Today we’d like to introduce you to Rob Peterson.
Hi Rob, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Early Years and Family: Having grown up in a low/middle-class family, my parents instilled in me to work hard, always pay it forward and give back to the community. They were involved with Scouts, Kiwanis, and The Grange. They served the community for decades earning coveted community awards. My parents were educated and valued education, with expectations of my siblings and I attending college.
I have major ADHD, and throughout my life, school was a struggle. I was a skater from the 90’s. I barely graduated high school, and college was not for me. I am a very social person, so instead I volunteered in Scouts at the corporate level, Kiwanis, The Grange, and Elks. I networked and became friends with business owners. My parents did not question my choices or method, instead they fully supported me as I walked my own unique path.
To earn money, I worked at many different restaurant chains throughout my early years.
Career Beginnings: I started working for the owner of a Real Estate & Property Management Company whom I knew through Scouting & Elks. After one year, I was made partner of the business. After the second year, I became the Co-Owner. After year six, I sold my shares of the business, got married, and purchased a house. Then I worked at Mountain Air for a year to take a break from “the grind”. It was fun and I made great friends.
Established Career: After Real Estate & Mountain Air, I was offered a position in Corporate Management by a former loan officer whom I did business within the past. After thirteen years of Executive Management, I had developed the experience to architect & implement systems, processes, and build high-performance teams on a large and global scale.
The Dream: During covid, I realized that it was time to chase my dream of owning an Arcade Bar. I had visited a few Arcade Bars to benchmark. From there, I designed every detail of the Bar. Everything has a purpose and meaning behind it. E.g. The wall colors are Nintendo’s color palette, the bar shelves are Tetris blocks, the arcades are specific, etc. etc. The name! What is it? Instead of naming it a traditional name, let’s make it a code. No code is more relevant than the famous Konami Code (up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, b, a, start), (select, start) for two players. Thus, BA Start Competitive Arcade & Taproom was born.
The hard Reality: How was I to achieve this dream? I had no money. Corporate Management doesn’t pay that much. I tried to get a loan from the SBA, nope. The Bank? Nope. Other Banks? Nope. Does anyone want to invest? Nope. The only people who I did not ask were my parents, who had sacrificed enough to support me throughout my early life. Where do I find money?
The Risk: I will fund it myself by refinancing my home, liquidating my 401K, and selling my new car. I had my cousin and sister lend me the rest of the money I needed based on my projections.
Not according to Plan: Right away I negotiated a lease and worked with the City for approval. I learned that there are two parts with the city, planning and building. I only had approval from planning, so I could not start construction until the building department approved the plan also. This was an unknown part to me and time was ticking because I had to pay rent within 3 months after the city approved the plan. I was extremely stressed. Did I mention I was still working full time in Corporate Management with deliverables due?
The city worked great with me and helped push the building plans through as fast as possible. Once we completed the administration, we had one month to complete the construction before rent was due.
The Work: My wife and young kids rolled up their sleeves to help me tear out all the carpet. I quickly hired my friends to help me do the construction. Electrical, plumbing, and carpentry were all happening at the same time. I was trenching through concrete in between zoom meetings. We were one/third complete with one week left to go until rent is due. Are we going to make it? No, we are not…I had to go back to the landlord and ask for an extension. He was very supportive and granted me with a two-month extension in trade for Arcade Bar credit.
More Challenges: I hired an Amusement Company to provide the Arcades, however there was an issue, so I had to cover the cost for the Arcades myself. Something I did not budget for. After spending a lot of money, I did not have enough funds for purchasing Kitchen Equipment, TV’s, Tables, Chairs, etc.
The Work Around: Since Covid was going on and Companies were downsizing, I negotiated with them to donate their Kitchen Equipment, TV’s, Tables, Chairs, etc.
Final Touches: With the Equipment installed, and the new/old Arcades refurbished by the Amusement Company, we were ready to rock.
Soft Opening: We opened, learned, and adjusted to meet the expectations of our community. This was important for fine tuning our model. Remember, I had never opened a business on my own before, so everything is an opportunity to learn and grow.
Grand Opening: Everything is dialed in! We had a great friend bring his Delorean Time Machine from Back to the Future, we had a tunnel full of fog to enter through, Molly Ringwald Project played on stage, and we had a great time.
Current Day: I recently left my position in Corporate Management six months ago and now am committed full time to BA Start Arcade Bar. I can’t believe I was doing both jobs for three years and was able to keep my Arcade Bar side hustle a secret! We now have a full bar with fun and nerdy drinks, all ages are welcome every day, however it’s 21+ after 9pm on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday when Cal Poly is in session. Tuesday is Trivia and Tacos for $1, Wednesday we have a Poker Tournament and Pin Ball Tournaments, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday is pure Gaming Fun, and Sunday is another Poker Tournament and Incredible Karaoke.
Thank you: To the building owner, who supported me when I needed it. To the City who supported me with this Dream. To my friends in Construction for all the hard work and little pay! To the Amusement Company for all their hard work and dedication to purchasing new games and maintaining them. To AG for taking us back in time with his Delorian. To my cousin and Sister for taking the Risk with me! And to my mom and dad, who always believed in me.
I love you Neva ❤️
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Smooth enough to pull it off, however there are always struggles. The timeline to complete the construction before rent kicked in was not realistic, and purchasing the Arcades was an unplanned cost. Having to pull all this off while still working my day job was one of the largest challenges of my life.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I have had the great opportunity to develop myself in Corporate Management. I have worked for Companies such as JLL, CBRE, and Intuit. Since transitioning full time as the Owner/Operator of BA Start Arcade Bar, we have seated ourselves as a Premiere Arcade Bar which others benchmark from. Most things we do are innovative and industry leading, which prides me to know we continue to set the bar. We specialize in Event Management by hosting large scale tournaments and challenges for all to participate in. We are known for our unique cocktail menu and fun atmosphere. I’m extremely proud of all the continued hard work and drive our team has. This is not just a job, everyone who works here wants to be here for a greater purpose. Our business is different because we are not a social bar, we are an active bar.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Yes! Join clubs (Kiwanis) or fraternities (Elks) to network with local small business owners.
Joining clubs and connecting with people is a great way to connect with mentors who may become your greatest inspiration.
Pricing:
- $8 for Beer
- $10 – $15 for cocktails
- ~$20 for food
- $1 average for games
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bastartarcadebar.com
- Instagram: bastartarcadebarslo
- Facebook: BA Start Arcade Bar
- Youtube: bastartarcadebarslo
