Suggested Steps to Opening your Successful New Tavern Business
1. Create a Sole Proprietorship or LLC/Corp. if you have partners
You can easily do this online at
https://sunbiz.org
and get an instant printed copy and have your certified copy sent to you as fast as you need it.
2. Take your new DBA certificate and open a personal and business bank account locally
so you will have a place to easily deposit all that money you are going to make.
TD Bank Business Checking
350 N Summit Street
Crescent City, FL 32112
386-698-2959
It says on their website that your business checking is free if you get a business loan with them
TD Bank Website
$10 a month or low $1,500 minimum balance requirement
Business Checking
|
Ameris Bank for Commercial Loans
If you plan to buy the real estate than borrow against it you will need a Commercial Loan
because it is a business property
601 Reid St., Palatka, FL (386) 328-5154
100 N State Road 19, Palatka, FL (386) 325-3770
Ameris Bank
(20 miles north of the bar)
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3. Apply for your 2COP license with your new DBA
Florida Tavern License
4. Apply to pay your Florida State Sales Tax - you can do this online or hire a local
accountant to do everything for you.
Florida's general sales tax of 6.00% also applies to the purchase of liquor.
In Florida, liquor vendors are responsible for paying a state excise tax of $6.50 per gallon,
plus Federal excise taxes, for all liquor sold.
Florida Alcohol Sales Tax Handbook
5.
Sign Up for a
Paypal Business Account
in your new business name and get their Mobile Card Reader that plugs into your cellphone or tablet
so you can take credit cards.
Connect your new business checking account to your new business paypal account to easily sweep funds into
your business checking account as often as you like for free. Mobile & in-store payments 2.7% per Swipe.
There is No Monthly fee. Accept Amex 3.5% per transaction.
6. While waiting for your paperwork do your painting of the building,
order printed signs and banners from
Staples in Palatka - (386) 325-1831 and
buy your Equipment (list above). Vistaprint.com is great for do-it-yourself business cards
and flyers. Lowes & Home Depot are located 20 miles north in Palatka.
Ace Hardware is in downtown Crescent City 2 miles south.
While you are there you will probably be approached by a few
wannabe employees and find yourself becoming friends with many of the locals to help with things like
lawnmowing. Be sure to stop into 3 Bananas
for great food on the Lakefront in downtown Crescent City and get to know the owners. Other business owners
are great for spreading the word.
7. Attract business by advertising a Grand Opening date in the local
papers like the Penneysaver for Putnam County and on your new website and social media.
Here are a list of free places to advertise
and post your Free Website on for
Free Advertising Post Daily and Weekly Specials on your
website and Facebook. Pool Tournaments, Live Entertainment, Karaoke, Darts, Poker Runs, Benefits.
8.
Join the local Eagles, Moose and/or Shriners to spread the good news about your new business
and invite people you meet over to visit. Club members are allowed to post flyers on their bulletin boards.
The Moose has a dump station for members RV's and RV hookups for members for less than $100 a month providing water
and electric. Once you become a Moose member you can hookup your RV wherever Moose Clubs have facilities available
all over the USA.
On your days off be sure to visit the local fishing camps and marinas along Crescent Lake,
Georgetown on Lake George and Welaka on the St.Johns River. Be sure to post flyers about your business
wherever you go and get to know the business owners. Stop by each place to refresh your flyers regularly.
Offer to put their website link on your own website, ask to friend them on facebook and offer
to ad their flyers on your own bar bulletin board about their business. This area does not seem to have
a centralized location for posting flyers and business cards so if you create one - word will get around that
it is a good place to visit. The same thing can be done online on linkedin and by exchanging links with local area
businesses.
Be a good reciprocal back scratcher, elbow rubber, glad hander, meet and greeter and you will do well wherever life takes you.
9.
Be creative to bring attention to your bar and make it Unique.
Here are some easy ideas from bars I have seen.
Put a bass boat out front with a manakin in a bikini waving
Put a motorcycle out front with a manakin in a bikini waving
Put a bass boat with a motorcycle in it with a manakin in a bikini waving
Put a manakin with tattoo artwork on it out front on a motorcycle with a flag waving
Put posters on the wall of Girls in bikinis in Bass Boats
Put cardboard cutouts of Beer girls
Business card drawing - have patrons put their card into a fish bowl and once every couple of hours do a drawing
for a free beer
Keep a bell by the bar for barmaid to ring when she gets a good tip
Let patrons draw, paint, color, write on the walls, hang bras from the ceiling, hang hats from the ceiling,
tack business cards on the walls, spray paint graffiti on the walls,
take polaroids and tack them on the walls or on a bulletin board. Create a community bulletin board inside or
on the wall out front.
Google Bar Promotions - lots of great ideas on there
Ladies night, Salsa Night, Country Night, Rock Night, $1 Drafts, Bucket O'Beer, Free salty / spicey snacks, contests to win dinner for 2,
trivia competition, amateur music night, karaoke contests, Video Game Tournament, dance competitions, pool tournaments, dart tournaments,
etc.,.
Setup your social media to post specials Daily on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest
hermit crabs, turtles, frog jumping, have their shells painted each teams’ colors
and a little arena set up for them to race in
Hoola Hoop contest
Biker Fashion Show, Best Tattoo Fashion Show, Biggest Beer Belly, Wet TShirt
Dog-Friendly Bar for outside patio area
Have any new ideas you would like to share to put here - fill out the contact form or call me.
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