving force and to make this work you need it in high supply. But you also need equal amounts of common sense (as in not thinking that a simple one dollar drink charge will bring the customers in) and a knowledge of how to promote yourself effectively (buying a few radio ads, for instance, is not going to
do you much good). Use your passion to drive you to understand the industry, to prepare you, to educate yourself.
Many people go into the nightclub business because they believe it will
sell itself and make them money. It doesn't work that way. This is a tight
industry to belong to and you have to know what you are doing. Your reasons
should be equal parts passion and business sense. Otherwise, you will fail.
This may sound like a harsh message and it is not meant to scare newcomers or to crush dreams. It is meant to prepare you for the reality, to encourage you to research and study the business, to position you for success. Take the time to sit down with a club owner and ask them if everything "just happened" for them. Most likely they will tell you the tremendous amount of effort that went into the club. If they are doing well, they'll tell you it was worth every bit of it.
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