As theatre producers, every time we put on a new show, we built a new set, made new costumes and commissioned new wigs. Then, when the show was over, we took all that fantastic new stuff we'd made and put it in storage until the next time we put the show on.

After only a few seasons we had sets for everything from Sleeping Beauty to Rumpelstiltskin, as well as a prodigious collection of 2,000 costumes all neatly stored in a 5,000sq ft warehouse.

Our modest operation produces 4 shows each Christmas. For the rest of the year, all that fantastic stuff we'd made and collected was doing nothing, and costing us rent for the privilege. What a waste!

We rented a few things out to other practitioners we knew - people who knew what we had, and knew our phone number - but we dreamed of having our own rental website to try and realise the value of our assets.

We called a meeting with IT specialists and laid out our wishlist:

• A searchable catalogue,
• A merchant portal,
• Integrated courier widgets,
• Insurance,
• National reach,
• Online presence

Something like eBay, only for theatre hires… that was the dream.

Now it has become a reality.