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I think it`s commendable that you have this desire and dream of the nightclub. What I`d like to do is take a moment to remind you that nobody really cares how committed you are, how passionate you are, and how much you think about this idea. That`s not to discourage you, it`s to help you remove your feelings from the process of getting started, understand?
Now, after you step away from your feelings, let`s see what sort of reasoning, logic, analysis, and practical assessment you have. In other words, let`s say you want to take a trip from New York to Los Angeles. It`s wonderful that you`re passionate about it, you`ve dreamed of it, and you really are committed to taking that trip. But how is that going to get you to LA?
The first step is to begin a plan. You know where LA is, but do you know how far away it is from New York? That`s going to matter because you then can make choices based on your time allotment. For example, if you were 55, you might need to fly because it`s faster and you want to enjoy LA. But at 21, you might enjoy taking a train or driving, so you can see the country while you`re at it. Understand?
Some people would say, "I want to own my own nightclub within 2 years." Others would say, "I want to own my own nightclub within 10 years." What`s the deciding factor?
Some of those factors involve experience. If you were 40 and had worked as a bartender, club-manager, and Food & Beverages Director in many different types of clubs, then owning your own club in 2 years would be highly viable.
On the other hand, if you`ve never worked in a club, don`t understand the logistics of liquor, food services, entertainment, and union contractors, then you`ll need some time in order to gather that knowledge. See?
I think what you might enjoy at this juncture is to site down with a spreadsheet and begin "building" your nightclub on paper (virtual paper in a computer). Some of the things you could put into your spreadsheet would be:
- What sort of booths, banquettes, tables and chairs will you buy: how many, and how much do they cost?
- What type of bar will you install, made of what materials, in what shape, how long, and with what type of barstools?
- What menu will you serve if you serve food. What hours will you serve food, who will serve it, and what type of kitchen and equipment will you need in order to serve that food---if you serve any food.
- How large will you have your stage, what type of music will you hire, and what about lighting, dancing, and local noise ordinances?
- What budget will you have for royalties paid on music you play in your club?
- What type of carpeting will you install, how will you clean it, what equipment will you need, and who will do that cleaning?
- What hours would you like to be open, and how do they fit in with local laws and zoning?
Will you have pool tables? Will it be a family place that disallows children after a certain hour? Will you hire in name acts, or local bands? Will it be music or comedy? Do you want a gay bar, cop bar, dinner & dancing crowd?
All these decisions take place long before you even come up with the first dollar. So you can begin this process and take as long as you`d like. At 21, you have plenty of time to begin a career in the food and beverage arena, focusing on clubs and resorts. That`ll give you real-world knowledge of inventory, stock, employment, logistics, and management. AND you`ll get paid while you`re learning. :-)
