The easy money is in the throw and go rigs. You can buy a pair of Eons, stands, and a mic for under a grand, and easily get $100-150 renting it out. When you start getting bigger than that, your ROI starts to drop pretty quickly, as people renting higher end tend to be much more specific on what they are trying to rent. Plus, A $10,000 rig isn't going to get you $1000-1500 as a dry rental too often.
If you're dry renting gear, you will have to spend time TESTING the gear that comes back to make sure it's not going to fail the next time it goes out. The more complex the rig, the longer this might take.
Generally speaking, rental houses that make money on rentals do so because they have a large inventory of gear, and then also have a structured plan on moving said gear on a regular basis. It's a lot of work for a moderate amount of money.
As far as your questions go:
1. What speaker brand and woofer size?
Doesn't matter as long as the client rents and is happy.
1a How many sets should I start with each package?
Enough so that you can fill your clients needs, plus have spare inventory in the event of a failure.
2. Since I am considering delivery dry hires, at pack-up, do you usually pick it up the next day or my guy should pick it up after the event, i.e. 11pm or 12am?
This will vary depending on the venue. Some will allow gear to be there until the next day, others not. Scheduling staff to be there when gear needs to be removed will become a challenge, especially if you have multiple events that end at the same time.
3. How do you deal with banquet hall rentals and gear pick-up times?
Do what they ask. They have the final say.
4. What packages are popular? PA, Band, DJ, Business, Wedding, PressCon etc?
That depends on your market that you target. Personally, I like targeting customers that have money to spend. Bands and DJs typically have none. Weddings, sometimes. Business, usually have a realistic budget for business events, but not for entertainment events.
5. I am providing an iPhone/Ipad connection. Ideally what length of cable should I provide?
Long enough to get between the iPad and what you are connecting it to, plus a couple of feet.
6. How do you pay your roadie (per delivery) or do you have a permanent employee (8 hours) and how much?
This is market specific. However, if you under pay, don't expect your gear to be taken care of, or them to show up reliably. When we hire staff, we have a minimum 4 hour call, with extra pay for time after midnight. If you are paying less than $20/hr for a part time roadie, I'd be impressed if they were reliable for you.
7. If its out of your defined delivery area, how do you calculate the travel fee?
Depends on how much gear. Federal milage for a standard vehicle is 54 cents per mile, not including labor. At minimum, I'd recommend $1 per mile, and calculate milage BOTH WAYS for all trips to cover vehicle plus labor.
8. Is rental prepaid or postpaid?
ALWAYS prepaid.
9. Credit card is required, how much deposit do you usually require in the event that a customer breaks your gear? This is up to you. If you charge too much for a deposit, customers will balk. Have a solid rental agreement first.
10. How much deposit do you ask to cover a blown driver or amp?
Design your rentals so this isn't an issue. Most powered gear is pretty tough to blow up. (this is really the same question as #9 anyway)
11. Can anyone point me to a rental contract that I can use?
google.com
12. Is it good (or bad) to post rental prices online?
It depends on your market. Usually rental prices you see posted are dry rental rates for each piece of gear. When you are building a custom package for a customer, you can start with that and then discount as needed to make the package happen.
