The tent rental business is a very lucrative business venture in Kenya. The business involves renting tents and chairs to people and institutions looking to hold events. The business has high returns and can be complemented with additional event services such as transport, sound systems leasing, videography, and photography.
People come together for various reasons such as burials, weddings, graduations and many other celebrations. The business is not seasonal and is, therefore, a very feasible venture to undertake. This article is a small guide on how to start a tent rental business in Kenya.
How to start a Tent Rental business in Kenya.
- First, you need to come up with a solid business plan to calculate the total startup cost and the expected returns. Carry out market research to find out key market information. You may talk to other tent rental business owners to find potential hazards in the industry. Study the market to avoid investing blindly.
- Based on the market research, you should be able to know your target market. Use data from market research to establish other key factors such as methods to fend off competition and increase traffic to your business.
- Depending on your budget, choose the services you would like to offer. Ensure you offer the services with the most demand, although diversifying your services will work in favour of your business. Delivery services will earn you more as you charge for transportation and set-up costs. This service is likely to attract more customers. This will however increase the cost of the service. If you choose to offer this service, you will deliver the chairs and tents and collect them on the agreed day. You may opt to provide lease-only services. Customers will handle transportation and set-up themselves. This is cost-effective on the customer’s side.
- Be clear on your fines and penalties for damages and late returns. Customers will be more careful with the items, and it will prevent your business from incurring any losses.
- Get a wide variety of colours and decorative items such as balloons and confetti. This will attract more and more customers to your business, as customers will be pleased if you help them capture the theme of the day.
With the above in mind, follow these steps to start a tent rental business in Kenya.
- Draft your business plan
- Purchase seats and tents for lease. Ensure you get comfortable and durable seats. A tent for 100 people may cost about sh.100,000. Choose tents of your desired design, colour and capacity depending on your budget.
- Plastic chair prices vary depending on whether they have armrests or without. Customer preferences may vary depending on the intended function. Having both will increase customer satisfaction levels. A plastic chair costs between sh.600 and sh.800. Popular high-quality chair brands include Kenpoly, Adix and Complast. The only limit is your budget. Get the best you can. Also, ensure you have a lot of chairs for convenience.
- You will need to acquire the relevant licences and permits. People looking to venture into this business are also advised to seek insurance to avoid losses in case of a calamity. You may be required to get a single business permit from the county offices. It costs between sh.6,000 and sh.8,000 to renew annually.
- Get a nice location for your premises. Get a place with a lot of vehicle traffic and easy access. Ensure your premises are easy to spot from afar. Also, you will require space to store tents, chairs and tables.
Starting a tent rental business is not cheap. The venture requires heavy capital to start. You will require the following: Continue to page 2
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