Design Studio Under Water

While one partner was giving his blood, sweat and tears into the bar they ran, the other's health was on the decline and causing them both a lot of emotional distress. We needed to write a business plan, and in the section for Vision we couldn't seem to get out from under the two owners' personal history and how much they had been through together. It was clearly holding us back from fully envisioning the future.

When I asked 'Are we building this business around your vision, or about your dying partner's?' the skies opened. This bar was to become the center of the local community, and then to expand into other corners where their values for safety, wisdom, connection and mentorship could be extended to members of the LGBTQIA+ community. We even filed for a new name for the holding company to represent this vision.

In order to grow and expand, the remaining owner knew he couldn't continue to run everything himself. Once a bar manager had indicated her eagerness and talents for this role, we identified the responsibilities we could securely delegate and continued to increase this load over time.

We took several weeks to develop, update and review the business plan. When it was finished my client declared that he loved it so much, he was going to print 100 copies of it and share them all over town with everyone he met. That week, he transformed into a leader and a visionary.

Shoring up the business, having a plan for the future and empowering his team meant everything when it came to the events that followed the next year. His silent partner's health issues finally took him, and a regular customer had an accident on property and later passed as well. My client had major surgery following. And he, and the business, endured. 

The Bar's new name reflects is new take on life. My client has taken on a new partner, one who is his perfect match for the business and equally shares his passion for their community. And they finally made it to the first page of Yelp for their category - in 2025, they have only 5-star customer reviews.