A new year and a new career - PLUS, weddings in 2019

Things are changing - just a little...

For the last 19 years, I've worked as a professional DJ. The first 10 years were part time and jobs were few and far between. Since then, I've turned this into a full time business, providing DJ, photo booth and lighting services for weddings, corporate events, birthdays, school functions and more.

Now after 19 years, I'm going to be scaling back (just a little) and focusing on my new career as a Physical Therapist Assistant. I'll still be available for events on Friday and Saturday, but events taking place Sunday through Thursday will now be booked only if my associate, DJ Travis, is available for that date. 2019 will be the last year I offer slide show services as it seems to be on a down trend, having only had 3 requests for it in 2018 and the entire process is very time consuming.

I do not have any plans to retire from DJing as of yet, but when I do, it will be a 3 year exit strategy and everyone will be aware of it when I make that decision. I don't foresee this happening until at least 2023 (I have a school loan to pay back) and I enjoy what I do.

Enough about me, let's talk about weddings in 2019...

One of the things I need to address (for newlyweds) is the large amount of amateur DJs out there that put a price tag ahead of anything else. I know cost is a huge factor when you're booking vendors and I know you have a budget. But did you know that entertainment is ALWAYS in the top three most remembered things about a wedding? Take a look at this discussion:
https://boards.weddingbee.com/topic/as-a-guest-what-do-you-remember-most-about-weddings/

Knowing that, do you really want to spend the least amount on the entertainment?

Here's a recent price list of what the average (mid-range, meaning reliable and decent) cost of each wedding vendor is in the USA. https://www.theknot.com/content/average-wedding-vendor-costs?fbclid=IwAR2lEpH-MziXYBSF6k8OEP2tBwRdB9-NuuOgFFc2vlKmCD6B64AdDSODIjk

If you didn't read it, the average cost of a DJ is $1231. That's far more than I charge for my entry level package.

I even found out recently that someone was using MY business name with a dollar amount in front of it to lure in couples who were looking based solely on price (please never do that, you won't be happy). He ended up raising his price (and changing the dollar amount on the name) because you CANNOT run a business for those prices. Shortly after, he stopped showing up for weddings with no warning. NEVER EVER choose a vendor based on a low price because it WILL end up ruining your wedding day.

There's another trend I'm seeing of DJs grouping themselves together (sometimes in different states too) so that they can split inquiries coming in. They generally charge more under this "made up company" to cover their additional expenses. Chances are, you can find those same DJs through their own individual companies for a lower price. Nothing wrong with that, but just be aware that you might be paying more for the same exact service and DJ.

Lastly, today's generation prefers to text. I realize that and I understand it's easier for you. The problem is that today's generation is also very visual. I get that because I'm the same way. I'm always more interested in a product I can see. Texting just doesn't work for this reason. I can send an email that has photos, details, pricing and answers all kinds of questions in just a few minutes, but it's impossible to send all that by text. Over the past two years, I noticed a trend of emails going ignored or ending up in spam folders. I now initially respond with both an email and text stating that I have responded by email. It seems to be working well so far.

One more thing I fogot to mention... I'm putting on the 4th Annual Valentine's Bridal Show at Chemung Hills Golf Club on Sunday, February 10th, 2019 from noon to 3 PM. Admission is free with online registration at www.michiganwedding.info

Don't fall for gimmicks and dishonesty!

We've all seen offers that seem too good to be true.  Well, as the saying goes, it probably IS too good to be true.  Recently, offers are popping up for "free this or that" for your wedding.  A good example is this facebook ad recently pointed out in a forum of photo booth professionals I'm a part of.

Let's be honest... no one is giving away a free photo booth.  How do they get away with saying this? Simple - by raising their DJ pricing and lowering the amenities offered with the photo booth in order to get you to add things in order to bring it back to the original price.

For example: They could cut the hours down, not offer printing, no scrapbook, no graphic design on the photo strips, no props and no digital copy of the images.  This diminishes the "wow factor" of the photo booth.  It's supposed to be fun and enjoyable for your guests, not tacky and cheap.

Another dishonest tactic is... 

Groupon is great for restaurants as they have a lot of room to work with on their pricing (in most cases).  $10 for $20 worth of food at a Mexican restaurant is still a profit for them.  If Taco Bell can do it for $5 and make a profit, so can they.

The big scam on Groupon is when you buy a discount photo booth service and the company doesn't even OWN a photo booth!  That's right, they subcontract EVERYTHING!  You never know who is going to be at your event or if they'll even show up.  This has happened countless times and I've seen a lot of articles about this.  I've even been contacted by some of these people, desperately trying to find someone to fill a date (usually within a week's time) and offering considerably less than what our cost is.  You can't get into a business if you don't understand it and know the costs involved.  On an average four hour booking, we're spending more than they charge!  We have employee costs, travel, media for the printer, insurance and much more.  I've even heard of companies that tried subcontracting for these people and then not getting paid!

How can they possible offer this for $199?  Simple.  Cut corners.  Which ones?  ALL OF THEM!
You'll get a subpar product that won't look good and will leave guests disappointed (if someone even shows up).

DON'T fall for these gimmicks and dishonest marketing!  The DJ Guy is ALWAYS honest about pricing and what's included.  We don't even offer a package that doesn't include basics like: props, custom graphic design, prints and flash drive copy of all images. Why?  Because we believe the experience is important.

Give us a call to book your event today!  517-404-0418 www.thedjguy.info

Cheap DJs aren't good and good DJs aren't cheap...

There are plenty of amateurs DJs out there. If you're paying under $100/hr, you might have one. Here's an article on the costs involved and this doesn't even begin to detail everything. I chose not to use any of the ones from actual DJ sites (there are plenty of them) because part of our job is to educate clients so they don't end up without a DJ at their reception or one that does a poor job. I don't want to sound like I'm selling something, it just bothers me when I hear about some amateur giving our profession a bad reputation. This is why I chose an article from an unrelated source. Take a look at that list and the final amount and just tell me how you would pay bills and cover costs charging $50 an hour. It cannot be done without cutting a LOT of corners and possibly resorting to illegal activity.

Here's a few examples of some minor issues with amateur DJs. This is the least of your concerns, but it may affect the image your had in mind for your reception.

Problem: lights on the table instead of being mounted, wires exposed and sloppy This DJ wouldn't even have a properly skirted table if the venue hadn't provided one for him!

Problem: no table skirt, wires running everywhere, everything exposed and sloppy Is this your home office or a wedding? No one wants to see all your junk piled up on the table, hide it!

Here's how things SHOULD look. Clean, no exposed wires and appealing to the guests.

The saying you get what you pay for is true. I get calls all the time from frantic brides and moms because their cheap DJ (or photo booth) cancelled or didn't show up.

PRIME EXAMPLE: Last week I got a call and the photo booth company they hired, cancelled on them the week before their wedding. Fortunately, I had the date open and was easily able to exceed their expectations (they actually got a much better package from me).

While the article below talks about startup costs, it doesn't mention annual costs and one very important cost - investing in your business. When we don't stay up to date with the latest trends and looks, we become irrelevant. Take a look at Kmart. When was the last time you were in one? The store hasn't been updated since the early 80's. They didn't invest in their business and soon they will be gone and out of business.

Here's the article...

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/201652