The Bright Balloon

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@k_jrentals

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230. Switching to S Corp | Elizabeth of Fiore Accounting & Tax Services Jun 06, 2024

Show notes

Let me tell you something... when you have a 5-digit tax bill at the end of the year - even after paying quarterly taxes - that is a really good time to lean on professionals to help you configure your financial setup! Today's guest, Elizabeth from Fiore Accounting & Tax Services, helped me do just that, and then some.

Listen in for the details of:

all the services their team provides
what S Corp actually means
how much I owed after 2022
how we changed my business to an S Corp election
the advantages and disadvantages of S Corp
payroll and Profit First as an S Corp
who should consider making the switch as well
how the decision depends on your individual circumstances, and even business goals

I always love having Elizabeth on the show because she explains confusing financial matters so well. She and her team have been such a help to me over the years and I know that even if you're not considering S Corp status you'll get some great financial insights in this episode!

And in the UGlu Hotline, we get a nice tip about blending your clamps and clips in with your decor.

Thank you to PremiumConwin for sponsoring our monthly "throwback" episode!

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Havin' A Party Wholesale (save 5% with code BRIGHT)

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Call into the UGlu Hotline to ask a question or leave advice! (262) 221-8514

Strategy Call with Elizabeth

ALOFT (save $10 with code BRIGHT)

The Balloon Guild (save 20% with code WeLoveSara20)

Ep. 80 - Profit First Revisited with Elizabeth Fiore

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229. Ins and Outs of Retail | Ashley of Pink Flamingo Party Co Jun 04, 2024

Show notes

A big thank you to my friend Ashley of Pink Flamingo Party Co. who came on the show for this episode all about the ins and outs of retail. This is something I know almost nothing about, so it was really insightful to get more details about not just retail, but also staffing, training and adding inventory. We will also hear how she fought the proposed balloon ban that happened in her state!

The Pink Flamingo Party Co. started as a luxury retail shop and transitioned into offering DIY kits before also becoming event decorators. Ashley tells us how she finds and selects their stock, manages staff to cover both the store and the installation jobs, then offers some considerations for those thinking about opening their own retail shop.

As we transition into chatting about hiring and the positions she has on her team, you'll hear how it's been a learning experience for her, what kinds of things she makes staffing decisions on and her approach towards non-compete agreements.

Then, don't miss her story about what it was like to have the threat of a balloon ban in her state! You'll hear the specific actions she took and how she made her case to keep the industry alive in her local area.

Plus in the UGlu Hotline, we've got another reminder to build community over competition.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Havin' A Party Wholesale (save 5% with code BRIGHT)

UGlu by Pro Tapes (save 5% at Havin' A Party with code BRIGHT)

Call into the UGlu Hotline to ask a question or leave advice! (262) 221-8514

ALOFT (save $10 with code BRIGHT)

The Balloon Guild (save 20% with code WeLoveSara20)

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227. Increasing touch points May 28, 2024

Show notes

Today I'm sharing with you a change that I never thought I would make in my business! I'm increasing the number of times I make contact with my customers, and I'll tell you how... what led to this decision... and why I think it's going to change my business.

If you've been listening for a while you know that I am all about efficiency, so the idea of getting on the phone with more customers is a bit unusual for me. However, I'm feeling like bad customer service is almost everywhere you turn lately, so I want to be a refreshing surprise of great customer service when people contact me!

One thing that has hugely helped free up some time and energy to do this is having a virtual assistant handle much of the sales for me. It's amazing, but does have me wanting to make my own connection with the customer before arriving at the event. I'll share with you exactly when and how I'm starting to do this, plus the other unexpected benefits that have come up since implementing these new touch points.

They include:

a phone call after each new booking
a text before delivery
confirming colors before inflation
a casual call before the event that includes a possible upsell

I'm also modifying a couple of touch points that I already had in place: the thank you after the event and the follow-up to rebook.

Listen in to hear the specifics of what I'm doing and saying, and what inspired me to make these upgrades to my customer experience so that I can stand out by providing unparalleled customer service!

From the UGlu Hotline, we get a tip about how to get quality balloons in a pinch for those last-minute parties.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Havin' A Party Wholesale (save 5% with code BRIGHT)

UGlu by Pro Tapes (save 5% at Havin' A Party with code BRIGHT)

Call into the UGlu Hotline to ask a question or leave advice! (262) 221-8514

ALOFT (save $10 with code BRIGHT)

The Balloon Guild (save 20% with code WeLoveSara20)

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225. Tips from a high performing assistant | Heather of Confetti Castle May 21, 2024

Show notes

This episode is a little different because I'm chatting with someone who works for a balloon company... but not the owner. Heather, who supports Tiffany at the Confetti Castle, comes on the show to give us some tips about keeping your assistants and employees happy while best utilizing their skills.

We'll hear about the range of administrative duties she takes care of on any given day, and how doing some hands-on work first helped her feel comfortable with taking on more responsibility for Confetti Castle.

When we move on to talk about what motivates her as an employee, we chat about the balance and boundaries needed when working with close friends... and how they can shift over time. Then Heather shares the types of things, which aren't necessarily money-related, that keep her happy in her role.

Finally, we get some good tips for exactly how to start with the idea of hiring an assistant, including:

creating a list of tasks you want to offload
sharing the list in the interview process
sharing information and access
releasing control

I hope this episode helps you gain some clarity and confidence in the idea of hiring some help if you know you need it!

Then in the UGlu Hotline, there's a nice tip for utilizing rubber bands in our installations.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Havin' A Party Wholesale (save 5% with code BRIGHT)

UGlu by Pro Tapes (save 5% at Havin' A Party with code BRIGHT)

Call into the UGlu Hotline to ask a question or leave advice! (262) 221-8514

ALOFT (save $10 with code BRIGHT)

The Balloon Guild (save 20% with code WeLoveSara20)

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223. A full refresh of my branding May 14, 2024

Show notes

I recently did a job alongside a lighting and entertainment company who came in with such professional looking equipment that it had me evaluating my own branding. I realized that some things don't take a lot of time, money or energy to update... and I'm sharing those ideas in this episode!

Of course this all starts with having a logo that you love. I was able to edit mine in Canva until it was the way I wanted it, but you can seek out logo designers for help as well. This was a hugely important step as I was getting ready to wrap my van. And I'll say, wrapping my van is and will probably always be the biggest and best branding investment I've made. If you're on the fence about it, I can't recommend it enough!

Other items that I've branded or am now planning to update with my branding include:

physical things like apparel, my apron, base plates, sand bags, marquees, inflator, extension cords and ladders
printed things like business cards, custom thank you cards, postcards and bags
digital things like my email signature, social media profile photos and catalog images

I'm sharing what printing methods I'll be using, the vendors I recommend and more about who inspired me to make these branding upgrades... I'd love to hear which of your business assets you'll be branding next!

And in the UGlu Hotline, we get a nice tip about removing UGlu dots.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Havin' A Party Wholesale (save 5% with code BRIGHT)

UGlu by Pro Tapes (save 5% at Havin' A Party with code BRIGHT)

Call into the UGlu Hotline to ask a question or leave advice! (262) 221-8514

Grab and Go Garland Bundle

ALOFT (save $10 with code BRIGHT)

The Balloon Guild (save 20% with code WeLoveSara20)

Glow Retreat 2024

Ep. 146 - Deliveries & Pricing | Misti from Balloons by Misti

Red Eye Designs

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221. Moms panel May 07, 2024

Show notes

It was such a treat to have 9 other moms on the show for this episode, where we talk about everything from juggling business, kids and in some cases, a separate full-time job; plus partner dynamics and even employing our children!

These moms represented a pretty big range of years in business, number of kids and business plans... I know you'll connect with at least one. Some of the gems that came up were things like:

hiring child care even if you're working from home
how to manage business growth when your personal life might not be ready for it
ways to pay employed children of various ages
managing the "breadwinner" relationship with your partner
deciding when it feels right to travel to conventions
exit strategies
and the most impactful one for me: swallowing your truth

I hope this conversation helps to give you permission to make some changes or set some boundaries that you've been thinking about, so that you can have the best of both worlds. Thanks so much to all of our guests for sharing their stories!

And in the UGlu Hotline, we're reminded of the benefits of community over competition.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Havin' A Party Wholesale (save 5% with code BRIGHT)

UGlu by Pro Tapes (save 5% at Havin' A Party with code BRIGHT)

Call into the UGlu Hotline to ask a question or leave advice! (262) 221-8514

ALOFT (save $10 with code BRIGHT)

The Balloon Guild (save 20% with code WeLoveSara20)

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219. Balloon business support | Nicole of Let Nicole Help May 02, 2024

Show notes

This week's guest is a friend of mine who helps streamline our businesses, primarily through the platform that sponsors the podcast - 17hats. You're going to hear about the balloon events you may have seen her at in the last few months, plus a huge milestone she's hit in her business since she last came on the podcast!

We also reminisce about how she got started in the balloon community back when we both worked the same full-time job, and you'll hear how she knew it was the place for her to stay. She'll share some ways that you can work with her, what the process looks like and an invitation to get ongoing support in 17hats.

And in the UGlu Hotline, there's a tip for getting your foils to stick together.

Thank you to PremiumConwin for sponsoring our monthly "throwback" episode!

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Havin' A Party Wholesale (save 5% with code BRIGHT)

UGlu by Pro Tapes (save 5% at Havin' A Party with code BRIGHT)

Call into the UGlu Hotline to ask a question or leave advice! (262) 221-8514

Balloon-only 17hats membership interest survey

ALOFT (save $10 with code BRIGHT)

The Balloon Guild (save 20% with code WeLoveSara20)

Ep. 76 - Cool CRM features of 17hats | Nicole of Let Nicole Help

Ep. 59 - Three ways you can stand out | Streamlining your customer experience

Get Nicole's emails

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218. Your questions, answered Apr 30, 2024

Show notes

This week I'm sharing what happened on Instagram when I asked business owners with less than 5 years experience to leave a question in the comments, and business owners with more than 5 years experience to drop in an answer. It was such a nice surprise to see how many people participated, and thank you to each and every one who did! There were a ton of great questions and great answers, including:

what most successful businesses have in common
getting in front of your own community instead of going viral on social media
techniques that up-leveled your business and where they were learned
taking care of your mental health as a business owner
investing in a van and paying yourself
if having a website is worth it
what keeps you from not giving up when everything feels hard
and so much more!

I just love how this turned out, with people being so open not just with their questions, but with their knowledge and experience, too. There were more comments than I could read in the episode so feel free to find the reel on my Instagram and browse the comments to learn more!

And in the UGlu Hotline, there's a tip for using rubber bands instead of 260s to be a little more cost effective.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Havin' A Party Wholesale (save 5% with code BRIGHT)

UGlu by Pro Tapes (save 5% at Havin' A Party with code BRIGHT)

Call into the UGlu Hotline to ask a question or leave advice! (262) 221-8514

ALOFT (save $10 with code BRIGHT)

The Balloon Guild (save 20% with code WeLoveSara20)

Glow Retreat 2024

Ep. 40 - I Bought a Van!!!!

Ep. 153 - Retail dreams | Stephanie of Celebration Creations

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216. Crowd-funded installations | Alexis of Lou Lou Balloons Apr 23, 2024

Show notes

I just loved hearing from Alexis in this episode, as she shares with us how she's created crowd-funded balloon installation events for the Title I schools in and around her community! Listen in to hear how you can replicate the idea in your area and become a part of the Loons' for Littles program.

Alexis takes us through:

how you pitch the program to your clients, including timeline
how it doesn't have to be money out of your pocket
the creative and logistical freedom it comes with
how it builds your portfolio
ideas for recognizing the donors
how good you will feel after installation!

If this is something you'd like to offer in your community, reach out to Alexis on Instagram (below) for guidance on which of your area schools the Loons' for Littles program is meant to support.

I can't wait to see this become a national event!

Then in the UGlu Hotline, we have a nice little tip for transporting framework in SUVs.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Havin' A Party Wholesale (save 5% with code BRIGHT)

UGlu by Pro Tapes (save 5% at Havin' A Party with code BRIGHT)

Call into the UGlu Hotline to ask a question or leave advice! (262) 221-8514