Steljes Rental reborn as AV Rental Services – Celebrating a year on…….
Posted by Andy Horn in AV Rental Services News
As we reach the first anniversary trading as AV Rental Services (AVRS), now seems a good time to reflect on the challenges we have faced and the subsequent successes we’ve enjoyed over the last 12 months.
Steljes Rental continued trading for 3 months after the closure of Steljes Ltd, and then commenced trading as AVRS on the 1st October 2016.
Our first challenges were “where and who”. Moving to new offices in Uxbridge made sense due to the proximity of our logistics partner and, after some flexibility in working hours and work-from-home options, I was delighted that the whole team committed to increasing their commute by an hour each way and all remain in the business today.
After being spoilt with every back-office function you would ever need to run a small business the next challenge we were faced with was “how”. IT support, HR, Marketing, Accounts Payable, Credit Control amongst others, were challenges that the team have taken on head first. A year later we now have members of the team gaining various qualifications, including two of the team at level 2 AAT, all truly going above the call of duty.
With the door now open and the ability to look for new revenue lines and contacts, we focused on what we knew we did well. We are now proud to be the preferred demonstration and rental services partner for some of the world’s leading interactive technology manufacturers, a road previously closed to us. Our short-term rental offering for meeting rooms and conferences has grown with the addition of new products helping to add more value for our clients, an area that has always been a strong focus for us.
We now support some of the UK’s largest AV and IT distributors with our rental services and have been able to develop a worldwide channel for the sale of ex-rental products. This month sees us doubling our warehouse space and increasing our headcount to help support our new partners.
In summary, what the team have achieved over the last year is truly phenomenal. From a dark place full of uncertainty and worry they put belief and trust in what I thought we could achieve. Today with new skill sets, abilities to multitask, happiness and lots of tea (!), which are all so needed with running a small business, we couldn’t be better placed to take our next steps.
Maverick introduces rental option for Microsoft Surface Hub
Posted by Andy Horn in AV Rental Services News
Maverick, the specialist AV business of Tech Data, has launched rental options for the Microsoft Surface Hub to make it easier for public and private sector organisations to use the collaboration system.
The programme is being offered on behalf of Maverick in partnership with AV Rental Services Ltd which provides units on a fully managed service.
With the economic climate being uncertain at best, and audio visual technology moving at breakneck speed, it’s no wonder companies are cautious about what to do with their ever-decreasing budgets.
Here’s our advice on how not to get caught out with outmoded equipment…
- Controlling cash flow. Renting gives you a pre-determined monthly expense which can help you budget more effectively.
- Allowing access to the latest technologies. Computers and other tech equipment are becoming obsolete at an increasingly rapid rate. Don’t get stuck in the past…..
- Reducing spend on events, training and projects. Use rental for any short-term requirement when purchase is hard to justify.
- Reducing your tax bill. Businesses can usually deduct the full cost of rentals from taxable income.
- Spreading the cost. Avoid budget constraints and utilise the rent to own facility, spreading the cost of the purchase over the duration of the rental. Then purchase the rental when funds become available.
- Paying for use not ownership. Avoid depreciation, maintenance and support costs associated with ownership. Rental offers the flexibility to increase or decrease the volume of products needed and allowing you have the right amount of AV equipment for every event, and guards against product failure.
- Keeping up with your competitors. Renting can enable small businesses to acquire sophisticated technology that might be otherwise unaffordable. Enabling them to keep up with large competitors without draining financial resources.