Small independent club venue

Club-goers paying for entry and drinks, plus groups hiring the venue for birthdays, promoter nights and private events.

Mostly bar sales, with door entry on busy nights, table or booth bookings, and venue hire fees on quieter nights.

• Managing a team and a bar
• Booking DJs and promoting nights
• Calm customer handling late at night
• Basic bookkeeping and stock control

• A premises licence and a personal licence holder as designated premises supervisor are normally needed in England and Wales; Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own systems, so check with your council
• Licensing can be contested by neighbours or the police, so noise, opening hours and local relationships matter
• Door staff usually need to be SIA-licensed; check the current requirements
• Music licences (for example PRS for Music and PPL) are usually needed to play recorded music
• Check whether newer venue security duties (such as Martyn's Law) apply to your capacity
• Fire risk assessment, public liability and employer's liability insurance, and the lease terms
• High fixed costs and slow weeknights can make cash flow tight

Estimates suggest startup costs are typically around £30,000 to £150,000, depending on the lease, fit-out, sound system and licensing. High fixed costs mean cash flow can be tight on slow weeknights.

Estimates suggest monthly revenue of typically around £12,000 to £50,000, depending on entry, bar sales and private hires. Slow weeknights and high fixed costs can squeeze what is left.

Things to check: a premises licence and designated premises supervisor (rules differ in Scotland and Northern Ireland), SIA-licensed door staff, music licences such as PRS for Music and PPL, Martyn's Law, fire risk assessment and insurance.