Opening a gentlemen’s club takes a lot more than just having beautiful girls to grace the stage. Today’s strip clubs are high caliber, eccentric cabarets, which combine fantasy, hospitality and sizzling entertainment. The media, as well as Hollywood have collectively worked into our conscious images of smoke filled, seedy joints, where gangsters and criminals gather. The industry has changed a lot since the 80s and 90s; and bar owners have discovered running a clean, friendly establishment makes their adult entertainment venues more attractive to both men and women alike. In fact, many of the best hotels along the Las Vegas strip now offer topless shows, complete with professional choreographed dances, topless revues and acrobats. The trend has caused traditional strip club owners across the country to offer great food, fantastic wine selections, and of course, top notch entertainment.
Consider Location
The very first think to considering how to open your strip club is to consider a location. In my opinion, it’s a good idea to find a building which is close to expressways and major intersections. It’s also wise to find a building which isn’t too far away from hotels, restaurants and of course, convention centers. There is a good chance the community you chose to open your bar will frown upon a strip club in the area. This is why it’s absolutely critical your club should offer clean, adult entertainment, with lots of hospitality. If you are lucky enough to open a club near other businesses, make sure to join the local chamber of commerce. Commit to being active in your towns community by attending local board meetings, making donations to local social causes, and by strictly adhering to the laws and regulations in your club’s municipality.
Staffing
Long before your doors open, you will want to actively recruit and cultivate a winning sales team. The last thing you want is to have an intimidating, bruit standing at the front door to greet guests. Your adult club staff should be trained to pay attention to detail, and be just as efficient as any five star hotels. This means having a friendly host to show them to a table, along with waitresses and bartenders who are keen to flash a smile and serve drinks. Just like any other type of bar, customers don’t want to wait around for a drink, or experience a bad attitude from a staff member. In a strip club, floor hosts can often be the engine that makes everything run smoothly. Make sure your floor hosts are personable, and take time to understand their guests’ needs. A good floor host will make sure new visitors have a comfortable seat, a drink in hand and an entertainer within just a few minuets of arriving at the club.
Promotions and Marketing
Prior to opening a new club, I would suggest having a serious marketing and promotions plan in place. It just isn’t realistic to expect you will be able to sustain your establishment over the long haul, without reaching out to new customers. You can begin by investing resources into establishing a powerful internet presence. Unfortunately, adult club owners spend an awful lot on having a flashy website built and that’s about it. Make sure your club’s website is optimized to attract visitors from Google, Yahoo and other search engines. This includes having a having a well written blog and web site- rich with keywords for visitors to find. A good internet presence can spell serious financial rewards for your new club, and attract thousands of new visitors to your place over time. Billboards, radio and print are fine, but most people search for business today on the internet.
In my experience, combing internet marketing with a strong promotional ground campaign will keep your new place busy. This can be achieved by building incentives for hotel employees, limo companies, and service industry personnel to send people your way. In larger cities, I’ve witnessed 500 people new people a week come through the doors by having a strong promotional program in place.
Girls
A lot of new club owners wonder how to attract new dancers. My best advice is to not take financial advantage of the strippers. Many club owners try to charge their entertainers an unbelievable amount of money to work; and nickel and dime them for every little thing. Charge a house fee which is reasonable, and don’t over fine the girls. The strip club industry is a very small world, and strippers are quick to share information about different places. Additionally, providing a fun, safe place to work will naturally increase the amount of exotic dancers on your roster. Try placing an ad on Craigslist or in your local paper for new entertainers. Another option is placing an employment page on your strip clubs website. It takes time, but after a while the amount of exotic dancers at your club will increase.
Having your own strip club can be a lot of work. Like any other business, it takes planning and patience. Getting it off the ground may be difficult, but your goal should be figuring out how to make it thrive over the long haul. Done correctly, your new strip club can be a clean, exciting and highly profitable business for years to come.
