Who wouldn't want to own a nightclub? You'd get to mark up bottles of liquor for partiers eager to impress their friends, scrutinize the line on Friday nights to admit only the most desirable patrons and hopefully host a few celebrities during their visits to your city. Oh, and the DJ would pretty much have to take your song requests.
It's certainly not the safest business venture, though. The risk averse among us would hesitate to make an investment whose success depends on successfully chasing and maintaining coolness. And then there's the challenge of striking a balance between appearing exclusive and blowing up people's email accounts with enticing pics from the club photographer.
But if you think you have what it takes to embark upon nightlife entrepreneurship, Black Enterprise has put together a set of tips to help make your venue a success:
1) Learn the ropes first through a position in the industry. (How does "coat check" sound?)
2) If the idea came to you at midnight on a Saturday while you were out partying with your friends, let it marinate for a while: Don't open on a whim.
3) Although a slow-jam-only club with exclusively nonalcoholic beverages may appeal to you, consider whether anyone else will show up. Make sure you fill a niche.
4) People can smell an imitation a mile away. You'll want to get your own brand versus trying to duplicate someone else's success.
5) Going out alone is a bummer, and running the place solo could be, too. So don't go it alone — get a couple of business partners involved.
If it works out for you, we'll take VIP access in exchange for delivering the advice.
Read the rest of the tips at Black Enterprise.
In other news: Should All Americans Embrace Their Blackness?
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