Open My Business — Read this before you sign anything
I've watched someone spend $100,000 fixing an approval problem that existed before they signed. I've watched another spend $300,000 on building infrastructure nobody told them about. Both were visible before they committed. This checklist is what they needed.
Why this checklist exists
I've spent 35 years designing and opening physical venues. In that time I've watched a café tenant sign a lease on a site that had never been approved for food service — $100,000 to fix before they opened. I've watched another sign a lease where they were responsible for all building infrastructure — $300,000 spent before fitout, stock or staff.
The services upgrade nobody budgeted for. The approval that took three times as long as expected. The lease clause that nobody explained properly. The trading restriction that changed the whole concept.
Almost all of it was visible before the lease was signed — if someone had known what to look for.
This checklist exists to give you that second set of eyes before you commit. It covers the 8 critical areas where founders consistently get into trouble — so you go into the conversation with your eyes open.
Where people get burned
The three moments that matter most
A café approved for retail but not food service. A tenant responsible for $300,000 in building infrastructure. A site that couldn't be licensed for the intended use. All signed. All avoidable.
Once you've signed, the leverage is gone. Services upgrades, DA delays, shopfitter scope gaps — you pay for all of it. Get the lease right and everything that follows is manageable.
The first 90 days of trading set your pattern. Opening with cash pressure from a bad lease decision means you're recovering before you've even started. Get the lease right and you open with runway.
What's in the checklist
A great address is not a great tenancy. I've watched people sign on sites that looked the part but couldn't support the footfall, format or services the concept needed.
Rent is just one number. The outgoings, review mechanisms, fitout period and contribution conditions can turn a reasonable rent into an expensive commitment before you've traded a dollar.
Bond and bank guarantee requirements lock up cash at the exact moment you need it for the fitout. Most people don't model this until it's already a problem.
This is where the $100,000 surprises live. Services upgrades — electrical, drainage, extraction, air-conditioning — discovered after signing, paid before opening.
Available to lease does not mean approved for your use. Zoning, use clauses and trading restrictions can make a site completely unworkable for your concept. Check before you commit.
Approval timelines are where openings fall apart. Rent running, no trading, cash bleeding. Most of it is predictable — if you map the pathway before you sign.
A commercial lease favours the landlord as drafted. Always. Your lawyer's job is to understand what you're actually agreeing to. Don't sign without this step.
The lease is just the beginning. Fitout, services, approvals, signage, bond — all of it lands before you take a dollar. Know the full picture before you commit to the site.
Get the free checklist
I've watched too many capable people sign leases that cost them six figures before they opened. Not because they were reckless — because they didn't know what to look for. This checklist is what they needed before they signed.
Free. Because the cost of not having it is significantly higher.
Once you've confirmed a site, the Open My Business planning guides take you through everything that comes next — from $97.
A pre-lease checklist for anyone opening a cafe, shop, bar or restaurant
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Years of experience
Who built this
This checklist was built from 35 years of watching what goes wrong when people sign commercial leases without knowing what to look for. Hundreds of real projects. Real budgets. Real consequences.
Most of the problems that cost founders serious money are visible before they sign. The $100,000 approval problem. The $300,000 infrastructure bill. The lease clause that wiped out the exit profit. All visible. All avoidable. This checklist is where that starts.
View the planning guides →What comes next
Once the site is confirmed, the real work begins. Each Open My Business planning guide takes you from site confirmed through to open doors — step by step, in the right order, for your specific venue type.
Cafe
Espresso bar, equipment, health approvals, fitout, suppliers and launch — everything a first-time cafe operator needs.
Retail
Layout, visual merchandising, fitout, supplier setup and launch — a complete system for opening a retail shop that trades well.
Bar
Licensing, services, bar design and fitout — where the compliance and design requirements are more complex than most.
Restaurant
Kitchen design, health approvals, front-of-house flow and full launch readiness — everything a first-time restaurant operator needs.
The information on this site is for general planning purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial or professional advice. Always obtain appropriate advice from qualified professionals before committing to a site, signing any lease or agreement, or making significant financial decisions.