Cody's is located just south of Atlanta in a cozy little suburb with a great collage. When it started, it was a worn out, roof leaking, kitchen not working, no sound and light, emty building. Cody's was the first "regular" club the owner had ever tried. His main bread and butter came from owning vey successful gentelmans clubs in Atlanta, Ga. This was an issue, as the owner had no idea how to attrack 'regular' club patrons. However, the main challenge of Cody's would be that it was in a town close enough to Atlanta that the "regular" club patrons would be willing to drive the 30 - 45 min. nessassary to go to a "Big City" Hotlanta club.

Jon Hutcherson was brought in from the begining. He was consulted for the planing, buildout, staffing,promoting, and marketing of Cody's. Jon's contacts, networks, and tips and tricks were put to the test in this club. Jon had to find a way to connect to the local club patrons in a way that made them stay in town and party at a club that was not considered a "Hotlanta" attraction. This was no small feat!

Jon's first meeting with the club owner was no picnic. Imagine a successful club owner that has been in the business for well over 25 years.He has made millions with his ideas and concepts in the Adult Gentelman Clubs he owns. He is a big man with a big voice. And most of all, he likes to feel in control of everything. All the time. 

Now, imagine Jon teling this club owner that none of his ideas are going to work. He couldn't just open the doors and the masses would come. Realize, in the gentelmans club industry, if you have girls, have cold drinks, and are playing music... the masses will come everyday, no matter the atmosphere, staff, or promotions. The patrons are there for the girls, not the club environment. This is not to say there is not an artform to owning, operating, and being successful in the Gentelmans Club Industry, because there is. It is just a different kind of beast than a "regular" nightclub. In fact. a gentelmans club can cause more issues than a regular nightclub.

Information = Success

Jon spent a week in the town of his new endevour. He visited all the night spots in town and around the neiboring citys. Jon went to the collage and talked with students to find out what they wanted. He asked hard questions and got hard answers. (collage students can be a bit, well, picky.) Jon then went to the local police department and asked questions as to how the citys codes and ordences work. He wanted to be informed. He wanted his next meeting with this big, boasterous owner, to be an informed meeting of the minds. He wanted the club owner to listen to what he had to say and he wanted to have information to back up his concepts.

The club owner was impressed. He saw that Jon took the time to do serous research. He was very impressed that Jon had talked witht he city and was involving them from the begining. Lisencing can be a club killer. Getting the City on the side of the club from the begining was the tipping point. The Club Owner saw that Jon knew what he was saying and more imprtant, Jon knew how to back up what he teaches.

Jon was given a budget, a skeleton staff to start building, and a general direction of what the club owner invisioned. Jon was given the greenlight to start building a club that would not only attract the local patrons, but make them want to get involved with it's success. This is the key to the story.

Involve your loacl merchants, service providers, and patrons during build out to make solid business relationships help grow your new Nightclub. 

 Jon had worked in small towns before. He knew that to get the support he would need to succeed he had to involve as many local merchants and service providers as he could. Yes, in most cases, it would be faster and mabe even cheaper if he hired "big Business" providers from Atlanta. But, taking the time, upfront, to involve local merchants and service providers would pay off big in the end. It did.

A sports Bar usually has NFL, MBL, NHL, etc. etc. .... all national teams, displayed throughout the club, televisions are set to National coverage of National sporting events, and  the atmosphere of the Sports Bar is geared towards National Sports. Jon knew that he had to involve the town. He set out to find all the sports teams int he area; collage, high school, and beyond. Jon wanted to display local sports clubs jerseys, pictures, and trophies among the National Sports Memoriableia. Jon wanted to connect with the town in a way no other club had tried to do. He succeeded.

Keep your Friends close and Your Enimies Closer

Local Police kill a Nightclubs atmosphere. Patrons do not want to constantly be reminded that if they drink a bit too much they will go to jail as soon as they leave the club. Patrons do not want an "authority figure" standing over them and watching every move. Club patrons do not like a police presence in their party. period..... ok, maybe not period. 

From Jon's research of the town, he already knew that the local police department had shut down new Nightclubs for underage drinking, fights, and non complience with local codes. Jon set out to involve the local police from the start. He went to the local police department, talked witht he captin and got approval to hire his staff of officers for use as doorman and security. Jon told them they would have to not be in uniform, they would have to treat the patrons with respect as if they were only security, and that they would not be involved with "inside" club issues unless called upon. What Jon did was involve the local police in a way that made them feel in control of underage drinking, patrons leaving too drunk, and full complience with local code.  

A Trained Staff Knows What to Look for At All Times to Avoid Trouble 

Nobody wants to go out and get hurt in a bar fight. Nobody wants to go to a Nightclub and get caught up in a gang war. And nobody wants to  go to a club and worry about some insane security gaurd breaking an arm. Basically, nobody want to go to a club that is out of control and dangerous. The only way to control a club full of drunk patrons is to train your staff to see dangerous situations before they happen.

Jon started an intense training program weeks before Cody's opened. He put his new staff through roll playing games and exercies to get them used to seeing problem areas. In addition, Jon took his staff on field trips to observe other Nightclubs to see what they were doing right, and what they were doing wrong. Jon took an active roll in insuring the new staff would be ready for any situation and know how to diffuse troubled patrons before anyone got hurt. Jon trained the new staff to become the party, not watch the party from a position of an employee. Jon trained the staff that a club full of patrons are looking for a leader, a motivator, and looking for a way to have fun. Jon showed the staff how to motivate it's patrons to have good, safe, and unbelievable experiences without getting hurt or going to jail. It worked, to date Cody's has not had one single patron hurt.

Sometimes Marketing is Simply Talking to Folks on the Street

Involving the merchants, service providers, and local law enforcment in the buildout, staffing, and preperations of Cody's was paramount to it's success. Every person involved witht he "making" of Cody's has an invested interest in it's success. These are a clubs best Marketing Street Team. These folks will talk about Cody's for years to come. They want to talk about themselves, not the club. However, Talking about themselves is talking about Cody's.

Jon knew that to win in a small suburb of Atlanta he had to connect with it's town people in a way no other establishment has ever tried. He had to get the town involved. He had to hire the town to create the club owners vision. He had to make the town a part of Cody's ultimate success or failure. He had to connect on a personal level. He did, and Cody's is still the nuber 1 Sports Bar in the suburbs of Atlanta. 

Marketing Cody's was put into place from day one. The marketing of Cody's was to be intentional, but invisible. The town could not know it was being pulled into an elaberate plan of gaining their trust. Cody's connected in a way that made marketing as simple as talking to folks ont he street or in the local supermarket. Cody's was the towns pride. Built by the town for the town's enjoyment. Sure, it was built so the owner could make more money. but the town never considered that for even a moment. What the town saw was a place to hold wedding receptions, Comany parties, Birthday partys, and a place to unwind after work while watch their favoright sports team on one of 50 televisions upon the walls of the Sports Bar they built, as a town.

Cody's was an instant success and continues today.