How to make your nightclub party? by Haney Sweda

It's midnight and the club is hoping.  The dance floor is a dizzying fusion of sound, lights, smoke, snow and action.  Tonight, some 2000 people will spend $60,000 with your business.  The club owner/manager stands at one of the bars, with a smile, as he/she participates in the festivities.

How do you make this happen?  By being a professional, hard working individual.  To succeed in the highly competitive world of the nightclub industry you have to be a legitimate business person.  It's not a picnic; it is a Party! And the consumer is serious about their stress relieving expendable dollar.

The work that goes on previous to the actual party is much more intense and requires much more attention.  This is not an easy business, it takes someone who is willing to work tirelessly day and night to pull off a party of this magnitude.  Keeping in mind that most nightclubs, to succeed, must have at least 2 if not 3 of these events each and every week to be profitable.

In addition to the work ethic these other factors are vital to maximizing profitability:

1. Aggression, in the manner that when the iron is hot you have to strike.  There is no success for the weak at heart in this industry.  How many weak kneed nightclub owner/mangers do you know?  You must react and make your staff react to swing the clubs emotion up, down and even sideways at any given time.   
2. Intelligent marketing, the cost of marketing is normally your largest variable cost outside of your COGS, thus leveraging marketing to the max is vital.  Wasted marketing money, is not just marketing money it has a direct relation to other cost, like payroll and a huge impact on your brand.  An incorrect marketing strategy, will result in an empty or nearly empty building, causing labor cost cannibalization of the business.  And a severe blow to staff moral and the image or brand of your establishment.
3.  Make the unbelievable happen, the consumer wants to experience the unknown, the unimaginable, the wildest and craziest.  When the consumer decides to frequent your club they want to leave their problems at their house, at their job, or with their significant other, or whatever the case is - they have come to your place to forget and enjoy.  Make sure your staff understands this and the staff, must force this issue and accept responsibility to make each person party.  The staff must also understand that the consumer does not want to hear about their personal issues, they want someone to take them by the hand and make them have a good time.
4. Yesterday is done, Today is the NIGHT, the customer(s) who are attending tonight's event care nothing about how great last night, last week or last month was, they want tonight to be the best, the greatest.  Management must ensure that each and every event/night is just that, the greatest event for each customer that night.
5.  Professionalism, yes you and your staff must be Pro's at throwing a party.  Every aspect counts here from the cleanliness of the parking lot, to a pleasant door staff, to the cleanliness of the restrooms, to serving a consistently good drink at a fair price, to making sure the club is stocked with all products, goods and services throughout the night, to the music format, etc, etc.   Leave no stone unturned or risk your own peril. 

I preached a philosophy of Prepare, Organize and Promote (POP) combined with passion, conviction and a sincere caring for the benefit of the consumer.  POP ensured that all aspects of our business were handled to the benefit of the customer.  Because if you are not taking care of your customers someone else will!

The Golden Ticket to Personal Financial Responsibility by Haney Sweda

Today, with our economy in disarray, it is vital to arm yourself with the tools for financial responsibility.  The dynamic process of monitoring and evaluating your financial position can be achieved through five easy steps;

1.          Assess – know your current position.  How much do you have; how much do you owe?  A balance sheet – lists all your assets (home, car(s), belongings, bank accounts, stocks, other real estate, etc.); list all your debts (mortgage, auto loan(s), credit cards, other loans, etc.).  How much do profit or lose? An income statement – lists all your income (salary, interest, dividends, other, etc.); list all your expenses (payments mortgage and car loans, groceries, utilities, insurance, clothing, entertainment, households, etc.).
2.          Set goals – Know where you are going? Both short and long term.  Examples – Short term; increase savings account by a required amount each week/month; reduce monthly expenses.  Long term; buy a house; trade your car; have a certain amount saved by a specific age or for your child’s college.
3.         Create the plan – Get from current position to your goal!  The plan should detail the route from the assessment to your short and long term goals.  How are you going to afford the new house/car; the amount you will save on a weekly/monthly basis; the additional income from a second job or new job; the sale of items you own, etc..  This plan is your budget.
4.         Stick to your plan – Discipline, consistency and perseverance.  Once you complete steps 1-3, the hard work starts, you will encounter situations that tempt you; deals on financing a house or car that may seem attractive, but require you to adjust your goals; sales on “wants” – a new LCD TV or other electronics; and many other obstacles, if you did not plan on it have the discipline, consistency and perseverance to follow your plan/budget. (Note, emergency’s happen, that require a plan budget adjustment, emergency’s are medical, death, or  maybe a major purchase not expected new HVAC or car repair, these you will have to adjust your plan/budget)
5.     .    Monitor /reevaluate – As you execute your plan to achieve your goals, watch look and listen.  Things change, the key is to have a plan and incorporate these changes, therefore no surprise. 

There is no Golden Ticket to financial responsibility; there is common sense and hard decisions.  It can be made easier with the use of personal accounting software; most banks that offer on line banking will supply you with free personal accounting software like Quicken.   

Real Product for Restaurants, Bars and Nightclubs? by Haney Sweda

The menu may include appetizers, salad, sandwiches, seafood, chicken, pork, steak, beverages both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, desert, etc.,  reality is these are the indirect products, for restaurants, bars and nightclubs.  Memories! that is the real product.

The customer's choice to utilize your establishment to record a date, birthday party, team function, prom night, family event, etc., results in a memory.  It is the responsibility of the establishment to ensure that each customer has a memorable experience.  Selling memories is a difficult proposition and each member of the staff must realize that a memory is subjective.

The moment the customer arrives in the parking lot the experience begins; Is the parking lot well landscaped, lit, clean; Is the front entrance attended with smiles and greetings; Are the restrooms clean, not just picked up but thoroughly clean;  Is the establishment organized, prepared and operating efficiently?  The small items matter! And the consumer notices them.  The consumer wakes up the next day and they have two things to recall the experience at your establishment a receipt and a Memory!