We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mandi/Billy Bonner. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mandi/Billy below.
Mandi/Billy, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about how you got your first non-friend, non-family client. Paint the picture for us so we can feel the same excitement you felt on that day.
Our true first customer was essentially “built in” as we started the business to keep karaoke rocking at our favorite spot. Our second was acquired when a bartender switched locations and suggested us to host a karaoke contest- which again feels “built in” but our first big break came when a comedian we did not know hosted that karaoke contest alongside us found us entertaining. He then reached out to another location he did regular comedy shows for and had that location reach out to us for their karaoke and trivia nights- This recommendation from someone we only knew in a professional and temporary capacity set off a chain reaction leading to 11 regular shows a week. We found ourselves in a sudden success that not only had we not planned, but we also hadn’t even really thought of. While we have recently cut back on the number of shows we are doing, we are exploring growth focused on corporate events and setting our goals more on weddings and parties rather than weekly gigs.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?
I cannot stress enough that we did not start a business to be successful- we just wanted to keep making people happy and singing at our favorite spot- while doing something we love. I believe that is the key to our success. we genuinely want people to be as happy as we are. We met doing something we loved and, while it would be years before we fell in love or started a business, love has been a part of this from the very beginning. That foundation of loving to sing became a shared vision imbued with romantic love and our love is what shines in every event we do. It is why we don’t “just play music” at a wedding but we feel like family to those attending. It is why week in and week out people come to see us for trivia and bingo that only pays them a “free drink”- because we all need love. This is also why we give back to our community with so many free events donated for charitable organizations- loving our neighbors makes sense to us and small charities need extra love when trying to raise funds. I think the love is absolutely what sets us apart from other DJ and Entertainment companies.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
In the “bar entertainment” scene, we have found the common complaints about entertainers is that they run up tabs and don’t pay, party too hard, slack off, get distracted or show favoritism, or their egos get too big. We have never flown even remotely close to any of those issues. We work with integrity. We live by The Golden Rule and treat others how we want to be treated. We show up on time, we give our best, we genuinely love those around us, and we strive to have fun while doing it. ” We” is also important here as everything is truly a partnership= BAMDAT stands for Billy and Mandi Did a Thing- we have each other to rely on and having the most reliable person in your life backing you in every way is a huge advantage too1
Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?
It is my favorite story! In 2017, Billy was hosting karaoke and I came to sing with a friend having moved to the area a year before after my mother had passed. We would pass by one another for years until 2020 as the world was opening up again / We would bump into one another on a boat ramp, and then again at a local diner where we would witness a man falling in the parking lot. I provided some emergency first aid while he called 911. The gentleman ended up going to the hospital and I baked Billy a pie as a thank you for helping me help…. and then life just kept life-ing until we got here!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dot.cards/bamdatentertainment
- Instagram: @bamdat386
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/bamdat386
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bamdatentertainment
Image Credits
All Photos taken by Mandi Bonner