lovedsecurefree
New member
Hey all,
I've posted here a few times and had some great responses, met some great people, and even helped a few launch their own rental businesses, but today I wanted to get really detailed on tent rentals. Here is a step by step guide to starting a small tent rental business / side-gig / sweaty startup in the leanest, least risky way possible. Please note - this is the "shoe-string" approach meant to spark people's motivation and interest. This approach is certainly not the best or fastest way to grow a tent rental business.
Ideally you would have:
We would be starting with 20x20, 20x30 or 20x40 pole tents or canopy tents (lightweight style tent used for backyard parties). DO NOT BUY JUNK. Junk tents wont last, you will waste money and potential embarrass yourself or hurt someone.
Here is a "non-junk" canopy style tent. These tents are fine. They arent the best quality, but they will do the trick and if you take care of them, there's no reason they cant last 5+ years. https://www.gettent.com/tents/presto-otc-party-canopy-tent.asp
So, if you wanted to try this business on an extremely shoe-string budget here is how it should work.
Steps (in chronological order), details on each step below
Details for each step:
*If you dont have a pickup truck you can still offer canopy tents (or pole tents). Years ago I had three college buddies buy tents and they took some of my overflow work. A 20x20, 20x30 or maybe even 20x40 canopy style tent can fit in a sedan. The tent top rolls up to roughly the size of a hockey bag, the poles collapse in half, and then you would need a tarp, stakes, and a sledgehammer. One of my guys did it out of his honda accord. The major caveat here is that if you cant also provide tables and chairs then you will miss out on many / most jobs but tents sell out so quickly that some people will take the tent and figure out tables and chairs on their own. You could also sub-rent the tables and chairs from a local rental business, but thats a pain and could eat some of your profit margins.
Here is a link to these canopy-style tents from my website for more context: https://www.backyardtentrental.com/discount-tent-specials (not promoting, just easiest way to share)
This entire post is really "minimally viable service" or basically this is a absolute bare-minimum approach to entering tent rentals. In reality if you have $8-15k to invest and a pickup truck then we would take a MUCH different approach (different style tents, running google ads from day 1, buying tables, chairs, lights and linens to make full packages).
About me / my credentials:
Rental Recipi (my business helping others start event rental businesses, good content there, not soliciting my services)
The Tent Guy on Youtube (this guy is the best... great place for rental business content)
Backyard Tent Rental (my main rental business)
My Wedding Arch (side rental business, niche concept, still awesome and profitable)
Lastly... setting up tents is quasi-physical work and can be risky with wind and underground hazards. Many people decide to start event rental businesses without getting into tents. I've posted a bunch of niche rental concepts in the past, check my post history. Thank you so much guys!
I've posted here a few times and had some great responses, met some great people, and even helped a few launch their own rental businesses, but today I wanted to get really detailed on tent rentals. Here is a step by step guide to starting a small tent rental business / side-gig / sweaty startup in the leanest, least risky way possible. Please note - this is the "shoe-string" approach meant to spark people's motivation and interest. This approach is certainly not the best or fastest way to grow a tent rental business.
Ideally you would have:
- pickup truck or trailer* (*note, there is a certain style tent that can be transported with a car, more on that below)
- storage (garage, shed)
- ~$2k in startup funds.
We would be starting with 20x20, 20x30 or 20x40 pole tents or canopy tents (lightweight style tent used for backyard parties). DO NOT BUY JUNK. Junk tents wont last, you will waste money and potential embarrass yourself or hurt someone.
Here is a "non-junk" canopy style tent. These tents are fine. They arent the best quality, but they will do the trick and if you take care of them, there's no reason they cant last 5+ years. https://www.gettent.com/tents/presto-otc-party-canopy-tent.asp
So, if you wanted to try this business on an extremely shoe-string budget here is how it should work.
Steps (in chronological order), details on each step below
- create a website and Google Business listing
- create facebook and instagram pages for the business
- do some lightweight sales / promotion.
- book your first job
- buy equipment
- practice a few times at home or in a park
- do your first event
- get reviews and pics from your first event
- setup and run google ads
- as more jobs roll in, you may decide its time to get insurance, incorporate the business
- add more inventory
Details for each step:
- create a website and Google Business listing. This is an extremely inexpensive way to test demand and learn quickly. Squarespace websites are ~$20/mo + buying a domain for $20/year.
- create facebook and instagram pages for the business. While social media isnt the best for getting new customers, its great to have a social media presence so that you can reach out to potential partners in the space (event venues, caterers, event planners, etc)
- do some lightweight sales / promotion. Ask family and friends to leave a 5-star review on your Google Business page, start posting in local facebook groups, perhaps try a craigslist ad, facebook marketplace listing, etc
- book your first job. Demand for tent rentals / tent packages spikes during graduation season. Most established rental businesses in the area will sell out, eventually demand will flow to your business. Get a deposit and use that cash towards your first tent / equipment.
- buy equipment. Most tent companies start as small garage businesses exactly as I am proposing here. You can start with a 20x30 canopy tent ($800 on GetTent.com). Try to find used tables and chairs in your area, or buy new for $15/chair, and buy plastic 60" round tables and 6ft long tables (~$100 and $60ish each, respectively)
- practice a few times at home or in a park. Don't show up to your first job with absolutely no clue what youre doing. Unpack your equipment and do a few test runs first. There are tons of "how-to's on youtube from manufacturers and tent guys)
- do your first event. Hopefully you can work for a friend or family member first and work out the process. If not, just give someone a sweetheart deal and explain that while you are a new business, you are confident and all of your equipment is in great shape.
- get reviews and pics from your first event. Use these photos on Google Business listing and on your website. People want to see decorated tents with people enjoying the party instead of just a sad, lonely tent.
- setup and run google ads. Once youre confident that you want to do more rentals, Google Ads is the best way to acquire customers from your area.
- as more jobs roll in, you may decide its time to get insurance, incorporate the business. General business liability and a simple LLC should do the trick.
- add more inventory. Once things start rolling, you can buy more tents, tables, chairs, lighting, linens, etc.
*If you dont have a pickup truck you can still offer canopy tents (or pole tents). Years ago I had three college buddies buy tents and they took some of my overflow work. A 20x20, 20x30 or maybe even 20x40 canopy style tent can fit in a sedan. The tent top rolls up to roughly the size of a hockey bag, the poles collapse in half, and then you would need a tarp, stakes, and a sledgehammer. One of my guys did it out of his honda accord. The major caveat here is that if you cant also provide tables and chairs then you will miss out on many / most jobs but tents sell out so quickly that some people will take the tent and figure out tables and chairs on their own. You could also sub-rent the tables and chairs from a local rental business, but thats a pain and could eat some of your profit margins.
Here is a link to these canopy-style tents from my website for more context: https://www.backyardtentrental.com/discount-tent-specials (not promoting, just easiest way to share)
This entire post is really "minimally viable service" or basically this is a absolute bare-minimum approach to entering tent rentals. In reality if you have $8-15k to invest and a pickup truck then we would take a MUCH different approach (different style tents, running google ads from day 1, buying tables, chairs, lights and linens to make full packages).
About me / my credentials:
- started my tent business at 22, out of a sedan, with 20x20, 20x30 and 20x40 tents.
- i had worked for a large tent company in HS and college, so I had some experience going into this, but its easy enough to learn.
- Grew my tent business as a side-job while working in software from 22-30 years old.
- Went full-time rentals at 30 years old
- started helping friends and family start their own rental businesses (even got my 60 year old dad into tents as a semi-retirement job...if he can do it, you can do it)
- My rental business now provides me with over $100k income (income, not revenue) from late April - Nov.
- I also help others start / grow their own rental businesses across the US and Canada. Believe it or not, I now have 57 clients and they are doing great. I have yet to really have a customer flop. This is not a humble-brag, this is meant to point out the fact that I've seen these businesses work dozens of times, in different markets, with people who have no rental experience.
Rental Recipi (my business helping others start event rental businesses, good content there, not soliciting my services)
The Tent Guy on Youtube (this guy is the best... great place for rental business content)
Backyard Tent Rental (my main rental business)
My Wedding Arch (side rental business, niche concept, still awesome and profitable)
Lastly... setting up tents is quasi-physical work and can be risky with wind and underground hazards. Many people decide to start event rental businesses without getting into tents. I've posted a bunch of niche rental concepts in the past, check my post history. Thank you so much guys!