After spending 18 years as a camera operator in Munich, Matthias Kraus built a collection of professional camera gear. He often found himself lending equipment to friends in the industry, which sparked an idea: why not turn these informal loans into a proper rental business?
From camera operator to rental business
Matthias has spent nearly two decades working as a cameraman in Munich, Germany. Throughout this time, he built up his own collection of camera equipment that he would occasionally rent to friends. He saw an opportunity to expand this into a proper rental business, making his mid-range camera equipment available to other professionals in the area.
Magnetic Medienproduktion offers camera equipment that professionals need for their daily work. The business is ideally located in central Munich, making it easy for cameramen and production companies to access the gear they need. This central location combined with quality equipment has helped Matthias establish his rental business in the local film industry.
Growing from informal to professional
For many years, Matthias only rented his equipment to friends. This informal arrangement worked well initially, but he wanted to expand and offer his equipment to more customers. However, he faced several challenges: showing his inventory to potential customers, reaching people outside his network, and tracking which equipment was booked on specific dates.
To solve these challenges, Matthias looked at what was available from niche AV rental software and more general offerings. He found that Booqable best suited his requirements, and its website builder allowed him to create a professional rental website with the Focus theme quickly. This made it easy for him to showcase his inventory and start accepting online bookings.
“It’s great to have a shop that’s specifically designed for rentals,” he explains. The system has helped him organize his rental structure and reach new customers. The feedback has been positive, with customers regularly commenting on his store’s professionalism. The system has also helped him track inventory availability and bookings, which has been crucial as he grows his business.
Expanding the business
Running the business solo from his central Munich location, Matthias has established himself in the local film industry. He’s now looking to gradually expand his rental inventory and grow his customer base beyond his original network of industry contacts.
“I hope I can expand my rental business more and more,” he says about his future plans. With his rental operations streamlined through Booqable, he can focus on that growth while maintaining the quality of service that made his informal rentals successful in the first place.
