Aaliyah, Concept & Marianne Williamson: Unafraid

We miss you Aaliyah! And I've missed this outlet as well...let's not talk so much about why this hadn't been updated in *checks calendar* going on 2 years. Let's get down to what's happened in that time.

So, yeah, as you can see the countdown continues. Ive gotten questions like 'Did I miss the opening?'...'When will Concept open?'... 'Are you trying to open Concept debt-free?'.

#1- No.
#2- Uhhh, as soon as I can get this money.
And #3- No, not in this dream.

Money, money, money, moneyyy! Money! $2.85M is the total project cost (TPC) to get Concept up and running as I envision it and I need 15% of TPC to come to the table with SBA or 7% of TPC to be taken seriously by community banks. That's anywhere from $250-450K, which, in the grand scheme of a lot of things isnt a whole lot of money. Sure, so you identify the relatively deep pockets in the area but how do contact them about your vision- this for profit endeavor?

You think offer ownership. Investors, angels, VCs. I thought so too... But the hospitality industry scares people. The grandness of this vision scares people. Success scares people.

Marianne Williamson's quote from 'A Return To Love' would fit well here: "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure..."

Be unafraid. I will be. I'll save (most of) them a seat at the table. Cheers.

T MINUS 140: The Days Until App

I always know when I'm intimidated, fed up, apprehensive or tired of something: I completely avoid it. Such was the case with the iPhone app I have called 'Days Until.' I checked my email on day and had a message that asked if I had gotten any closer to raising the capital I needed to make an offer on the building because another party was interested in the property and (naturally) the owners wouldn't be able to hold it for me until I got the funds together. On one hand that is completely understandable! Hey, I own a business- I wouldn't expect anything else. On the other, it was devastating.

I can't even begin to describe those feelings. It was like they told me that somebody had died, I felt this huge void and I couldn't picture life after death. I have this vision of myself at Concept and how my life will be when the well-oiled machine I've been dreaming about gets to blowing full steam. And with that news, that vision, that ME died in an instant. I had already been on the verge of what I feel like was an emotional breakdown (I'm learning more and more how sane people end up insane) and that was the straw that broke the camel's back. I think I finally succumbed to the pressure. I cried and wallowed and turned off all the lights and tried to wish myself invisible. It didn't work. It was Tuesday, July 7th. I was in New Orleans and that was the last time I looked at the Days Until app until today.

So, I made up my mind to not go back to Tallahassee. Sure my family's here and I've made the place my home, my personal and professional relationships are deeply rooted and my business is headquartered here but without Concept, I was reeeeallllyyy feeling like there's nothing in Tallahassee for me. It was the first time in a long time that I have been able to identify with the people that are dying to the leave the city. I decided I wasn't coming back and made an official announcement among my personal braintrust.

The text (lol) read: 'They told me the building is being looked at by someone else. If it's not available, I'm staying.' My phone blew up with all the return texts and phone calls asking me where this was coming from, was I sure, why was I running away, WTHs and WTFs. My mom was the one that told me I was running away- naturally I didn't see it that way. I was just soooooooooooo tired. Tired of meeting, planning and defending this dream and that was the perfect out. That was Tuesday.

After 3 very in-depth discussions on why this was happening, how to bounce back, what to do as an alternative, I got my mojo back and got back on the horn on Wednessay. I told the realtor that the business model for Concept required me to be in the downtown area but the size of the building facility didn't have to be as big as the current building we are looking at and kept putting one foot in front of the other. As fate would have it, I had just extended an offer to a colleague to join the team as the Vice President of Operations and she came in excited, on fire and right on time. I fed off her energy and enthusiam and the atrophy continued to reverse itself.

I also came to grips with the fact that we won't be having the big grand opening on New Year's Eve- I felt like such a disappointment, a failure. Who plans something for two years (2 years and 22 days to be exact) and can't deliver on time? But then I look around me and notice people who barely plan and don't deliver at all and I am somewhat sustained. What has been decided is to get the operation (read: conglomerate) open in phases.

Ideally, the conference center and event space (2,700 SF), which is the most flexible of the spaces and is located on the basement floor will be open in time to allow for more venue options for area holiday parties. The first floor houses the virtual office receptionist, transient meeting space, executive conference room and the restaurant would be great to get open in time for Legislative Session 2010. And finally, the crown jewel, Concept Cocktail Experiece, will be open Q2 2010. That's when we will have the Grand Opening celebration.

In the meantime, we have a New Year's Eve party to plan! And thanks to my twitspiration @inkwellalley, I can get back into the groove of sharing 'the countdown to Concept'!

T MINUS 196: Ms. Hamer, Ms. Hamer

I had lost my mojo there for a while...7 months needed for construction time, trouble getting the retainer fee for the securities attorney and a near-falling out with the closest things I've had to a best friend in 5 years. My stress level is high and so is my blood pressure I'm sure, my ears are constantly ringing and the strain in my shoulders will not go away. Can't get rid of this cough because my immune system is probably shot to pieces from all the ripping and running and I just can't seem to get enough sleep! I was starting to feel like Ms. Hamer, Fannie Lou...one of the female leaders of the Civil Rights Movement notably known for saying she was "sick and tired of being sick and tired."

I needed a shot in the arm- some juice, motivation, mojo, take your pick. Frustrated because I've done all I can do and my control over the progression of the project is dwindling day by day. And even more troubling than that is the fact that the progression of the project itself is dwindling day by day. I got that shot in the arm today though. I had the pleasure of sitting down with an architect to discuss the project, where I was with it and what steps I needed to complete next in order to move forward. I was excited about his insight on the City's Economic Development Council incentive programs along with the funds available through the Community Redevelopment Agency. He also gave me some insight on how to negotiate the asking price for the property that we're looking at for Concept (which he was familiar with).

He asked me what the timeline I was working with was and I told him that I honestly had no idea at this point. What was so amazing was that he understood the absolute necessity of me getting the products that he produces in order to secure my financing. He advised me of his industry's practice to typically do renderings last because of the need to get them as accurate as possible. I completely understand that! But he was also aware of the need to get those renderings in front of investors and bankers and I appreciate that even more.

The first place for us to start was to determine the scope of the project- how do you want it to look, what will go where, what don't you want in the establishment? Lucky for me, I've been working with a great architectural student from FAMU who has really helped me articulate my vision for Concept and what's even better is that he completed a summer internship with this particular firm a couple of years ago! The real shot in the arm came when he asked me if Emmanuel and I would be available to meet this afternoon...as in today! Like today today, T MINUS 196! He said that he and his staff would work on getting me everything I needed at cost within the next 2-4 weeks!

I think that shot in the arm I just got is healing me quickly, I don't feel so sick anymore and although I'm still a little tired, right now I'm glad that there is no rest for the weary!

T MINUS 205: One Bite At A Time

I went to the construction company to help determine if the numbers I had in my line-item budget for the projected startup costs were practical. That was in March...today is June 9th and I just got those numbers from them on June 1st. Their estimate says they will need 7 months to complete the project. That 7 months doesn't include the time it will take to get the permits or the financing to get the permits or the documentation to get the financing. A dream deferred indeed.

It isn't so easy to give up now, not when I've put so much into this dream- sacrficied so much and given so much. I can't just scrap the idea completely just because there is strong possibility of not meeting the deadline I've been planning on for the last year and a half, can I? And that's why I've made myself accountable to so many people, why I've wanted to share this dream with so many people because somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew that I would have to lean on the support of those around me.

So, getting back...the basement floor is going to be dedicated to the conference center and meeting space; second floor to restaurant space and executive office leasing and the top floor to the Cocktail Experience Lounge. You know the Lounge is my baby, the highlight of the portfolio- the other businesses are ancillary and the revenues they generate will be to pay the expenses of the business. The revenue generated from the Lounge will be used to pay the investors. Initially, the plan was to have every part of the business operational for NYE 09...in 205 days.

I've been asked by a couple of people if I had considered opening the business in smaller chunks...How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time! So this is how the project has evolved: we will get the conference center and executive office space open in order to begin generating those revenues (getting hard out here in these streets!). I asked the construction manager if would be feasible to get that accomplished and he agreed that it would be. The requirements to do that would get the plumbing, HVAC and electricity updated and make sure the fire exits are ADA accessible. We're keeping the concrete floors and are going to add the glass walls from Hufcor (www.hufcor.com) to separate the space.

The major challenge comes in determining how to acquire the space. With this new approach, I can take the property managers up on their offer to lease the space but how will that impact my application to purchase the space? That's a question for both Florida First Capital and Larin- my personal real estate acquisition guru. The new timeline aims for an open date of October 17, 2009 for the conference center and office space at a minimum. I'm not sure yet when we would get the cocktail lounge open but you know how when you're eating something that's so good and you have only one or two bites left? And that last bite is the absolute best? This one bite at a time thing may not be so bad after all!

T MINUS 231: Vivian Green or McFadden and Whitehead?

I might be on an emotional rollcoaster but ain't no stopping us now! Last I posted, I was in love with my construction manager...now they have me on an emotional rollercoaster. Keep in mind, we're talking about having this big grand celebration in 231 days- complete with fireworks, the most beautifully diverse crowd Tallahassee has ever seen in one place, Robin Thicke, liquor sponsors out the whazoo and the sexiest decor in Tallahassee (outside of the lobby at Springhill Suites on Apalachee Parkway). Let us also not forget that the startup costs for the project are just shy of $3M and I have accumulated the same amount of capital I had on T MINUS 365!

So why the emotional rollercoaster? Because in our efforts to address the parking issue, we decided to 'park' any efforts to pull together the figures I would need for my construction bid. Let us not forget that this the federal government that we are dealing with as a part of my capital campaign and I won't be able to address the parking issue EVER if I don't get the funding! Remember that whole discussion about needing 1 parking space for every 200 ground square feet? That's where we've been hung up.

The asking price for the property includes the 15,000 square foot building and the adjacent lot. This lot is about 5,000 square feet by itself and according to their calculations (350 square feet per parking space), I would need 19,000 square feet of space to build in those 56.25 spaces needed per the zoning requirement. I'm taking a hard look at that figure because 19,000 SF is bigger than the facility itself! Now, in my efforts to put the parking space requirements in perspective, their office looks like it has about 18 parking spaces and that lot looks like it's only about 1/3 of the space that comes with my property.

After a meeting last week, I was charged with the task of identifying opportunities to lease parking spaces from areas businesses and agencies. The main reason that parking has presented itself as a problem is because I have to make sure that they amenity is available- and mainly only for the constituents that will be making use of the conference center (as for the restaurant, there are 3 State buildings within a one-block radius of Concept so their cars already parked nearby and the cocktail lounge patrons won't have any trouble finding parking after hours because, trust me, State workers are already home by the time 5 oclock comes!).

Either way, like McFadden and Whitehead said so long ago, there won't be any stopping me now...surely, I haven't come this far to let something as simple as parking stop this rollercoaster but let's refocus our efforts and get me my construction bid so I get my SBA Loan so I can address the parking issue!

T MINUS 240: The Silver Bullet

My construction manager is the best! I’ve always been a big fan of the company and now I get to see up close and personal what working with one of Tallahassee’s leaders in green construction is really all about. I retained the company at a rate of $2,500 about a month ago to get some real, practical numbers plugged into my financial projections. But before we did that, we had to ensure that the zoning and permitting for the proposed location would even allow Concept to exist there.

The Zoning Code prevents any establishment that serves or sells alcohol from being within 500 feet of any school, church or other establishment of similar nature. We took out a map and drew to scale a radius of 500 feet. They went on a field trip to scout out the area for establishments that would prevent Concept from being in that building and found a day care and a church. The Silver Bullet. It would have killed the project dead in the water. They called the City to get some clarification on that rule and as it turns out, we dodged The Silver Bullet. That 500 feet is 500 feet of walking distance and only includes ‘walkable’ spaces. Meaning, if there is an empty lot in the middle of the walking path that is not accessible to pedestrians, you subtract that space. The day care wasn’t included because it isn’t a school and their was something on the path to the church that made it more that 500 walking feet. So…we dodged The Silver Bullet.

The question that we come to now is parking. Even though Concept’s location falls outside of the Downtown Improvement Authority district, for all intents and purposes, Concept will be a part of Downtown Tallahassee activity…and parking downtown is always perceived as the most inconvenient thing about being downtown. The City of Tallahassee’s Growth Management and Planning Departments have minimum parking standards per zone. The zone that Concept will be in, the Capital Center Planning District, calls for 1 parking space for every 200 ground square feet; the structure that houses Concept is 15,000 total square feet. That means our parking requirement is 75 spaces.

The building is located in both an Enterprise Zone and the Frenchtown/Southside Community Redevelopment Area; the project gets 18.75 redevelopment credits bringing the net required parking spaces required to 56.25, or 56. The asking price for the building actually includes an adjacent lot that is approximately 43 x 130 square feet, or 5,590 square feet. It will take about 350 square feet for one parking space, meaning I would over 19,000 square feet just to build in the required number of parking spaces. I can always appeal to the Parking Standards Committee to reduce the requirement for the project but I have to be careful about that.

Let’s say my appeal to Parking Standards is approved and I can get away with the 30 parking spaces that are ‘included’ in the property that I will acquire. One of the revenue drivers for the Group is the conference center and meeting space. It won’t make much sense to have a conference center that meets the needs of my constituents and customers if they have nowhere to park- that’s like not having a conference center at all. We talked about the next step as engaging an architect but before that money is spent, it would behoove me to understand my options for parking. Are all the lots adjacent to the building, not just the one immediately adjacent, available for sale? If so, what would the asking price be for that? If not, what other options do I have to make easy access to parking a true amenity for the property? More than that, what did the previous tenants do for parking when it was occupied 5 years ago? What businesses or spaces in close proximity might allow me to make some parking lease arrangements to use their space for my customers’ parking options?

My line sister owns a car wash about 3 blocks from where Concept will be. It’s an open space that has 3 tented areas so the employees can carry out their service duties; I would say about 15 cars could park their easily. She is open to allowing me to lease the space from her for the purposes of the project. I would need to provide a shuttle service from her business to Concept to account for the distance but that allows for further opportunity for my employees to build relationships with our customers. Or, I could form a partnership with one of the transportation companies in town that would extend a business opportunity to them to enhance their clientele and form their own relationships.

T MINUS 241: Last Call

Last Call: Two words that bartenders sometimes reeeaaallllyyy look forward to. Not the case at the event last night- ‘last call’ came about an hour earlier than we had anticipated. Celebrating the graduates of Florida A&M, Florida State and TCC, the event was held at a private venue in Tallahassee, an art gallery. Drink tickets were available at the registration table for the attendees and there were some VIPs that drank on the house. One of those VIPs was an employee at the venue; we were told that he didn’t need a ticket to drink so we made sure to take care of him. I think he took advantage of that offer from the event organizers- he was ‘buying’ drinks for a couple of his friends and came back about 3 times in hour. There was another guy came up to the bar and said “I work here.” Okay, and?

I confirmed that the “I work here” guy was to receive a complimentary drink and it was A complimentary drink, not a comped out drink tab. Because 71 Proof had been entrusted to ensure a successful bar operation (and because people need to know that Concept is a for-profit establishment), I felt it was my duty to inform the event organizers of the possibility of the employees of the venue usurping the ‘power’ of their positions. I suggested that they get their tickets comped out but bring them to the bar just like everyone else. I guess the employees didn’t like my suggestion. That’s fine but don’t try to take advantage of my bar. Try to get over somewhere else.

Now this could be me being supersensitive, but I’m pretty sure that the earlier than scheduled ‘last call’ could have come about because of their bruised egos. If that’s the case, SFM, please accept my apologies.

So what’s last call all about anyway? Why do the bars all close at 2 am? Last call is a city ordinance that mandates that no alcoholic beverages be sold or served after 2 am, at least that’s the case in Tallahassee. The bars close at 2 am because they aren’t going to generate any further revenue even though they are still generating expenses. Utilities and labor costs, while they may be incremental, are typically the argument used to justify herding all the patrons out the door like sheep when the clock strikes 2.

Because we will be serving breakfast on Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings, there won’t be a need to herd people out at Concept. I don’t think we’ll have to find a way to engage our patrons after 2 am on any other night because they’ll be needing to get to work in the next day- they are professionals you know.