Business is strong....profit is weak.

[Charlie Brown]

It's been a good weekend "disco wise" for me but it's also been my last until these blasted exams are over. I have come to the conclusion that my business plan and ideas are not very good and my idea of being the next Richard Branson are slowly fading away.

The weekend started at a posh Chinease restaurant/hotel. It was a private party, ticket based (£25 a head). The party was in aid of a local school that does a lot of fund raising. I used to go to this school so I offered them a reduced rate of £100. I would normally charge £160-200 for an event like this but they played the guilt trip etc. Start off with a £100, dad will take me to the gig so thats £20 for his time and fuel etc. I'm now on £80. My roadie is a very good friend of mine so I feel obliged to make sure he is ok etc. He is good company and we have a laugh, so I feel like I have to pay him well. I gave him £40. So I now have £40 left from my £100. I buy drinks for the night (for both of us) and duck pancakes, so in the end I have £10 in my pocket. Where is the logic in that? My disco and business and my dad and the roadie got quadruple what I did. My fault I know. The night was a disaster in it's self Laptop charger broke during background music "Burt Bacarach" to be precise :) The roadie then spills his £3 glass of coke all over the two amps and starcloth. Power off, then the star cloth, then I turn the amps upside down, to let them dry out. I leave the amps like this for 15 minutes, and they are relatively dry. Plug it back in, and work with cd's for the rest of the night :) Best song, has to be "N-Trance-Stay'in alive"

Saturday night is in Melton Mowbrey. Dad is working in Manchester so he can't take me. It's a joint 21st and 60th. It's at the conservative club for those of you who know it. They booked me last year when I wasn't charging as much so I quoted £155. Before I even start a minibus there and back is going to cost me £100. :eek: Me and my roadie have to carry the equipment up two flight of stairs :eek: and then setup. The crows enjoyed the music as I could see them singing along, and tapping their feet, but it was hard to get them up dancing. I paid the roadie £30 so from my £155 I'm now at £25. Again drinks for the evening are expensive. We pack down and are outside for 12.25am to wait for the mini bus....he does not turn up till 2.12 am!!!!!! We have to wait outside in the cold for an hour and 45 minutes. I run across the road to the chip shop and get a pizza for Conor and a kebab for me. That night I'm minus £10!

Sunday was a Christening. Luckily Dad could take me and I'm getting £185. Background music then a bit of a boogie after the buffet. I rather enjoyed Sunday. Towards the end of the night this grandmother asked for a few Lionel Richie songs. I'm a big a fan of him so I played "All night long" which her friends danced to followed by "Dancing on the Ceiling" which is her favorite. When I played Dancing on the Ceiling her friends deserted her so I offered to join her for a dance which she kindly accepted. I loved it and so did she. It was just me and her on the dancefloor. Not many people seemed to notice or pay much attention. As I was playing my last song of the night, "No woman no cry" she came up and asked for Lionel again. I played it and again danced, but this time a big circle formed around the dancefloor. Guests all chanted and cheered us on whilst we danced our hearts out in the middle. They videoed it so I have given them my email address and hopefully they can send it me. I gave her a hug and a kiss at the end of the night and we both have plans to go and see him live in concert next week at the ice arena. I was desperate to go but obviously couldn't persuade any of my mates to pay £75 for something they won't enjoy.

So the whole point of this thread was about how dreadful my business plan is. I took in £415 and had £140 at the end :bang: I want to start a big advertising campaign for the summer. I have a meeting with the yellow pages on Wednesday and I'm getting in touch with a lot of hotels etc. Although I'm not doing disco's till the end of June, I need to get those bookings in :)

Sorry for the long post guys but I havn't posted for a while :)

Pictures taken, are off the setup and of us waiting outside in the early hours of the morning. There is a video as well which nicely sums up the weekend. Note the woman in the wheel chair, and the Indian man...they make me laugh:)

Any ideas? Ways I can save money? What am I doing wrong, what am I doing right? Do I need to charge more etc...

Thanks guys, hope all is well :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jub0CjOFz6Q

[charlie]

Chin up mate, look on the bright side you had a weekend crammed full on bookings!
Firstly i would pay your roadie less. If he is a good friend and enjoys doing the discos then he should understand if you give him a "token" payment to say thanks for the help.
I always take a bottle of water with me to gigs as paying for drinks while your at work just eats into your profit as you found out!
Dont really have a suggestion for your transport, i feel your pain as i used to have my grandad taxi me around until i passed my test. Maybe you could get in touch with a local taxi driver with a people carrier and maybe sort out a specail deal if you use him all the time?
Hope this helps!

Charlie

[Charlie Brown]

Maybe you could get in touch with a local taxi driver with a people carrier and maybe sort out a specail deal if you use him all the time?


Ahh yes I already have. I use him an awful lot, I don't book it with the taxi firm but call him up directly. That £100 was a deal! Thanks any way:) I just thought I would share it with the folks on here. :)

[rob1963]

Firstly i would pay your roadie less. If he is a good friend and enjoys doing the discos then he should understand if you give him a "token" payment to say thanks for the help.

Agreed.


I always take a bottle of water with me to gigs as paying for drinks while your at work just eats into your profit as you found out!

Same here.

I refill mine from the tap & put it in the freezer for an hour before I leave, so it's lovely & cold.


Dont really have a suggestion for your transport, i feel your pain as i used to have my grandad taxi me around until i passed my test. Maybe you could get in touch with a local taxi driver with a people carrier and maybe sort out a specail deal if you use him all the time?
Hope this helps!

That might be an idea.

Your travelling costs are way too high at the moment compared to your income from gigs, so if you can't reduce them, then increase your prices.

[DeckstarDeluxe]

ditch the roadie! gotta make some tough decisions sometimes

If your paying your dad surely he can help if need be?

[Jiggles]

Win some loose alot!

[DJWilson]

Hi Charlie,


Nice to see your busy with bookings!

Agree with the above. Only have a roadie if you need one or just for bigger gigs/rigs. For transport my dad drives me and i give him about £20 at the end of the night. If not I borrow my uncles van and give my uncle some petrol money and a few beers.

[Charlie Brown]

Hmmm no, thats hard. The roadie is good for helping setting up, carrying things upstairs and on Friday night he pretty much did it all...I even got to have a dance or two. But yes I understand that is where I'm going wrong. At 15 though it's all about having a bit of fun...and when I'm older I should treat it as a business? Hang on, I have just completely contradicted myself. It's very hard to mix friends with business...agree?

[DeckstarDeluxe]

charlie watermark them photos!!!

[Charlie Brown]

charlie watermark them photos!!!


Who would want to take them and put them on their site :confused: lol but ok I will do :)

[DeckstarDeluxe]

Who would want to take them and put them on their site :confused: lol but ok I will do :)

im doing a site about why not to book sixty quid sids ;)

nah you'd be surprised..............

[jamesh]

wow what a weekend... It could have been worse you could have had rain on Saturday night while waiting for the taxi...

If i had to try and give some advice it would be this...

Roadies & Fees

If you HAVE to have a roadie (i always like to have one with me too) then look at how much you pay your roadie.

Perhaps work out a pay scale for him based on the more you get the more he gets.... It's what i do and it seems to work really well especially when you do gigs like you did on friday where you are only earning £100 overall...

Perhaps look at something like

Less than £100 - Roadie Fee = £10
£100 - £150 - Road Fee = £20
£151 - £175 - Roadie Fee = £30
£176 - £200 - Roadie fee = £40
£201 - £250 - Roadie Fee = £50
£251+ Roadie Fee = £60

As with the above even at your lowest paying gig after paying your dad fuel and the roadie you still have 50% of the money.

ANd yes it is hard mixing friends with business but it is possible... Most of the guys i rely on with bigger jobs are all friends whether they are DJ's or not. Basically just explain to them that when they are working for you they need to respect the fact that that's what they are there to do... WORK... - I've had the odd crossed word or 2 in the past with friends while working but once the jobs done it's always been forgotten and we've got on with being mates - at the end of the day just be professional and no one can complain.



* Drinks and food.

Talk to your roadie and find out what they would prefer to drink and buy it AWAY from the venue - you can get a 2L bottle of drink for less than the price of a pint of softdrink in most venues... Then on the night if you are in a good mood and things are going well (and there's money to do it with) there is no reason why you can't ask if the roadie would like a drink from the bar - but rather than have them all night from the bar and spending most of your wages it will only be the odd drink here and there at the venue.

Food... I can understand paying for food if it's an all day function or you've been on site all day BUT if it's and evening function why should you have to pay? Just tell you roadie to have something to eat BEFORE you pick him up for the gig. The chances are you will want a kebab or chips or something after the gig anyway BUT why should you pay? Every now and then is fine but at the end of the day he's earnt his money for the night and done a lot less than you to earn it so the least he can do is buy his own food if he's hungry at the end of the gig.

Transport

Now this is a tricky one as if you have to reply on other people with cars and vans it really can cause problems as you've found out. There isn't much that can be done to solve the issue if you can't drive yourself as people will always let you down at some point. You could always look around for a roadie that can drive and has his own car but that's easier said than done and would then mean you either have to pay 2 roadies or stop using your friend. Using the taxi driver really isn't going to help as if he's going to charge £100 a time it really isn't worth doing the disco unless you are charging £250+ for every gig.

The only other thing i can suggest is that you sit down and talk to your dad and tell him how serious you are about your business but explain that reliable transport is a key factor. Then try and work something out where by you give him notice as soon as a booking confirms so that he can make sure he's around for it OR you have plenty of time to work out a plan B and find another family member who can drive to do it. It would be far better doing it that way than having to find something at the last minute and letting the taxi firm eat away at all your money.

Marketing

hmm another tricky one... Personally i'd say stay well away from the yellow pages as you can do far better... I've had far more bookings from the likes of a gold UK-Disco placement and this forums directory than anything else.

Most of the time all you will get from yellow pages is price hunters looking for the cheapest disco possible. I know a lot more people that have thrown big amounts of money at yellow pages for it not to return on the investment than i do that have had it pay off and make lots from doing it.

Your far better off throwing money into getting a professional website done and getting onto the online directories than spending money in the big yellow book or advertising on yell.com..

Anyway i think that just about covers my immediate thoughts on it :D :)

[rob1963]

Perhaps work out a pay scale for him based on the more you get the more he gets.... It's what i do and it seems to work really well especially when you do gigs like you did on friday where you are only earning £100 overall...

Perhaps look at something like

Less than £100 - Roadie Fee = £10
£100 - £150 - Road Fee = £20
£151 - £175 - Roadie Fee = £30
£176 - £200 - Roadie fee = £40
£201 - £250 - Roadie Fee = £50
£251+ Roadie Fee = £60



Even easier than that would be just to give the roadie 10% of the total fee.

:D

[Charlie Brown]

James thank you so much for that detailed answer. This really helps a lot and I do appreciate it. I will do the above and act on it soon. The roadie will always come and stay at mine after, so its like asking people who come to your house to pay for their own food-if that makes sense:) In regards with the Yellow pages, I will go for a free meal, and I think the experience of having a meeting etc is good and one that would be of some value.

Many thanks again, much appreciated!

[Penfold42]

:offtopic:


In regards with the Yellow pages, I will go for a free meal, and I think the experience of having a meeting etc is good and one that would be of some value.

What you get a free meal from YP.....:confused:

How come?

[Charlie Brown]

:offtopic:



What you get a free meal from YP.....:confused:

How come?

I'm not sure myself. The lady phoned me up, I had dealings with her last year but decided against. I thought this time I would give it a whirl and see what she has to offer. She suggested a place in Nottingham town center for lunch so I agreed :)

[Jiggles]

Charlie, take the free lunch and RUN like hell! Never had so much spam from my advert on YP :mad: I have been on there for 3 years and i have had only one booking thats it!

[Charlie Brown]

Charlie, take the free lunch and RUN like hell!

Hahah...I have been with Yell.com for sometime and I have had a few booking from their, but they all seem to be the cheaper bookings.

[Jiggles]

Yell, possibly the biggest con out there IMO

[Tony Scott]

Charlie you state that at 15yrs old you are only doing it for fun so stop moaning and enjoy yourself....

....when you've finished your education and start driving you can start to treat it like a business, look at the next 2 years as your DJ apprenticeship and have a bit of fun with it.

I assume you are living at home with your parents so I guess your living expenses will be minimal, so don't worry about the money too much.

Oh and you are paying your roadie WAY too much, I pay my nephew £20 + a kebab on the way home (£4) + 2ltrs Tesco Diet Cola (42p).
He comes along coz he loves Mobile DJing, I'm teaching him the ropes and help out with his equipment, he gets a lot of my surplus kit when I'm finished with it, he wants to be a DJ and would help me for nothing but that would be taking advantage. :)

[DeckstarDeluxe]

haha £4 kebab and 42p cola love it!

[Vectis]

... don't forget the taxman's slice...

... and when you're old enough, NI as well :mad: :bang:

[rob1963]

... and when you're old enough, NI as well :mad: :bang:

Indeed.

Not only Class 2 (which goes up next month) but Class 4 as well.

:bang:

[Bouncy Dancefloor]

i presume you are not covered by your PLI when your dad isnt present???

[daz226]

Charlie why does your website redirect you to vista print

[ppentertainments]

Even easier than that would be just to give the roadie 10% of the total fee.

:D

But if you are giving the roadie a 'wage' you have to consider NMW. A £250 gig giving the roadie £25 (10%) only gets you just over 4 hours.

[rob1963]

But if you are giving the roadie a 'wage' you have to consider NMW. A £250 gig giving the roadie £25 (10%) only gets you just over 4 hours.

But how long is the roadie actually working for?

If I used one, it would probably take him 5-10 minutes to help me carry in the gear and 20 minutes to help me set it up. With the same at the end of the night, that's a total of less than one hours work!

I know people who have roadied for just their petrol money & a few drinks.

After all, if they have nothng else on, It's still a free night out!

[Charlie Brown]

... don't forget the taxman's slice...

... and when you're old enough, NI as well :mad: :bang:

Yeah I know...tell me about it. I'm not entitled to pay tax yet, but when I reach 16, thats when they will come knocking on my door :(

Charlie why does your website redirect you to vista print
Becasue Dad has had to change his credit card....thanks for reminding me I will get that sorted today :)

But if you are giving the roadie a 'wage' you have to consider NMW. A £250 gig giving the roadie £25 (10%) only gets you just over 4 hours.
That is very true, and like Rob said they don't actually work for any longer than an hour....but they are still waiting around. You will still get paid even if the meal runs over at a wedding and you only play 2/3 songs. If that makes sense:)

[Steve the DJ]

Any ideas? Ways I can save money? What am I doing wrong, what am I doing right? Do I need to charge more etc...

While I think your aspirations and enthusiasm in running a mobile DJ business at 15 are commendable I also think it is mistake to even be attempting it.

Your hands are tied in so many ways that I see no point in carrying on in the present way.

Personally I would recommend that you retain your kit but stop taking direct bookings until you are old enough to drive. I would then make yourself available to as many local DJs as possible as a roadie so that you can not only gain greater experience but the money you earn can be put to one side to go towards the inevitable high costs of transport.

If you still want to DJ, just choose your events carefully so that you are working very close to home minimising your costs, or why not even approach a local hall or youth club about running some under 16 club style nights on a monthly basis?

Good luck.

[Vectis]

I'm not entitled to pay tax yet, but when I reach 16, thats when they will come knocking on my door :(


Sorry to have to break this news to you, but...

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/life/tax/income_tax.htm

Particularly paragraph 1 - What Is Income Tax

"There is no minimum age at which a person becomes liable to pay income tax"


You may want to check this out...

[ppentertainments]

That is very true, and like Rob said they don't actually work for any longer than an hour....but they are still waiting around. You will still get paid even if the meal runs over at a wedding and you only play 2/3 songs. If that makes sense:)
Yes but as you are self-employed NMW, breaks etc do not come onto force. If a roadie helps you for 10 minutes at the beginning of the night and 10 minutes at the end they, by law, should still be paid from the minute they arrive till the minute they leave unless they have reasonable allowance to leave the venue and come back.

I know most roadies are doing it for the pleasure and experience. Most are happy with getting expenses coveres etc, however if you are paying a wage, strictly speaking NMW comes into force. I pay my roadie a nominal fee and as far as I am concerned he is self-employed and its up to him to pay taxes etc. As he is also self-employed NMW etc does not apply.

[rob1963]

Yeah I know...tell me about it. I'm not entitled to pay tax yet, but when I reach 16, thats when they will come knocking on my door


Sorry to have to break this news to you, but...

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/life/tax/income_tax.htm

Particularly paragraph 1 - What Is Income Tax

"There is no minimum age at which a person becomes liable to pay income tax"


You may want to check this out...

Although that's true, Vectis, if Charlie is 15, I assume he's still at school, so the discos are likely to be his only source of income.

I'd guess that It's unlikely he earns more than £6,000 a year from discos, in which case his income is below the tax threashold, so his tax bill will be nil.

[Charlie Brown]

Your hands are tied in so many ways that I see no point in carrying on in the present way.

or why not even approach a local hall or youth club about running some under 16 club style nights on a monthly basis?


Yes I do understand what you are saying...but I have come this far now, I would feel like I'm downgrading if I were to go and roadie for another DJ. Most of the time Dad can take me its just sometimes I have to result in hiring the mini bus. In regards to the under 16 club nights, I did used to organise a lot of parties at hotels etc (as many of you know ;) but the kids at my school can't seem to handle the party scene...and to be honest I can't stand them....Lionel Richie and co are more my scene :D

I can't actually bare the thought of not doing any disco's for another two years....that idea is a big a no no...but I appreciate your thoughts :)

[Charlie Brown]

I'd guess that It's unlikely he earns more than the £6,000 a year from discos, in which case his income is below the tax threashold, so his tax bill will be nil.

Yes that's true Rob...at the moment I have taken in a far bit of money with the disco's but my outgoings are more than I'm taking in...Say this past year I have spent £4,000 on equipment I have probably only taken a couple of grand. Actually this is interesting...maybe I should look at all my old bookings and see how much money I have actually taken in. I will go and do this now.



Ok I have done it:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: and I was very surprised. Its time for me to declare myself to the tax man. Glad this has cropped up otherwise I could have ended up in a bit of trouble. Thanks guys. :approve:

[ppentertainments]

Yes I do understand what you are saying...but I have come this far now, I would feel like I'm downgrading if I were to go and roadie for another DJ. Most of the time Dad can take me its just sometimes I have to result in hiring the mini bus. In regards to the under 16 club nights, I did used to organise a lot of parties at hotels etc (as many of you know ;) but the kids at my school can't seem to handle the party scene...and to be honest I can't stand them....Lionel Richie and co are more my scene :D

I can't actually bare the thought of not doing any disco's for another two years....that idea is a big a no no...but I appreciate your thoughts :)

Have you considered targetting venues who have a sound system etc already installed. This will mean you would only need to take your console with you.

[Charlie Brown]

Have you considered targetting venues who have a sound system etc already installed. This will mean you would only need to take your console with you.

That is a very good idea indeed. Do a lot of hotels have this? Would you have to charge less if you are using their equipment?

[Vectis]

Although that's true, Vectis, if Charlie is 15, I assume he's still at school, so the discos are likely to be his only source of income.

I'd guess that It's unlikely he earns more than the £6,000 a year from discos, in which case his income is below the tax threashold, so his tax bill will be nil.

Absolutely spot-on Rob. But you still have to declare earnings even if the net result is nothing to pay.

[ppentertainments]

That is a very good idea indeed. Do a lot of hotels have this? Would you have to charge less if you are using their equipment?

TBH Charlie I don't think a lot of hotels have equipment installed as usually if there is equipment installed it belongs to a resident DJ, check out your area though. Places where this happens to me are a local greyhound stadium, town halls and workingmens clubs. These may not be as prestigious as your top hotels but still an avenue to look at. Personally I don't usually discount for having equipment already installed as it doesn't matter to the person booking you. I do discount at one venue where they use me for their own functions, but not by much.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

I would feel like I'm downgrading if I were to go and roadie for another DJ.

You don't think you'd learn and improve by watching someone with more experience?

[Charlie Brown]

You don't think you'd learn and improve by watching someone with more experience?

Ohh no no, they came out wrong. Of course I would learn a lot working with another DJ but is there really any need in not taking any bookings for the next years when I have just invested all this money on gear and time setting up the business?

[Bouncy Dancefloor]

no reply to my question earlier

if your Dad isnt present, is your PLI valid??

[Charlie Brown]

if your Dad isnt present, is your PLI valid??

Sorry sorry about that one I forgot. That is something I will have to look at. On the certificate my name is printed so I'm not sure.

I had my meeting with the yellow pages. She was young and very persuasive. I'm going to look at a name change, so instead of "Charlie Brown's Disco" but "Charlie Brown's Entertainment." I have organized a lot of parties in the past so maybe I could go down this field for the summer. I'm going to come up with some form of business plan, and I will let you guys know what I come up with, and you can comment, criticize and help out where needed :)

[rob1963]

If only I had a pound for every business that changed the last word of its name from disco(s) to entertainment.

[Charlie Brown]

If only I had a pound for every business that changed the last word of its name from disco(s) to entertainment.

Ahh tell me about Rob. I just thought before I develop more and if I could get the support from my Dad then now is a good time to change. Get a professional website sorted, letters out to hotels/bars/restaurants and to focus more on a advertising campaign. Maybe instead of me carrying on my education and doing A levels, which mother will love ;) :p

[DeckstarDeluxe]

correct me if im wrong but if you only offer discos then shouldnt your name be discos? I thought changing it to entertainment would only be effective if you can provide several different services like karaoke, uplighting, quiz nights etc???

[rob1963]

correct me if im wrong but if you only offer discos then shouldn't your name be discos?

Not necessarily.

Surely that decision is down to the individual.

After all, the same could be said about the word roadshow.


I thought changing it to entertainment would only be effective if you can provide several different services like karaoke, uplighting, quiz nights etc???

Some people might change it if they're thinking of adding other services at some time in the future.

[Vectis]

If only I had a pound for every business that changed the last word of its name from disco(s) to entertainment.

Well it's because of you Rob and the legendary entertainments/entertainment thread on this forum that I went with 'Events' :p

[rob1963]

Well it's because of you Rob and the legendary entertainments/entertainment thread on this forum that I went with 'Events' :p

Vectis...I'm disappointed in you!!!

:p

[ppentertainments]

If only I had a pound for every business that changed the last word of its name from disco(s) to entertainment.

You'd have a fiver :D :p :D

[rob1963]

You'd have a fiver :D :p :D

And the rest!!!!!

[A1DL]

I had my meeting with the yellow pages. She was young and very persuasive.

Credit to you for getting a free meal out of YP, Charlie!

Back in the day, my company used to spend well over £20k annually with YP, for a number of years and I don't recall any freebies, not even a pen or calendar...

I bet this rep was rather frustrated that she couldn't accept a 15 year old child's signature. Saved by your tender age;)

[Charlie Brown]

I bet this rep was rather frustrated that she couldn't accept a 15 year old child's signature. Saved by your tender age;)

Haha, my thoughts exactly. The look on her face when she saw me was a picture ;) She was very nice though and understanding and didn't treat me as a child, which was nice. :)

[DeckstarDeluxe]

Haha, my thoughts exactly. The look on her face when she saw me was a picture ;) She was very nice though and understanding and didn't treat me as a child, which was nice. :)

thats because they're after your money. Dont let the fact the nice attractive young lady affect your judgement.

[Bouncy Dancefloor]

Sorry sorry about that one I forgot. That is something I will have to look at. On the certificate my name is printed so I'm not sure.

sorry, i thought i saw a thread a while back where someone said you had to be 18 to hold PLI , forgive me if i am wrong

[Corabar Steve]

If only I had a pound for every business that changed the last word of its name from disco(s) to entertainment.
You'd have a pound less than you thought :sj:

[Charlie Brown]

Right just purchased my new domain name.

"www.charliebrownentertainments.co.uk"

I will keep you posted on how I get on design wise, and when the website is live you lot can comment, tell me what to change etc:)

[Jiggles]

What a mouth full :D

[PropellerHeadCase]

You appears to have purchased a surplus 'S', Charlie.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

You appears to have purchased a surplus 'S', Charlie.

Yeah, let's start that discussion again, shall we?

We all know it's not a 'real' word, but there are thousands of companies out there that use it.

[Charlie Brown]

Now you mention I can't remember if its...entertainment or entertainments....I will have to wait for the email I get off them. It's with the mighty BT....maybe I could change it if I ask nicely, or cancel, and join again:)

[Jiggles]

BT :eek: £4.50 per month and you could get proper hosting free domain AND a site builder! From a knowen source :D

[Charlie Brown]

BT :eek: £4.50 per month and you could get proper hosting free domain AND a site builder! From a knowen source :D

Yeah thank you very much for your help Callum :) I will check it out and get back to you :)

[Shaun]

Check out Marc J for hosting (see link below). HIGHLY recommended by myself and plenty of others on the forum. You won't be disappointed.

http://www.mobilediscodirectory.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=13643

[Tom]

Check out Marc J for hosting (see link below). HIGHLY recommended by myself and plenty of others on the forum. You won't be disappointed.

http://www.mobilediscodirectory.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=13643


I second that. I'm with Marc. Top notch service.

Im sure others will agree. :)

[Jiggles]

We have been MSNing and we seem to have been going for something else :D

[Charlie Brown]

Yeah yeah I like the idea of Marc J too...but I needed the website designing, and my budget is enormous, so I will have to do it myself if that makes sense...Marc just offers hosting I believe :/

[rob1963]

I second that. I'm with Marc. Top notch service.

Im sure others will agree. :)

Absolutely!

My last web host :star: :star:

The web guru :star: :star: :star: :star: :star:

[Marc J]

Yeah yeah I like the idea of Marc J too...but I needed the website designing, and my budget is enormous, so I will have to do it myself if that makes sense...Marc just offers hosting I believe :/

Thanks again for the recommendations guys :)

Not sure I understand what you're saying Charlie - are you designing the site yourself or do you have an enormous design budget?

I'm currently not taking on any design work as I'm too busy, but if you're budget is indeed enormous then I could always fit you in :D

If it's just hosting you're after then I can set you up. My hosting doesn't come with a site builder but you can install most CMS systems (Joomla (http://www.joomla.org/), CMSMS (http://www.cmsmadesimple.org/), ModX (http://modxcms.com/)) without any problems, which to be honest are better than most site builders (in my opinion). Some people even use Wordpress (http://wordpress.org/) for sites, again that's a simple few clicks install.

What you have to remember (and this isn't a sales pitch - it's a genuine warning) is that if you go with a host and use their sitebuilder software (if they have it), it will be very difficult to tweak the design to your liking (even just a little) or move away from them. With a hosted CMS / Blog option you have complete freedom, and can move hosts at any time with a simple files / database backup and move.

[Jiggles]

The Servage site builder allows you to change it all. But the choice of templates is poor as the system is in Beta at the moment.

[Marc J]

The Servage site builder allows you to change it all. But the choice of templates is poor as the system is in Beta at the moment.

That's my point, though. If it really does let you change everything then the limited templates wouldn't be a problem. But it obviously doesn't if the template choice limits your design. :confused:

[Charlie Brown]

Yeah yeah sorry...no my budget is far from enormous, I want to design myself. Let me give BT a call and I will get back to you :)

[Jiggles]

This is what its like: www.cbentertainments.co.uk/sitebuilder.png

[Charlie Brown]

Right I have chosen a template and messed around with it a bit. Do we like the design or do I need to choose another one?:)

http://charliebrownentertainments.co.uk/

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Why does your Charliebrowndisco.com take me to Vistaprint???

[Charlie Brown]

Why does your Charliebrowndisco.com take me to Vistaprint???

Because dad's credit card details changed and I forgot to tell them so they canceled my account. Do you think I should set a website up with them as well as the entertainment website?

[kjdiscos]

Because dad's credit card details changed and I forgot to tell them so they canceled my account. Do you think I should set a website up with them as well as the entertainment website?

Add it as another domain, To the entertainments one,

So if customers go to your old domain, Then you will still get the hit

[womble]

Your "about" page still has the template text on it, and I would narrow the width of the text on your page too, I had to keep scrolling left to right to read everything on a laptop.

[DeckstarDeluxe]

hahaha charlie its a good job you didnt do this a couple of months ago when I had the same design!