“You have to have values about what you are doing,” according to Steve Jones, the speaker at Startup Grind Kalamazoo on December 9, 2015. What Jones, the general manager of Mr. President's Nightclub was referring to, was how a business can sustain from one generation to the next. The values are in how the business operates, and what can be carried forward. Jones said that they are not obsessed with money and that you have to stand for something. You also need to adapt to the times or cannot sustain.
These words came from Steve at his newly reopened nightlife venue, Mr. President's. Jones pointed out that there has to be integrity in transitioning that doesn't get lost.
Building on a Legacy
Mr. President's predecessor was “The Ambassador Lounge,” which opened in 1961. At the time, the predecessor was also not downtown. Much of Kalamazoo, including the building before Mr. President's, was directed towards manufacturing.
As the downtown area began to develop and the demographics changed, the original owner Fred Jones renovated the building -- even before he had a specific idea of what to create. He considered a coin laundramat, among other ideas, and finally settling on a fine dining supper club. As times continued to change, Mr. President's went from a supper club to an upscale urban disco, which had lines around the building for years.
The Roots of the Legacy
Steve Jones began working as a dishwasher in the summer of 1974 when he was in ninth grade, sometimes working 70 hours a week. Throughout the years, though, he has worn multiple hats, depending on the day. In a small business, it is important to be familiar with many roles to be able to fill in inevitable gaps because, according to Jones, “Everybody is a janitor.”
Jones' advice for the wannabe entrepreneur: “It's a lot of work. You have to do something you have a passion for. If you don't love it, you can't do it.”
Jones also stated that it cannot be just about commerce. It has to be about helping people. One of the motivations for reopening Mr. President's was because of it's proximitiy to the Mission and the transit center a block North. Mr. President's is able to offer mentoring and training so people do not have to stay homeless or continue living at the Mission. They are given the chance, regardless of backgrounds, to learn roles at Mr. President's, and move on. Jones equated that with the mentoring that used to be available from people who were professional servers and would train others to follow. Mr. President's has taken on that role since it does not exist anymore, and Jones stated that they can feel good about the outcome.
Mr. President's reopened in August of 2014 after being closed for 14 years. The customers who used to be around in the manufacturing era with the disposable incomes are not around anymore, which is part of the adaption to current times. As the new version of Mr. President's continues, the values sustain, while they work at finding the best way to connect to their niche mature market, whether through social media, email, or, possibly the strongest way, word of mouth.
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