You would be providing balloons to decorate client's homes or offices for special occasions such as birthday, theme, and company parties; or celebrations for newborns, anniversaries, graduations, retirements, and so forth. Other services may include creating special table centerpieces, balloon deliveries inclown or character outfits, and balloon "drops," in which balloons filled with ordinary air are suspended in a colorful cascade. It is VERY easy to get into the Balloon Biz, but the trick is STAYING in business! That takes dedication, talent, commitment to constant education and professionalism.

Decorating (homebased) ... requires minimum capital outlay. Regular education classes are a must. You will need a minimum level of stock and equipment. Elect inflator, Helium, regulators, glue, board, latex, foils, and heat stealers to start with. You will also need a fax machine, accounting software, dedicated business phone line/s ... work benches, shelving, ladder, framing rod, hand truck, credit card facilities, and a filing system.

Basic Steps In Becoming A Balloon Maker:

Subscribe to the balloon decorators mailing list on Balloon HQ. Subscribe to Images Magazine. Find balloon wholesalers in your area. (look in the yellow pages or the business to business yellow pages). Many balloon distributors (not the party stores) will have more information on any local chapters of the Qualatex Balloon Network which are starting to pop up all over the place. Also they may have information on any seminars that may be held in your area.

Read anything and everything you can get your hands on regarding balloon decorating. Festivities publications puts out some good (although slightly dated) books on the subject. Festivities is the publisher of Balloons and Parties Today, a party magazine, and other balloon related books and video's. Their address is: Festivities Publications, 1205 W. Forsyth St., Jacksonville, FL 32204-9912.

You might want to get the book "Building a Better Balloon Business" by Debra Paulk. It's a classic: Festivities Publications: industry magazines, books, videos:

Jublilee promoters
1205 W. Forsyth St.
Jacksonville, FL 32204.
Ph. 904 634-1902
www.festivities-pub.com

You might like to visit the Party & Paper Retailer website at www.partypaper.com and go to the "Global Connections" page. They have a great article there.

Marketing/Promoting Yourself

Balloon Care Cards: Care cards serve 3 purposes: provides customer with iportant product info, provides customer with important safety info, serves as a marketing tool. QBN does have generic care cards available or you can design your own.

Business Cards Your "balloon cards" are exactly what you need to give to prospective clients. Portraying yourself as a professional, in every sense of the word, is very important. Instead of printing expensive full page flyers to pass out, design small flyers to fit six to a page and print them on card stock. Have the copier place cut them for you (they do a nice job and it's fairly cheap.) You'll save money, and people are more likely to stick them in their purse or pocket and have them around when it's time to call.

Flyers Try approaching them with a flyer.

Photographing and Filming Your Work Great photos can be taen on a shoestring budget.

Newspaper Ads A small classified ad in the paper every week works. If your community notices a 2 x 2 ad, then you should put the dashed line with a scissors "clip and save" border around your next ad. Place an ad in those freebie newspapers that go to preschools, libraries, etc. Run an ad in your local Thrifty Nickel. A 26 week display in the business directory runs slightly over 200 bucks a year, and they throw in a couple free miscellaneous ads throughout the paper.

Sell Yourself! Saying, "You need to hire me" gives the potential employer all the weight on the negotiation seesaw. If you can get them to think, "I need to hire this guy." you have the weight. The more people see you twisting the more work you will get. The more you work, the more you work. More often than not, the skill that one needs is salesmanship rather then twistmanship. It's never *this* job that's important. It's the *ten* jobs you get as a result of this job you have to keep in mind. If you're not getting good word of mouth, you have to examine whether you're paying enough attention to this end of the business.

Advertising

Try to avoid the "out of sight out of mind" trap. Stay in the public line of sight with a classified ad and the sign on your car. Try to stay in the corporate line of sight by mailing original postcards to them at least 4 times each year. This includes Party Planners, Talent Agents, Mall Managers, Car Dealers, Radio Station Salesmen (these guys are great for referrals), Amusement Parks, Fairs, Festivals, Private RV Parks, and anyone else who might hire some kind of entertainment.