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Thread: When we do return ....

  1. #1

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    Default When we do return ....

    Let’s look ahead to the day we finally return !
    What will you be doing different, if anything ?

    For me the business side of things I am changing a lot. I always knew I wasted a lot of time, but having so much time off has made me appreciate just how much time I wasted.

    Moving forward I am going to try and timetable the business side of things and stick to it. 2 hours once a week to schedule social media posts for example.

    Wedding Fayres is something I have been reducing but will be only doing the ‘must do’ ones in future. Looking at the finances and they really were not worth doing, especially the more expensive ones.

    Equipment – I have never really been a nig fan of upgrading kit constantly etc, but now appreciate that some of the stuff lying about is actually still up to the job, presentable and al that is required. Quite a bit I had for sale I have now removed as there is no reason to change.

    Customer service – always something I have been big on, however did drop client meetings (unless requested) as the time/money they swallow up just wasn’t worth it. With most people embracing meeting from home via zoom etc, this is something I am hoping to implement.

    More focus for me is going to be on the afternoon wedding breakfast – I have a new package still to be updated on website which has been really popular which will see me DJing the afternoon then in the evening looking after the selfie wizard printer (may even get a magic mirror) and another DJ comes in for the evening. Works out really good ££ so hopefully will result in fewer bookings.

    Over to you …………….
    Semi-Retired Multi Award Winning DJ

    www.ultimateweddingdj.co.uk

  2. #2
    Imagine's Avatar
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    Default

    This is a topic that's been on my mind for a while now...

    At the moment, I'm not actually looking to do too much differently. Bookings are coming in for 2022 with customers booking me because they like what they see on the website (they've said that much when booking).
    Kit-wise, there's nothing I need. I too have come to the conclusion that the kit I have does the job and doesn't need to be updated until such time as it breaks. Customers really don't know or care whether a fixture is made by ADJ, Equinox or a chap in China, or whether it's brand new or a couple of years old. It's just a flashing light to them at the end of the day.

    Meetings, I always offered those anyway, along with the breakfast and ceremony services....no change there then.

    One BIG change that's been swirling around my brain cell though is whether or not I go fully full-time again.

    As many of you know....going full time was ALWAYS my dream, and I'd worked on making it happen for a very long time. BUT, after being well and truly hung out to dry due to only being full time for 11 months at the start of this thing and seeing longer established full timers now struggling with the pittance that is SEISS, it's made me realise just how vulnerable being fully self employed at this game really is.

    I'm likely to reduce my hours to delivering shopping for say Monday to Wednesday (as i don't do too many weddings on those days) as a backup income, and use the DJ side of things as the proper wage. Working that way at least gives me a foot in the door to increase PAYE hours should any sort of restrictions kick off again in the future.

  3. #3
    Dinosaur Excalibur's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Imagine View Post
    This is a topic that's been on my mind for a while now...

    At the moment, I'm not actually looking to do too much differently. Bookings are coming in for 2022 with customers booking me because they like what they see on the website (they've said that much when booking).
    Kit-wise, there's nothing I need. I too have come to the conclusion that the kit I have does the job and doesn't need to be updated until such time as it breaks. Customers really don't know or care whether a fixture is made by ADJ, Equinox or a chap in China, or whether it's brand new or a couple of years old. It's just a flashing light to them at the end of the day.
    You're waaaaaay behind there, Son. Good to see you catching on though.


    It is the Ancient Disc Jockey, and he stoppeth one of three.
    “Oh please exalted wedding guests, if you would give to me
    your thoughts upon my lighting rig, which you can plainly see.
    Be honest, I can take it, I'm over fifty three.
    Can you tell my Powerbar is Thomann’s own, not KAM?
    Does that matter lots to you, or don’t you give a damn?
    Should I have gone with Wizards two, to fill the room with light?
    Or do you think my vastos three are absolutely e?
    Is LED the way to go, or do they drive you dotty?
    Without the gobos shining through, the room just goes all spotty.
    Are laser beams now all the rage, or should I still be minded,
    That if I point them at the crowd, my punters may be blinded?
    It was just so simple once, we all used the same form
    Two spotboxes and a Pulsar, they even kept us warm.
    Oh for the days when life was easy, and gear was still homemade.
    No warning lights or crashes, and tempers never frayed.



    Up spoke now the wedding guest, a puzzled look he wore,
    “ The coloured lights all twinkle and flash, how could we ask for more? “


    Quote Originally Posted by Imagine View Post
    Meetings, I always offered those anyway, along with the breakfast and ceremony services....no change there then.
    Snap. My views entirely. The meetings may not be the most fiscally prudent use of time, but they pay dividends on the day, and in planning .




    Quote Originally Posted by Imagine View Post
    One BIG change that's been swirling around my brain cell though is whether or not I go fully full-time again.

    As many of you know....going full time was ALWAYS my dream, and I'd worked on making it happen for a very long time. BUT, after being well and truly hung out to dry due to only being full time for 11 months at the start of this thing and seeing longer established full timers now struggling with the pittance that is SEISS, it's made me realise just how vulnerable being fully self employed at this game really is.

    I'm likely to reduce my hours to delivering shopping for say Monday to Wednesday (as i don't do too many weddings on those days) as a backup income, and use the DJ side of things as the proper wage. Working that way at least gives me a foot in the door to increase PAYE hours should any sort of restrictions kick off again in the future.
    I'm the same, but different. My cunning plan, pre-virus, was to cut down the Day Job, and expand the Disco. As we know, we've ended up completely the other way. I believe I'm lucky being self employed in both jobs, I have the choice/chance to prioritise either side of it at any time ( in theory).

    I'm bucking the trend, as I'm going to need a new tablet computer, Lockdown and old age have seen off the current one. A quick Google of " how to replace a battery" reveals that a new machine is the only viable option. Also, my obsessive desire for symmetry means a need for the second Maui 5 GO.
    Excalibur. Older than the average DJ.

    www.excaliburmobiledisco.co.uk

  4. #4
    Jim - Scotland's Party DJ's Avatar
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    I was VERY close to just seeing out all of my dates and chucking it all in come March next year, that's a pretty big change no?

    I put my prices up quite a bit in *drumroll* January last year.

    I'm sticking with it though (I know guys who are charging what they did a couple of years back to try and get bookings in) and from the limited enquiries coming in, the conversion rate is very high. We're pretty much set to pay the mortgage off once I work out the COVID logistics of doing that so I'd be happy doing 10-20 gigs a year at the new rate and it wouldn't change our gross income once you factor it against no more mortgage payments.

    VIdeo meetings I'm hoping to keep with - I don't mind doing face to face but it is a time sink and I think most people now would be more receptive to doing it on video rather than having people in their house or having to traipse to the venue.

    Kit wise - I've a shiny new MBP after dropping my other main one flat on it's face. I'll probably pick up an M1 model in the next year or so and retire the old 2013 one I use for MyDMX / music backup. That's about it, I've never been a big kit guy anyway.


    That's about it really. I've always offered the full and half day things anyway and tbh, the increased evening only price is absolutely fine with me (it's more than a lot of folk I know charge for a full day) so I'm happy to keep doing mainly nights and not having to burst my pan.

    I'm not charging extra for the 1am finish due to the increased price - it seems a bit cheeky plus it's a good selling point to say the price is £x but that's so I can be as flexible as you want - we all know most people won't take a 1am finish anyway.


    Apart from that, I'm going to start cutting back on mid weeks. COVID has thrown a spanner in the works but my career trajectory looks like a move to senior management is on the cards in the next year or two and I can't justify bursting my pan on a Monday night then going into work on Tuesday with that sort of role - plus I'm very much noticing less energy as I move into my mid-late 30s

  5. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim - Scotland's Party DJ View Post
    We're pretty much set to pay the mortgage off once I work out the COVID logistics of doing that so I'd be happy doing 10-20 gigs a year at the new rate and it wouldn't change our gross income once you factor it against no more mortgage payments.
    Off topic - do NOT pay off your mortgage, leave a few thousand on interest only.

    I paid off my first house when I was 30, roll on a few years and rented that house out, went to buy another and struggled to get a mortgage - in fact paid a higher interest rate for about 3 years.

    Made the mistake again and owning 3 houses outright, went to get a mortgage, and yes, struggled again (even found it difficult getting a car loan) - although this time I bought a new house and benefitted from 1st time buyers extras. Currently I have left £6000 owing on my house now and have kept it interest only. Sounds bizarre but know a few in a similar situation. Having a mortgage can also be handy if any high levels of borrowing is needed. I bought a brand new static caravan a few years ago and was cheaper to lump it on the mortgage rather than take out a loan.
    Semi-Retired Multi Award Winning DJ

    www.ultimateweddingdj.co.uk

  6. #6
    Jim - Scotland's Party DJ's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ppentertainments View Post
    Off topic - do NOT pay off your mortgage, leave a few thousand on interest only.

    I paid off my first house when I was 30, roll on a few years and rented that house out, went to buy another and struggled to get a mortgage - in fact paid a higher interest rate for about 3 years.

    Made the mistake again and owning 3 houses outright, went to get a mortgage, and yes, struggled again (even found it difficult getting a car loan) - although this time I bought a new house and benefitted from 1st time buyers extras. Currently I have left £6000 owing on my house now and have kept it interest only. Sounds bizarre but know a few in a similar situation. Having a mortgage can also be handy if any high levels of borrowing is needed. I bought a brand new static caravan a few years ago and was cheaper to lump it on the mortgage rather than take out a loan.

    Yeah I know the pitfalls of that and I'll need to discuss it with the bank when the time comes but it sounds like they were clamping down on doing that. A pal of mine tried, the bank said no so he paid it off then they made him jump through hoops for a car loan a couple of months later!

    A pal knows a lord who has had £50 sitting on the mortgage for his country estate for the past 30 odd years

    I'm a man of simple pleasure so, aside from cars, which I'm not that fussed about either as long as it's reliable, I can't see anything else we'd need to borrow for unless we were looking to move and at that point surely having the house outright would be in our favour? Especially since we stand to make a very nice profit on it if we ever do decide to sell.

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