Home 2023 Forums Non-DJ Chat DJ business plan

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  • #1028375
    DJ Vintage
    Moderator

    Don’t have an English version at hand, but here’s a summary:

    1) State your goal: make it in terms of what problem you intend to solve for your customers, not something like I wanna be rich and famous 🙂

    2) Determine what your unique selling point(s) is(are).

    3) Do a swot-analysis (draw a 4-square matrix with one square for S=Strength, one for W=Weaknesses, one for O=Opportunities and T=Threats and fill them in). Having your USPs clear will help here. Also under threats you can fill out the competition in your area, either other DJ’s or bands or such.

    4) From your SWOT determine what you need to learn or avoid (weaknesses), what to promote (strengths/usp), how to capitalize on opportunities and how to deal with threats.

    5) Make a 3- year plan on how you want to develop your goals. Go into relative detail as to what marketing you need to do and when, what training your need, what gear you need, how many times you want to play in a given period, how you want your fee to develop over time (start with a firm fee, risking less gigs but the better ones that are willing to pay that kind of money. Or go for lesser fees, get more gigs but risk having to leave those venues behind when you are ready to move on). Include a good solid financial plan. What do you need to spend on what in what period (don’t be shy here). What do you realistically expect to earn (be shy here). How much can you invest yourself. Do you need extra funding, if so, how can you get that.

    6) Think about staffing. Do you need people to help you. If so, do you want paid people or volunteers, in either case what kind of people would you be looking for, what should their “resume’s” look like, what skills do they need.

    7) Write a marketing plan. How are you gonna present yourself. Company image, website, flyers, mailings, social media presence, the works.

    8)Write a sales plan. What can you do to sell your services. This includes a very tight definition of who your potential customers are, how you can get in touch with them. Have a contract ready and preferably a template for a quote.

    9) Determine what kind of business you want to be. Natural person, ltd., inc. Seek assistance to set up yourself in such a manner that your administration is in order, that you are doing things the most clever way tax-wise.

    10) Go out and do it!

    Hope that helps & greetinx.

    #1028447
    Terry_42
    Keymaster

    Plus read the books:

    Marketing Management by Kotler

    Competetive Strategy by Porter

    😉 No other DJ has read them it will give you an edge

    #1028453
    David Arthur Hora
    Participant

    message for Terry 42,  I have found a book for doenload onto a computer called Kotler On Marketing on amazon, here is a link, I like a download copy so that I may keep on the computer.  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kotler-Marketing-Philip-ebook/dp/B00AHEKZEU/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1391677134&sr=1-1&keywords=marketing+management+by+kotler</span>

    Please let me know if this is ok to buy or please pass on a link to buy a download copy of the book you were talking about.

    <!–more–>

    <!–more–>

    Also I have copyed the business plan lines and I am offering a DJ service that will have disable people to play to, OAP homes and video music which should make me different,  as just in my area along no one does it.   As for the swot-analysis am I looking at myself for what strengths and weaknesses I have or what other DJ’s business in and around my area or areas I am working in have, if you could let me know I can work on it.

    Thanks

    David.

     

    #1028593
    Terry_42
    Keymaster

    Yes On Marketing is not as “big” as some of his other books, but for a DJ business it is totally sufficient to get an insight on how to market your business successfully. Thumps up from me for that book.

    #1028599
    David Arthur Hora
    Participant

    Hi Terry 42

    Thanks for letting me know the book I see is just as good as your I will now buy it and download it to my computer and read it.  If at any point I do not understand something I will put it down here so others can learn what I am learning now.

    All the best Terry

    From David.

    #1028706
    Terry_42
    Keymaster

    No problem, besides being a DJ I have a masters degree in marketing 😉

    #1028722
    DJ Vintage
    Moderator

    … which makes me wonder … never mind 😛

    #1028756
    David Arthur Hora
    Participant

    This is what my Swot is so far, Also I do know that a business plan will need to be used for the bank or someone to give me money as well as me and must be wrote my me.

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    <p class=”MsoNormal”>Strength</p>
    My ones, Can drive a car, use a phone, use a photocopier, use a computer, know how to make excel sheets up, Now a little about accounts, know where I can buy business cards, post cards, flyers, good time keeper, Good at keeping records on a computer, have a level one in maths and English, I am able to listen to and talk to other people, I enjoy learning new skills and would enjoy teaching people a skill, I am good at asking people to do things and I still listen to them, I can make records of goods or services so that I know where everything is, I ask for help when I need it, I have made my driving better with advance driving, I use a Sat Nav to help me find places with traffic on it to arrive at places on time.

    Weaknesses

    My weaknesses – Once I always got mad at people and I change it by taking a step back to think of what that person was trying to say.
    My maths and English needed some work on, I went to Newbury college and ask if they could help with a course.  I take a course on maths and can now find the area of a room, do %s and times numbers more quicker.  I also made my English better and learned to listen and talk to people as when we did work together I do not talk a lot. But now I have learned to talk to others about what it is you what will get you the help you need.  I know some things about accounts and will need help to keep them in order so will find someone to do it.  I do not have any invoices to give out so I will buy them or make some up.  Well need to find a person that can do the accounts as I will use quick books at first and someone when I have the money I will hire a person to book the djs.
    I can not think of anything else as yet.

    First part of business plan
    Why do I want to run my own business?
    We aim to make sure people enjoy themselves by having the sound of the music at an enjoyed level and have feedback from customers. I run two new services for the disable and the OAP homes plus I will have video music. I well teach my own DJ’s how to do parties and offer to teach people for other businesses to do it as well.  Other things to put into account are to ask other businesses for information and help as well as the bank.  The people I will serve are from primary schools age 3 to 11 years old and boarding schools from 7 to 16 as well as secondary schools age 12 to 16 both male and female.  I will also offer adult parties from anywhere like offices to sports clubs as workers make somewhere between £150 to £300 a week and are both male and female. I also have a goal to work with people on jobseekers allowance by letting them volunteer and if they like to work and I need someone I take them on.

    My short term goal 0 to 1 year

    Start up the business with advents in papers and postcards in shop windows, library’s, and sports clubs.  Go to business groups so that I can found out about how to run the business and to get more help.  I will find where I can get hold of an accountant to look after my accounts for me and use them once every three months.  I will need a business line put in so once money is there for it, ask company’s what they can offer and go to other company’s to see who they like and why.

    Area to be cover are Newbury and anywhere within 30 miles of Newbury.
    End of business plan.

    I would like to thank anyone for helping with this as this is one document that will allow me to go and be a DJ.
    Thanks
    David.

    #1028770
    Terry_42
    Keymaster

    wow I am sorry but this is no business plan and no swot analysis, it is an essay trimmed to make one feel better.

    Please seek professional business counceling before you go ahead, in most countries there is some form of free counceling for startups.

    To point everything out that is wrong with this would simply take too long and honestly I would not do it for free.

    #2005925
    Isaiah Furrow
    Participant

    Terry, he’s trying, more than a lot of DJs starting out put into it…. I realize this is nowhere near what you’d need to get a bank loan to start up a company, but I didn’t get the feeling that is what he’s trying to do … I might be wrong… and I think he’s posting this more as a draft to get more input… I can totally understand not wanting to coach someone every step of the way though. I am currently working on typing the business plan I wrote up recently…don’t know why I didn’t just type it in the first place…LOL Let me know if you’d be willing to give it a read once it’s all done. I am not doing it to get a loan or anything, just more of a self help tool. The advice given to the OP is great and has me thinking about some things I had overlooked. Feel free to shoot me an email if you’d be into giving me feedback on my business plan… santacreekfurrows at gmail dot com… I will try and remember to come back to this thread and post some info and examples of parts of my business plan, but I don’t think I could really put the whole thing here in a forum post… I will give some links if I can find them again, I found some decent info online that was a real help… Keep shining people… Moonshadow

    #2005928
    Isaiah Furrow
    Participant

    http://www.bplans.com/ask-bplans/4968/write-business-plan-for-disc-jockey-entertainment-company

    http://www.thefinanceresource.com/free_business_plans/free_dj_service_business_plan.aspx

    http://www.imixmag.com/mobiledjs.html

    http://www.sba.gov/category/navigation-structure/starting-managing-business/starting-business/how-write-business-plan

    http://www.entrepreneur.com/businessplan/index.html

    Real quick, just some of what I found easily, this isn’t all of what I used as guidance, but there’s a good bit of info to be had through just those links…. a person could spend days just looking up info about writing a business plan, but for the most part it’s all very similar info regardless of the source. Hope this helps some…. Moonshadow

    #2005962
    David Arthur Hora
    Participant

    First I am trying to go into business as a party DJ so I am trying to wrote a good business plan out. I am also going out to a business club to understand how to run the business the right way. I already know how to set up the gear and what insurance to get, plus I need pat testing and here in the UK a DBS or better know as the Disclosure and Barring Service which in the UK is checking you do not have a Criminal Records. I really would like people to look at the business plan so that I can have help to build it the right way as I do not know how to build one and writing them is hard work. This is why forums like this help people to find information out and help others out. If anyone would like to look at the full copy of my business please do send me a e-mail address, I can then send you it to get to know how to wrote them better. I do need to learn this as yes I will need to go to someone and say Hi there Mr bank manger or someone with money and say I would like to run a mobile DJ business can I have a loan of £2000. So if anyone can help me to wrote one please let me know. I always thank people for helping me learn how to write it or just for giving good advice. It does take a lot to run a business and a lot of work to put into making it work and I will be able to help people in the uk to learn how to DJ for money as well as for free. I really would like to do this work as it would make me happy to know that people are happy using my service. We all need help at some point and if I have a answer that someone has not got then I would help them out as long as they help me out.

    #2005969
    Terry_42
    Keymaster

    Then take a look here:
    https://www.gov.uk/write-business-plan

    and here:
    http://www.entrepreneur.com/businessplan/index.html

    and here:
    http://www.sba.gov/category/navigation-structure/starting-managing-business/starting-business/how-write-business-plan

    Those are really good. Read them through from A to Z, but also make sure you understand them fully and what it is about.
    Then really inhale 2 things:
    – A business plan is not about making you feel better about your endeavour
    – A business plan is not something to market yourself to a banker to get money
    If at any time you write your business plan with the above in mind, then most likely you will be bankrupt in less than 2 years (the usual time for a failing startup business to fail completely).

    A business plan is about being very truthful to yourself and actually a pinch pessimistic about your company, as you have to have to assess all the risks and minimise then as much as possible, but be truthful that there will always be risks remaining.
    Second it is about goals and goals need to be SMART, which is:
    Specific: You need to be specific in your goals. Wrong: I want to earn good money first year. Right: I expect 10.000 revenue per month.
    Measurable: You need to state a measure for your success. Aka: I want to have 50-70% of each payout to reinvest into the business.
    Assignable: Specify who will do it to reach your goal. You cannot do it all by yourself…
    Realistic: Be realistic about your goals.
    Time-bound: All goals should have a time or date set. Aka: I want to start earning 500 bucks per gig within 6 months.

    Making this is very hard work, so get on it.

    #2005970
    David Arthur Hora
    Participant

    Thanks to Terry42 I will take a look and rewrote a business plan and see if I can make my other one better.

    #2006068
    David Arthur Hora
    Participant

    My Mission Statement that I am thinking of using gos,
    We delivery a professional DJ service from taking the booking with a human voice as well as one of our manger’s meeting in a public place if the customer would like to talk with someone to make sure the event goes well. We offer great training for all staff so that they can offer a great service, plus we will offer when we can a service to teach new mobile DJs how to do the job.
    The music at parties will not be loud but to an enjoyable level so that people can sleep near by.
    We always ask for feedback from people in order to know how to make the service better.
    We serve others as we would like to be served in a friendly and open way and all staff will talk to each other.

    My Vision Statement that I am thinking of using gos
    We provide a great DJ service by meeting with customers and sorting out there needs before the business. We have great music and we do Video music if the customer would like that service. We also offer services to the disable people as well as workers, Schools and colleges. We aim to have booked at last 2 or more parties which is £500 per week which is £20,000 per month. We aim to help other people get into being a party DJ by offering people training for £300 a time and this will be things like how to set up the gear, what music to use, lights, speaker set up, using mixers, CDjs, and how to use a microphone. We aim to make the service very good and to allow us to grow we must use feedback.

    I may be doing this wrong, I do need to learn it in order to get better and make more by myself. A big thank you to all of you.

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