Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Aaron Thomas. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Aaron , appreciate you joining us today. How did you scale up? What were the strategies, tactics, meaningful moments, twists/turns, obstacles, mistakes along the way? The world needs to hear more realistic, actionable stories about this critical part of the business building journey. Tell us your scaling up story – bring us along so we can understand what it was like making the decisions you had, implementing the strategies/tactics etc.
I have worked as a professional DJ for the last 20-plus years, which started as a hobby. When I first started, the idea of being a DJ full-time was considered a joke by my family and friends. People only view the job of a DJ as someone just planning music loud, but in reality, we are creating memories for the listener. Starting working events around the college campus for student organizations as a freshman led up to working directly for the university’s large recruitment events and football games. Once I graduated college, the DJ professional was placed off to the side to focus on opening a retail electronics store. Once the new store was up and running for a few years, I had a desire to get back into the DJ business. This time around I took the DJ seriously as I took my store front. I created a brand, registered the business with the State, and invested in new gear to stay competitive. My goal this time around was to focus on higher-end events and weddings. As a DJ you have to brand yourself a certain way to attract a certain type of client. Investing in my business was a key factor to my success, with the purchase of a photo booth. The additional photo booths grow the business more and cause a huge demand which led me to purchase 2 more photobooths less than 12 months after the 1st purchase. Fast Forward to the start of the pandemic, events were canceled and the world was shut down. Everything quickly moved to online concerts, live streaming of weddings, and more virtual events. I made the pivote and took to the online platform and offered a weekly show just me DJ’n and taking requests via facebook and twitch. This was all free with the only revenue being if people tipped. The live streaming platform got the local university’s attention which led to my next add-on to the entertainment business. During the 2020-21 school year, the college was closed but they had to offer some type of entertainment for the students virtual. My company was hired to offer these services which went from one day a week to three days a week. A-roc Entetainment started providing Comedy shows, cooking shows, and live music for 4 colleges by the fall of 2022. I reached out to friends in the industry not working due to the lockdown to see who would be interested in performing virtually. I basically turned my weekly DJ program into full production using zoom and other streaming platforms.
I have a degree in broadcasting and audio engineer so this was a simple task for the production but hiring talent was an entirely new adventure. A-roc Entertainment quickly got a notice for providing these services and signed a few corporate contracts to provide entertainment for their monthly virtual meeting during breaks. By the spring of 2021, A-roc Entertainment had streamed over 150 events for multiple clients while providing a source of income to 60 different musicians and talent. The best part of the live streaming was I was able to use msuicans from all over the world, Ukrainan, Columbia, Brazil, Georgia, New York, and more, which was all possible using platforms like zoom.
In the summerof 2021, things started back to open and the virtual events now became in-person live events again with some of the same talents I was using virtually. Before the pandemic, I would never think about being a booking agent for music talent and combining the DJ biz with the live music biz but everything happens for a reason. In the spring of 2021, I sold my retail store front and went full-time in the DJ and entertainment business. As of Fall 2022, A-roc Entertainment is currently contracted to once again provide entertainment for the area university but this time it’s in person. From a DJ to a full entertainment company, offering DJs, PhotoBooth rentals, and live musicians for events. A hobby turned career but still remains fun.
Aaron , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Aaron Thomas owner of A-roc Entertainment has over 20 years of professional DJ experience. His experience began with self–promoted house parties around the college campus and quickly expanded from there. He began to brand himself and created A-Roc Entertainment, which has generated quite the following over the past two decades. He branched out into the DJ scene on the Campus of Ohio University. He quickly turned the bars he DJ’d into the most happening spot on the street which led him in providing service for the college directly and working over 40 weddings a year
Now an Ohio University Alumni, he continues to work closely with the University. He has opened for artists including Wiz Khalifa, Shaggy, B.O.B., Aaron Carter, and the Ying Yang Twins to name a few.
Not only does he work closely with the University, he is quite popular during the wedding season. With over 300 weddings under his belt, he has grown to master the art of playing for a wide range of age groups. He knows the importance of playing for the crowd. His goal during a wedding and any event that he does is to keep everyone dancing, with smiles on their faces and an event to always remember!
Always ready for that next phase, in 2015, he applied for a position on Carnival Cruise Line and became a Professional DJ aboard one of the world’s most popular cruise lines. He incorporates his music knowledge, great mic presence, and personality to ensure everyone has the time of their lives. The best feeling in the world is seeing people losing themselves to the music and dancing in the middle of the lido deck area. My goal is to provide the best soundtrack to their vacation.
He prides himself on his hard work ethic and puts forth the skill set required to ensure any event goes as smoothly as possible. My goal is to continue to grow the company to provide top-tier talent for clients.
Learn more about A-roc Entertainment ltd.
https://www.arocentertainment.com
https://linktr.ee/arocentertainment
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
At the start of the pandemic, events were canceled and the world was shut down. Everything quickly moved to online concerts, live streaming of weddings, and more virtual events. I made the pivote and took to the online platform and offered a weekly show just me DJ’n and taking requests via facebook and twitch. This was all free with the only revenue being if people tipped. The live streaming platform got the local university’s attention which led to my next add-on to the entertainment business. During the 2020-21 school year, the college was closed but they had to offer some type of entertainment for the students virtual. My company was hired to offer these services which went from one day a week to three days a week. A-roc Entetainment started providing Comedy shows, cooking shows, and live music for 4 colleges by the fall of 2022. I reached out to friends in the industry not working due to the lockdown to see who would be interested in performing virtually. I basically turned my weekly DJ program into full production using zoom and other streaming platforms.
I have a degree in broadcasting and audio engineering so this was a simple task for the production but hiring talent was an entirely new adventure. A-roc Entertainment quickly got a notice for providing these services and signed a few corporate contracts to provide entertainment for their monthly virtual meeting during breaks. By the spring of 2021, A-roc Entertainment had streamed over 150 events for multiple clients while providing a source of income to 60 different musicians and talent. The best part of the live streaming was I was able to use msuicans from all over the world, including Ukrainan, Columbia, Brazil, Georgia, New York, and more, which was all possible using platforms like zoom. I knew all the artists from working on a Carnival Cruise Ship as a Dj in the entertainment department, this is best example of networking and growing your circle.
Conversations about M&A are often focused on multibillion dollar transactions – but M&A can be an important part of a small or medium business owner’s journey. We’d love to hear about your experience with selling businesses.
I opened an electronic retail storefront in March of 2003 specializing in Car Audio, Home Audio, and professional sound installation. Over the 18 years of the business, I continued to expand in different sectors of the electronic business to keep the business fresh. You have to grow and advance to stay successful in the retail business, what’s hot today may be cold tomorrow. A quick lesson, As a small business owner, no matter the person you hire to cover the position, as the owner you are still responsible. As the owner, you are the HR, accountant, janitor, and more because at the end of the day, it’s your name on the business and your lively hood. I learned to work with people no matter the situation, which led me to partner with the local prison to offer a work release program. The business offered job shadowing opportunities to area high school students and more. Over the time of 18 years, I made sure to give back to the community who supported the business each year. As a business owner, you have to remember to support the people who support you.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.arocentertainment.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/a_roc_entertainment/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arocentertainment
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-thomas-b30bb921a
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/arocentertainment
Image Credits
Aaron Thomas, Kristie Thomas