Meet Darren Randle | Houston Tents & Events – Owner/President

We had the good fortune of connecting with Darren Randle and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Darren, how do you think about risk?
I’ve always thought that if you weren’t given advantages during youth/early adulthood then you were going to have to take risks to achieve a certain level of success. Every day in both my personal and professional paths I take calculated risks. I left my hometown where I grew up in Memphis, TN a few weeks after high school graduation. I gave up multiple academic scholarships that would’ve provided me a full-ride opportunity at any Tennessee state school and instead chose to move to Houston to attend college with my now wife, Kori. I took that risk because I felt there were more future opportunities in a bigger city and having to fund school myself gave me a different drive to be the first in my family to go to college. I worked every job I could on campus, was an RA to help with room and board and still finished my bachelor’s program with $60k in loans. Then came the next step, figuring out how to pay them off as quickly as possible. The only way to do that is to take risks in various paths to figure out what I should be doing for my career. I started in college athletics then professional sports and corporate marketing before finding my passion in the event rentals industry. Taking risks in life can also be a learning experience of what not to do again. There’s not a handbook to follow for one’s personal life or career path so the only way to learn is by doing and that, in itself, is a risk. I’ve found my greatest strengths and accomplishments in life when I had my back against the wall. That’s where I’m actually most comfortable because the only direction to go is forward. For everything from college costs, becoming a first time homeowner, growing a family in my 20’s or starting a business at the start of a global pandemic all take some level of risk. There was a college football coach when I was in college that said “scared money, don’t make money”. It’s catchy but also very true. A person has to be willing to put it all on the line sometimes and push all the chips in if there’s a calculated risk that could lead to the next big career opportunity, medical breakthrough, investment return, etc. Keep in mind, calculated risks are based on proper data analysis or models, not just a gut feeling or hunch. Something I share with any friends, professional colleagues and family that ask if any risky decisions I made in my life scared me – which I reply, No. A risk is doing something out of the comfort zone and that is where success happens, especially for entrepreneurs. Dream big, work hard and don’t be afraid to take risks to achieve success – that’s how I think about risk and how it’s played a role in my personal life and professional career.

What should our readers know about your business?
Houston Tents and Events focuses on the experience behind rental equipment. I learned in my previous career roles where I was the customer that ordered the rental items, I noticed a huge gap in the experience that quality wasn’t important. That gave me the light bulb moment that I needed to utilize my experience in sports and corporate marketing event relationships to transition into a role on the rental side of the event industry. Being in a city/county where we have 6.4M people, there’s enough business for a variety of event rental providers but I usually tell people that what sets us apart is that we actually care about any client’s event whether it’s a $1,500 event or $150,000 project. This industry is my passion and although there are challenges with any small business in the beginning stages, I focus on the successes we’ve had thus far to fuel me to be more efficient and innovative for our clients and the growth will happen organically. I’m not the business owner that suggests or offers something that doesn’t make sense for a client and, in fact, I’m usually the type of person in meetings suggesting things that are more difficult to accomplish that are much lower profit margins for my business – but I know it’s the right thing to do for the client. The most important lesson I’ve learned in my professional career is to always do the right thing for team members and customers and don’t chase the dollar. I’ve seen so many people make decisions for their business out of greed and the outcome is never positive. I also tell others starting in the industry to link up with others that have the same goals and vision as you and grow together because you’ll always need someone to help at some point to achieve your customer’s expectations. One thing I’d like to share is I love the City of Houston as it’s the reason I am where I am today and that’s why I wanted to keep it in our company name. I hope in the near future I’m able to continue gaining market share like we have the last few years for all of our non-profits, corporations, wedding planners, festival organizers and local sport organizations that have helped us grow thus far.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
When we travel and people find out we are from Houston, the first thing I get asked is what it’s like and if they should visit. I think Houston is an amazing place to live, grow a family and start a business but I’m usually conflicted to say it’s a great place to visit because we aren’t a tourist destination. I’m sure most Houstonians are just fine without additional visitors on the road, in our restaurants, etc. as it already takes an hour to get anywhere inside the city – joking, but seriously. If I had to plan for a friend to visit Houston for a week, I’d hopefully plan it in October so that we could have a chance for the h-town sports quadfecta where the Cougars, Texans, Dynamo and Astros are all in-season. We’d allocate a day for Space Center Houston and during each day try out a different cuisine, especially TexMex and BBQ, for each meal from so many different cultures around our city. We’d spend some time around the galleria one day during the week as well as a full weekday in the museum district. Then, warp up their visit by spending the weekend showing them around some of the local breweries like Karbach and 8th Wonder and some of the events around Houston my company partners on given that time of year is the busiest for events in town.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I think the biggest impact was everyone at the University of Houston. UH taught me everything from how to hustle for everything, blend with cultures I didn’t grow up around in my childhood and be resourceful to accomplish whatever tasks were ahead. Going to college there wasn’t just about learning business from a textbook, it was instilled throughout my bachelor’s and master’s programs to not give up and find a way through challenges. Most people in the millennial generation I’m part of statistically quit when sometimes they are so close to achieving their goals. UH helped prepare me for any challenges I’ve encountered in my personal life or professional career over the last 14 years.

Website: www.houstontentsevents.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/houstontentsevents/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrenrandle/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/houstontentsevents/

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/houston-tents-and-events-houston