Going full-time in your balloon business sounds like the dream until the questions start piling up. Where does health insurance come from when nobody hands you a benefits packet? Who saves for retirement when there is no employer match? What actuall…
Most of us start in this industry the same way; a few balloons, a lot of trial and error, a business that slowly takes shape. What's rare is watching someone take that foundation and build something entirely new on top of it to become a balloon indu…
Ever thought about doing something so big your entire town can't stop talking about it? That's exactly what Jodie of Pop by Posh Party Designs and Event Space pulled off in Leominster, Massachusetts, and I got to chat with her about how she orchestr…
How to Build a Balloon Business You Can Actually Walk Away From Most of us never think about the ending when we start a balloon business. We're just trying to survive the next install. But my conversation with Jill flipped that thinking on its head…
Every balloon business owner gets the email. A charity, a school, a church, or a community event reaching out to ask for free balloons. It puts you in an awkward spot; you want to be generous, but you also have a business to run. The good news is yo…
Every balloon business owner hits the moment where a job just is not right. Maybe the date is booked, maybe the venue is too far, or maybe something about the inquiry makes your stomach drop a little. Saying no to clients feels uncomfortable, so we …
Getting your face on a city bus for free sounds like a fantasy; Tashonda of The Balloon Parlor actually pulled it off... and it's a beautiful example of community partnerships for balloon businesses. I interviewed Tashonda, a Cincinnati balloon art…
Scrolling through Instagram and suddenly feeling like your balloon business isn't measuring up? Same. We've all done it. We see someone post a massive install or announce they're "fully booked" and that little voice in our heads starts whispering th…
For months I've been thinking that my ChatGPT is dumb. It ignores me, it lies to me, it promises a spreadsheet and then vanishes. Then I sat down with my friend Lenor and realized the problem was never the robot... it was the person typing. Here's w…
Sometimes the bravest move you can make in your balloon business isn't scaling up. It's scaling back and transitioning your business into what actually works. I sat down with Amy of It's My Party in Dyer, Indiana, and she dropped some serious truth…
Three people in a balloon business partnership sounds like a recipe for chaos. But Heather, Brian and Megan from Soul Sisters Creations in Marysville, Ohio, are proving it can actually be the thing that accelerates your growth. Whether you're think…
Running a balloon business means wearing a dozen different hats every single day. One moment you are designing an elegant garland, the next you are trying to write a witty Instagram caption, ordering specific latex counts, or chasing down clients …
Most of us are so focused on booking the next job or raising our prices that we overlook the money that's already sitting right in front of us. Whether it's points we're not collecting, balloons we're not reusing, or returns we keep forgetting to …
As a solopreneur, it is incredibly easy to get trapped in a spiral of overcomplication. When you look for business advice, you are often flooded with "big business" frameworks (things like managing massive leadership teams, building complex corpor…
Running a balloon business is physically demanding, mentally exhausting and emotionally draining… sometimes all before lunch. So when Shelby of Sunny Day Party Art wanted to record an episode about self care for balloon business owners, I jumped a…
Every single person on the planet has a birthday. In the creative and event industry, that fact represents an unparalleled, year-round market. Unlike specific seasonal holidays or niche milestone events, birthdays happen 365 days a year, cutting acr…
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 promise…
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. That's w…
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…