Michael Schiebel already owns a local painting company, but he’s excited to announce he’s bouncing into a second business in the party rental industry.
Schiebel, owner of A Cut Above Painting Co. in Evans, is launching A Jump Above Party Rentals. The new business will rent out various items, such as bounce houses, cotton candy machines, tables, and chairs, for birthday parties, weddings, and other events. Prior to going into business for himself, he worked for Rainbow Play Systems.
“I enjoyed working with families with kids in that industry,” Schiebel said. “It’s been a dream of mine for the last three or four years to open a second business.”
He plans to have the website for A Jump Above up by the end of the month and will begin accepting clients on Saturday, Jan. 7. A few people have already contacted Schiebel about renting bounce houses for birthday parties.
“It’s nice to have some people who are already interested prior to going live,” he said.
As a serial business owner, Schiebel understands the hard work, time and sacrifices it takes to build a successful company, but he thinks having experience under his belt will be helpful.
“There’s a lot that goes into starting a business, and getting that ball rolling isn’t easier,” Schiebel said. “I think it will take off a lot quicker than the painting company did.”
He said his new venture won’t require as much attention or as many employees either. Schiebel has 11-12 employees for the painting company and will begin the party rental business with 2-3 employees. He said hiring a project manager for A Cut Above and having his wife, Heather, who handles the administrative side of that business, have also made it possible for him to start a second company.
“Previously, I wouldn’t have had the bandwidth to do it,” Schiebel said. “I definitely wouldn’t have launched it if I didn’t have my wife helping me.”
He said much of their focus has been on providing a positive workplace culture for his employees. As the painting company has grown, Schiebel has been able to offer his employees various benefits, such as paid vacation and sick days. Next year, the business will transition to a four-day work week.
“We’ve tried to improve the quality of life for our employees,” he said. “We want to open up multiple businesses so we can make an impact.”