Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthias Gautreaux.
Hi Matthias, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I am more than a DJ Service, I offer DJing events and weddings yet I also offer (basically done for you) drum circles…where I supply all the drums and the lessons, or just the JAM! I also offer Sound Healing, Ecstatic Dance, and African DJEMBE drum roping.
I’m also in a 10 piece reggae band and we can be ‘rented’ for an event, as well!
I’m a trained Montessori teacher, but after Covid, I started to teach percussion to different Montessori schools as an extra curricular. I invested the money from that and wrapped my Toyota Sequoia, so that my business would get some advertisement and it worked! Jah Dub Hut started to pull in gigs!
I now Dj personal, corporate, and holiday events and I have joined 2 wedding companies, so that I can maintain my family finances, as a DJ and a Substitute teacher.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Not such a smooth road When having to pay for a professional DJ equipment, including speakers, a mixer, and everything it takes to DJ a wedding, as well as purchasing my vehicle and wrapping it, as you can imagine, lots of credit cards have been used.
Jah Dub Hut DJ sevices has led to many expenses and not enough profit to balance expenses. However, I’m still on the up and up, because I’m about to pay all of that off, plus it’s a tax write off! Sadly, on my very first independent gig, I parked the Jah Dub Hut vehicle at my gig at 44 E., Rainey St., it was a pool party on the third floor, which turned out incredible! Anyway, when returning back home, my wife and my two daughters hopped in my other vehicle with me. we were all going to enjoy the event, we put our seatbelts on and rolled. On our way, yet got in a car accident. It was not our fault, but I’ve been going through a lot of physical pain since that happened. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel because we were not at fault… we got a new vehicle and there will be more to come. All in all, even with the pain, I’m still able to load up my equipment and get the job done!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My dj company JAH DUB HUT, is both a business and a creative. I’m able to intermix my Reggae band within the business and vice versa. I’m beginning to DJ inside of our reggae band set, and our reggae band is up for higher for any type of event!
JAH DUB HUT is known for having an ‘island theme,’ so when I do my DJ set, I always play live percussion! It’s way more than just watching a DJ twiddle with knobs, it gives one the live music aspect of performance, which is important in Austin, Texas. I am most proud of not giving up and pushing forward as I learned the ropes to my LLC, tax write-offs, proper marketing, and website usage as well as social media engagement!
I am proud to be doing what I love, and proud to bring more culture and my One Love philosophy to Austin and the world! I love to see people happy and dancing and building community!
I am a teacher, but I’m also always a student and ready to learn whatever is next in the business world as well as the entertainment world! I’m not your cookie cutter, DJ, I am here to bring a lot of culture and, as I mentioned, it’s very important for me to bring the One Love message to Austin, Texas, the South, the nation, and the world!
Especially in these times. We are family owned and operated. My teenager helps out with social media content, my eight-year-old helps with Drumming, and percussion, and my wife helps out more than I can explain… she is my organizer, my advisor, and basically always there for me. She is also an entrepreneur, providing EFT-Tapping for Therapy, organizing people’s houses / garages or any area that may need organizing, and she is a major part of Jah Dub Hut’s functionality.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
My advice would be to tune in to austin.gov, and HAAM, and
S. C. O. R. E. Austin supports small businesses incredibly! So take advantage of every seminar, every lesson, everything that the city has to offer which is sometimes for free! I won a pitch contest with about 15 other young entrepreneurs, we were able to then join an entire summer seminar every other Saturday, through the help of SCORE and Prosperity Bank.
I learned so much from that course, as well as gaining a business bank account with Prosperity Bank, which is still thriving to this day!
So my advice would be to make a great relationship with a bank and strive to keep up with their terms in order to impress them. Then, when it’s time to take out a loan and go even deeper into your business, the bank will back you!
Pricing:
- I am basically $100 an hour, with an extra hundred for set up and breakdown.
- My reggae band is a top-tier ticket which cost anywhere from 1000 to 1500 per gig
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jahdubhut.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jahdubhut?igsh=MXJvem5reXNyY3picA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/19uyqH4ofs/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLf2ubYUKiqntZOYjM-wOAYsPOAURVt3VT&si=AhH5iEN3QhIejUeP
- Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/9y62Aeyp8pKgpCqeFD
