Lessons From the Trenches of Club Warfare V1:
There’s nothing like experience.
There’s a repeating issue in many job markets that goes something like this; “You can’t get experience unless you have experience.” Rookies make rookie mistakes. Of course I was a rookie and did the same and I bet you did too. It does not matter if it’s a hobby, a job or a new class in school, there’s always a learning curve.
The nightclub business is certainly not for everyone. As someone who has been in charge, I think it’s ok to hire inexperienced people as long as they have the right personality to fit the job. Just don’t hire too many “rookies” at once. These people need to be shown the ropes and that takes time. This also serves a dual purpose
as you can train them the way you want them to behave without bringing bad habits from their bars or clubs. This should not be a big issue because if they don’t work out, send them on their way.
The bigger issue that I see is inexperienced owners and management. This can cause immediate failure. Having been part of a crew that opened several new clubs, I’ve seen this repeatedly. Inexperienced owners or managers who thought they knew more than others with hard earned experience. I have personally seen three businesses utterly fail and another currently teetering on failure for this reason alone.
In closing, I have only one point with this blog:
There’s nothing like experience!
Arnie