Looking for info on starting a club

[karamellxix]

Hello everyone,


We are still pretty new to the lifestyle and are having fun when we can. We live in Washington state near seattle and had an opportunity to go to an on-premise swinger club. We had a great time even though just about everyone there could have been as old as our parents. She: 22, He:30. We still stuck with it and actually made out with a couple that had Grandchildren The atmosphre was inviting so things just kinda happened.
But, anyway to my real question. My wife and I were thinking how great it would me to make spare money on the side hosting swinger parties. We would first have to start as an off-premise party mainly because we live in an apartment and we are still not familiar with the laws and places that will allow this type of activity. We are also going into the latter part of the year when a DJ friend of mine business goes down drastically and he feels this could spark some off season cash flow for him.
We need information first from people who live in our area(Seattle-Tacoma area) who are familiar with the law regarding off-premise swinger clubs. We want to do everything as legal as we can. We understand it will probably be a slow start which is great for us. We would like to cater more to a crowd within our age range, but are very open to older couples we are attracted to.
Info on locations that except this type of party would be great so we can see were it will be possible to do something like this. We just want to be the best informed as we can be....Thanks Karamellxix facelick

[fun_pairTX]

First thing you do is get a lawyer. He can tell you the next 30-40 steps. Don't count on income, for most it is a break even proposition.

[mrs good times]

Although we know nothing about Washington law I will add this.

We just hosted two parties, filling in for the regular hosts while they were gone, and it took all the fun out of it. We were so busy keeping on eye on people, making sure they paid to get in, were dressed accordingly, having a good time, giving tours to the new people, etc., that we didn't have time to enjoy ourselves. I admire those that can do this on a regular basis.

[mwsw4ever]

Another thing you might want to think about if you live in a small city like ours. Our TV and newspaper reporters love exposing strip club and health spa owners as people who are no good and are ruining the city. So you might want to think about that they may expose you to the public. And your friends and family may find out what you do, if you keep your swinging life secret. We have also thought of the same idea you have,but will probably never go through with it for some of those reasons. Please don't let what happens here scare you,but it may be something that could happen.Good luck if you try take the steps to start your own buisness.

[scalcpl714]

I would suggest visiting more clubs and gaining more experience first. That way you can tailor your club to your interests. You will also get idea's on what not to do, and what to definately include.

[SuenRon]

First thing to do is get yourself an attorney. The only legal advice you should take is from an attorney YOU'VE hired. As to making money, remember there's a difference between gross and net! And then, just ask any swing club owner on this board...once you open a club, you're too busy to be a swinger! But good luck to you. Why don't you speak to the people at New Horizons and Allena at the Wet Spot. Both are very good resources.

Best,
Sue

[karamellxix]

Well you kinda took the fun out of the whole thing..LOL A lot of the responses we have been getting refer to a lawyer, which we pretty much knew we would have to consult. Can you tell us, since there are so many lawyers, what type of lawyer we would be looking for..i.e entertainment lawyer, business lawyer, divorce lawyer(LOL).
We would feel kind of weird trying to explain our situation to the wrong person...Thanks

[karamellxix]

thanks for the reply. we are trying to follow a working model we seen in Pheonix Arizona. Know this was an on-premise club featuring theme rooms in a secluded second story guarded by security. In the dance club portion anyone could come and dance just like any other dance club. In fact alot people there weren't even swingers.
Our idea is to do this with an off-premise model. Catering more on the dance club theme, but with an invitation to stay a party at local hotel room or something like that

[karamellxix]

Thanks for the heads up, but we pretty much live in the Seattle metro area. And, even though this this is a pretty small state, we have seen enough action around town to know its a secure form of entertainment. As far as family and friends go, my family pretty much know my business ideas and I moved here from California only 3 years ago so I don't have a reputation to hide nor does my wife...Thanks so much for the reply

[karamellxix]

Yes I agree. We really can do more research work, if you want to call it that..LOL
Thanks for the reply

[karamellxix]

Thanks.. Yes maybe we should consult with New Horizons and other local swinger clubs. We would like to know exactly what type of lawyer we should consult with. What title should the lawyer go by. We just dont want to be sitting in front of a lawyer who isnt into representing this type of work. I mean we have never seen any advertisements that say "swinger lawyer" Can you help...Thanks so much

[JustAskJulie]

A business lawywer to start with as they can tell you what is and is not legal (business wise) in your city, as well as tell you what licenses you will need to obtain.

Some issues to consider.

- You are talking about doing this from your apartment home. Because you do not own this home, you may find yourself having to find a new home if your neighbors start complaining. This can happen even if you own your own house, but at least then you don't have a landlord waiting to evict you for breaking a lease agreement (so make sure you take a copy of that with you to the lawyer).

Make sure you are completely honest with your lawyer about what you intend to do, so that he/she can give you the best advice possible.

What you might want to do before you consider turning it into a business is just throw a party for fun at your place and see what happens (as long as no money changes hands you shouldn't have anything to worry about except the possible noise complaints from neighbors bringing the cops to your door). But doing so would help you answer the questions of whether or not it would be worthwhile and fun to do, or if it's just too much trouble, takes the fun out of the whole thing when you are host, etc.

[FrenchConx]

Starting a club- a great idea, we love what we do and are glad we did, but...

We think one of the best ways to start is by getting a business kit from RMCSC (www.RMCSC.com) in Denver. They put an entire successful business plan together for off-premise clubs. It has everything you need to get started. How to find a place and negotiate a good deal, forms, music, how to incorporate, and on and on. It is well worth the money to learn all the lessons the easy way. I can assure you, the only other way is to do like us and learn the hard way.

Here are some things to think about when running a club:

* Many club owners end up on TV (usually not by choice- been there done that)
* Your friends will all want to come for free
* You'll be there hours before the club opens and hours after (when everyone else is partying)
* You'll party a lot less than you do now
* Your weekends will be gone (even if you do a monthly event it will take a toll on your free time)
* Instead of checking out couples you want to party with, you'll be checking to see if anyone is breaking the rules, breaking up fights, ldealing with intoxicated people, etc...
* Only a handful of people have made money doing parties (most break even, many lose money, some get burned out, some get shut down or raided)
* The local police WILL know about you and come in to check you out
* People WILL break the rules (and often the law) which will put you (and your other customers) at risk

On the other hand- here are some great reasons to start a party:

* Because there is not another club near you or that caters to your crowd
* Lifestyle people are the best customers and people to work with
* If you are successful, you can make money (eventually)
* It's better than pumping gas (no offense to any gas pumpers out there)
* There are perks (discounts at resorts, comps at lifestyle events- hey, if your not making money, there should at least be some perks)
* You may still get laid every once in a while

Seriously, though- we love what we do, but we have seen the other side and it isn't always pretty. Get a business lawyer that can look into your cities codes and permits. Try finding a hotel that will rent you a ballroom for your parties. Then spend a couple of months advertising the 1st party and give it a try.

Bob & Tess
French Connection Events

[karamellxix]

thanks for the input and the type of lawyer we need. Sorry for the misunderstanding but we know we could never hold any parties at our apartment. Thats why I mentioned starting with an off-premise site like a hotel, meeting hall, or any place we can legally put this together at....Please write back if you can help with anymore info.

[karamellxix]

Thanks very much for the info. We will look into the website you refered us to.