Home Page

YOU CAN'T DO IT ALL YOURSELF!
By Rich Unger


Why do Nightclub, Bar, Lounge, and Sports Bar Owners make so many costly "Management Mistakes"?
Here are some of the most significant reasons:


1. TRYING TO DO IT ALL YOURSELF
An Owner and even The General Manager has to be concerned with the day to day aspects of the operation.
The Employees, the ordering, the hiring, the maintenance, the bill paying, the various diverse
responsibilities that are taken for granted but that take your time, your attention.
So, how can you possibly be able to think about the "CREATIVITY" segment of operating your establishment?
You can't.


2. FAILING TO UNDERSTAND THE TRUE MEANING OF MARKETING
Stop listening to the salespeople from Radio Stations, who are pushing thirty second spots on you, to meet your budget, but they know full well thirty second spots do not work and are worthless just as almost all radio itself is to draw in patrons and justify it's own cost per spot.
The Free nightlife Publication ad person, who swears by this publication, that is given out free once a week or once a month, what's the difference it's another waste of valued marketing dollars.
The "Street Team" that promises to hand out every flyer to potential clubgoers or patrons for your establishment.
Just plain worthless.
Marketing means reaching, drawing in and bringing back clubgoers and patrons on a consistent basis, and generating a return of $10 for every $1 you spend.
Results. Not false promises, long term contracts that tie you down to spending yet not seeing a return.
Your Marketing is a reflection of whom you are targeting to spend, party, stay, spread the word and enjoy your establishment.
This is never ever to be done on a whim or someone's word.


3. HIRING FRIENDS OR FAMILY THEN REGRETTING IT
Never hire Family, never hire Friends.
Far too much tension, way too much friction arises, when Family thinks they have the Authority they really do not have, and when Friends think they can be lax and not follow the policies in place.
Avoid this kind of unnecessary aggravation by not hiring Family or Friends.
When a Relative is not an Owner and when a Friend is not empowered to have the authority, so many situations develop that can be totally avoided by never ever hiring either.


4. FAILING TO TAKE ACTION AGAINST UNSATISFACTORY EMPLOYEES
Why would you allow your DJ to curse over your microphone?
Why would you allow your Manager to sleep with an employee?
Why would you allow your bartender to over pour, come up short in their register, buy friends drinks, drink while working?
Why would you allow your Manager not to be at work on the busy nights?
Why would you allow your Security Personnel to be overbearing, threatening, rude, and a danger to your patrons, creating a major image problem for your establishment?
Why would you trust or work with Club Promoters who have no one or anything but themselves at heart?
Why would you allow your door person to keep coming up short on the cash and allowing their friends in free?


5. FAILING TO FOLLOW THE PRINCIPALS OF PROFITABLE CASH MANAGEMENT
What good are drink specials that fill your bar up, put patrons wall to wall, yet the liquor costs are cutting out almost all the profit?
What is the logic behind giving away cheap beer, and generating sales but no cash flow?
What sense does it make to bring in GUEST DJs that cost more than your Cover Charge can
pay, in addition to the Marketing that is required?
What good is paying for entertainment that at best is a roll of the dice and does not fit in your Format, or your Establishment?
You should be socking away cash in a Money Market Account, and not working another job just to keep this establishment going, or drawing cash from another source to fund this place.
Every single avenue of income from within your establishment should be wide open creating tremendous cash flow and PROFITS.


6. FAILING TO ASK FOR OUTSIDE HELP
By their very nature, Owners and General Managers would rather lose money, continue operating slow nights, surviving just on Weekend Nights, then use common sense and seek outside EXPERTISE.
I will never understand the sheer arrogance and ignorance of Owners and Managers who are in MAJOR DENIAL that anyone could possibly know more than they do, and could help them find the right course of action, the right strategy, the right game plan to pack their place?
Whatever is their thinking that if they didn't think of, it can't be logical or work?
How can they process fresh new insight, if they refuse to accept, have an open mind and seek someone who can look at this establishment's situation from the outside looking in, with no hidden agenda?
They refuse to admit their own experience may be lacking.
They lose tens of thousands of dollars because of their attitudes.


7. FORGETTING THAT TIMING IS EVERYTHING
Here it is June, the heat is on, it's Summer, and yet the thought of a profitable, packed, Classy, Stylish, Trendy Bikini Event on a slow night to bring to life, with not a single drink special or cheap beer, is beyond many Owners Comprehension.
That's because they envision the same old cheesy events, rather than an updated, sophisticated and contemporary Promotion, that attracts very, very pretty Young Ladies, and not ringers, or bow wows.
It's because you have no clue how to do it.
Admit it.
Having presented, hosted, organized, produced over 1000 upbeat Bikini Promotions that packed in thousands of patrons who spent tens of thousands of dollars each week, it is simply beyond my ability to understand this roadblock to what is an American Tradition during the Summer, but to what many Owners refuse to even consider.
Then they cry because they are not making any money during the Summer.
Gee, I wonder why.
SUMMER is "ENDLESS" for so many money-making, brand new crowd packing Nights.


RIGHT NOW YOU SHOULD BE BUYING OUR BIKINIS FOR $15 EACH, THEY ARE $75 BIKINIS, AND GIVING THEM TO FEMALES SITTING IN YOUR CLUB, BUT WHO DID NOT EVEN KNOW YOU WERE HOLDING A "CUTE & COOL MODEL SEARCH" BUT WANT TO ENTER........
NO CLUB GIVES IT'S FEMALE PATRONS FREE $75. BIKINIS JUST FOR ENTERING THEIR EVENT.
BUT YOU SHOULD. JUST CLICK ON Bikinis For Your Club
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


During these hot Months, so many Bar, Club and Lounge Owners become desperate for patrons, so they discount, and they giveaway and they cheapen and they beg, and they plead and they grovel and they panic, thinking this will work?
Wrong.
These are the Hot,Humid Months that Patrons want to be outside, if you have an outside area that has great potential, why not put tables and chairs out there?
If you have an outside area that is already set up, but no one is patronizing, then call me right now.
If you have no outside area, then all the more reason you need "THE FUN" and "THE WOW FACTORS" to counter act your competing bars, clubs and lounges that do have patios and beer gardens.
Don't just lay over and let them take your business.

8. LISTENING TO EVERYONE WHO KNOWS NOTHING AND THEN ACTUALLY DOING WHAT THEY SAID
Never have so many Owners and Managers listened to Family, Friends, Business Acquaintances,
even perfect Strangers on how to attract Women and Spenders.
Worse, they actually do what is suggested, sending their consistency in a spiral, and creating total mayhem within their establishment.


9. PARTNERS, MAKE SURE THEY FIT IN
It is far better to borrow money privately at a common sense payment and interest rate plan than it is, to jump into bed with partners.
Partners are the biggest problem facing Owners who know what to do, how to do it, and what the establishment requires.
Partners on the other hand, excerpt their power due to their investment, causing havoc on the overall operation, creating bad feelings, and a shaky relationship between all parties concerned.
It is far better to seek private funding to open, operate and oversee an establishment, than to bring together diverse people who feel by providing their cash they are entitled to a say and a direct involvement in the day to day format of the establishment.
Far too many food and beverage ventures fall flat because of "Partners" who know nothing, yet think their input and opinions are worth as much as the day to day operating Owner.
I speak to Partners constantly who invest for the "Chicks", or the "Ego" or the "Action" and have no grasp on the blood, sweat and tears, that packing a place day to day requires.
They want to bask in the glory, blame someone else for the downside, and demand their
suggestions become reality.
I repeat, always look for non participating investors, who expect a fair payment schedule with
no involvement of any kind.
Partners have ruined more establishments than "Hip Hop" has, placing a close second.
Partners can be poison, I had a club in Indiana who's partners were at each other's throats, in fact the one partner said "Even a Monkey can run a nightclub" so the experienced Partner, took off for a month and let the arrogant partner attempt to open, operate and run the club, needless to say, right now the Club is sadly almost closed.
______________________________________________/
Be weary of Nightclub & Bar Magazine, all they do is run the same content every month with not any fresh new material or insight.
They run ads for liquor brands that you never would sell on your bar, even if you offered them for a $1 a shot or drink.
This Magazine is so behind the times, and so strictly in it for the advertisers and not the Owners and Managers of clubs, bars, pubs, lounges who read it.
It is not the worth the price of charmin. "CLUB SYSTEMS" is a much more insightful and hands on industry publication.
________________________________/

I sincerely hope you Owners who are suffering through rough times, realize what you need to do.
You are the person in control, in Fort Myers, Florida there is a Club called "The Bamboo Room" it has the potential for such greatness, but, in my opinion, it's Owner refuses to add "THE FUN" or "THE WOW FACTORS".
So, remember this long.......................................hot..........................Summer it's all about the cool, calm, comforting "FUN" and WOW" that I provide.
Call Rich Unger at 941-921-7027, if your an OWNER, if your a new club promoter don't bother.
Or Email RichUnger@promotingnightclubs.com
But don't SWEAT this Summer out and SUFFER...............................with an empty club, lounge or bar........................................................