Help in starting a restaurant/bar?

[scrvta]

Hello everyone. I’ll start off by saying that I am a 19 year old college student currently studying business. For years now I have had this idea/dream. I want to start/buy/own my own restaurant/lounge/bar, hopefully in the Santa Monica area. I would mainly be focusing on the after hours/nightlife scene. I plan on having a restaurant during the day and then after close, turn it into a bar/club with a dj and bottle service and all that. I would be catering to the younger, upscale crowd. People who enjoy to dance and can afford $10+ drinks. Maybe have 300 people or so in at one time. Friday and Saturday night only for after hours. I know that I could do this and I know I would be successful. I have a lot of very important connections. For example, I know a lot of promoters, djs, company owners/workers in the industry, blog writers, very wealthy people/kids, beautiful people, other well connected people, other bar owners all over CA, etc. all on a personal basis. I know I could get a crowd in on any night I want. The idea is there, I just need help with the execution. I need to know where to begin. Funding will be a major obstacle. Business plan. Everything. Should I buy a restaurant that already has a liquor license? Do I need to get permission from the city/state whoever, to be able to run an after hours location? This is a huge process but I need to start as soon as I can. Where to begin? Any help/advice would be appreciated. Any good sites on this kinda stuff? Personal experience? Thanks

[RealCamz]

If you are thinking about starting a bar, you should watch Bar Rescue. Seriously. You can learn a lot from it. Running a bar is not easy. When it's good... it's good. When it's bad... well, you get the idea.