Prime car audio enterprise opportunity for entrepreneurs

by Marlon Madden

With a growing demand among car owners in Barbados for audio equipment and other automobile fixtures, car audio competitions and automotive showcases can become a major business opportunity for entrepreneurs in the automobile space, says car show producer Anthony Bradshaw.

“There are a number of small businesses, new entrepreneurs who are really investing their monies in importing goods for cars. One of those areas that they have identified is car audio equipment, which is in demand,” he said.

Those who take an interest in car audio usually spend thousands of dollars on various equipment including speakers, automotive head unit and wiring, batteries and alternator upgrade.

Bradshaw told Today’s BUSINESS that most of them would invest anywhere between $4,000 and $30,000 in various audio equipment for their vehicles, and that was at the lower end of the spectrum.

“At the top, you can end up spending well over $60,000, $100,000 or more, depending on what you want out of the vehicle,” said Bradshaw, who noted that in addition to audio equipment a lot of people were also spending big bucks on various lighting and other fixtures for their ride.

“That money should be going in those small businesses, those entrepreneurs. We need to be able to focus on these small businesses. Nobody should be left out. The only thing that is hampering us right now is a bit of politics in the business . . . where you find individuals fighting among each other,” he said.

Following a break for several years, Bradshaw recently held one of his car audio shows in Paradise Peak, East Point, St Philip, which attracted more than two dozen competitors and scores of spectators who joined in the thrills. The competitors were judged based on three categories – sound quality, crowd response and a showdown. The top three walked away with cash prizes and vouchers.

Bradshaw, who is the owner of Best Brands, an importer and installer of car audio equipment, said it was important that businesses in the automobile space adapt if they wanted to remain in business.

“The market is growing . . . and certainly the market has a lot more potential for growth,” he said.

“I can pretty much say the insurance company will not insure that in your vehicle, but that is another area for development,” he pointed out. “So this particular industry has an enormous amount of potential . . . and it is not just [car] audio that needs to be visible but everything related to automotive,” he added.

One car audio enthusiast who has his entire back seat and car trunk modified, told Today’s BUSINESS he spent thousands of dollars putting in the sound equipment in his vehicle, but said he did some of the retrofitting himself. “I have two batteries there and then I have two more behind the passenger front seat,” he said, as he lifted the trunk liner of his car to show the batteries.

“This is a major investment. It is just fun for me. It is for the vibe I feel. A lot of people like to see it and even record it. Some people even dance on the road when you are driving,” he said, while indicating that he refrained from playing music with lewd lyrics and he kept it at a volume that was tolerable.

Bradshaw said his aim with producing the audio show was to set up “the right environment” where everything related to cars can be in one location, providing an opportunity for entrepreneurs to showcase and sell their products.

With this in mind, Bradshaw said he was planning another car audio show in August and a major  auto showcase, the Auto Expo 22, to be held in November this year.

“At this stage we certainly see the opportunity to spread it further to all the areas involved in automotive. The automotive industry is pretty large, and we are getting now into the hybrids and the electric,” said Bradshaw.

“To me, it is an opportunity for the automotive industry to be visible, to be out there. Social media is okay and work fantastically, but you can’t walk into social media and open a door and see, touch and feel,” he said.

“The Auto Expo 22 will encompass everything under one roof that is automobile related, whether it is electric, hybrid, finance for purchasing a vehicle, vehicles for sale, finishes, repairs and anything you can put under that roof that relates to automobile,” he explained.

Bradshaw said his hope was for the automobile showcase and car audio competition to help create an ecosystem for entrepreneurs in the industry. marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb