We had the good fortune of connecting with Michael Duke and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Michael, what do you attribute your success to?
I always tell the couples that I work with that my business lies on three pillars.
The first pilar is responsiveness. Your wedding day is among the most important days of your life. It is my goal to make sure the couples I work with know that I am treating it with as much importance as they are. Emails and texts are replied to almost instantly in most cases. In all cases, I provide a response within 24 hours.
The second pilar is being trustworthy and transparent. So many wedding vendors think that they can’t place their pricing on their website because it will scare people away. I think it is important to have pricing out there so people can compare and understand what to expect without wasting their time or mine. Also, as we go through planning processes, I’m not the kind of DJ that will just say “yep” to everything. If you have an idea and I don’t think it will pan out like you envision, I let you know. If you want to still proceed with the idea, I make it happen to the best of my ability.
The last and final pilar of my business is that I am FUN! I want to make sure that the happiest day of your life is stress free. I want to get people out there on the dance floor and have a party. I make the process fun not only on the day itself, but the days leading up to it. A lot goes into a wedding, but at the end of the day you should feel excited about it, not nervous.
Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
As a professional wedding DJ, it is important that I work with my couples to be more than just music the day of the event. I am fully encompassing entertainment. This means that I need to get to know and build a relationship with the couples in order to understand what I’m walking into. These relationships are my proudest accomplishment. There are so many DJ companies out there that take on work and then a month or two before the wedding day slap any old DJ on there for the couple.
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m really into Asian food. There are a few restaurants that I would definitely recommend to someone from out of town. 1 – Saigon Pho in Chandler. This restaurant has the best Pho hands down! So good.
2 – ChongQing Chickenpot in Chandler. Such a unique dining experience. You start with a meat/tofu option. Once completed, the pot is filled with broth and you add toppings. You get an entrée followed by a hearty soup!
For fun things the nightlife in downtown Gilbert is really starting to pick up. Level One arcade is a really fun place to drink and hang out with friends.
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?
Shelley McKown – Owner of Gather Estate
Shelley has been a huge supporter of my business from the beginning. She has placed me on the Gather Estate preferred vendor list and I am one of the inclusive DJs for brides planning their wedding there. I will have at least 13 weddings there in 2023.
Shelley is also amazing when it comes to professionalism and responsiveness. She is the best venue owner that I’ve ever worked with.
Website: djmcduke.com
Instagram: instagram.com/djmcduke
Facebook: facebook.com/djmcduke
Image Credits
Aaron Kes Photography