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From Mark Jerram:
BRITISH INFLATABLE HIRERS ALLIANCE www.biha.org.uk
BIHA Facebook Group for the Industry: www.facebook.com/groups/biha4u
BIHA Facebook Group for BIHA MEMBERS ONLY: www.facebook.com/groups/359906244348902/
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2-10-2016
Hi to all BIHA Members,
The latest "BIHA SPOTLIGHT on an Inflatable Hire Company" features Ben Efron.
I hope that you enjoy reading his answers and benefit from some great ideas and tips he mentions.
If your BIHA membership has lapsed - please renew it by clicking here...http://bit.ly/1PA7dhf
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SPOTLIGHT ON AN INFLATABLE HIRE COMPANY.
YOUR NAME?
Ben Efron
NAME OF YOUR INFLATABLE HIRE COMPANY?
Bounce Buddies Wakefield
www.bouncebuddieswakefield.co.uk
YOUR LOCATION?
Wakefield, West Yorkshire
WHAT IS YOUR AGE?
23
WHAT DID YOU DO BEFORE YOU STARTED HIRING OUT INFLATABLES?
Full-time chef in a deli (and I still work there!)
WHAT MADE YOU START AN INFLATABLE HIRE BUSINESS?
As a kid, I always loved bouncy castles. One day last year, I was surfing eBay, and they recommended a used commercial grade bouncy castle for £300 - £400.
I was shocked at how cheap it was because I knew that they hire out at £50 per day or more.
I decided instead to buy a brand new castle and haven't looked back.
WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES?
I own and maintain a 150 litre aquarium with loads of tropical fish and corals etc. (I used to own a 300 litre one!!)
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE MOVIE?
Hairspray (John Travolta) 2007
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE MEAL?
McDonalds
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE UK HOLIDAY DESTINATION?
Cornwall
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE HOLIDAY DESTINATION ABROAD?
Benidorm, Spain
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE TV PROGRAMME?
Great British Bake Off
YOUR FAVOURITE SONG?
You can't stop the Beat (From Hairspray Musical).
See: https://youtu.be/RutoivMEmCE
WHAT DO YOU MOST ENJOY ABOUT THE INFLATABLE HIRE BUSINESS?
Making people really happy and making their day.
Seeing lots of excitement on the kids' faces when I inflate the castles.
IF YOU COULD WAVE A MAGIC WAND WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE ABOUT THE INDUSTRY?
1) I would stop the "bitching" on the Facebook Groups, unless it's something that could seriously affect safety.
2) That the parents would behave themselves, and stop getting drunk and unruly in front of their kids.
3) More PIPA testers throughout the UK.
4) Have more independent PIPA testers who just test and nothing else. From my experience, some manufacturers (who are also PIPA testers) will refuse to test an inflatable, simply because they did not manufacture it. This is unfair in my opinion.
HAVE YOU EVER HAD A HIRING FROM "HELL" ? (i.e. Horror story or a weird booking?)
Yes, I once delivered my Disco Dome to a back-garden party. On the Met Office website, the wind was forecast to gust up to 20mph (just 4mph less than the maximum). Nevertheless, I made sure that the Dome was very well staked down. A few hours later I got a phone call from the customer to tell me that the music speaker was no longer working, and could I come and fix it. I arrived at the house, and to my dismay realised that the customer had UNPEGGED the Dome and had dragged it over lots of dog poo and dirt to the other end of the garden, and re-inflated it without pegging it down again. But it got even worse, some of the kids had grabbed the electric cabling from the speaker, pulled it and broken the wires - which explained the lack of music inside. I explained to the customer that by moving the inflatable and not pegging it down, they had put the children's safety at risk. They didn't seem to care. I re-pegged the dome and drove off. Just to add to the irritation and misery of this booking, when I arrived back the following morning to collect, the customer had moved the Dome a second time, dragging it through more mud and poo, and guess what, despite my "safety talk" earlier with them, they had again not pegged the dome down.
I charged the customer £180 for the repair to the electric cabling, and an extra £50 to have the dome cleaned.
I now do not do any more over-night hires.
HAVE YOU EVER HAD A HIRING FROM "HEAVEN" ? (i.e. a very good booking!)
Yes, I once took a booking from the very worst area of my town for my Dome. It was very much a no-go area, and I was very reluctant to take the booking. However, I made the decision to take it, delivered the Dome, and was absolutely dreading what I would come back to - even perhaps no Dome!! All day, I worried about the collection. However, on arriving back at the house, I was absolutely amazed and delighted that the customer had got every single one of the party kids to clean my Dome both inside and out, with Flash, and it looked absolutely immaculate. The kids (some as young as four) had even cleaned all the crash mats!! As I left, the nice lady customer also gave me a £10 note as a tip, and 4 cans of beer. I was very happy that evening! This true story shows that you should never assume that a bad area means bad customers!! Some of the nicest people live in these run-down areas.
DO YOU HAVE ANY USEFUL TIPS OR IDEAS THAT YOU COULD SHARE WITH THE OTHER BIHA MEMBERS?
1) Don't quit your day job until your inflatable hire biz is providing you with a proper wage.
2) Don't expect to make the big money in your first year of trading. You should be using your profits to plough back into your business to grow it.
3) Don't see your local competitors as an enemy, but instead see them as your "best friend". Work closely with them, and you should see your hire businesses grow.
4) Get banners, (including feather banners) bunting and flags etc. to promote your hire business when you provide inflatables for an event. People will notice it more - and you should get extra bookings as a result.
5) Provide party bags for the kids at the parties you turn up to - even if you only charge £1.50 per bag, there's a healthy profit margin and it can mean an extra £100 profit or more per weekend - this could pays for a driver, and even some of your fuel cost - so it's a win-win!
6) Don't forget to offer your customers add-on hire products!! Similar to the party bags idea above, the profit can pay for your driver's wages and fuel.
7) Hold onto your prices - never ever discount!!! You provide an amazing service, and your customers should respect you for that.
8) If you have mascots, put a (over-sized) tee-shirt over the mascot - with your logo and phone numbers on it (both back and front), You should pick up a lot of extra work from this idea.
9) On your website, include a page which says something like "TEN reasons why you should CHOOSE US for your inflatable hire needs".
10) When you post on your Facebook page, always try to include a top quality photo or image - as it instantly grabs the attention of your readers and customers.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE TYPE OF INFLATABLE?
Helter Skelter Slide
HOW HAS THE BIHA HELPED YOU IN YOUR INFLATABLE HIRE BUSINESS?
I have made a lot of new contacts through my BIHA membership, and there are a lot of networking opportunities to help me with my hire business. I also love the 2 BIHA Facebook Groups.
Mark Jerram from the BIHA, has been helping me build my website at: www.bouncebuddieswakefield.co.uk and he has managed to get it ranking on the number one spot on Google for the keywords "bouncy castle hire Wakefield" and similar.
Also, I have noticed that my customers and prospective customers love the BIHA logo. Sorry Mark, but I'm convinced that they don't actually have a clue what it means, or what it stands for, but they seem to like it anyway, because it looks good and official, and this helps me get more bookings. Likewise, when people see an "Investor In People" logo on a website, they don't know what it means but it looks reassuring - like the BIHA logo, and this converts to more business!
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Thank you Ben for answering these questions.
- it's greatly appreciated. Some very interesting info you have shared there.
If anyone else would like to be featured in a "Spotlight on an inflatable hire company" - please email me at: mark.jerram@ntlworld.com
Thanks.
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To read loads more "Spotlights on Inflatable Hire companies" – please click on:
www.biha.org.uk/spotlight-on-a-hire-company
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DON'T FORGET TO JOIN THE BIHA FACEBOOK GROUP.
Click on: www.facebook.com/groups/biha4u
Here's a taster of what has been shared on the BIHA Facebook Group in the last few days.....
1) It's Showtime! The Leisure Supplies Show starts today!
2) Last chance to order 240v Artic Blue Extension Leads
3) 100kg land weights - are they worth using?.
4) Pegs and Gibbons fans for sale
5) Need an inflatable skittle alley to rent out
6) Do people cover their blowers when it's raining?
7) Make an extra income selling high quality flashing novelties
8) Does anyone know who makes these characters?
9) Hire fee for supplying inflatables on Christmas Eve? Double or normal rates?
10) Rodeo Reindeer for sale.
11) Is soft play a good business for the winter months?
Best regards
Mark
Mark Jerram
Founder of the British Inflatable Hirers Alliance (BIHA)
www.biha.org.uk BIHA Website
www.facebook.com/groups/biha4u Private Facebook Group
www.BouncyCastleOwner.com Discussion Forum and "how to" site.
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Can't log in to: www.biha.org.uk ? Need your username and password?
Reply to this email and then we will rush you your username and password to log in.
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***URGENT--URGENT--URGENT--URGENT--URGENT--URGENT***
Is your hire business listed on the BIHA Members Map - powered by Google ?
See: http://bit.ly/1uDQ0Ku If not, please text 07880 – 540201 or reply to this email.
By being listed on this map - it gives Google an extra reason to rank you higher to make it easier for your prospective customers to find you!
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Join the conversations on our FACEBOOK GROUP and see what other bouncy castle hire companies are saying and doing to improve and grow their businesses.
www.facebook.com/groups/biha4u
See you on the inside.
Best regards
Mark and the rest of the BIHA Team.
BIHA Founder - Mark Jerram
TEL: 07880 - 540201 (Please text if possible)
www.facebook.com/groups/biha4u BIHA Facebook Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/359906244348902/ PRIVATE BIHA Facebook Group for MEMBERS ONLY.
www.BouncyCastleOwner.com (Sister site and online PRIVATE interactive discussion forums)
http://bit.ly/1qvvlbU FORUM - not used much now as been taken over by the 2 BIHA Facebook Groups.
http://bit.ly/1uDQ0Ku BIHA Members Map - powered by Google.
Not listed? please text 07880 – 540201
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www.BouncyCastleHireUK.com (Alternative Online directory for
inflatable hire companies) - Don't forget to add your listing! - There's no charge)
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Interested in an online booking system for your hire business?
Check out:
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Don't forget to claim your discount on PL Insurance of up to 30% by quoting your BIHA membership number.
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