Starting a nightclub on a low budget

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In this article you will learn how to open a nightclub with minimal investment. If you have no money you may want to get a loan or partners. This article also has some ideas on generating more income at the start of your business.

How much capital do I need to start a nightclub?

For a low cost nightclub you should have a $20,000 USD budget at minimum. It would be advisable to have a few thousand beyond the initial cost to have a "safety net" in case things are not as profitable as you like at first.

The importance of capital

If you're starting a nightclub it would be advisable to have capital. However if your capital is not optimal perhaps you can benefit from the advice in this article

Capital is important even beyond the initial set up of your nightclub. Some nights will be good, but some will be slow. Capital allows you to stay in business at the start.

You may need time to figure out how to be profitable. If you can't do this you won't be in business for very long.

Starting a nightclub with no money

If you have no money at all you might be better off going for a job as a manager of a nightclub instead. However you could get a loan or find investors to gain capital elsewhere.

You can additionally read more about the job description of a nightclub manager plus additional information about the job

Getting a loan

You could get a loan from a bank or your friends. Usually your bank would want to see your plan to pay the money back so a solid business plan might be needed.

A friend might be happy with a less formal document however if they're not confident that you can pay them back you are probably wasting your time.

Consider getting a partner

You may want a partners or investors instead of getting a loan. The downside to this is that you won't be making all the decisions.

If you get a partner who's already experienced in the nightclub/bar industry this could be beneficial as you can learn from them.

Negotiate a favorable lease

Try to negotiate a lease that's favorable to you. You might want to try for free or half priced rent for a few months.

Another option is paying more at a later time to avoid paying more at the start. However I wouldn't advise jeopardizing your long term profits too much if you do this.

Find a landlord willing to work with you. Looking at multiple properties could be worthwhile.

Getting all terms of the lease in a contract will ensure that there are no unexpected surprises. I imagine the last thing that you want if finances are tight is a sudden rent increase.

Find a built out spot

It is generally cheaper to go with a space that was previously a nightclub rather than a space that needs significant modifications. It may be a matter of waiting for the right moment.

I expect if you call property agents they could let you know if a space was previously a nightclub. Driving around the areas where nightclubs are frequent and looking for "for lease" signs could be a good way of finding potential properties.

Low cost furniture and equipment

If you need chairs and other items to fill in space you might find some items at opportunity shops. However these shops are designed for those in need so I would advise against doing this.

Another option is Amazon. You could also buy general equipment for your nightclub such as lasers and ice machines. I suggest that you look at products with the most amount of good reviews so you know that the products are reliable..

Commission based acts

To lower your cost you may want to offer acts a commission based rate rather than a flat fee. This way if nights are slow you're not out of pocket too much. However acts that will agree to this might be tough to find.

If you can't do the commission pricing structure it would be advisable to get acts with a large social media following if you're confident that they will bring a large crowd to your nightclub. Ensure they have plenty of real followers in your area.

If you want to get an act out of your area you could try putting most of your business expenses on a credit card that earns air miles. This way you could pay for some or their entire trip with this. You should only do this if you can pay the credit card fully before you get charged interest otherwise it'll defeat the purpose.

Low budget advertising

You may want to get employees with many friends who will come to your nightclub frequently. It could be worthwhile asking about this when interviewing them.

Plan for a successful night

I wouldn't advise trying to save money on drinks by ordering too little. You don't want the embarrassment of running out of vodka or any other popular drink, especially on your first night.

Have enough staff

You might not want to go overboard on saving money on staff members. I think that you should have enough bar staff to ensure an acceptable service. This ensures people will come back to your nightclub.

As stated previously acts with a large following could bring in cash for your club. Don't be afraid to politely remind them to promote their event frequently.

Live entertainment may not be necessary

You would probably want live entertainment such as a band or DJ at peak times however pre recorded music can be an option for the quiet times.

A professional website could be delayed

If you're on a tight budget you don't have to pay someone $2,000 to develop a website. You can just get someone to set up a Google My Business or do that yourself. Later you can get a professional website and/or see if a student that frequents your establishment to see if you can get it done for mates rates.

Don't get burnt out

To save money it could be tempting to do more tasks yourself rather than hire people. However this can be a good way to burn you out.

You may want to think of the opportunity cost too. If you earn more money doing something else than it costs you to pay someone to work on your nightclub you may as well pay people and continue bringing money in. if you delay your opening by a week because you didn't want to hire people you could also lose revenue.

Renting your space out

To bring in extra revenue you may want to rent out your space when it is not likely to be in heavy use. This could help your club be sustainable at the start.

Put on events

If you need a crowd and money coming in. you could try putting on events and charging a fee to get in. however this may not work if your regulars have a limited budget.

I hope this helps

Opening a nightclub with little money is possible and I hope that I have given you advice to help you.

Be aware that I make no guarantees that it will be easy; it probably won't be.