Hi guys (n gals)
I have a bar running in a not too ideal location, barely profitable for the past about 4 months. Sales have stagnated and I want to get ideas on how i can turn this biz towards a growth path.
Its a small room, selling beer n spirits to low income earners in Ruai. I made a number of dumb mistakes when starting up e.g no bitings, small tv (liability during world cup), no lit sign to "vutia" passers by, however these are in the process of being fixed. I'd like to know if there are any other ideas i kud try apart from fixing the above. Wud really appreciate your help and collective intelligence.

@Intrepid...Apart from trying to attract the customers to your place, another point where money is lost by bar owners is that the patrons buy and sell their own alcohol hence you loose out on profits.

Umejaribu nyama and kuku choma? and few male patrons?

In Nigeria, when you buy pombe, they give you a bowl of njugu (I wonder why this happens? )Sijui kama this will attract customers hapo kwako

@nost...


Did you mean the workers buy and sell their own alcohol?

In India they also give a free bowl of nuts with every beer.

@ Chaka, yes, the workers...

At the current state of our economy and particularly in Nairobi, i can tell you that you cannot make money by "imposing" yourself on a territory you do not belong to - i.e absentee businessman in small low income area establishments. Small business(kiosks, tailor shops, small salons, small bars) will in a somewhat organized poor man's economy become the sole occupation of the owner, meaning you cannot "supervise" their operations no matter what you do unless you are ready to exceed profits. You need to be the present full-time businessman in that small pub (or almost) as your competition there in Ruai(i can bet my shirt) most likely is ever present in their small pubs. In our Nairobi economy where the wages of labor have risen to be the sole source of subsistence (rather than part source of subsistence as in shags where someone works and grows their food or where the barmaids double as whores)and the interest of capital diminishing, a lot of the more important labor (supervising) in small establishments cannot be paid for by the returns and means the owner has to be the supervisor. Only where an establishment can meet the cost of necessary controls(cash register, supervisor/manager e.t.c), can you hope to survive as a "visiting" business owner. The days of secretaries owning salons, clerks owning bars, teachers owning kiosks and matatus are gone, i suggest you move with the flow.

>> where women are, men will follow.. and for low income market, I'd advise you get barmaids who give the kind of a smile that sobers up even the drunk...not whores though, just maids to dangle carrots that are out of reach. my naira

Thanks everyone. I think these are all good ideas to implement. I think the basic problem is that I am not physically there to see how it is running. My employee is most likely buying her own booze n selling, cutting sales revenues for the biz. I am torn between shutting it down until I can be at the biz permanently or trying to get it to succeed.
I really wanted it to succeed, however how can u if you are not in control/do not trust those you have left there. @Much Know...i had identified the issue of control but thot i kud trust the person I hired to run the show.

@majimaji..do you know shelter villa? my place is just after them..

@Intrepid, seriously you should have a good sign.

Having worked in the music industry, I can safely tell you that pub business is generally short lived, so I would suggest to use the whole experience as a platform for future ventures, rather than a long term investment.