Image: Pixabay
Running a bar is fulltime work. On the outside it may seem like it is all fun and games, but between managing finances, meeting regulations, marketing, legal issues, and addressing internal problems, there can be barely any time left in the day. Add on top of that the day-to-day requirements of the job and you can find a lot of owner’s stressed for more time. Luckily there are things you can do to help you manage your time better, letting you focus on the aspects of the job you love.
Hire a Great Manager
Out of everything on this list, this is the most important one. Hiring a great manager will free you from the day-to-day responsibilities of running your bar. Organizing employees, customer service issues, inventory, cleaning, and solving employee conflicts are all things a competent manager should be able to take care of. A great manager should be an extension of yourself, providing guidance and structure to your team of employees and making sure all standards are upheld. They can give you important feedback about your business and help you to implement new ideas, concepts or promotions. A great manager will free you up to focus on the big picture of your business. It cannot be understated how valuable a good manager is, and you will see that any successful bar has one or two of these people.
Train Employees Correctly
This relates to the points made about hiring a good manager, as it will also free you from having to get needlessly involved in the day-to-day activities of the bar. Too often new hires are left to run around bars or restaurants like headless chickens, not sure of what to do, who to ask, or how to conduct themselves. From the minute a new hire walks in the door, there should be a clear and established plan to train them. Creating templates and helpful guides for new employees is a must, so they are clear on their roles and duties. What you don’t want is finding out a year down the line that one of your employees has been conducting themselves improperly or skipping out on work duties. It is important to remember that you can train skills into almost any person, but finding a person with a good attitude is much rarer. You want your bar to run smoothly, whether you are there or not, so it is imperative that all of your employees are trained up to your standards.
Outsource Marketing
For many business owners marketing seems like some kind of black magic. It is not uncommon to see giant posters hanging outside of new businesses, proclaiming value and fun, or witty chalkboard drawings enticing passerby to enter. While these are forms of marketing, they can be time consuming and ineffective. One easy way to cover yourself is to hire a 3rd party to market your business for you. Nowadays there are plenty of marketing services that can promote your business in ways unavailable to the average bar owner. Especially when it comes to social media and online marketing, the services provided by many marketing companies are unparalleled. This can be useful for bar owners who are looking to expand their business, but are unsure how to do so.
Legal Help
Many bars can become subject to expensive litigation and legal battles. Owning a place where alcohol is served can increase the risks of violence, sexual assault, disorderly conduct, and other such nasty behaviors. Most bars, of course, do no such thing to promote these behaviors, but still these are realities of owning a place where alcohol is served. That is why it is so important to hire a qualified attorney to defend your business should these situations arise. Services like video deposition can also provide you accurate and detailed records of court hearings whether you are there or not. Bars are typically under more scrutiny than other businesses, because of issues like over-serving, and serving alcohol to minors. So do yourself a favor and back up your business with the necessary legal help you need for any situation.
Spend Time with Customers
This one might seem a little counter-intuitive, especially after most of the other topics have been about freeing up more time for yourself, but as an owner you should be interacting with your customers as much as possible. Spending time with customers, especially newcomers, will give you direct feedback about what is, and what isn’t working in the business. Starting conversations with your customers lets them see the face behind the business, and can help form new relationships, new business opportunities, and more regular customers. Many owners find taking time to meet with customers goes a long way to re-energizing them. What you want at the end of the day is a clear picture of what needs to be improved or changed at your business in order for it to be successful, and consulting with your customers as often as possible will give you the most accurate and honest feedback.
