When Dane Daniels tried to rent a bounce house for a children’s party, he was frustrated with the lack of response, customer service, and the difficulty in navigating various websites. “It took us almost a whole week to finally confirm something for a party,” he said.
As a businessman who has been involved with many successful start-up companies, he knew there had to be a better way. So he, along with his wife Elise, founded Middle Tennessee Bounce House earlier this year. “We built a high-class website that’s super easy to navigate and use,” says Dane. “There are no hidden fees or surprises at checkout.”
There are even cool videos on the website that show how much fun these units can be and what people can expect when kids are inside of them. “We actually had one of our guys put on a GoPro and get into every single one of these units so people can get a really good perspective of what it’s like inside and to also explain the different features.”
In addition to bounce houses ranging from 13 x 13’ or 14 x 14’, the company provides water slides that range from 12 feet all the way up to 16 feet, and are investing in even larger ones. These can also be used without water depending on the time of the year and type of event.
“We also have what we call combo units, which are both a bounce house and a slide, and those can run wet or dry as well,” says Dane. Another very popular option is the 35-foot inflatable obstacle course. And it’s not just children who find these inflatables exciting – sometimes adults even get into the action.
“Some of the larger units are conducive for adults, but every customer I've talked to so far has said their kids just play on them all day long. So, parents can just sit back and relax while their children are doing something fun.”
Inflatables are very much in demand for all types of backyard events such as birthday and holiday parties and are great for neighborhood block parties too. They are also often used for public gatherings such as festivals, farmers’ markets and church events. Of course, they can be set up indoors too, as long as the venue has a high ceiling.
“The blowers, or fans, that we use are really not that loud, so people can use them indoors without disturbing the party,” he says.
The couple, who have two children, 5-year-old Tennessee and 10-month-old Stetson, consider safety to be their number one priority. “We have very high quality units and we keep them extremely clean,” says Dane. “We sanitize them every single time before one of them goes out. We have very professional staff that shows up to your event and everything that is set up gets inspected. Also, when we secure it into the ground, we use at least 12 inches, if not 18 inch, steel stakes. And, we don't set up in anything above 15 mile per hour winds, so if there ends up being high winds that day, we'll fully refund the client.”
All of their blowers are brand new - they don’t send out any equipment that could potentially not run well or malfunction. Same thing for the generators that may be needed. “Anytime we're running off of our own power, we will have someone there on site the whole time during the party,” says Dane. “We take that very seriously.”
As the weather heats up, he expects the demand for their inflatables will increase. If someone wants one for a party, he recommends booking it as soon as possible, but to also not hesitate if an event is coming up very quickly, even the next day. “If we have a unit available, we can certainly cater to that,” he says.
The couple believe they have solved the problems in the inflatables market in their area and are meeting the needs of those who want to rent them. “We have very competitive pricing, but we feel that our web presence is something that really sets us apart,” says Dane. “We’ve made it so simple - you shouldn't have to pick up the phone and call someone to confirm orders. They should all be automated, and that's exactly what ours is.”
Of course, it would be hard for a lot of people to just pick up and start a business when they’re not happy with what’s currently available, but luckily, Dane’s background gave him the opportunity to make a difference. “My whole career has been operations based. I've worked for multiple startups and started another company that has since been sold. My wife has a business background as well, so we're basically doing this together as a couple. She's helping a lot on the customer service side as I focus on operations growth. During this season of life with our two little boys, we thought this might be an excellent time to start something like this.”
Middle Tennessee Bounce House, he says, has perfect Google and Facebook reviews. “We have five stars on both of those and have literally not received a negative review from anyone. We pride ourselves on that. We're very focused on the experience and do follow up calls with clients after the event, which is very important.”
The couple’s faith is also extremely important to them, and they’re very involved in their church and community. “I'm a local native to Nashville - I was born and raised here – and although my wife is from Knoxville, she spent a lot of years here as well. We care deeply for Nashville and for our community. We want it to do well and so when we see an opportunity to help make it better, we want to do that.”
Today, Dane works full-time in the healthcare sector, but has also worked for a nonprofit that helped law enforcement with child exploitation and trafficking. “Helping children and helping families has been a big part of what I've been about for a long time, and this is just another avenue to do that.”
MidTNBounceHouse.com
Dane Daniels
A native of Nashville, Dane works in the healthcare industry full time, but he’s also been involved in several successful startups during his operations-based career. When he sees a need somewhere, whether in the business sector or his community, he sets out to find a solution. Today, he and his wife, Elise, who also has a business background, run Middle Tennessee Bounce House.
“… every customer I've talked to so far has said their kids just play on them all day long. So, parents can just sit back and relax while their children are doing something fun.”
“We care deeply for Nashville and for our community. We want it to do well and so when we see an opportunity to help make it better, we want to do that.”