Sometimes the best business strategies are the ones nobody wants to hear because they sound too simple. That was my biggest takeaway from sitting down with Ana Karina of AK Balloons at the International Balloon Convention.If you've ever wondered h…
We’ve all been there. You block out time, get deeply inspired, and map out a list of massive, game-changing goals for your creative business. You write them down in a crisp new planner, feel an immediate wave of motivation, and p…
Most of us grab a bag of Sempertex balloons without thinking twice about where they come from. But sitting down with the CEO and VP of Sales and Marketing at the Sempertex International Balloon Convention in Orlando completely changed the way I see …
As creative entrepreneurs, it is incredibly easy to get caught up in the daily hustle. We wrap up a chaotic busy season, take a single deep breath, and immediately launch into setting massive goals for the upcoming year. But here is the hard truth…
Running a balloon business solo is one of those things that works… until it doesn't. You hit a wall where inflating feels like a chore instead of something you love; where the jobs keep getting bigger but your hands and hours stay the same. T…
Here's something I've learned about myself: I am terrible at staying on top of my balloon business goals unless I write them down, break them apart and track them somewhere visible.Without that structure, the moment I hit a milestone I immediately…
My camera roll is thousands of photos of balloons, screenshots of color inspiration, convention fun, plus pictures of my kids, pets and family. So when I say I needed to learn how to organize my balloon business photos... I'm not kidding.If a clie…
I'll be honest: marketing is not my strongest suit. I've been in business for ten years and most of my clients have found me through word of mouth and Google. I've never cracked paid advertising and I find wedding shows excruciating. That's why I wa…
Automation doesn't have to mean complicated software or expensive tools. A lot of the best automation tips for your balloon business are already sitting in apps you use every day. Here are a few...1. Instagram Saved ResponsesIf you get the same …
Jacqui has been doing balloons near Sheffield, England, since 1992. She started the business with her best friend after an 11pm phone call, two weekend training sessions and an ad in the local paper. Now, she's sharing her secrets to longevity in th…
If you walk into your balloon studio and are immediately reminded it needs organization... this episode is for you.I invited Lily from Creative Heart Studio on the podcast specifically to talk about organization because her studio is legitimately …
I've been running my business for ten years. I do a lot of corporate balloon sales. And I have absolutely no system for going out and getting it; most of it has just found me through word of mouth and Google.That's why I wanted Carolina of Balloon…
I used to book jobs and then panic the night before.I'd open the invoice and see "white, beige, and olive green" and think... what is beige? Which olive green? Is that the yellow-olive or the blue-olive? Then I'd have to dig back through the email…
Everyone says hire help, but very few people can actually explain what that looks like. Hire help to do what, exactly? Answer phones? Tie balloons? Follow up on leads? Most of us get stuck at that question and never take the next step... not because…
A few years ago, my then-new employee Nicole and I recorded our first episode together. It's fun to look back now because we were just figuring out how to work together, and the conversation captures something I still believe completely: the biggest…
Lizeth and Oscar of Mom's Kloset started in 2017 with a bag of balloons. Now, they've pushed their boundaries beyond balloons and are doing three-day weddings with a full ceiling flip overnight. And they shipped a container of custom builds to St. M…
One of the most common questions I get is some version of: what technology do you use to run your business? So here's a list! The apps, platforms and tools that mean the most to Wisconsin Balloon Decor. I've been using each of them for years, a…
I've been doing balloons for ten years and I still had questions about how Betallic and Sempertex work together.Are they the same company? Are they separate? What was Betallatex and why don't I hear that name anymore? Most of us are heads-down in …
Almost five years ago, it was the one-year anniversary of The Bright Balloon Podcast. At that point I had been doing balloons for several years already, so I wasn't a beginner decorator. But I was a beginner podcaster, and honestly, a beginner …
Most of us start in a bedroom or a corner of the garage. Heidy started in her childhood bedroom in South Florida... and ten years later, she found herself opening a balloon business storefront.I had so many questions. What does signing a commercia…
The Essentials Within Experienced Balloon Decorators' ToolkitsOnce upon a time, I posted one question in the Balloon Boss Mastermind Facebook group: what do you keep in your kit that other people might not have?Within 24 hours I had enough ideas…
Balloon Business Organization Tips From a Professional OrganizerI had a bin in my shop that I avoided for three weeks.It was just random stuff from a job... nothing complicated, nothing urgent. But every time I walked past it, it felt like this …
What to Do When Instagram Goes Down (And Why You Should Care)Instagram and Facebook went down for almost an entire day one time.And for a lot of balloon business owners, so did their business.If you made no sales that day because you run every…
Mental health is one of those topics that doesn't come up much in the balloon world... but probably should.When I brought together three decorators for a panel on this exact subject, I wasn't surprised by how quickly the conversation got real. Bur…
