Starting Out

[dj synclair 0]

Hi guys i am 31 and been dj'ing since i was 16 i have been doing it on the side for years in bars playing dance - house music on fri nights and cheesey 80's party tunes on saterdays. i have built up some good equipment ie lasers haze machine pioneer cdj's and running serarto on a mac book pro. i have decided to go it alone and quit my full time job as im not happy there working all day for no money. so i was after some advice from you guys on how to get my little business started.

what do i need to get started ie

insurance where to get best quote from

pat testing

getting contracts put together

maybe a website where i can advitise from (i have my own website for my dj'ing)

the best way to market myself

how much to charge for weddings and partys?

any help would be greatly apreciated

cheers andy

[McCardle 1]

Well Kudos to you for considering going self employed at what is a very difficult time for all businesses in the UK, the Entertainment and Leisure businesses especially, which of course are the first luxuries which people cut back on when things get tough.

 

Do you already have enough work in place to cover your living expenses etc, whilst you start up your business?. I assume that working full time, you must have been earning at least NMW for an adult - so your business needs to bring in the same every week / month just to equal the 'nothing' you were / are getting from working full time!. If it doesn't bring in that figure each week, then you will be worse off.

 

So in other words, make sure you have enough bookings for the next few months to at least equal the wage you will be giving up. If you haven't, then financially you are going to be in a bit of a mess as you will be worse off than in full time work. People always say its better to leave a job when you have a job to go to, and the same applies in any self employment, in short make sure the work is there before you do anything hasty even if you hate your job (the majority of people do).

 

Probably the biggest expense will be increased car insurance premiums. Insurers hate anything to do with the Entertainment Industry so expect your premium to be loaded by around the same amount as a convicted drunk driver!. For example, my premium for a diesel van based on being a Mobile DJ is £972, to insure that same van for a factory job, would only cost me £255, there are also only a few insurers who will touch our occupation also, thus limiting the options. Don't be tempted to lie either, as doing so is likely to result in a driving without insurance charge which means 6 points and a black mark on the insurance database for insurance fraud meaning no insurance company will give you for house / car / health etc insurance for a long time!.

 

Pli insurance starts at around £29 - £49 a year. Opinion is mixed on the 'best' of these budget companies to use, but here are a couple of links.

 

http://www.hmrc.co.uk/index.php...-insurance.html

http://www.ampdj.co.uk/dj-public-liability...ance-cover.html

 

Equipment cover is probably only available from the specialists. I pay £220 and use this company

 

http://www.djguard.co.uk/

 

If you are using a Laptop then you'll also need a Pro-Dub License.

 

http://www.prsformusic.com/users/recordedm...DubLicence.aspx

 

You can find answers on promoting yourself, contracts etc on the Knowledgebase

 

http://www.djsite.info/

 

how much to charge for weddings and partys?

 

How long is a piece of string?. . Seriously, in this game some DJ's somehow manage to make the figures work for them by charging £80 a gig, others profess to charge as much as £400 for a nights work, it all depends on the market you are pitching to, your costs, overheads, loan repayments, lifestyle etc, not to mention the local prices and competition and how much you think you can realistically charge and get the enquiries rolling in.

 

Probably the best method is to ring around 4 or 5 local established DJ's on the pretence of getting a quote a Wedding (or the type of function you are pitching for), then take the average figure from the quotes you get back. This way you will not be the cheapest nor the most expensive!.

 

Either way, make sure that you work out all of your start up and ongoing business costs properly, and that you have them all covered in addition to paying you a decent, regular wage. Otherwise you won't just be working for the 'nothing' you are with your day job, but you'll be running at a loss and will actually be in debt to the business and be effectively paying out of your own pocket for the privilege to go out and work at other peoples' weddings!

 

Either way, whatever you decide the general rules for self employment apply. Expect it to be a long hard slog, as most venues are struggling, weddings are down, pubs are closing all over the place and I know several Dj's who can't make it work full time for them any longer and have had to either diversify or get part time work elsewhere. Lots of venues are just getting bar staff or their Polish employees to cover their entertainment requirements, I know of one venue who invites clients to just 'bring their IPOD' and plug it into the venue system!.

 

I know this sounds negative, but its a recession and its hard for all businesses and more self employed businesses cease trading than start, so don't think its going to be easy.

 

But good luck. I hope you find what you need and are able to make it work for you

Edited June 3, 2012 by McCardle