If you are a young entrepreneur and looking to get into a very profitable business, learning how to open a nightclub can seem like a very attractive option. Some people who want to get into the business will search for a club that already has a client base to work with. However, there is nothing like the feeling of building your own company from the ground up. Though it may seem like “easy money” there are actually a lot of things to consider when opening a nightclub. Fortunately, there is more science than luck involved. So, hiring the right people and doing the proper amount of research can turn any eager person into a full-fledged club owner.
Location
Choosing the location for your nightclub is very important for a number of reasons. First off, the demographics in the area surrounding your location will play a huge role in the type of clientele you can expect. If the people in your neighborhood are middle class, then having a high-end nightclub will probably fail. However, if there are a good percentage of top earners and there isn’t a classy place to serve their needs already, this can be a huge opportunity. Building your nightclub for the community around you is the first ingredient in your recipe for success.
Also, most people figuring out how to open a nightclub build inside an existing building that is either purchased or leased. You want to make sure your location is in a highly visible area with lots of foot traffic. Additionally, having other businesses around it can be beneficial, too. You can attract a lot of attention to your club with lights and activity, but having tons of traffic going by can make your bar full in a hurry.
Bar Design
The design of your bar is very important to the length of stay of each customer; and subsequently the amount of money they spend! This is key information when learning how to open a nightclub. The best design for a nightclub bar is a horseshoe shape because it allows your guests to look at each other and interact. The more your guests interact, the longer they will stay because mingling is the driving factor behind most people’s visit.
Additionally, you need to make sure there is a good “traffic pattern” for your club. Just like on a highway, you want there to be “lanes” of foot traffic around crucial areas of your bar that lead to the dance floor. Having these lanes causes everyone to walk past each other countless times which will stimulate conversation and lead to longer stay times.
Management
Implementing god management staff is very important to the success of your business. If you have weak leadership in your bar or nightclub, everything else will fall apart. Take your time and interview dozens of candidates. You need to find management personnel that have experience in the bar industry and can also be friendly and sociable. There is nothing worse than a rude management staff, and you will see customers walk out the door in a hurry it this happens. Hold your managers to a high level of expectations and reward them for quality work.
Staff
Your staff will be the face of your nightclub, acting as the liaisons from your business to the customer. Choosing friendly and qualified people for your bartender and server positions is very important. It will keep a professional running bar with fast and efficient service. You want to make sure the staff is friendly and able to handle stressful situations gracefully. Furthermore,they need to have plenty of experience in their job position. All that being said, it is still up to your managers. They make sure the staff is properly trained and has the full set of tools they need to excel in their position.
You also want to make sure that you have a very competent security staff. Obviously, you’ll want a security guard at the front door. Their job is to check IDs and make sure people aren’t bringing in weapons or liquor bottles. Additionally, you want to have security inside the club monitoring all of your guests. Usually, you will have at least one security guard that is very obviously dressed in case someone needs help immediately. However, another in regular street clothes to “infiltrate” the crowd to spot potential problems before they occur is wise, too.
Liquor Choices
Most people wondering how to open a nightclub will need to brush up on their liquor knowledge. Having the right mix of liquors is very important to making the most profit possible at your location. You want to make sure you have all the big names that people will order, as well as “rail” versions for people who don’t want to spend top-shelf prices. You may think that the top-shelf liquors will be your biggest money makers; but that isn’t true at all. People are expecting to pay a premium for any drink at a club, so you can have high prices on a basic cocktail. Then, you can add a reasonable surcharge for the premium liquors to increase your profits. This way, you won’t have the problem of everyone drinking the cheap stuff while your premium spirits are left untouched.
Also, you want to avoid buying too many types of liquor. Obviously, you want a good selection and all the common brands people ask for by name. However, that doesn’t mean you need 30 different brands of vodka. Keep the variety of liquor you have reasonable and your profits will soar. Never forget that you can drive the sales of a specific type of liquor just by offering customers drinks that are made with it a s an ingredient. With that information, you should be able to control your top sellers effectively.
