Recently, the charity Samuel Wilson’s Loan Trust, whose advisers work alongside SBREC, supported a wonderful business called DAR Hire London. We caught up with the founder, Damian Ramirez, to learn more about him, his journey and what his future plans are.
Thank you for taking the time to talk to us! Could you start by telling us a bit about your business and the work that you do?
DAR Hire London Ltd is a professional AV hire company based in London. I have incorporated the company in December 2022, however, I started to build the business idea in August 2021.
We offer a wide range of audio, lighting, and video equipment to rent, we elevate the impact, and we create an event that is truly unforgettable. We are professionals with more than 14 years of experience in the event industry, and we work with a wide range of clients, from corporate events to private functions. We work hard to provide a trustworthy rental service the client can rely on time and time again.
You started your business in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, could you tell us about that journey and how you overcame the challenges you faced?
It was definitely a challenge, but I’m proud to say that we’ve overcome the obstacles and are now thriving.
Before the pandemic, I worked for an events company in London and I used to travel all over the UK working as a lighting technician. Unfortunately, or fortunately in my case, I was fired due to the pandemic, as no one was running events. I was unemployed, without the possibility of finding a new job in the near future, so at that moment the idea of creating my own company began to sound in my mind. At first, I called it Elipso Events, after a few months I changed the name to DAR Events and finally it took the name DAR Hire London after a suggestion from my marketing advisor, Adam.
When I first started the business, I knew that it would be difficult. Who would start an events company when nobody was running a single event? The pandemic had put a huge strain on the event industry, and many businesses were struggling, but I was determined to make DAR Hire London a success.
I started with no money since I was unemployed and didn’t have any savings, so I had to start small and with the cheapest thing, which was to create my own website for around £20 per month. I also used a credit card to invest some money in marketing with a marketing agency, which helped me to get my foot in the door. I started to get bookings, but at that moment I didn’t have any equipment, so the idea was to take payments prior to the events to generate money to buy the equipment. Until that point, it was just me working from home in a small foldable table with an old laptop. With the money from my first bookings and a little more financing I could buy the necessary equipment to start working, but the business was already running before I had the equipment.
I also focused on providing excellent customer service. I made sure that my clients were always happy with my services, and I went the extra mile to make their events a success. This built a good reputation for my company and attracted more clients.
Of course, there were still difficulties along the way. The pandemic continued to be a challenge, and there were times when I felt like giving up. But I kept going, and I’m so glad that I did.
Today, DAR Hire London Ltd is thriving, we have a strong client base, excellent reviews, the business works from rented premises in Battersea, we have our own van, a good stock of equipment and we are a team of 5 people. I’m so proud of what we’ve accomplished, especially because I started alone, working from home, without equipment and renting vehicles to transport the equipment. Sometimes I even travelled by public transport carrying the equipment in order to save some money.
That sounds like it’s been very challenging, and you’ve shown such resilience to keep going. On a more positive note, what has been your biggest win so far and what keeps you going?
We’ve helped to create some amazing events, from corporate conferences to private parties. We’ve worked with some of the biggest brands in the world, and we’ve helped to make their events unforgettable. I’m so proud of what we’ve accomplished, and I’m excited to see what the future holds for our business.
What keeps me going is the satisfaction of helping people create amazing events. I love when the event creates a positive impact and seeing the look on people’s faces when their event comes to life. It’s so rewarding to know that I’ve played a role in making their event a success.
The road to success is not a straight line up, it’s a lot of ups and downs like a roller coaster, however, I’m motivated by the challenge of running a successful business. It’s not easy, certainly it’s very stressful, but it’s incredibly rewarding. I love the feeling of accomplishment that comes from overcoming challenges and seeing my business grow.
Thank you for applying for the Samuel Wilson’s Loan and congratulations on securing funding for the growth of your business. What does the future hold for DAR Hire London?
Samuel Wilson’s Loan Trust was a very important part of my journey, thanks to them I managed to jump into a rented premises and also I added more equipment and that allowed us to work in bigger events and employ more people.
I’m excited to see what the future holds for DAR Hire London. I’m very confident that we can continue to grow and succeed, we will add more equipment and people to make even bigger events. I’m also excited to continue helping people create amazing events with a positive impact for the community. It’s an incredibly rewarding experience, and I’m grateful to be able to do it.
It’s been great to hear from you, it’s so inspiring to see your success and how you started with so little and now have a flourishing business! As a final question, what advice do you have for anyone thinking about starting their own business?
You don’t need money to start a business, your most valuable asset is with you 24 hours: your brain. You need good ideas and a clear vision – the money will come later if the idea is good and you have a strong business plan. Nor do you need to put a lot of money into a business later, if the idea is good it will work and you can reinvest money you make into the business. If you have a great idea and passion for what you do, don’t hesitate, build a solid business plan and start small, but start.
You need a strong goal to keep you on track, so again, forget about making money as a goal because once you start you will face tough challenges and making a lot of money in itself will not be a strong goal to keep you trying, believe me. It’s a matter of changing the focus. Having time to spend with family and freedom is a good goal, just set your own.
And finally, don’t give up 200 metres away from gold, you may feel hopeless and tired of running a business and things will go in a way you didn’t expect, but if the business idea is good and makes sense, it will succeed, it’s only a matter of time.
Get in touch with DAR Hire London:
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