SPOTLIGHT ON AN INFLATABLE HIRE COMPANY
YOUR NAME?
Jackie Cousins.
NAME OF YOUR INFLATABLE HIRE COMPANY?
Checos
YOUR LOCATION?
Fife, Scotland
WHAT IS YOUR AGE?
42
WHAT DID YOU DO BEFORE YOU STARTED HIRING OUT INFLATABLES?
Full time mum to 7 children.
WHAT MADE YOU START AN INFLATABLE HIRE BUSINESS?
I wanted to start a business that I could do around my family and still spend time with them, and having 7 children a bouncy castle came to mind as they always enjoyed us hiring one on birthdays or family get togethers.
WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES?
Holidays and spending time with family.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE MOVIE?
Calamity Jane (1953) starring Doris Day
Cocktail (1988) starring Tom Cruise
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE MEAL?
Smothered Chicken and Chinese
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE UK HOLIDAY DESTINATION?
Selsey, West Sussex
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE HOLIDAY DESTINATION ABROAD?
Malta
South of France
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE TV PROGRAMME?
Broadchurch
Eastenders
YOUR FAVOURITE SONG?
Hold on by Wilson Phillips
WHAT DO YOU MOST ENJOY ABOUT THE INFLATABLE HIRE BUSINESS?
The amazed look on kids and adults face when you first put the castle up.
IF YOU COULD WAVE A MAGIC WAND WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE ABOUT THE INDUSTRY?
I would stop people hiring out second hand or old castles that are needing repairs, and they don’t even carry insurance!
I would also stop inflatable hire companies that claim to be the biggest and the best offering cheap prices, then when a better priced job comes in letting customers down at the last minute by cancelling the day before or worse, just not turning up, and ruining somebody’s party.
HAVE YOU EVER HAD A HIRING FROM HELL? (Horror story or an unusual booking?)
Not a hiring from hell, but the funniest and cutest hire I ever had was years ago in Wokingham, Berkshire. We’d only been hiring a few months and turned up to collect a castle from a little girl’s 4th party in her garden. First she tried to help roll the castle up really quickly (which normally young kids start getting upset when we start to pack up) then asked my husband if she could come and live with us… Then just as we turned around to say good bye to the parents she climbed into the passenger’s seat of our little van and said she was ready to come with us. Her parents laughed and said to her they would miss her and she replied it’s ok I’ll be back for the my birthday next year the man can bring me back for the day with the bouncy castle… It was so funny 🙂
DO YOU HAVE ANY USEFUL TIPS OR IDEAS THAT YOU COULD SHARE WITH THE OTHER BIHA MEMBERS.
Don’t get into pricing wars with other hire companies in your catchment area. Rather than wasting time watching what others do, spend your time making sure your company is the very best you can make it.
HOW HAS THE BIHA HELPED YOU IN YOUR INFLATABLE HIRE BUSINESS?
The BIHA helps me find good suppliers who manufacture excellent inflatables.
Also, it’s good to read other BIHA member’s ideas and tips to increase all our profits and improve safety.