Starting a lighting and AV business requires more than owning gear — it demands a clear service offering, a plan for getting clients, and systems to keep jobs profitable. This guide covers everything you need to launch and grow a sustainable lighting and AV operation.
How to structure your lighting and AV business
Most new lighting and AV operators make the mistake of offering everything to everyone. Start by picking a primary market — weddings, corporate events, touring productions, or houses of worship — and build your gear inventory, pricing, and reputation around that niche. You can expand later once you have consistent revenue.
Register as an LLC from day one. AV work involves significant equipment values and liability exposure. An LLC separates your personal assets from business risk and makes it easier to open a business bank account and sign vendor agreements.
What gear do you actually need to start?
Resist the urge to buy everything upfront. Start with a core rig that covers your target market's most common needs and rent specialty items as needed. A basic corporate AV starter setup might include:
- Projector and screen: A 5,000+ lumen laser projector and a 10-foot fast-fold screen cover most conference rooms and small ballrooms.
- Audio system: A compact line-array or powered speaker pair with a digital mixer handles speeches and presentations cleanly.
- Lighting basics: Four to eight LED wash fixtures plus a simple DMX controller gets you through most events.
- Cables and accessories: HDMI, DisplayPort, XLR, and NL4 — budget as much for connectivity as for the main gear.
- Cases and transport: Road cases protect your investment. A cargo van or trailer lets you move without renting one every gig.
How to price your services from the start
Calculate your true cost per event: labor hours at your target hourly rate, equipment depreciation (divide each item's cost by expected number of uses), transportation, and consumables. Add a 20–30% margin on top. Many new AV operators underprice because they only think about their time and ignore equipment cost.
See our full breakdown in the lighting and AV pricing guide for specific rate ranges by event type.
How to get your first clients
Your first ten clients will almost always come from your network. Tell every event planner, venue manager, and production contact you know that you are now operating independently. Offer one or two showcase events at reduced rates to build your portfolio. Venues are especially valuable relationships — a venue that recommends you becomes a recurring referral engine.
Use a CRM like Threecus from day one to track leads, follow up on quotes, and keep client notes organized. Losing a lead because you forgot to follow up is an avoidable mistake that compounds quickly.
Business systems every AV operator needs
Even a one-person shop needs basic systems: a quoting process, a contract for every engagement, a deposit policy, and an equipment checklist. Without them, you will spend more time fixing problems than doing shows. Build these in your first month, before you are too busy to think clearly.
Read more about running efficient operations in our guide to lighting and AV business systems.
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