In this economy - the only reason to own a club is if one wants to see his name on the side of a building.
I came to have a financial interest in my club because the minority owners were unable to pay off my salary and bonuses.
To be honest, I would have preferred the money.
As the club's business grows - so does the envy of others.
The minority owners are a bit upset because I 'm succeeding where they failed.
They attend social events and all they hear is how well I'm doing.
At the mall, at dinner, at the movies and even from their family, friends and neighbors, "I see that John is getting everyone exited about going out again.", is all they hear.
Recently, they've begun to hang out at the club.
As they speak with guests, they feel that they are not given the respect they deserve.
Other club owners, politicians, business owners, media personalities and most guests comment that the club would be an abandoned building if I hadn't taken over ownership.
"At least all your bills are paid now. You should be happy that you're actually making money.", one rival club owner said to the co-owners.
Their resentment has gotten to the point where they are trying to have me fail.
In an effort to have me blow it on a big night, they offered to pay my cocktail waitresses more money if they did not come in to work..
Two waitresses took the money (One came and gave me the money - the other, I have yet to hear from her) but the others refused and told me of the offer.
The offer was made on a Friday night when I had a very large birthday party (which was sponsored by a major liquor band) scheduled .
Female customers removed their stilettos, put on flats and then began to wait on tables.
My liquor reps also began tending bar and waiting on tables.
"We got John's back.", they would later tell my partners.
When asked why, "John is good people. John takes care of people so people take care of him", they would say.
Today I was invited to lunch so that they could see whether I had found out about their little ploy.
I enjoyed my meal as person after person came by the table to mention how much they are now enjoying the club and the recent events we've been hosting.
I did not mention a word about their failed plan as person after person overlooked them as they heaped accolades upon me.
They have to know that I know but they cannot mention it. This is a small town and gossip travels faster than anything else.
I just enjoyed my day as I watched the games at a friend's house while people called to tell me about and express their disapproval of what I had already heard.
Q: In business, should ones ego be so fragile that it must always search for homage in place of profits?
UBJ man how many times you're going to go through this without learning the lesson? What you have is a understanding of people and their core needs. Why wouldn't you do well at a club primarily because you have a certain level of excellence from yourself that shows up in your service. Why wouldn't the old owners get mad that you are able to do what they couldn't.
ReplyDeleteThe sabotage angle just is a sign to let you know it's time to go! Either you take over the whole thing or you start your own 100%. I'm sure some other person is on the sidelines saying they would love to have you around.
To use a rap reference... Dr. Dre made beats under Ruthless records and DeathRow. He made millions for both companies until they both tried to cross him. He reluctantly made his own company and still cranked out hits. The old companies took credit for the hits but everyone in the streets knew it was Dre. When he left those record companies they all folded up. I think you have to stop and learn the overall lesson. Get your own and stop playing with jealous teenagers.
@ FreeMan - It takes up too much time so I thought I'd use the old owners as the cleanup crew and to work when I had something else to do.
ReplyDeleteI don't want to run/own clubs - I just want to have somewhere to go when I want to go out.
It's funny that you mentioned Dre. I just used him as my example when discussing opening my own (100%) with another club owner I'd helped out in the past.
All I said was'
"Ruthless
Death Row
and Aftermath..."
She understood what I was saying.
You're good at it so why not? You can hire the right people and make sure it runs right. Sometimes we think we'll still have to be hands on but that's not the truth. You just have to get the motor running, aka the starter; then the damn thing runs itself.
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