What if you could turn a teenage side hustle into a company that runs over 4,000 events a year, without raising a penny of external funding?
In this episode, I'm joined by Toby Burns, founder of The Silent Disco Company - the UK’s leading provider of silent disco infrastructure for parties, weddings, festivals, and corporate events.
Toby shares how he went from entertaining kids at birthday parties to DJing luxury events, and ultimately scaling a business that’s redefining how people experience music and nightlife.
He breaks down the realities of self-funding a company, the importance of sales over branding, and how AI is helping streamline his operations today.
We also dive into lessons on hiring, managing burnout, investing in property, and why every entrepreneur should think about building a business to sell; even if they never plan to.
00:00 Introduction to the Silent Disco Company
01:02 The Journey of Toby Burns
02:51 Innovating in the Event Industry
04:45 The Importance of Sales and Innovation
07:34 Balancing Work and Personal Life
15:00 The Role of Education and AI
24:53 Navigating Challenges and Opportunities
36:16 Always Be Hiring: The Entrepreneur's Mindset
36:41 Balancing Hands-On Work and Leveraged Work
38:05 The Impact of Government Policies on Entrepreneurship
38:40 AI and Automation in Business
39:17 The Burden of Taxes on Business Owners
46:57 The Importance of Owning Assets
53:27 Building a Business to Sell
55:16 The Future of AI and Education
01:00:20 The Silent Disco Experience
01:12:10 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
Follow Toby
LinkedIn - https://uk.linkedin.com/in/toby-burns\t
Website - https://thesilentdiscocompany.co.uk/\t
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@TheEventrepreneur\t
Get In Touch
LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/jay-lawrence-5a4b3357/
Website - ambitiousmindspodcast.com
Instagram - www.instagram.com/ambitiousmindspodcast
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