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New start up VS contraints of time
kivairu
#1 Posted : Monday, May 09, 2011 9:27:26 AM
Rank: Member

Joined: 3/5/2008
Posts: 532
Location: Nairobi
Hi Guys, a new startup opportunity has come my way.A premise in CBD ideally good for pub/restraunt business.I have negotiated good will and agreed on terms of lease.And i have the money in form of a loan from the bank.Problem is i have a busy day job and can not have the time to run the business personally. I tried a similar business in the past and burnt my fingures miserably.Its not that the business was not viable.It was indeed a very viable business BUT the jamas i put there to run the business really fleeced me i had to close and pay debts from my pocket.My fear is the same could happen now.Get the business started , hire guys and once they know you are a busy guy, they do their own things , fleece you real bad.I'm wondering if i should lose this opportunity , invest the money i have into a house(downpayment) and just wait till later on when i will have the opportunity to personally run a business.If i go this way, i will have lost a great opportunity to run the business from the CBD, which is more lucrative.you guys know how difficult it is to get premise in town.issues of goodwill,double rent, double deposit etcetra. Your thoughts are welcome.

Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value. –Albert Einstein.
RVP
#2 Posted : Monday, May 09, 2011 9:54:37 AM
Rank: New-farer

Joined: 5/3/2010
Posts: 69
A start up, on a CBD premise (hence substantial rent?) kicked off with a bank loan by an owner who will not be hands on. Risky if you ask me but only you know what you know smile
kivairu
#3 Posted : Monday, May 09, 2011 11:06:35 AM
Rank: Member

Joined: 3/5/2008
Posts: 532
Location: Nairobi
Thanks @RVP. Yes the rent is 100k per month and yes the owner will not be hands on.Have a full time job that's demanding.But for now i wanna hold onto the job, the pay ain't bad.If only i could get a prudent manager to run it very professionally.My contract ends in december 2011 and i wanted something running on the ground, in the event the contract is not renewed. In the past i employed a dude to run such a venture and really got messed. On the other hand i fear losing the premise, which i might not get again, cuz its pretty difficult getting such in the CBD.

Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value. –Albert Einstein.
mmarto
#4 Posted : Wednesday, May 11, 2011 10:41:48 AM
Rank: Member

Joined: 4/20/2010
Posts: 412
Location: nairobi
just for info, what figures like did you part with as "goodwill"
The only time you should be looking down on others is when you are helping them up.
mkonomtupu
#5 Posted : Wednesday, May 11, 2011 11:54:45 AM
Rank: Veteran

Joined: 2/10/2010
Posts: 1,001
Location: River Road
in this day of technology why do you need to spend your full time in the business you only need to set targets for the management and have all the sales and expenditure figures sent to you by email it's even possible to integrates point of sale terminals to your email and monitor on the go. If you have done your maths then you know how much you need to make in a day to repay the loan and break even.

on management it would be wise to do a talent search in the local universities there is some serious talent among the young graduates who really want to grow with a business, you don't even have to pay much
kivairu
#6 Posted : Wednesday, May 11, 2011 12:19:15 PM
Rank: Member

Joined: 3/5/2008
Posts: 532
Location: Nairobi
@mmarto, good will is 1.6m, one month rent 100k and 100k deposit

Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value. –Albert Einstein.
kivairu
#7 Posted : Wednesday, May 11, 2011 12:28:36 PM
Rank: Member

Joined: 3/5/2008
Posts: 532
Location: Nairobi
mkonomtupu wrote:
in this day of technology why do you need to spend your full time in the business you only need to set targets for the management and have all the sales and expenditure figures sent to you by email it's even possible to integrates point of sale terminals to your email and monitor on the go. If you have done your maths then you know how much you need to make in a day to repay the loan and break even.

on management it would be wise to do a talent search in the local universities there is some serious talent among the young graduates who really want to grow with a business, you don't even have to pay much



cool mkonomtupu. You must be living in a very ideal world..In hindsight, i tried this 'hands 0ff' in the past and it went awfully bad. But thanks for your contribution.May be its because in the past i used/hired a buddy of mine.Dude went on a fleecing spree and fleeced me real good/bad.Having leant from that, i'm trying to get a great team, then make every effort to be there every day at COB. The POS is a great idea, i'm gonna work on.

Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value. –Albert Einstein.
mkonomtupu
#8 Posted : Wednesday, May 11, 2011 2:52:25 PM
Rank: Veteran

Joined: 2/10/2010
Posts: 1,001
Location: River Road
kivairu wrote:
@mmarto, good will is 1.6m, one month rent 100k and 100k deposit


I have not run a bar/restaurant business neither do i operate beyond Moi avenue but what i learnt by hanging with muhindis is that in order to survive in business the income after expenses must be at least 3 or 4 times the rent, an employee should produce 10 times his pay. the ratios have worked wonders for me in the dukas that i run where rent is on average 10k-15K the minimum income i expect is 40k-90k in a month and i just push and push without mercy or pity for that using my secretary(my phone-call and ask how much money have you made today). I never employ relatives or friends just random people who i find have business acumen it's much easier to get loyalty and easy to let go of non-performers. Best of luck
bwenyenye
#9 Posted : Wednesday, May 11, 2011 3:44:40 PM
Rank: Elder

Joined: 5/24/2007
Posts: 1,805
@Kavairu,

Most people confuse a businness and self employment. That is the real reason why may business ventures fail. A business is about setting up systems that can run the place even in your absense. If YOU are the system, then you are self employed. The idea that you have of a POS is a good one and targets too. Follow that up. Since your contract ends in 7 months, you better start setting up the systems now. They take time and are conitnually developed but they work very well for you.
I Think Therefore I Am
KenyanLyrics
#10 Posted : Wednesday, May 11, 2011 4:12:16 PM
Rank: Veteran

Joined: 4/16/2010
Posts: 906
Location: Nairobi
@Mkonomtupu is your name symbolic? I don't believe you can run a any startup that way.
@kivairu startups take a lot of time to build and nurture, especially the first few years. It would be very irresponsible of you to ignore the business during incubation stage. You have to make some time for it somehow, even if just a couple of hours daily.
Remember this fact: 9 out of 10 businesses fail within the first two years
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