Investing in a business with a (semi) notorious reputation

[smallbizhelper]

I was approached with the opportunity to become an investor in a business that I had previously heard of and was excited about but the world heard about the business via a negative youtube post about a fight that happened at the business... the business plan is solid and there is a lot of revenue to be made if handled correctly but... the reputation... I kind of do believe the old adage " All press is good press" so if I'm able to spin the situation in favor of the business I think I could make it work... What re your thoughts?

[Harold Mansfield]

I was approached with the opportunity to become an investor in a business that I had previously heard of and was excited about but the world heard about the business via a negative youtube post about a fight that happened at the business... the business plan is solid and there is a lot of revenue to be made if handled correctly but... the reputation... I kind of do believe the old adage " All press is good press" so if I'm able to spin the situation in favor of the business I think I could make it work... What re your thoughts?

Well, "the world" didn't hear about it because we have no idea what you're speaking of. And all press is NOT good press.
For instance, a nightclub that has a shooting or security issues...not good press and considering the amount of options for nightclubs in most cities, not always something that can be over come successfully.

Your post is very vague, so it's hard to give you any direct or specific answers or opinions.
What kind of business is it?
Do you have any experience running this type of business?
How do you propose to turn it around?

As for whether or not you should take on a business with a bad rep..hard to say not knowing the business, what the incident was, where it's located, or anything else.

[Paul]

Well, "the world" didn't hear about it because we have no idea what you're speaking of. And second, all press is NOT good press.

Yeah, pretty vague. The youtube thing may be absolutely meaningless. It is the local reputation and actual business that matters. Did the video impact the business at all?

[smallbizhelper]

The business is an outdoor sports arena where a large brawl took place about a year ago. Of course the video was shared everywhere and even made it onto some national and international news stations. Considering the type of sports arena this is the fight footage wouldn't necessarily deter me from going and enjoying the place. I have a background in marketing so I think it would be easy to spin the negative footage into more business if handled correctly.

[smallbizhelper]

The nightclub reference definitely drives your point home about debunking the "All Press Is Good Press" theory so KUDOS on that one!!!

[Harold Mansfield]

The business is an outdoor sports arena where a large brawl took place about a year ago. Of course the video was shared everywhere and even made it onto some national and international news stations. Considering the type of sports arena this is the fight footage wouldn't necessarily deter me from going and enjoying the place. I have a background in marketing so I think it would be easy to spin the negative footage into more business if handled correctly.

Sounds like more of a local issue. People don't remember the video of the moment from one day to the next unless you're in the press again and the media rehashes the past... like they tend to do.

I don't think this is necessarily a deterrent if it was just an isolated incident. If it's a symptom of something deeper like a bad element that is known to hang out there, or bad security then you'd need to do a full cleansing of the joint and do things differently. But of course it could be done. A fresh coat of paint and new management can do wonders for a place.

Also, the public can be generally forgiving if you show them that you have corrected an issue and actually follow through.