Daily Inspiration: Meet Dave Weber

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dave Weber

Hi Dave, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started my business in May of 2008. I was working full time at Marshall Music as a salesman. I had a bunch of audio equipment that I used for my band when we played but it just sat when I wasn’t gigging. I had it in a shed behind my apartment. I was pretty well connected in the local music scene and knew most all of the full time players in the area. Jason Kott, a local phenomenal musician now located in Nashville, called me one day and asked if he could borrow or rent a pa system from me. I said sure. The next month, he called again to rent the same system. My roommate at the time, Tim Miller also located in Nashville and the current guitar tech for Lynard Skynard, says “You should start renting your euipment out on the side. Gear To Go Rentals was born! I remember making $1500 my first year and thinking that was pretty cool to make that extra money with gear I already owned. The next year 4 years it doubled every year and in 2012 I decided to have an official website made and purchased more gear for customer rental demands and in 2015 I was able to quit my day job and do Gear To Go Rentals full time. In 2017 I added DJ services and worked with DJ Ricky T for 5yrs and now currently have DJ Robbie G as my DJ with DJ Manny Stiles on backup for days with multiple DJ events. On October 1st 2024 I purchased and Sound Environments, the big local sound company in town. I’m currently in the process of merging Gear To Go Rentals, LLC and Sound Environments LLC.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The biggest struggles were after I quit Marshall Music. My business is a seasonal business for the most part, super busy in the summer months but slows down a lot in the winter months. I would have to go find a winter job to keep income coming in until the next season. The first couple of years were tough trying to find a job with flexible hours in case I did get a call for my business. I worked UPS one winter for the holiday season, but then I started working for my good buddy Bill Shoemaker who owns Allstar moving and that was the best fit, he took good care of me and when I had to leave to take care of something with my business he was all good with it.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a long time musician which is how I got into this. I was always the guy who would do the sound for the band and took an interest in making the band always sound the best it could, which meant I was always buying the cool new gear when I came out, if I could afford it. Other bands started calling and asking me to run sound for their band when I wasn’t gigging. So Sound Productions were added to what Gear To Go Rentals offered as services. As the demand for sound productions increased, I had to hire employees to help. Mike Drinan(RIP) was my first pro sound engineer that I hired in 2017. He was very knowledgeable and a huge asset to my business. He passed away in feb 2022 from complications of COVID. I then hired Silvio Ciccone and he is still currently one of my sound engineers. I’m most proud of the fact that I was able to start this company from the ground up and now since I’ve acquired Sound Environments LLC, I’m now the biggest audio business in Northern Michigan. What sets us apart from other sound companies is our professionalism and our huge inventory of audio euipment.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
That I personally have no official sound production training, I’m self taught and have learned over the years from trial and error. All of my sound engineers that work for me though all have been to school and have degrees.

Pricing:

• $225 2 speaker complete sound system with microphone and delivery/setup/pickup locally included
• Wedding ceremony and reception DJ services locally for $1700

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.geartogorentals.com
• Instagram: geartogorentalsllc
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/geartogorentals
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-weber-326
• Twitter: @geartogorentals
• Youtube: @geartogorentals2161
• Yelp: Gear To Go Rentals