This is How I Became A Club-Owner at 24 Years Old
We won nightclub of the year 2 times in 5 years
It took 2 years for me to go from working as a barback, running around the bar cleaning up cups full of puke, to being a partner at the city’s top nightclub.
The speed of this transition still surprises me 7 years later. That’s why I’ve decided to break down how it all happened (maybe history can repeat itself).
The only reason I started in the nightlife industry was to DJ. I never wanted to be a club owner.
But, things change quickly when you follow your passions and utilize your strengths.
Let’s dive into exactly how I became a club owner at the age of 24.
1. It started by following my passions
At 21 years old, I was working as a financial advisor. I knew that was far too young to settle into something I didn’t enjoy.
So, I decided that while I’m young, I should take the risk and try something that I am passionate about.
My passion was music. As a kid, I played guitar for hours every day, but as I grew up, my taste in music changed.
I had a love for electronic music and hip-hop, so I started DJing. The problem was that I couldn’t get many gigs DJing.
In an attempt to get gigs, I applied at a nightclub as a buser/barback.
I was lucky enough to get the job, which I surprisingly loved.
From there, I moved up positions quickly and loved taking on more responsibilities. Not only was I passionate about it, but I was good at it too.
Once I started taking on management duties, I decided that one day I wanted to own a nightclub.
I would have never been in that position if I didn’t follow my passions.
Following my passion for music, helped me discover my passion for event management and leading teams in the hospitality industry.
Moral of the story: You never know what’s out there until you start exploring.
2. Hard work was necessary
There is no chance you will ever amount to anything if you are not willing to put in the work. No matter what you choose to do, you have to do your best at it every chance you get.
And that’s exactly what I did.
I worked hard and long hours, went to conferences to learn more and network, and spent countless hours researching and testing out what would make me find any sort of success.
The truth is, I often wanted to quit and go back to a normal job. The security and steady pay was attractive. Those thoughts happen when you’re working on something hard.
At the end of the day though, I didn’t, and that’s why I eventually got to the point where I could own a nightclub.
3. I had to fully dive into what I was becoming
My work in the nightclub industry became my life. It’s what I thought about nearly every minute of the day (girlfriends hated it).
I worked as a bartender, manager, DJ, VIP host, promoter and eventually, owner. When I took on any new role, I made that my identity.
When you make something your identity, you start to think differently, and you do whatever you can to make sure you are the best version of yourself.
I had to dive head-first into what I wanted to become so I could do it well.
4. Blowing money… helped
Now, I am NOT encouraging anybody to do what I did, but I do not believe I would have gotten to the point of owning a nightclub if I didn’t go out and blow money everywhere.
I would buy rounds of shots, and use that as a way to get to meet people.
This helped increase my network, make friends and grow a reputation as a guy who parties.
When people know you party a lot, they trust your judgement on what a good party is, and the result is when you tell them to come to a party because it’ll be good… they do.
This tactic helped me populate the parties I was hosting and helped me eventually gain enough traction to own a club as well.
5. None of this would have been possible without networking
You need to network, especially in the industry you are working in. This will pay off 100 times over if you do it properly.
I did NOT open a nightclub from scratch, and I was NOT the only owner.
When I was ready to open a nightclub, I approached the top nightclub owner in the city and told him I wanted to partner with him on his next project.
Instead of trying to do everything myself (not to mention come up with the necessary money), I connected with those who I knew were successful in what I wanted to do, and worked with them.
This is an excellent way of mitigating the risk of starting a new business.
If I hadn’t taken the time to network, I never would have been able to do that. And if I didn’t do that, it would have been much less likely that I would have been successful.
6. I proved myself to be worthy
It doesn’t matter how much networking you do, if you have not proved yourself worthy, it is unlikely anyone will work with you.
Sure, you can be a great salesman, or super good at lying and convincing someone to work with (or for) you. But, at the end of the day, nothing beats proving yourself.
My business partners were willing to work with me because I was working heavily in the industry and had proved myself.
I was ready to move to the next level and they were happy to work with me.
At the same time, our staff was willing to work for (although, I prefer to say with) me because they knew that the environment we created was lively and would allow them to earn more money (they were incredible).
Closing remarks
In all honesty, being a partner at the city’s top nightclub at the age of 24 is the biggest business success I have had so far.
Not only was I an owner, but I was also working in the nightclub every weekend. The fact that myself and some of my business partners were present is one of the big reasons we were successful.
When you are present, you can show love to your business. The customers and staff see that you care, and they are more likely to support you.
Whether you are climbing the corporate ladder, running an online business or operating a grocery store – putting love and effort into what will help you find success.
Thanks for reading