The Bright Balloon

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Ep. 36 Part Two: Balloon Conventions: FLOAT

FLOAT Convention Website | Facebook Group

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141. Booking BIG Jobs May 09, 2023

Show notes

Today I'm discussoing how to book big jobs, and more importantly, now to re-book them for reliable, consistant money!

How to find large jobs

How to charge and consider additional expenses

How to pitch and what my proposals look like

How to secure annual bookings and the importance of following up

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Pricing Guide Menu

Color Chart

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Bonus Episode | April Book of the Month May 05, 2023

Show notes

Here's another bonus episode of what we've been learning and chatting about over in the Bright Balloon Book Club!

Join here!

Last month, we read The Passion Economy by Adam Davidson. This episode is a brief overview of the key takeaways!

Thanks to our sponsors!

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140. Episode of updates May 02, 2023

Show notes

In this episode we're checking in with three previous guests, plus I'll give an update on how things are going since quitting my full-time job nearly two months ago... some of which are great and some that I didn't really anticipate...

First up is Tinesha, who may not have realized what an impact she had on me in our first interview. She said, "everything you want is on the other side of fear" and little did she know, that day my husband and I were looking at the house we have since bought that has also allowed me to have my balloon shop!

Tinesha sends in a note to let us know how her business has changed and she's got another new motto she shares, too.

Then we hear from Alissa, who actually won her shop space not long before the first interview. She lets us know if she stayed in the space after her free year was up, plus the cool new things they're incorporating into their business.

Alissa was such a treat to interview and then I got to work with her at the Big Balloon Build, too! If you're pursuing retail space be sure to check out her unique story.

Finally, we hear again from Hayley who talked about self-employment in her previous interview. Needless to say, this interview had an incredible impact on me, too. The tips she gave absolutely sparked the thought that going full-time with balloons was possible.

She lets us know what's up with their shop, their operations and their employees.

As for me, I feel like I've settled into my new normal after quitting my full-time job. But that hasn't been without some challenges, like:

not feeling like I have any more time in my day
turning into a bit of a workaholic
locking down the health insurance

But onto the happier side... I've not had an ounce of regret in my decision. In fact, as I look back I see how insecure I really was in that position and I feel like I got out at the right time. Now I get to schedule my health, podcast interviews and site visits whenever I want!

All in all, I wouldn't say it's been an easy change, but it's absolutely an awesome one.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Ep. 32 - Everything you want is on the other side of fear | An interview with Tinesha from Mbellish Events @mbellishballoons_bg

Ep. 85 - Pop-up shops | Alissa from Twee Partees @tweepartees

Ep. 74 - Self-Employment | Hayley from Pop! Balloon Bar & Party @pop.balloonbar

Ep. 132 - I quit my job

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139. Procrastibranding and placeholder marketing Apr 25, 2023

Show notes

Today I want to share with you two concepts I learned from Denise Duffield-Thomas in her book Chill and Prosper, and they address how we can get past convincing ourselves that we aren't ready for the next step.

First is procrastibranding, where we tell ourselves that we can't: buy business cards because we don't have a website yet; or advertise for the next season because we haven't decided on our sales packages. There are so many ways that we can convince ourselves not to move forward!

Instead, lean in on her second concept of placeholder marketing that will help you take some action. I actually just went through this procrastibranding - placeholder marketing situation with my Glow Retreat!

I kept feeling like the website had to be more built out, I needed more Instagram posts, I needed a better schedule, etc. but I was just too excited to announce it that I went for it anyway and was so delighted when it sold out on the first day. (Thanks again to everyone who signed up - I'm so incredibly excited to see you there!)

After I saw that happen it opened my eyes to some areas I've been procrastibranding in my balloon business, too. Things like:

marketing the new props I get
marketing for graduation season
moving some things around on my website

And I'll tell you, once you start rolling with your placeholder marketing and discovering that you can succeed with it, those decision-making powers start to trickle out into the rest of your business, too! So, what do you do from here? First, know that everything is temporary. You can change it when the time comes. And your "placeholder" marketing might just do the job! Chances are, nobody will be looking that closely at your logo or your business card, etc.

Force yourself to take some action now so that you have the opportunity to improve them later. You won't make much money in your business if you're stuck in non-action.

What are some other ways we procrastinate in our businesses? Maybe you avoid putting systems like pricing guides or color charts in place, that you know will help your customers, but are afraid will box you in. That was me for so long but once I created these items I couldn't believe the difference in how much more quickly I was able to book my jobs. I'm also certain that the color chart has saved me tons of money because I don't need to chase every new color that comes on the market.

As you're listening and discover something that you've also been avoiding, I hope this episode motivates you to take action on at least one thing… today! Let me know! What are you taking action on next?

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Pricing Guide Menu

Color Chart

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138. Big Balloon Build Debrief & Retreat Announcement Apr 18, 2023

Show notes

In this episode I'm sharing all the details about what it was like to host The Big Balloon Build in my hometown. If you're not familiar, it's an organization started by Stuart Davies who used to do these builds in his own community in Wales. I was actually only the third person in the United States to host one since it's become an international event!

It's just like it sounds, a big (let's be honest... huge) build, where we used over 120,000 balloons and had over 70 artists from around the world come in to make it happen. After the build is completed, it's turned over to a charity for fundraising. I'm so proud to say we raised over $110,000 and received over 2000 pounds of food donations at my build!

But it wasn't without a ton of work! If you're considering hosting, or even just going to participate, I have a few behind the scenes notes on some of the things I'm glad I prepared for and some things I wish I had prepared for. Things like:

the length of the planning process
partnerships you'll need to create with a venue, a sponsor and a charity
balancing the workload with the charity
prep time and space just before the start of the build
my actual duties as the host during the build
managing the chaos of food

Was it worth it? Long story short... yes, but I do think you need to prepare for what kind of outcomes are realistic, what might not be and what you, as a host, actually want to accomplish or gain from hosting.

And now that my duties with The Big Balloon Build are through, it's confirmed for me that I should finally host the retreat I've been thinking about for over a year!

I'm so, so excited to announce that registration is open for the first ever Glow Retreat, a women's retreat for balloon business owners! This all-inclusive event will take place in Lake Geneva, WI, from August 7-10, 2023, and is limited to the first 12 participants.

It's actually a balloon-free event where instead of building, we'll be focusing on implementing the strategies of my favorite book, The Pumpkin Plan. From figuring out your area of innovation, to finding your "pumpkin" clients, to creating an actual plan of what to do following the retreat... we'll be bouncing ideas off each other to strategize and set goals over good food and with gorgeous scenery.

My favorite part of any convention or event I attend is always getting to know people and creating relationships through conversation, and that is exactly what I'm hoping for for all of the retreat attendees! Full schedule of events and info can be found at the link below!

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

The Glow Retreat

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How About Balloons on Instagram

137. Cold emailing | Rachel of How About Balloons Apr 11, 2023

Show notes

Rachel of How About Balloons comes on the show in this episode to talk about cold pitch emails (and interestingly enough, it was a cold pitch email that got this interview scheduled!). The timing of this conversation couldn't be better for me as I dive into full-time balloons and want to take more of an offensive approach rather than waiting to see who contacts me.

Rachel and her mom Lisa have had a lot of success with this type of marketing in their business and I'm so excited to share our conversation, and their tips, with you all!

Believe it or not, she's been able to bring her experience as a pediatric dental hygienist into her balloon business in order to communicate with people in a supportive, but fast and condensed way.

She shares with us their strategy for reaching out to local event planners and venues via Instagram and email. Not only that, she gives a few ideas for subject lines and actual email content! Then I put her on the spot and ask for some constructive feedback on a strategy I've been testing.

We also chat about things like how they've kept their growth goal front and center from the start, how they've managed their framework inventory as a newer business and what kinds of things they did to invest in their business.

I cannot wait to incorporate these ideas and suggestions from Rachel in my business and am so thankful to her for sharing. We even end the interview with such an optimistic view on our industry... I just know you're going to be inspired by this episode!

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

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Bonus Episode | March Book of the Month Apr 06, 2023

Show notes

Here's another bonus episode of what we've been learning about over in the Bright Balloon Book Club!

Join here!

Last month, we read Company of One by Paul Jarvis. This episode is a brief overview of the key takeaways!

Thanks to our sponsors!

17hats (get 50% off your 1st year)

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

BalloonCoach.com

136. Top Amazon finds for your balloon business Apr 04, 2023

Show notes

In this episode I'm sharing a list of things I constantly use and wholeheartedly recommend. Several of them were recommended to me by some friends at Balloon Boss Summit and have been enormously helpful in my balloon business!

First up, a paraffin wax hand spa and an anti-fatigue mat. I ordered these immediately upon recommendation from Diana, and they might not be in the need-to-have category, but wow, they are sure nice to have when you're inflating for hours on end. They're also great additions to your shop if you have employees who you want to keep comfortable and happy.

And on the practical end, let's talk rubber bands! I use two different sizes: #117a and #33 (thanks to Jenny for these recommendations!). The #117a size is pretty large and perfect for adding clusters into garlands. The #33 size is more of a "regular" size rubber band, but can still stretch over 16' balloons. I probably go through two boxes a month of each of these sizes!

Something I've splurged on is the Gimble. It stabilizes your phone while you're recording video and comes with a tripod, joystick controller and app. Which means you can get some awesome time lapse videos, horizontal panning across your entire installation and video effects.

Next up are a couple of exceptions to my own rule... tiny self-sealing foil balloons (here and here). I've used these in baby showers, birthday parties, etc. and really appreciate the time they can save me compared to heat-sealing balloons while installing on site.

Framework! I've gotten away from worrying about having the strongest, sturdiest framework possible, and have been experimenting with different options. I feel like I'm narrowing in on what works best and these chiara frames are so portable and inexpensive that I'm able to have multiple out at once.

This next item is something I discovered the hard way that I needed: replacement light sockets. I recently upgraded my inventory to include marquee light-up numbers and got in a bit of a pinch when a string of them went out one day. Thankfully, they're so easy to replace and now I'm better prepared for the next time it happens.

I'm also loving these shelf dividers to keep my balloon inventory tidy and really easily accessible. They're actually meant for closets and are clear, vertical dividers that I've stuck into my IKEA cubbies in order to utilize the whole space. I've been really surprised at how well they're holding up, too!

Finally, this business card plus rack card combo holder. This came in so handy when I started running my Grab and Go Garlands through the local grocery stores because it helps me have multiple materials on display at once. It holds my business card and garland instruction card.

I hope you find a couple of things in this list that will help your comfort, speed or ordering process, too! And listen to the end because I'm giving some details of what's ahead for the podcast and book club!

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

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135. Celebrity decor | Nicolle from POParazzi Balloons Mar 28, 2023

Show notes

Nicolle of POParazzi Balloons is based out of New York, and she has been in business for more than 12 years, so I loved talking with a veteran about not only her celebrity decor jobs, but also competition, growth and continuous learning.

In this episode we chat about:

staff and roles
how she started to get the big, celebrity jobs (plus some name drops!)
when to do traditional vs. organic decor... and when to mix them
installations in the city
customer relationships and marketing
competition
education

Specifically, she mentions that event planners were a huge reason she was able to break into providing balloon decor for celebrities. She shares with us how she approaches these installations and what kind of limitations can sometimes be in place with celebrity decor jobs.

When we talk about business growth, we talk about existing vs. new customer relationships, communication style & preferences, marketing and minimums. I loved her take on making sure an installation is right for you, but still being open to accept the smaller jobs that help you remember the joy you're bringing to people with balloons.

Her view on competition... is that it's not a competition! She loves meeting new people who enjoy doing balloons just as much as her... and what a great attitude to have! Learn more and connect with her at https://www.poparazziballoons.com/about.

Lastly, Nicolle lets us know what kind of education she received to jump start her business and the types of things she does to stay up to date with new techniques, tactics and process improvements.

I had such a nice time meeting and talking with Nicolle - I'm sure you'll love hearing from her, too!

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

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