DJ Supplies Sound And Lighting was started by Simon Gough in 1999 when he was a DJ struggling to find equipment to buy or rent locally. Growing from a tiny shop to a 4000 sq. ft. store, it has only gone from strength to strength ever since. Three years ago, he started using Booqable for his inventory management and the online store and has seen sales increase by 30%.
Before the pandemic, the party scene was more prominent than ever, which meant many people needed to hire sound and lighting equipment. Whether it was for private parties or massive events, people everywhere required equipment for their gatherings. So, it’s no wonder that getting into the DJ sound and lighting equipment industry was very fruitful for Simon.
DJ Supplies Sound and Lighting
Over 20 years ago, in April 1999, Simon Gough worked as a DJ and found it difficult to get equipment because no local stores offered it for sale or rent. So he and his dad pooled their savings to purchase some equipment and rent a small shop in a terraced house recently converted into a shop.
Within a few months, business was booming. Simon had found a market that was underserved in his local area and catered to the need perfectly. Soon, he had the opportunity to move into a larger shop across the road that was ten times the size of his previous location.
Simon caters to anyone from parents who want to rent a bluetooth speaker for their garden to bands and DJs who want to rent complete systems. Beyond audio, this can also include lighting and special effects, such as flame machines, smoke machines, and snow machines.
The premises suited the business well for a couple of years, but it again outgrew the premises, and with inventory growing, storage space became a premium. Finally, the company moved into a 4,000 sq. ft. unit where it is today, and it continues to be a very successful business.
Getting things moving
Throughout this incredible expansion, Simon used a somewhat archaic method for keeping track of rentals. He would accept them through phone, email, and walk-in bookings and keep track of them with pen and paper. Once technology moved forward, he could use a diary system on his PC to keep track of bookings, but soon that wasn’t enough.
As the community that was interested in renting sound and lighting equipment grew, so did his business. He began to face some issues like keeping track of items and preventing shortages. For example, he would get many bookings in the same weekend, which led to him missing equipment for orders. He also struggled with repeat orders for the same equipment, and keeping track of what was in stock and what was rented out became a nightmare.
As any rental business owner will tell you, having to say no to a customer is the biggest sin the rule book. So, you need to have a system in place to account for shortages, which isn’t really possible when you don’t have a centralized booking system that updates stock levels alongside reservations.
Hitting the right rhythm
A few years ago, Simon came across Booqable and realized it was the perfect solution to the issues he had been having. He can now take bookings online 24/7, and his customers can see what he is offering and when it is available. He has also been able to stop using a diary to keep track of bookings as this is all taken care of with the Booqable back-end.
Booqable has solved loads of problems. No more diary for a start, and it’s so easy to create a rental.
With the Stripe integration, he has sped up the rental process by taking payments and deposits from customers when they make a reservation on his website. Finally, he has been able to prevent shortages and double bookings when he has a busy weekend which had previously been very difficult to manage with his old booking system. The overview of equipment he gets within Booqable means that he can now account for the shortages ahead of time and make sure he has the equipment ready to be picked up.
Life of the party
Simon has seen a transformation in his business since he started using Booqable three years ago. He loves that he can now show all of the equipment he rents out online, and customers can see availability and book equipment whenever they want. As a result, he has seen an increase in bookings of 30%, a remarkable amount of growth considering the COVID-19 Pandemic. He also saves time with admin work behind the scenes.
Duplicating a rental from the past for a customer that regularly rents the same equipment. In addition, the online booking is great as it generates rentals 24/7.
His customers have also commented on how easy the booking process is, and they no longer have to wait around longer than they need to to book the equipment they want. In addition, the speed at which they can check out, pay for their rentals, and receive confirmation that their equipment is booked has been a considerable success for DJ Supplies Sound And Lighting.
