Pub "Pandemonium"

Pandemonium was a small Szczecin-based pub on the edge of collapse — burdened with nearly 100,000 PLN in overdue payments, facing eviction, and operating without any managerial structure. At age 20, I stepped in to stabilise the business after the building owner had already replaced the locks and was preparing to terminate the lease. I negotiated a final opportunity: if I could clear the debt and restore operational order, the venue would be saved.

In three months, the entire overdue balance was eliminated. What had been a failing bar became a functioning operation with controlled costs, predictable revenue, and a disciplined workflow. My approach was simple: treat a chaotic local pub like a system — identify the leaks, redesign the processes, stabilise cashflow, and rebuild customer demand.

The turnaround required rebuilding the business from first principles.I introduced a consumption-measurement system based on volume calculations — a manual method using rulers and calibrated formulas to measure every bottle without POS infrastructure. This allowed us to quantify losses, eliminate theft, and detect inconsistencies in real time. Cashflow was reorganised into strict daily cycles, expenses were reduced to operational minimums, and supplier relations were renegotiated based on reliability and deferred payment logic.

To revive foot traffic, a new promotional strategy was deployed: themed events, music nights, and targeted campaigns supported by local hostesses increased visibility and restored a sense of community. My friend oversaw the entertainment layer while I handled full operational management — finance, logistics, staffing rules, accountability, and system design.

Within 90 days, Pandemonium moved from insolvency to solvency.Despite a pre-agreed plan for the owners to transfer the business to us in recognition of the recovery, one of the partners chose to sell the pub for 60,000 PLN, cutting off the transition. The turnaround itself, however, remains an example of crisis management, rapid restructuring, and system-first thinking applied in a domain with no technology, no tools, and no margin for error.

Pandemonium was not a business project — it was an early demonstration that even in a chaotic environment with zero resources, three things decide everything:clarity of structure, discipline of execution, and the ability to negotiate under pressure.