These days owning or running a pub is a common dream business amongst budding entrepreneurs. Even big-time investors and glitterati chefs have been bypassing the more traditionally favoured restaurant route on the look out for great British pub buildings, and with the media focusing more and more on the perils, pitfalls and promises of starting up in property-based enterprise, it’s no wonder that more and more of us are looking to get into the On Trade for ourselves.
If you have thought about getting into the on trade have you really thought about what is involved or even if you are ready and up for the task in hand? The rose-tinted view of pub life before you have actually landed your first licensed premises is a far cry from all of the hard work you are going to have to put into your first years of business – are you up to the challenge? Think about your skills and personal attributes.
Are you:
1. Outgoing and able to talk to all types of people?
2. A good communicator?
3. Hardworking?
4. Focused and business minded?
5. Healthy and fit enough to work long hours at pace?
6. Legally able to hold a licence?
If you feel that you are there are a number of things that you can do to ready yourself for the business you are taking on.
Personal Licence
The Licensing Act 2003 states that to sell alcohol you must be licensed. This means you must meet the following requirements:
Be aged 18 or over
Have no forfeit on a personal licence in five years
Have an accredited licensing qualification – visit http://www.biiab.org/ for more information.
Not have any unspent relevant offences, classed as serious crime or dishonesty, drugs, some sexual offences or licensing offences.
You would need to pay a fee for this and provide a criminal record certificate in order to apply to the licensing authority to grant the application.
For more information on this issue you can visit http://www.culture.gov.uk/what_we_do/Alcohol_entertainment
Once you have fully committed yourself to your new business pursuit and are ready to move forward the next thing you need to look at is Finding A Pub...