Conversations with Vasiliki Bieber

Today we’d like to introduce you to Vasiliki Bieber.

Hi Vasiliki, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Jacob and I both graduated from UC Riverside in June 2005 with MBA degrees and a desire to start our own business. Jacob, born and raised in Colorado, had moved to California, in 2001, to pursue his musical aspirations; the Californian music scene wasn’t what he had anticipated so a transition into the business world seemed like the next rational step. Meanwhile, I had previously worked in finance and was disheartened at the lack of humanity and integrity within that entire industry and had decided that expanding the scope of my own undergraduate business degree was the way to go. When we graduated, with very few employment prospects, we decided a move to Colorado, where Jacob would go into the family business at the local John Deere Dealership in Fort Morgan, and where I would join a local bank as an in-house Marketing Director. After a decade of hard work, paying off student loans, and starting a family both Jacob and I wanted to make a decisive change. Our careers were not as fulfilling as we had hoped, and we wanted to do something significantly different so we moved to Castle Rock in January of 2015 trying to figure out what that “something” would be. We greatly wanted to be a part of something that would combine our love of music with our degrees in business (Jacob has an undergraduate degree from CU Boulder in music).

Like all of us, we wanted to love our jobs, be excited about going to work, contribute to something positive, have fun, and hopefully make a bit of money at it as well. After a year of research, we joined Rockstar Rentals. Our goal was to transform a tiny audio and lighting company into an audio and lighting company that would be customer-centric, easy-to-work with, and would provide the appropriate solutions to our customer’s needs. In February of 2019, Jacob and I took full ownership of Rockstar Rentals LLC. Jacob, as a musician, has had many years of experience with audio gear, music gear, and PA systems and currently functions as our in-house sound engineer. I work as the company’s full-time marketer and manage the décor side of the business. Every single day is a new adventure for us and the coolest thing, to me anyway, is having the opportunity to meet fun, amazing, and interesting people.

From Canadian DJs who are playing in small venues in Denver, to wedding and event planners, to individuals planning their surprise 50th wedding anniversary for their spouse – it’s always a fun ride. Are there challenges along the way? Of course! We didn’t anticipate the challenges with COVID-19 and the year 2020 would mean practically no work in the industry. That being said, we still want to be the best, small audio rental company in the Denver area but we also are wary of prohibitive costs and lack of time associated with being a small-business owner.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Aside from the challenges associated with the current global pandemic, our biggest challenges are the high rental costs in the Denver Metro area. Like all small businesses, marketing and branding, advertising, meeting customer demand, keeping costs down, and finding the right balance between work and home are all ever-present challenges. 2020 was going to be the year where we were going to be hiring extra help, getting full-time employees on staff, hiring a sales manager, and working with local vendors in the same industry. Because of the current economic climate, particularly in the event industry, we feel like we are not starting from scratch. Our costs/overhead are all still here – including the high cost of health insurance. So many small businesses are struggling in a similar way and I certainly don’t want us to abandon our dreams because of issues we can’t control.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We consider ourselves a boutique audio and lighting equipment rental company and event-production team. Over the years, we have worked with a variety of bands, DJs, event planners, corporations, and individuals. We have rented our equipment and décor to small, home-based events, large weddings, and even full-scale A/V events and we have provided services for individuals and corporations. Since we are owner-operated, we take a unique approach to how we service our rentals. Rather than simply rent equipment on a daily basis, our equipment rental rate is based on a three-day rental. For an additional fee, we also provide delivery and set-up for clients as well. Jacob, our CEO, is also our in-house sound engineer and he is very familiar with almost all audio gear out there.

What do you like and dislike about the city?
Denver is a diverse and unique city – we have the typical things you would see in any large city: an array of food choices, museums, art exhibits, bars, concerts and a lively night-scene, but you also see day-time activities like biking, hiking, walking, and even geocaching! I didn’t see this sort of mix of fun in places like Los Angeles, near where I grew up. Denver is eclectic and I love that. What I like the least about Denver? Well, I am glad you asked: trying to find a place to park. I know this isn’t unique to our city. I had a meeting, in Denver, a few years ago and it took me over 45 minutes to find a place to park. Good thing I had showed up early enough. Having to give myself a one-hour buffer to find a parking space isn’t fun.

Pricing:

• Pricing for most of our audio rentals range from $75 to $300 – but that is for over three days.
• Marketing lighting starts from $500 and includes delivery, set-up, and strike in most cases.
• Up-lighting is fun, versatile, and affordable – we have wired and wireless versions ranging from $12.50 to $25 for each light.

Contact Info:

• Email: marketingrockstar5280@gmail.com
• Website: www.rockstar5280.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rockstarrentalsllc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Rockstar5280
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXyfRbtJYJQcw_uJTTMdVtg
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/rockstarrentals/_created/

Image Credits
All photos were taking by either Vassi Bieber or Jacob Bieber.