ChazHS Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 Right, this is just a bit of... well I would say fun, but it's semi-serious and some people may find it useful. But nothing too major here please! Say someone is looking to start out a hire company, they have a budget of lets say £2,500 (upped to £20k now). What are their MUST HAVE items, excluding a unit/storage area etc. Lets keep this purely technical. A bit of sound, bit of lighting, bit of rigging etc. What would you get? I'll get a list together for me to post in the coming hours when I've had a little think of the stuff I have and what I couldn't do without. =) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drsound Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 Insurance (£500), a decent website (£2K) and the phone number of a local hire company willing to give you a decent discount for being their mate. A flippant answer perhaps but better people than me have started out this way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cedd Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 they have a budget of lets say £2,500. Not a lot!Seriously, people tend to hire kit that they can't afford to buy themselves. That means from a sound point of view; a bigger desk, more powerful PA, radio mics, more mics, cabling. Lighting, people might look for a better desk, lanterns (lots), perhaps movers, cabling. Speaking purely from a sound point of view, all I can really see you managing to do is get a very basic band/club PA system. It wouldn't be a particularly attractive one either (remember, your kit has to be better than what joe bloggs can afford to buy himself, otherwise he won't hire it). You might buy one rack of entry level radio mics which a few schools might hire, but with the future of our spectrum in question, I wouldn't suggest that either. I really hope it's a typo and you meant to say £25,000. You might be starting to get near to a small hire firm's initial outlay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChazHS Posted January 21, 2009 Author Share Posted January 21, 2009 they have a budget of lets say £2,500. Not a lot!Seriously, people tend to hire kit that they can't afford to buy themselves. That means from a sound point of view; a bigger desk, more powerful PA, radio mics, more mics, cabling. Lighting, people might look for a better desk, lanterns (lots), perhaps movers, cabling. Speaking purely from a sound point of view, all I can really see you managing to do is get a very basic band/club PA system. It wouldn't be a particularly attractive one either (remember, your kit has to be better than what joe bloggs can afford to buy himself, otherwise he won't hire it). You might buy one rack of entry level radio mics which a few schools might hire, but with the future of our spectrum in question, I wouldn't suggest that either. I really hope it's a typo and you meant to say £25,000. You might be starting to get near to a small hire firm's initial outlay. I was just seeing if anyone could do it, I don't plan to, I'm already into the mid 30k area by now (I dont wanna think about it mind ** laughs out loud **), lets up it to £20k then... See what you can do with that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genus Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 David's got a point, however my limited experience of web design suggests that it's a lot cheaper to make your own website, that still looks professional for far less than £2000. Whilst it wouldn't do when the company expands and a professional redesign may be necessary after a few years but it would be a starting point. Putting aside the essential insurance, warehouse, van and so on it's impossible to say what someone needs with their first hire company. You're original post doesn't specify the target market, for that money it's impossible to buy even a basic set of kit that'll deal with theatre, events, disco and band lighting, so the first thing to ask is 'Which market am I aiming for? And what's my unique selling point?' And, for no money at all, a MUST HAVE is the right attitude; professional, knowledgeable, approachable, accessible. Whilst a good relationship with other hire companies (especially at the early stages with almost no kit of your own) is essential. Edit - you got there first and upped the price, but I still think all of the above is good advice. Another issue is whether or not the area you live in has the need for another hire company, in these uncertain economic times it seems mightily risky. Genus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex_kyuss Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 I worked this out a while ago, to cover your average 300 cap venue with sound and lighting plus a van and the usual insurance. If I remember rightly it ended up around £30,000 and thats with out having cash in your bank to keep you ticking over. One thing I would say it cabling costs you a huge amount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivemaster Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 The first thing to have is a really clear idea of your market. The second thing is a really good customer service attitude. Find a niche marker and satisfy it well. You could start with £2.5K of a small range of specialist gear that you know well and know for certain that it will be out on hire for say 100+ chargeable days in the first year. Do not try to take on the full stock companies, they will buy better than most other purchasers. Really lots depends on your personal appreciation of the need in your area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ynot Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 For a one-man band? All of the above - van, proper storage space (not your dad's/mate's garage), insurance etc. Plus:Dedicated phone for customer contact - not all punters like to be ringing mobiles, though if you're a solo agent it may be the only viable choice. But as it'll be a business line it'll cost you more. Marketing - as has been said you MUST be able to corner some part of what is already a busy market, and to do that will cost you in promotion of what YOU can do for your potential customers - give them a reason to want to use you. Above all, however, one MAJOR thing that is essential is a LOT of experience in the industry in general, and FULL knowledge of what kit you envisage hiring - how to use it (because many clients may well have no clue) and how to maintain it (or at the least a reliable contact with relevant service engineers who can - which again will cost you). Oh - and at least 30 or 40% of your initial bankroll sitting in the bank as collateral for those things that you'll invariably mis on the first pass. Because you will miss things, or underestimate what clients may ask for and have to buy in/sub-hire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smalljoshua Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 a decent website (£2K)I have seen decent websites made for a lot less than that. Josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob_Beech Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 So have I cheers Mike :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClanMan Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 a decent website (£2K)I have seen decent websites made for a lot less than that. Josh As a part-time web designer, I'm probably more demanding than most. But I'm not ashamed to say I often make my buying decision based on which company has the best website and therefore seem the most professional (cheap websites look cheap, unless the self-builder has some real design talent...then again, I imagine a lot of people on this site have some creative skills) And yes, I know that standard answer is "as long as I've got what I do and my phone number, then business will come to me". The truth, though, is that it doesn't. I've just relaunched our weapon & prop hire website; I changed it from a flat site with just a description and contact details to a full browsable catalogue of all our products. Business has never been busier; the phones are ringing non-stop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drsound Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 a decent website (£2K)I have seen decent websites made for a lot less than that. JoshYup, I wrote our current site myself (as well as a full e-commerce jobbie for a previous company) and I don't claim it's anything great but it was free. Until you consider my time. That is a valuable asset and I am paid considerably more per hour than our web developer. Hence the revamp is being done by a pro who is someone with a decent portfolio and impressive references. Not everyone has the time, ability or motivation to do it themselves. I would also point you towards the utter dross that some of the companies in our industry put on the web. I fear you've missed the wood for the trees anyway, the point was more that any basic business textbook will tell you that money spent on effective marketing is worth its weight in gold. I'd spend £2k on marketing someone else's product before spending it on a product nobody will know about. Your idea of effective may be to eschew the web entirely and spend your £2k on carrier pigeons or naked ladies to wander around your home town. It's really not important what medium you choose as long as it's effective. A concurrent post has been automatically merged from this point on. a decent website (£2K)I have seen decent websites made for a lot less than that. Josh As a part-time web designer, I'm probably more demanding than most. But I'm not ashamed to say I often make my buying decision based on which company has the best website and therefore seem the most professional (cheap websites look cheap, unless the self-builder has some real design talent...then again, I imagine a lot of people on this site have some creative skills) And yes, I know that standard answer is "as long as I've got what I do and my phone number, then business will come to me". The truth, though, is that it doesn't. I've just relaunched our weapon & prop hire website; I changed it from a flat site with just a description and contact details to a full browsable catalogue of all our products. Business has never been busier; the phones are ringing non-stop.My thinking entirely. Funnily enough, being younger than 90 years old I tend to use the internet as my first port of call to find products and services for which I would like to exchange cash. A rubbish website will not encourage me to do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Siddons Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 How do you make a million pounds in this industry in this present climate? Start with 2! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutcracker Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 A bit of sound, bit of lighting, bit of rigging etc. What would you get? I'm a 1 man band AV hire company, working mostly in conference, bit of live sound, bit of club work...here's what I hire out the most. Sound - a small powered speaker for Powerpoint sound effect amplification , pair of powered (decentish quality) disco speakers for weddings/conferences/disco, some subs for big weddings/conferences/disco, 4-6 radio mics, with lapel/headset & handheld transmitters, 6-12 decent microphones, floor & table mic stands, drum mic kit, decent 16/24 channel sound desk, some wedge monitors, multicore, cd & minidisc players, digital recorder, and lots of cables Lights - LED parcans, led bars for uplighting, 2-4 mac 250s, wind up stands, 2 followspots & dimmers, DMX desk or software/usb box, 10m of truss Projection - several fastfold screens, assorted sizes in pairs if poss, several multimedia projectors, seamless switcher, lots of vga cables, projector stands Computer - couple of laptops with Powerpoint installed. Video - 3 chip camcorder, tripod, video mixer, digital recorder. My startup budget was £30k, 12 years ago. Its a continual process of selling old and buying new to keep the stock fresh, clean & modern...ebay can be your friend too when budgets are tight, especially at the moment there are serious bargains to be had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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