CASTLEMANIA

What will you do?, was a frequently asked question when we were thinking about upping roots and moving from South London borders to Broadstone, my education in a now long defunct grammar school in Camberwell l was followed by an apprenticeship and 10 years as a lift engineer, then "all change" to 11 years as a director at an insurance brokerage; it's 1994, huge direct insurance companies are forming, and the high street broker is in decline, having had a caravan at Wareham for a while the fresh air and green pastures of Dorset are calling, so we went!

What would we do? Quite frankly, we weren't sure, we planned to purchase a couple of flats and obtain a rental income, but it was very clear this could not be achieved overnight. A stopgap was needed, and having hired a couple of bouncy castles for a goodbye party before moving, the much uttered phrase 'I can do that" was put into practice, initially, I purchased one very small castle but within 6 weeks realised I had found a niche, and ordered another 4.

Castlemania was born! The early days proved difficult, due to a lack of knowledge of the geography of the area bookings were being taken in far flung areas that proved not viable to service, the intricacies of Poole & Bournemouth's road network meant many wasted miles and much roadside map consultation, but slowly, it started to fall into place, where to go, what bookings to do, (avoid adults at all cost) and where to obtain the best equipment were all lessons learnt the hard way.

Within a year plans were changing, we had purchased the intended flats but it was clear potential lay with Castlemania, more varied castles meant more clients and slowly the business grew into its present form, offering a range of exciting themes for children, and jousting games for adults. The "stopgap" business has become a major part of life, right from the early years I had always worked independently and could not see myself settling easily into a 9-5 routine, as with all things it has its disadvantages, the hours can be difficult, early mornings and late evenings, working 52 weekends a year interferes with social life, and the constant telephone ringing, while it always means business, is a major tie, what makes people enquire about a castle at 11 pm on a bank holiday Sunday that they need in 6 weeks time is still a mystery to me!

Having said that, I would not change what I do, dealing with people booking a party is far more preferable to selling an insurance policy, and the faces of the children as they see there favourite characters inflate before their eyes is priceless.

What will we do? ... The future seems to require more complicated and varied equipment to satisfy ever demanding customers, the internet looks set to change the way we advertise and do business, and competition in the industry is increasing, my aim is to rise to these challenges, to enable the "stopgap" business to take us through to an early (and in my opinion) well earned retirement.

As a footnote, I must add, that working from home is a privilege and a pleasure, but it does place pressures upon your family that could not be understood by anyone who hasn't done it. I am very grateful to my wife and children for their support and understanding, and also to my neighbours who could easily look upon this kind of business being run from home with distaste, but in fact frequently offer kind words of support.

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