Business Overview:

Opening a sports bar is a great way to exercise your business skills while creating a fun environment where people can relax and enjoy themselves. There are, however, many details you need to nail down before getting too far along in this process. Writing a solid business plan is a good place to start. You may want to hire professionals to help you with this document since it is key to the success of your business. It’s also a good idea to visit with other owners to get a better feel for how to open a sports bar. You may have to travel outside your immediate area so that your new business won’t be in direct competition with the business owners you’re talking to. They will likely tell you that starting a sports bar will take a major financial investment so it’s important that your business plan is of high quality. This will help you secure the financing you need. Next you need to find a good location for your business. One with high traffic is best. Look for an area by a sporting complex, movie theater or other establishment where late-night clientele are prevalent. Once you have selected your location, you need to apply for a liquor license. Find out from your city government who handles these licenses and be prepared to offer information such as what types of liquor you wish to serve, what kind of bar you own and what times your bar will be open. After obtaining your license, you’ll need to purchase items like kegs, taps, bar stools, tables and chairs, televisions, etc. If you don’t want to be burdened with the decisions that come with opening a sports bar, you could purchase a franchise. This type of business will come with everything you need to get up and running including marketing assistance. You will need to hire your own staff but there is likely a training manual available to get them up to speed. You’ll find that owning a sports bar is one of the most fun business ideas you can find. It is a lot of hard work, but in the end it will pay off because you get to spend your days and nights in an exciting environment that makes people happy.

A Day in the Life of a Sports Bar Owner:

Your day will begin several hours before you are set to open as you will need to ensure your bar is clean, deliveries are received and new stock is put away. You could hire a bar manager to take care of these administrative duties in which case, you will spend as much or as little time at your bar as you wish. When at the bar, you will make sure customers are having a good time and are getting excellent service. At the close of each day you’ll need to attend to the finances, make your bank deposit, and ensure your staff cleans everything up so you’re ready to open the next day.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be individuals and groups looking for a fun place to hang out with friends and watch the big game.

What You Need to Start:

• Sports bar business plan
• Liquor license
• Insurance
• Staff
• Restaurant/bar furniture (tables, chairs, bar stools, etc.)
• Bar-ware (glasses, shakers, etc.)
• Liquor and beer
• Relationship with liquor and beer distributors
• Other menu items (optional – bar snacks or a full menu)
• Televisions
• Contract with satellite or cable provider
• Cash register(s)
• Computer with finance software

The Good:

• A great sports bar will always make money.
• It’s a fun atmosphere; you will enjoy your working environment every day.
• You can hire a bar manager, bartenders and waitstaff to do most of the work for you.
• Franchises are available to help you get started.
• You get to meet lots of interesting people.

The Bad:

• The start-up investment is high.
• There are a lot of elements that go into a successful sports bar; it’s important to do your research and formulate a solid business plan.

Resources:

• International Association of Sports Bars and Pubs
• Bureau of Labor Statistics on Food and Beverage Serving and Related Workers
• Wikipedia on Bars

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Business Overview:

Imagine starting a winery and turning your love of wines into a fun, rewarding and profitable business. As the owner of a winery business, you will receive grapes from vineyards (unless you choose to grow your own) and produce fine wine which you will then bottle and sell locally, nationally, or possibly all around the world. So if you love wine and you’re committed to turning your passion into a successful business, then learning how to start a winery could truly be the right business idea for you. Figures have shown that wine sales have doubled in recent years, and that sales of wines continue to increase regardless of economic conditions. What is more, as you learn how to open a winery you’ll see that you have plenty of options available to you for your business. For example, you can easily offer exciting and informative events such as wine tastings and winery tours to increase your profits. In addition to this you will also be able to personally enjoy the fine wine you produce, so you’ll enjoy both financial and personal rewards with this business.

A Day in the Life of a Winery Business Owner:

As a winery business owner a typical day might begin with receiving grapes from a vineyard in the morning (which you would either own as a part of your winery, or which would be owned by someone else with whom you would have a contract arranged for the grapes). You would then produce wine from your grapes by following the precise wine making process. Using machines, the grapes will be crushed, heated, fermented, and filtered—ultimately leading to the production of wine, which you would then have bottled, labeled, ready to be sold and shipped out. A typical day might also consist of organizing and conducting tours of your winery. Alternatively, you could hire staff to make the wine and conduct the tours, in which case you would spend your day overseeing the smooth running of your winery business.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be companies and liquor stores that will purchase the wine you produce at a wholesale price to retail to the general public. You may also have customers visit your winery and purchase your wine directly from you.

What You Need to Start:

• Licenses (production, sale and shipping of alcohol are regulated, so you will need to apply at least 6 months before the anticipated sales date)
• Wine making facilities and equipment
• Grapes to produce your wine from (you will need a contract with a grape vineyard, or you could purchase your own vineyard)
• A winery business plan

The Good:

• If you love wine, you’ll be doing what you love every day.
• This business can be very lucrative—wine sales have been shown to continue to grow regardless of economic conditions.
• You can increase your profits by offering tours and tastings.
• You’ll get to enjoy the wine you produce.

The Bad:

• Making wine is a very precise, exacting process so you’ll need to be well informed and well skilled before you begin.
• You’ll need to have sound business skills (marketing, manufacturing, selling) in addition to expertise and passion for wine.

Resources:

• National Association of American Wineries
• Wine and Spirit Trade Association
• European Wine Council
• Wikipedia on Wineries

Technorati Tags: how to open a winery, how to start a winery, starting a winery, winery business plan

Business Overview:

If you are a wine aficionado and are looking for a way to apply your knowledge to your own business, you should consider opening a wine store. Wine is popular regardless of the state of the economy and by owning your own wine store you can become a player in this exciting industry. You will have inside knowledge about new trends and what wines are especially popular at a given time. You also will have the freedom to buy and sell wines you enjoy, thereby exposing your clientele to wines they might not otherwise have had access to. When you start looking into how to open a wine store, you’ll find that you have the option of buying a wine store franchise. Depending on your situation, this might be the wisest move since the store will come with everything you need to get up and running including counters, signs, price points and, most importantly, a stock of wines. The downside to buying a franchise is your options are limited as to what wines you carry. But at the beginning, you’ll have enough on your plate and it might be helpful to not have to personally select each and every wine for your store. You could, of course, also hire a sommelier to choose your wines for you. A great wine store will usually have at least one sommelier on staff to be able to help its customers with the finer points of choosing the right wine. If you’re more interested in opening a smaller store, maybe with a tasting room, stocking a smaller number of wines would be the way to go. This format would showcase your expertise and allow you or your sommelier to discuss each wine with your customers in detail. You may choose to offer other items as well such as wine accessories, glasses, wine racks, etc. if you have the space and sense the demand from your customers. If you are interested in selling wine but don’t want to have a physical storefront, you can operate this online business idea from your home. You will need climate-controlled storage space but you can purchase wine refrigerators to accomplish that if you don’t have a true wine cellar to store the wine bottles in. If you want to run an online wine shop, you will need to be familiar with laws regarding the shipping of wine as some states and countries do not allow wine to be shipped to individuals. Running this business online is a good option if you want to break into the wine business with smaller start-up costs than you’d have if you open a local store. Whether you choose to open a large warehouse type store, a smaller, boutique type store with regular wine tastings, or an online store, this business idea is ripe for new entrepreneurs.

A Day in the Life of a Wine Store Business Owner:

If you operate a physical store, your day will begin with a check of your store to make sure it is orderly and ready for business. You will make sure deliveries are taken and properly stored or displayed. You will coordinate with your staff about any new items they need to be aware of and you will speak to customers throughout the day helping them to find just what they are looking for. At the end of the day you will record your sales, check on any expected shipments and ready your store for the next day. If you operate an online wine store, you will want to daily check the orders that come in via your website. You will coordinate shipping wine out and getting wine delivered to you from distributors.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be wine lovers of all levels from beginner to expert, looking for your expertise in recommending wines to suit their needs.

What You Need to Start:

• Wine store business plan
• Storefront or website
• Marketing plan
• Stock of wines
• Display racks and cases (if you have a physical store)
• Wine accessories (if you offer them)
• Staff (if you have a physical store)
• Computer with finance software

The Good:

• For a wine lover, being around wine all day is a perfect fit.
• You get to be in on all the latest trends in wine.
• The wine business generates a fun atmosphere.
• Mark-up on wine can be extremely high, therefore making you a sizeable profit on your inventory.
• Extra profits can be made by offering wine events including tastings and pairings.

The Bad:

• The initial investment needed is very high.
• It can take some time to turn a profit with such a costly inventory.

Resources:

• Specialty Wine Retailers Association
• National Association of American Wineries
• The Wine Institute
• Wikipedia on Wine

Technorati Tags: how to open a wine store, opening a wine store, wine store business plan, wine store franchise

Business Overview:

If you’ve often tossed around the idea of owning a thriving bar and think it’s for you, now might be the time to learn more about how to open a bar of your own. Opening a bar can be a fun and lucrative business idea, especially if you’re serious about it, you have a solid bar business plan, and you heed the advice of others who have succeeded in the field. It’s important to keep in mind that starting a bar comes with heavy responsibility—to your business, to your customers, to your local neighborhood, and to the law—so it’s important that you pay careful attention when learning the ins and outs of how to start a bar. You’ll first want to secure the financial end of this business, knowing that a bar business requires an investment of at least $25,000. Then you’ll want to ensure you’re set with the legalities—a business license, permits, and insurance, not to mention a liquor license. After that nitty gritty is taken care of, you can focus on the more enjoyable aspects of opening a bar, like choosing a location and a name. You’ll also want to determine the type of bar you want to open, for example a nightclub or a pub or just a local watering hole. Finally, you will want to interview and hire your bar staff and decide how you’ll market your bar to attract the most—and most returning—customers. With some effort and sound business sense, your bar business will be off to a toast-worthy start!

A Day in the Life of a Bar Business Owner:

Your days (and often nights) as a bar owner will be busy, but you can temper your work by hiring a competent and trustworthy staff to work for you. Beyond the bartenders’ and other employees’ responsibilities, you will still want to keep a close eye on your business, especially your finances. In a business like this, where cash is king and tips are part of your employees’ expectations, you need to account for your daily inventory and revenue if you want to succeed. While you want employees to make money and customers to be happy, you will always want to keep your eye on the bottom line. You also will spend a good part of your days ordering from suppliers, ensuring your bar is clean, keeping up with staff concerns, and maintaining your permits. Finally, you will want to find new and ever-enticing ways to draw crowds to your bar and remember, too, to enjoy yourself and your business every now and again.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be interested in having a drink, mingling with others, watching sports, or just enjoying a night out at a bar. Depending on the type of bar you open, you will either have many regular customers or an ever-changing crowd of partiers. No matter, you will want to ensure every customer of your bar enjoys himself, feels perfectly safe to enjoy herself, and is treated well by every member of your staff. With these in place, you will likely find yourself with many repeat customers.

What You Need to Start:

• Startup capital of at least $25,000
• A business license, permit, insurance, and liquor license
• Bar location
• Catchy name for your business
• Inventory
• Staff
• A marketing plan
• Financial-tracking software

The Good:

• This business can be extraordinarily exciting and you may find you never have the same day at work twice.
• You can stand to make a lot of money as a bar owner.
• You can bring a valuable small business to your neighborhood.
• You might decide to open another bar if you find success in the business.
• The bar business is a stable one, no matter the economy.

The Bad:

• Bars have a history of quick turnovers.
• You have to be serious about starting a business like this, especially considering the startup investment and the potential for long days.

Resources:

• National Bar and Restaurant Management Association
• Bar Owners Association
• Bureau of Labor Statistics on Food and Beverage Serving and Related Workers
• Wikipedia on Bars

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Business Overview:

Beer lovers rejoice: Learning how to start a brewery can put you on the path to a fun, profitable—and possibly life-changing—business venture. If you’re considering opening a brewery of your own, you must have a detailed microbrewery business plan, which should include the location of your brewery, the type of beer you plan on brewing, the type and supplier of brewing ingredients you’ll use, a bottling and distribution plan, and your marketing plan. It also must include your means of funding a business like this; after all, the location, equipment, ingredients, and distribution of handcrafted beer are expensive. You should be prepared to invest at least $25,000 USD in the startup of your brewery. If you’re still excited by this business idea, here’s the lowdown on how to start a microbrewery. First you’ll need to find a location for your brewery, one that’s large enough to house all of the equipment you’ll need to brew and bottle, and then a bar area if you’re planning on including a brewpub in your master plans. As an alternative, you might also consider seeking out an existing brewery and leasing or buying a share of that space to brew and bottle your recipes. An added bonus to this type of shared brewery could be that you’ll have another brew master to turn to for business advice and brewing techniques, especially if you’re rather new to the beer-making process. Then you’ll need the ingredients to make your magic and the equipment required to bottle your beer. Finding a reputable supplier of ingredients and learning the ins and outs of bottling and labeling will be key to your smooth running operation as well. Finally, a plan to sell your brew, either in stores, on a website, or at a pub, will be necessary to make your business lucrative. At the end of the day, you get to sit back and enjoy a pint of your own creation while mingling with friends and customers if you’ve opened a pub, knowing it’s your great business idea that afforded everyone the opportunity.

A Day in the Life of a Brewery Business Owner:

If you’re the owner and master brewer, you will need initially to be hands-on in the mixing, pouring, and tasting of your brew. You will make the daily decisions about what brews to craft, when a brew is ready, and various other operational decisions. If you have employees doing most of the work, you will still want to oversee the major operations to ensure the quality—and the vision—remain your own. A daily check on inventory might lead to a call to your suppliers, and a review of your bottling, labeling, and distribution systems will be necessary to see how your inventory is moving. Of course, the nitty gritty details will always be an important part of each day—reviewing financial records, handling payroll and rent, and ensuring your advertising is effective will render your business truly successful.

About Your Customers:

Customers of a brewery business will be interested in sampling and buying handcrafted recipes of beer. They might try your brews because of the quality ingredients you use (maybe your beer is organic or uses all fair-trade ingredients) or because you’ve created a craft brew that they is far superior to a commercial beer. No matter, they will likely be connoisseurs of good beer and will enjoy learning about your brew’s origins.

What You Need to Start:

• A brewing location
• Brewing equipment
• Bottling, labeling, and distribution equipment
• Business license, permit, and insurance
• Recipes for your homemade brews
• A means of selling your brew for profit
• A pub to showcase your goods, if desired
• Suppliers for your brewing needs
• Employees, if desired
• Financial-tracking software

The Good:

• This is one business idea that can be extremely enjoyable at the same time it is profitable.
• You can act as sole proprietor or you can share your business with partners and employees.
• You can operate a pub in addition to your brewery to increase your profits—you can even give tours of your brewery as an attraction.
• Your business can make others very happy.
• You become an expert of beer making.

The Bad:

• The startup investment is steep, even if you utilize the equipment of an existing brewery or buy out an established company.
• This is not a part-time business venture. It will likely require a great deal of time, energy, money, and knowledge in order to get off the ground successfully.

Resources:

• Brewers Association
• Master Brewers Association of the Americas
• North American Brewers Association
• Wikipedia on Breweries

Technorati Tags: how to start a brewery, how to start a microbrewery, microbrewery business plan, opening a brewery

Business Overview:

If you’re ready for a business idea that is cutting-edge, fun, and lucrative, you should seriously consider learning how to open a hookah bar and lounge. Believe it or not, opening a hookah bar can be very easy if you invest your time and money in a solid hookah business plan. For starters, you will need to know where you will get your startup capital and where you want your business located. Like so many other things, location is key for your hookah business. Additionally, you will want to have a good idea of what a hookah business is all about—in other words, you should be an aficionado of the practice. You will want to be knowledgeable about the varieties of hookah tobacco and have a good idea of the atmosphere you are trying to create at your bar or lounge. As you iron out the details of how to start a hookah bar, you’ll want to include what type of drinks your bar will serve and you’ll also want to know what you’re looking for in your employees. Finally, you will want to be prepared for the hard work and long hours you may need to dedicate to your business when you first open, though it’s a good bet your hookah bar will take off when your customers start talking about how great your lounge is.

A Day in the Life of a Hookah Bar Business Owner:

There will be a chance in the early stages of your business that your days will start late and your nights will be long. Beyond that, you will have to spend your days ordering from your suppliers—alcohol, tobacco, food—booking entertainment like DJs or singer/songwriters, hiring and managing employees, and ensuring your business records are in the black. Eventually, you may be able to hire a bar manager who will take care of orders and bookings, and an accountant to keep your books, but in the beginning you will want to have your hands in all the pots. During prime operating hours, your staff will take over most of the duties and you will just watch your business in action.

About Your Customers:

Customers at a hookah bar will be interested in enjoying a bar or lounge atmosphere with the added entertainment of sharing tobacco from a hookah pipe. Though not all customers will want to partake in the smoking or drinking, they will be interested in being part of the scene your business has created.

What You Need to Start:

• A great location and space for a bar/lounge
• A cool name for your business
• A business license and insurance
• An alcohol permit
• Startup capital to invest in real estate and bar materials
• Employees who fit your business criteria
• Entertainment possibilities
• Advertisement capabilities
• Financial-tracking software

The Good:

• This business can be extremely fun, especially if you enjoy the atmosphere and practices of a hookah bar.
• Your business can be very lucrative.
• You can meet lots of great people.
• You can benefit your community by being a small business owner.

The Bad:

• Nights can run late and days might be short, but you’ll still have a lot of work to maintain your business.
• Bars and lounges often have a high turnover rate; you will need to create a standout atmosphere to find success.

Resources:

• Hookah Industry Association
• Wikipedia on Hookah Lounges

Technorati Tags: hookah business plan, how to open a hookah bar, how to start a hookah, opening a hookah bar