01/04/2024
🚨🚨🚨Official statement 🚨🚨🚨
After numerous messages from people telling me the rumours of why Sally Brown’s didn’t open.
It’s with great regret I am forced to release this statement, things could have been solved differently by rightfully returning my what belongs to me however I have been ignored and it’s been made very clear to me from other sources that things being said aren’t right.
Some of you will know that recently Sally Brown’s failed to open just 1 week before the big sold out launch weekend and it was explained that due to difficulties with the lease and the other business partner not wanting to sign it at the last moment, Sally Brown’s was basically fore-fitted as I couldn’t raise the deposit money alone.
Originally we were putting in similar amounts of money £10,000 - £12,000 each, I’d sold my Audi TT Sport, a small business and a van totalling to around £10,000 (everyone knows I had the money from these) and I’d hoped that I’d be able to Put some more money in throughout the first couple of months from various events I was promoting.
I found the building and made all the arrangements to view it. Instantly i fell in love with the place and I could instantly see the huge potential of what I could do with this place.
My business partner said “it’s your business I’ll leave it all up to you” So we went ahead and got the keys! We didn’t sign lease at that point as we didn’t have a business bank account however we had applied and was waiting. (I have messages to back this up)
It was my plan to do the bare basics to the venue like build the bar, build the stage and paint the place and hopefully install a floor and get open and making money. Everything else can come over a period of time.
A few days later my business partner called me to let me know her father in law had some money in a bank account which acquainted to around £40,000 which he was going to offer to the business.
My first initial reaction was WOW! We can make a really good go of it now. My business partner said “lets spend spend spend & get the best” I very quickly turned around and said to my business partner I can’t match this money, will you want to discuss our percentages and you own more of the business? She said no I don’t work like that. I assured her and her family that this money would be paid back. (It was always going to be paid back )
From the 6th Dec we started the early plans of the venue. The whole design, layout, set up, colours, artwork and everything else in between came from me. Literally everything was from my brain! I had a vision and could see how the place could look. The whole business plan was mine too literally every single part of the business plan and ideas where mine from my brain.
So work began straight away! I purchased some real cool funky retro items, original Kitsch items, original 1960’s wall paper, retro sofa’s, tables and chairs, tiles, paint, fixings, wood, electronics etc all amazing original vintage items which I’d soon use to decorate the whole venue.
Meanwhile the lease had been done by the landlord and it was ready to be signed, we desperately needed a bank account and couldn’t open one without a signed lease in place so we signed it! We sat on a table and we both signed the lease however after the landlord realised something about the service charge and noticed it was incorrect he took away the lease leaving the back piece of paper which we had signed and I kept it. I have this signed lease with both mine and my business partners signature on.
The lease was amended and my business partner still didn’t want to sign and she said she wanted to break out earlier if she chose so this was amended by the landlord again.
As above It was my initial plan to do as little as possible to the venue and to get the place to a basic point where it could open and we could improve as we went along once we started to make money. I had arranged to hire a PA system until we could afford one and I had already made those plans with a friend/local pa company however due to the £40,000 investment from my business partners family member she said let’s buy a PA system (rather than hire for a short period which was my initial plan) and a substantial amount was spent on this.
She lead the project when it came to the refurbishment of the venue, she brought in plumbers, electricians, carpenters and I basically explained my design/ideas/layout and where everything should go, my design was the perfect fit for the building and they did the necessary work.
Again alot of this didn’t necessarily need to be done right away and it was never my plan to do this at this point but because of the money being put in it all went ahead. I found it difficult to make decisions on things because it wasn’t my money being spent so I went along with what was being suggested as it of course made the venue much better than it would have been at this point.
Soon the pressure started as the more money that was spent the more I was being asked if I can put any more money as “we’re paying for everything”
I didn’t ask for this £40,000 at the start although I welcomed it to the business and knew it would help to take the business forward ahead of my initial plan. Again i must mention again the investment was always going to be paid back. It became clear that as she was spending this money it was seen as they were working harder than me.
Anyway at this point my business partner was missing days at the venue and seemed to be quite stressed. Then received a message from her saying how she should now own 75% of the business because of what they have spent. This was never ever agreed and I know I hadn’t put in as much as originally planned however what you see in this venue is my creation, it’s my business plan, everything from top to bottom came from me, I’ve worked so hard behind the scenes booking every single band, promoting and selling out several events and more about to sell out, I had built great relationships with partners and local businesses, dealing with all aspects of licensing, liaising with big agents, promoters, breweries, PR and anything in between to ensure the business would run to the best of its ability and full to the brim of happy customers spending money. (That was my job) and I did it fantastically! I might not have put hammer to nail because I’m not good when it comes to building stuff but I worked so hard behind the scenes and I’d genuinely put my heart and soul into the place however it soon became apparent i wasn’t viewed as being a valued asset to the business. A business and industry I had a lot of experience in and they had zero.
Things soon started to change and I could feel tension in the air, communication changed and so did attitudes. Some of you will know that I had isses with my dance craze event resulting in no further money being put in from me as the money didn’t materialise bands have not been paid which was a cause for concern but it was being dealt with as I explained on a post on my personal page.
My business partners father in law sat me down and his exact words to me were, “dont worry about the money I will find it if I need to. You are 50/50 partners and this is how it will stay. She has had several businesses over the years and they have always been hers and she has never had to share. Sharing is something she is really struggling with” (not my words)
By then I’d noticed a few things that were quite upsetting & concerning, like keeping me locked out of the office as I didn’t need to have access to it, not receiving my PIN number for my bank card although she had hers, I later found out it had been received and not given to me, I was told the CCTV wasnt working and then told to watch myself because I’m being recorded, ringing various places to check on what is been saying, constant digging at me for not doing anything or for being sat on my phone.
Like I said I didn’t put much hammer to nail but the whole concept and business plan was mine. If I was on my phone I was doing something business related. I was receiving as you can imagine an extremely high number of messages from bands, promoters, agents and everything to do with the running of a 350 capacity venue.
(Promoting the events for a venue this size alone is a full time job)
I made it very very clear from the start I cannot do DIY and a lot of things I didn’t feel comfortable with trying.
I did however put my hand to anything I thought I could do. I tiled all the toilets, I tiled the whole front of the bar, I helped paint all the black and white checks around the venue, when things started to come together I put things in places like furniture. mirrors, shelves, pictures to make place look really cool and I was very good at it.
I hired the new staff and I had booked training/tasing session at Birmingham brew for myself and the new staff which in my opinion was really important. It allowed me to get to know the staff that I’d employed and also build relationships with local businesses who were working with.
This instantly wasn’t a big hit with her as I was seen as I was ‘going out on the p**s’ I mean we did end up on the p**s but you know I’m a 35 year old man and I can do if I want to. Earlier in the day Beaver town brewery had been round and gave us about 6 cans for free so after our tasting session myself and 2 members of staff (one of them left their bag) went back and we set and drank those cans and I was told I crossed a line and I was treating the place like a knocking shop (lol)
I returned to the venue the next day Thursday morning only to discover my business partner and her family had emptied the whole venue of all valuable assets.
She said to me there is still a problem with the lease and I won’t be backed into a corner by that landlord I don’t trust him! So I’ve taken out our stuff just in case he throws us out (I have these messages from her) She had called a meeting with the landlord and this is the first time I hear that she now refuses to go on the lease and that she will not pay the deposit.
The landlord turned around and said right you’ve got until 2pm tomorrow to find the deposit or you can give the keys back. I was given 24 hours to find £12,000 deposit and £12,000 rent advance. Not very much time is it? Hmmmm seems a bit strange he would give me such little time to resolve???? Wonder if this had been planned all along?
She knew I didn’t have this money and she knew that without 2 people going on the lease the amount would increase to £24,000 so I was fu**ed! Or was this a lie too? To make sure I was cut out?
She made it very clear that they had no money left and it’s now up to me if I want to open the business, I need to find the money as there would be no further investment from them however she would remain as a 50% partner if I managed to raise the money.
I begged and borrowed off friends, I’d previously secured £13,000 investment from Heineken so I called them and asked if I could use this money to save the business and she said yes it’s investment to be used as you see fit. Plus £4000 I borrowed off a friend.
So I went back to the landlord with a proposal! He then called my business partner. 10 mins later She messaged me saying I can’t use Heineken’s investment I should have consulted her! So it’s clear she and landlord were communicating.
Well I’m sorry but you literally walked out that door and said you sort it! So I tried the best I could in an extremely short amount of time.
This made it clear to me that my business partner and the landlord had been in conversation about things even though from day 1 she said she didn’t like him, trust him etc so i suspected a premeditated plan was in place to remove me from the business.
She then said I should have been banging on her door asking for her help. I should transfer her 100% of the business and then she pay me a wage. This is clearly because of this £40,000 which I didn’t ask for.
I’m sorry but Sally Brown’s is my creation and you were the investor who chose to put this large amount in. If it wasn’t for this large amount which I couldn’t match we would not have been in this situation if we’d just stuck to the original plan. Then once you spent a chunk of your money you decided you wanted the business for yourself.
My business partner even messaged my brother saying im sorry but my family spent all this money and we are worth more, we have nothing left. I never doubted what they had spent and the venue was spectacular but It was still created from my plan and ideas.
There was about 4 opportunities to sign the lease and each time She had an issue with it so she refused to sign.
Anyway I went home, heartbroken, destroyed, defeated that all the hard work was gone! I had a mental breakdown and found it extremely difficult to cope with what was happening.
At the last moment I offered to give her 25% of my share with a view to revert back once the investment was paid back but I had no reply.
It was clear I wasn’t seen as having any value, she then messaged me and told me that she had handed her keys back and that was the end.
I was still attempting to find ways to turn this around and make the venue work. I spoke to a few friends and we came up with an idea how we could raise the funds and keep her as a partner or we would make arrangements to pay her some money back in the near future. This was to save business and there was never an intention to cut anyone out as I have morals and fully recognised what great expense had gone into the business from her and her family.
My friend contacted the landlord and explained what we had intended to do and he obviously informed her straight away.
Anyway BIG SURPRISE!!!
Just a couple of days after saying she’s not signing the lease, she’s walking away from the business, saying she has no more money it’s all spent and it’s upto me to sort things and she has handed her keys back…….. She in fact did the total opposite and has signed a new lease on the property herself, she has paid all the deposits herself, she has set up and brand new business in a new name and is opening the club herself owning 100% She has changed its name and cut me out totally. All the money I spent has gone and not a single penny has been offered to me.
I’ve been in that venue every single day for 3 whole months apart from the odd occasion I went home to see my partner or my young son. I worked out that in 3 months I was away from the venue for 10 days in total but if you ask her and I was never there.
What I did for this business is as follows
* The Creation of Sally Brown’s and its whole concept & branding
* The complete look and full design of the whole venue, Decoration, layout.
•The Business plan
* The idea of rehearsal space upstairs
* The idea of commercial kitchen upstairs.
* Promoting the venue securing write ups in many news outlets, radio stations and even a world wide outlet
* Booking of every single artists
* Organisation of every single event
* Promoting every single event 2 of which sold out in weeks and more were about to sell out.
* The creation of new events like Monthly Jazz Night and securing major guests to perform at them, The Vintage Fair with around 30 traders confirmed and more ideas to fill midweek shows.
* Liaising with external promoters to secure touring bands for mid week shows
* Liaising with agents to secure well known artists
* I secured the main brewery and all necessary products, liaised with engineers to conduct installations
* Secured local brewery to work with us with co branding and supply of hand pulls
* Another popular brewery who was offering future investment in phase 2 (upstairs)
* Created event artwork, graphic design, promoted all aspects of the venue.
* Secured £13,500 of comfired investment.
* Secured Business insurance, public liability insurance, PRS, PPL.
* £10,000 of my own money went into the creation of the venue from the floor to the paint, decoration, materials and parts of the PA system.
* Hired all staff, conducted reference checks and acquired necessary Training whilst also building a good business relationship with local businesses.
* Secured an external leaflet distributer who would have distributed to all main high streets in Birmingham.
* I brought an array of contacts and experience to the table which would have ensured all events would reach their maximum potential
* Set up and constantly updated all social media.
* Liaison with all businesses via telephone, email where possible.
This is all major stuff that is a full time job and being in the venue every day and also doing this at the same time was extremely difficult. Promoting events on the scale of a venue this size is a full time job in itself.
But if you ask them I didn’t nothing and put nothing in! I have receipts and proof of what’s been spent.
I have amicably sent many emails asking for the return of my investment and I will walk away.
However ive had no reply or have been met with what seems to be borderline blackmail, slander and an intention to turn people against me in preparation for the opening of their new club.
They have used my business idea, my design, my business plan and simply changed it name. It’s not right!!! All I’ve asked for is what I’ve spent.
She knows full well what I spent and paid for as she has all receipts and all I’ve asked for is the money I spent just a week before all this happened but she doesn’t have the decency to do that. I would have walked away and not said a word but because of the rumours going round saying ‘ I did absolutely nothing and I spent absolutely no money I think it’s only fair I said my piece’
I’ve left it so long because I didn’t want to do this, I now have absolutely nothing to my name and I won’t have lies about me saying I spent nothing and did nothing! I have proof of everything above to back up my claim.
