Dropping Bombs I Built a $32M Empire in the Industry Every Man Wants In (Banks Hate Me)
Feb 3, 2026
Alan Chang, founder of Peppermint Hippo and multi-club operator, scaled one club into a national $32M business. He recounts starting in nightlife, club turnarounds, and rolling up locations for private equity. Hear stories about celebrity nights, financing hurdles when banks blacklist the industry, niche concepts like Las Tóxicas, and plans to expand to 100 locations.
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Dumpster Tactics For Bad Tabs
- To collect from guests who refuse to pay, staff sometimes handcuffed customers to a dumpster until they signed.
- The police often arrived only after customers agreed to pay, so clubs used time and pressure to resolve tabs.
Dancers As Top Sellers
- Dancers often act as skilled salespeople and can extract large sums from customers.
- Clubs must protect both customers and entertainers because both can exploit the other.
Use Public Markets To Scale
- Consider going public or private-equity roll-ups to unlock capital banks won't provide.
- Public listing (OTC → Nasdaq/NYSE) enables scaling and easier access to funds.