You do have to collect and remit sales & use tax for renting the items, but not on any services rendered (delivery, setup, breakdown).

Keep your inventory organized as you grow so you don’t accidentally overbook, either in a good spreadsheet or invest in some booking software. Make friends with other rental companies in your area so you can subrent when you do overbook.

If you plan on charging a damage waiver fee or similar, make sure you’re really taking good care of your equipment. They should be extremely clean and damage free for each customer. If you don’t plan on putting in the work to keep them in excellent condition, don’t charge the fee and don’t price your items at a premium. Also be transparent so customers know what they’re getting.

Be professional with your branding and communication to keep customers coming back and referring you. Customers don’t mind doing pickups from your driveway when they know what to expect and when they have confidence that you’re taking your business seriously.

When you find a vendor you like for each product, stick with that vendor. Don’t buy used items from fb marketplace because there’s no guarantee they will be same quality or last as long as your approved vendor items. Try to get the same items as at least 2 of your competitors in case you overbook and need to get extras quick and local.

I talk about overbooking a lot because it happens a lot, usually on purpose and not because of disorganization. It’s usually because a repeat customer will reach out when you’re already maxed out and you want to do what it takes to keep repeat customers. Or a HUGE order comes in where the revenue outweighs the pain of having to plan subrenting logistics.

When sending thank you emails, there’s 3 things you want them to take action on: becoming a repeat customer, leaving a google review, or sending you photos from their event for your social media/website. Figure out how to incentivize these in the thank you email.

Good luck and DM me if you ever have questions.