I focused on reputation and it’s grown my business 10-fold

Good sound can make or break an event; good music can break or make a party.

Martin Felix, 29, of Elite Sounds has put these two qualities together for events of all sizes and occasions. In under three years, he’s handled weddings, conferences, private parties, concerts, company launches and Government functions.

An in this time, Martin has gone from owning a single sound mixer to running a company that turns over well in excess of Sh15 million a year. He speaks to Hustle about his journey to success.

Would you say sound is a passion for you? Is that what got you started?

I never aspired to be a DJ or a sound technician. What happened for me is that I saw an opportunity.

I was employed as an entertainment manager at San Valencia, a leading hospitality company that would often be asked to provide other event needs, like tents, chairs and public address systems. It was my job to make that happen.

When I realised how much of a struggle it was to get good, affordable sound equipment, I decided to start my own firm.

Was that a conflict of interest with your employer?

Actually, no. I can safely say, that if it wasn’t for them consistently using my equipment in those early years, I probably wouldn’t have grown as fast as I did. They are predominantly caterers, so having a reliable partner like Elite Sounds worked for both of us. In fact, some of my start-up capital came from the firm’s Sacco.

What was your capital?

Sh800,000. I got Sh400,000 from the Sacco, Sh150,000 from my savings and the rest I borrowed from a friend who came in as a silent partner at the time.

What was your turnover in the first year?

Approximately Sh700,000. We got between Sh10,000 and Sh25,000 per gig and we worked most weekends.

But I wasn’t focused on making money in the first year. I wanted to market myself. So any time we went for an event, my aim was to get at least five new clients from it. I always told my team that if we finished playing and no one came to ask for our contacts, that was a failed gig. It’s a philosophy we live by today.

What are some of the big events you’ve done?

We handle most of the events at the Bomas of Kenya. Many clients who want to host an event or conference there prefer the establishment to provide their sound. We are contracted to deal with that.

One of our notable gigs here was doing a complete set-up for a media centre, screens and a public address for the IEBC (Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission) during this year’s elections.

Does it mean you deal with many sensitive projects?

Yes. Sometimes we are asked to sign non-disclosure agreements. When you’re the sound or camera man, and a company is discussing a product that hasn’t launched yet, you see things and hear things that cannot afford to be leaked.

There are some clients who don’t even allow us to leave with the footage. At the end of the recordings, they bring their own hard drives and we transfer all the material and then delete it from our computers.

How do you build such trust?

Your reputation is all you have. From day one, I was clear about that. To me, there is no such thing as a small gig.

If you do your job well, that endorsement can get you the biggest event of your life. We’re known for our quick and timely response, and the fact that we can handle an event from conceptualisation to execution.

We can set up an event with a notice of 24 hours or less, depending on the nature of the event. That’s how you gain trust: one client at a time.

What’s the least amount of money your charge, and what’s the most?

We have done functions for as little as Sh10,000 where a client wanted sound for a small funeral meeting, and we have done conferences that last days and charge almost Sh1 million a day.

So, are conferences the ‘holy grail’?

They are because of the amount of money you can make. But at the same time, you can’t live for conferences – they are few and far between.

The ‘holy grail’ is a perfect balance of smaller events that give you instant cash, and big ones that tide you over for months at a time. It is also from these big events that you can make substantial re-investments into the company.

Yours is a success story, but what are some of the hiccups you’ve encountered?

My biggest challenge was learning how to cost, especially for the bigger events.

We had an out-of-town wedding once. We thought we would make it there and back the same day, but it turned out that we’d need to stay the night. We couldn’t afford the hotel where the wedding took place. So after the event, we had to go scouting for cheaper accommodation elsewhere.

Further, the clients declined to provide us with dinner. A plate cost Sh3,500, which was well beyond my scope as I had a crew of nine. I drove to the main town a few kilometres away, bought dinner and my crew came to the car park one by one to eat. Now I can laugh about it. Then, it was a painful lesson.

The other notable challenge I encounter is when we bid for jobs with the ‘big boys’ of the industry. Some clients discriminate against us, believing that only those with many years of operation and huge financial muscle can deliver. It’s not easy convincing them we can deliver – some don’t even give us a chance to showcase our capacity or experience.

Many sound and entertainment firms fail to launch, what made you different?

I entered this business to make money. How do you make money? You see a gap, a problem and provide quality solutions to a multitude at an affordable price that’s still high enough for you to make a profit.

We’ve also built a reputation for delivering on expectations, which has set the company a cut above the competition. That’s all. Nothing special; just a clear vision.

And what’s your vision for Elite Sounds?

We are steadily branching into an all-round event solution provider, which means we can source and provide whatever a client needs to make an event successful.

My vision is that Elite Sounds will be a recognised events company in the East African region.

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