Some of you may know that Booqable started as a solution for our founder’s own rental business. There wasn’t rental software available that met the specifications he required, so he set about creating a team to develop his own system. Flying China ran into the same challenges as our founder, so their story resonates with us deeply.
The owner of Flying China, Anna Logan, couldn’t find suitable tableware for rent in Treasure Valley, Idaho, and set out to create her own business to solve this. It’s the kind of entrepreneurship that we love to see and is something close to our hearts.
Flying China Events
Anna launched flying China after planning and coordinating a wedding for a family member in 2018. She needed to rent various decor items but couldn’t find a local company that provided them. So, after accumulating several pieces for the wedding and researching the tableware rental industry, she decided to start her own company.
In the beginning, Anna provided only vintage products, but she quickly expanded into modern tableware, linen, and decor. Her love for vintage items meant the company was the perfect fit for her interests and her company was the only one that provided event rentals in her area. Once the demand for tableware increased, she expanded her inventory.
Now, Flying China provides eclectic, fun, and beautiful tableware rentals to clients so they can create a picture-perfect experience that reflects their individuality and design aesthetic. They are the largest company of this kind in their area, offering a unique selection of mismatched goblets, specialty plate and dinnerware options, and custom table linens.
Keeping track of payments, inventory, and orders
For the first couple of years, Anna managed every aspect of her rental business herself. From invoicing clients to washing plates to design meetings and keeping track of payments, inventory, and bookings. As the company grew, these tasks became impossible to keep up with, and Anna had to find another solution.
With Booqable, she can manage her immense inventory and keep track of reservations and payments in a single place. She also loves that Booqable syncs with her Google Calendar to view future orders right from her phone. Integrating Booqable with her WordPress website allows her clients to reserve online, which means she no longer needs to chase payments and spends less time on paperwork.
The WordPress rental plugin has dramatically increased her bookings. Customers can now check her collection online and book at any time of the day without picking up the phone. Anna also loves the built-in contracts and email templates in Booqable and has led one customer to remark, “Love how clean your branding is – one of the nicest contracts I have seen in a while!”
Infinite potential
With the day-to-day of Flying China primarily managed with Booqable now, Anna has the time to focus on other parts of her business. One of the biggest compliments we receive from customers is transferring their disorganized system to cloud-based rental software. The labor involved in managing inventory, invoicing, and serving customers has reduced significantly.
With the excellent progress made in dealing with the pandemic, more and more events will be allowed to take place. Hopefully, this means that Anna will experience increased business, which she can manage more efficiently than ever before, thanks to Booqable and integration with her WordPress website.
Photography: Flying China Events
