Do you want to create a place where people love to be? One of the most exciting businesses you can create is a nightclub or bar. Everyone loves to have somewhere new to hang out. If you make somewhere with a lively atmosphere and excellent drinks, you could see yourself making a lot of money.
Don’t be fooled into thinking this is easy, though. In fact, bars are amongst the most challenging businesses to run. You’ll be competing with other establishments in your area, and have to give people a reason to come to yours over anyone else’s. It’s worth learning about drinks and licensing laws to make it easier on yourself.
If you’re willing to take on the challenge, it’s a business idea with a high limit. If you become a premier location for people in your city, you could be looking at loads of money. As well as selling drinks, you can generate revenue from events and sponsorships. Here are some of the keys to running a successful nightclub or bar.
Pick The Right Location
You’ll need to get a building with plenty of space. After all, you’ll need sitting areas, bars, and most likely a dancefloor. You’ll also need toilet facilities and plenty of storage for drinks and supplies.
The size isn’t the most important factor, though. Choosing the right location is crucial to being successful. For instance, you’re unlikely to get any customers if you set up a nightclub in an elderly residential area. Bustling, metropolitan cities and busy college towns are the best spots.
You don’t necessarily have to pick somewhere known for nightlife, though. Setting up somewhere with lots of young people without many choices can make you the favorite for locals. Either way, remember to pick somewhere with a lot of footfall and preferably plenty of young adults close by.
Create An Infectious Atmosphere
The importance of the atmosphere in your bar or club can’t be stressed enough. If people enter a bar with no music, limited seating, and poor lighting, they’re unlikely to stay for long.
You want seating areas to look stylish. Make plenty of room for people to chill with their drinks and get some stylish lounge furniture. You might also want a VIP area. It can attract parties and high-end clients, so make it attractive and offer bottle service to VIPs.
Lighting and sound are also crucial. Nightclubs will want flashy architectural lighting to create a mood. They’ll also want the best commercial sound system to keep the dance floor moving. Your atmosphere doesn’t necessarily have to be loud and lively.
A lot of bars prefer to create a more relaxed atmosphere, with quiet music, understated lighting, and less dancing space. Either way, create a mood that will make your customers want to come in and not leave until the end of the night.
Decide On Selling Points
Since the bar and club industry is highly competitive, you’ll need to give people a reason to come to yours. First of all, you should do some research on other establishments in the area. Find out what they’re offering to bring in customers and try to beat them. Also, figure out what they’re not providing to customers so you can provide it yourself.
For example, maybe your street is full of loud sports bars. Perhaps you can attract another crowd with a classy cocktail bar. Maybe other clubs in the area only play popular music. You could become the club of choice for lovers of alternative music, or even offer live music nights.
Focusing on a niche can help you become the favorite spot for a particular crowd. However, bars and clubs can be versatile and cater to various tastes. A lot of successful clubs offer fun nights with cheap drinks during the week to bring in college students. Then they ramp the prices up on the weekends for the working people hitting the town.
You can also offer different music nights. Even if you play hit music most nights, offering a cheesy pop night or a classic rock event can draw another crowd. If people with different tastes go to your club on certain nights and end up enjoying it, they’ll come back more often!
Bar Staff And Bouncers
Creating a good customer experience is vital, so you’ll need the right staff. Make sure you get plenty of hard-working and patient bar people who are willing to deal with drunk patrons. Students often like to work as bar staff due to the casual hours, but they’ll need to be over 18.
Cleaning staff and glass collectors are essential for all bars and clubs. You should also consider hiring trained bartenders who can create everyone’s favorite cocktails.
Make sure you also have professional security staff. Drunk people can get out of hand. If something kicks off, you’ll want bouncers to break it up instantly. A club with a lot of commotion is likely to make people not want to come back. Ensure your staff promote a safe and fun environment at all times.
Start Marketing
If everything’s in place and you have the bar stocked up, it’s time to start attracting customers.
Social media is huge for promoting new clubs and bars. Make sure you interact with customers and post fun content to keep people engaged. You might also want to post about interests relevant to your drinking spot. For instance, if you run a sports bar, get involved with football and baseball discussions on Twitter. Most bars and clubs also post photo galleries of their best nights on Facebook. This is fun for the customers and shows their lively atmosphere to potential new ones.
You should also have staff distribute eye-catching flyers and posters. Make sure your promotional materials include your bar’s name, location, and social media pages for more info. Also, highlight your selling points. For instance, if you’re making a flyer for a student night, put your drinks deals in large text and mention the kind of music you’ll be playing.
Word-of-mouth is the biggest factor in bringing people to a bar or club. Make sure you give customers everything they need to have the best night of their lives. If you become known as the best cocktail bar in town, or the go-to student spot, business will ramp up fast.
