The Bright Balloon

I always love having Lilly on the show! In this episode, not only do we get to hear about some new products she has available for balloon artists, but we also chat about some best practices for Instagram, with quick and easy updates you can make while listening!

First, we talk about your Instagram bio and how to make it appealing and informative for your audience. Lilly shares her "who, where, what and how" approach for her profile setup and we chat more specifically about the "where" and "how" because this is where we see the most room for improvement in profiles.

Those things then lead us into talking about what kinds of things we should actually be posting. Lilly brought up great points about pictures vs. reels and what kind of content will make followers want to share and engage with.

Finally, we get to hear about the exciting new products available to us in time for Valentine's Day and at FLOAT!

And in the UGlu Hotline we get a great tip for rescuing our hands when they get damaged from the work we do.

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

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

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

Balloon Suite

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

Balloon Boss Mastermind & Summit

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Ep. 1 - Does your Instagram bio have these three things?

thecreativeheartstudio.com | @thecreativeheartstudio

Other episodes with Lilly:

Ep. 102 - Product Development | Lilly from The Creative Heart Studio

Ep. 61 - Getting Organized with Lilly, The Creative Heart Studio

Ep. 34 - The Creative Heart Studio with Lilly Jimenez

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I'll admit - I was not prepared for all of the great advice Jo Jo gave in this interview! She and her team do all things event decor... tents, rentals, linens, chairs and of course balloons. She's built an incredibly successful business with her supportive connections in the community and I have no doubt you'll get inspired and learn something by listening to her story.

Jo Jo tells us a bit about her background and how the business has grown to 13 employees and a brick and mortar location within just three years! We also get to hear about

• all they offer for both installation / delivery and storefront options
• the very cool rotating schedule she uses with her team
• how she utilizes 17hats to assign workflow tasks to her employees
• her calendar and inventory platforms

And you won't believe how much time she's been able to take away from their shop! She's able to do this by leaning on a couple of key positions: her part-time manager and her lead designer. Another thing that has contributed to her ability to step away is having her recipes right on the invoice for her team... an idea I totally want to steal!

When I ask Jo Jo's opinion on what rentals to start with, she not only delivers on that question but gives an amazing tip on how to properly charge for any rental items you're selling.

I was simply blown away by the success she's experienced and am looking forward to watching her business continue to excel.

And this week from the UGlu Hotline, we get a cool tip for creating free-standing arches when the installation surface is otherwise really difficult to attach to, such as stucco or brick.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

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

Balloon Suite

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 Boss Mastermind & Summit

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ALOFT (save $10 with code BRIGHT)

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I'm taking a unique approach to planning the year ahead and thinking not just about my business goals, but family and personal life goals and how they all tie together.

The first planning strategy is one I saw in my Instagram feed over and over before finally clicking in to learn more. It's all about finding one thing that is going to define your year, so that you can plan your personal and work life around and for it. Then, taking the time to schedule in mini-adventures that keep your energy and focus high, and finding a few new healthy habits to try along the way. The whole idea here is that if you don't actually plan in these highlights to your year, they're far less likely to happen.

Thinking about planning finances now, I went through an exercise as a 17hats ambassador that had us do a bit of reverse engineering. It's all about finding the actual number of work days you have in the year, deciding how much you want to make and then figuring out how much you need to bring in each week or month. This approach is totally rooted in practical, numbers-based ideas and was pretty eye-opening.

Finally, the last technique is all about marketing your business. Amy Porterfield suggests pushing only one thing a quarter, and I like this because decision-making about marketing gets very easy. And the fact is, that people need to see something over and over before making a decision. So promoting the same thing for a few months is not a bad move!

Listen in for more detail on each of these strategies. I hope that at least one of them inspires you to make some plans for a memorable and profitable year ahead! And I'd love to hear what they are!!

And on the UGlu Hotline, I share some thoughts about how far to go with diversifying your service offerings... how to balance ease and streamlining with showing customers all that you can do.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

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

Balloon Suite

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 Boss Mastermind & Summit

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2024 Bright Balloon Business Planner

ALOFT (save $10 with code BRIGHT)

Plan your year in 20 minutes!

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I am so thrilled to have Tommy & Scott of Balloons by Tommy on the show for the final 2023 interview! I've always held them in my mind as the gold standard of balloon businesses and appreciate even more how kind each of them are with their knowledge and experiences.

Tommy's balloon dreams started very young and he has never swayed from those dreams. We hear how he ran and grew his business while going to school, until Scott came along and they became this dynamic duo that started to scale rapidly. They tell us about the ups and downs they've experienced along the way as they've built their team and managed production, time away, etc.

You'll also hear what actual technologies they use to run the business, including group chats, their CRM, email management and mockups. And don't miss the tips they share about New Year's Eve bookings!

We wrap up the conversation by hearing how they plan their years, make goals for the business and think long-term about their direction. These two are clearly leaders within our industry and it was such an honor to have them on the show.

From the UGlu Hotline, we have a question about whether to use contracts in donation work. I share not only my guidelines on donating services, but also my approach for making the service happen.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

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

Balloon Suite

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 Boss Mastermind & Summit

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2024 Bright Balloon Business Planner

ALOFT (save $10 with code BRIGHT)

Balloons by Tommy

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Today I'm sharing how a few of the books from the book club have changed my business this year! It was such a nice refresher to look back on this list and have another think about all that we covered.

And I can't even say that all of the books in my top 3 were the most enjoyable to read, but they've definitely helped me make some great changes. Without further ado, here they are:

1. Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
2. Virtual Freedom by Chris Ducker
3. Clutter Connection by Cassandra Aarssen

Rich Dad Poor Dad gave me some new ways to think about assets and liabilities. It also gave me the courage to go after a commercial property! In the end, it wasn't the right decision but I gained some great insights in the process. I'll also tell you what type of rental items I've incorporated into my business because of this read!

Virtual Freedom had me make three lists to freedom, and here's what I've outsourced because of it:

• social media
• podcast editing
• sales

These are all major changes for me and I'm so thankful I went forward with them!

Clutter Connection was all about identifying your organizing preferences and tendencies. (What you see on Pinterest might not necessarily be what works for you.) Through reading this one, I figured out what changes to make with my balloon storage and why some things work as well as they do.

I hope by hearing my takeaways, you're encouraged to see how these books can help your business, too!

On the UGlu Hotline this week, I've got some tips for installing in super dry and staticy environments.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

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

Balloon Suite

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 Boss Mastermind & Summit

PremiumConwin

2024 Bright Balloon Business Planner

ALOFT (save $10 with code BRIGHT)

Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

Virtual Freedom by Chris Ducker

Clutter Connection by Cassandra Aarssen

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In this episode we are checking in with Melody to get an update on her educational platform as well as her decor business. In particular, we'll learn:

• how changing her minimum has changed her business
• the kind of impact her disco ball wall has made to her income and business plan.

It was so nice to hear how Melody is thriving!

Listen to Melody's episode about not waiting for permission here!

And in the UGlu Hotline I'm sharing my top advice for brand new balloon businesses, plus my biggest mistake from the early years of running my business.

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

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

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

Balloon Suite

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 Boss Mastermind & Summit

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I've already had the pleasure of chatting with Larry and Joe from Havin' A Party, but in this episode we get to round out the trifecta and connect with Austin to hear about some exciting things coming next for this distributor family!

First, Austin takes us through the moment he made the decision to jump into the family business and how they all quickly realized that roles needed to be assigned in order for the business to operate at its highest efficiency.

Then you'll hear about the mastery they have within this industry when he tells us how they're able to supply customers' new retail stores with just the right amounts of product according to what's expected to sell in their particular region.

And did you know they actually design products in house?! I am so excited to get my hands on some of the items Austin mentions are in development and are set to be released at FLOAT!

Finally, we also talk about how they follow their values to determine which events to attend and what products to carry. This family is so genuine and it's obvious how much they want to take care of their customers. I've loved chatting with each of them and have so much respect for them all.

And from the UGlu Hotline, we get a tip for making sure your sticky items are sticky enough!

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

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

Balloon Suite

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 Boss Mastermind & Summit

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2024 Bright Balloon Business Planner

ALOFT (save $10 with code BRIGHT)

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Two experienced balloon business owners come on the show in this episode to tell us about their balloon decor recipe membership! Johnathan Gerber of Party People Events and Jonathan Fudge of YTE Events & Balloon Decor have come together to provide a super helpful resource to fellow balloon business owners looking for step-by-step instructions for balloon decor, from the basic column to elaborate sculptures.

Their experiences in the industry are remarkably similar; we get to hear about how they were first introduced to balloons, how they acquired their own businesses, how they've grown them and how The Balloon Guild came to be.

We also get to talking about how recipes can help you build a team, which is something I've experienced myself! It might actually shine a light on some holes in your business at first (in terms of pricing and production), but once recipes, processes and expected build times are established, that's where real growth will start to happen.

And then, when life changes such as pregnancy, injuries or caretaking come up, your business won't get hit quite as hard because you've taken the time to move things out of your own brain and onto paper.

Whether you're looking for some creative inspiration for yourself, or you want to train a team with some great recipes, The Balloon Guild can help!

And from the UGlu Hotline, we get a cool tip about how to help keep your balloon deliveries a surprise!

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

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

Balloon Suite

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 Boss Mastermind & Summit

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Balloon Guild (save 20% with code WeLoveSara20)

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Do you ever find yourself moving your own goalpost? I've been thinking a lot about this concept for the past few months and trying to notice how often I self sabotage by doing it! It's a dangerous thing because it immediately has us thinking we are less successful than we really are. In this episode, I want to help you find some guardrails for yourself so you can protect your goals.

I'm a big believer in taking the time to write them down. Not only will this help you remember them, but if you're remembering them, you're less likely to move your goalpost!

Each year, I reserve time on my way home from Balloon Boss Summit to intentionally think about and set my goals for the following year. I love this timing because I'm always so excited about the possibilities after Summit and I use that excitement to plan the next year of my business. I utilize a physical planner to write down my goals and break them into smaller chunks, but at minimum, I suggest a little goal hack I learned from Denise Duffield Thomas and I share it in this episode.

Now the biggest reason I find myself moving my goalpost is due to shiny object syndrome. I'll see a new trend pop up on Instagram, for example, and I'll think that I need to divert my attention there instead of following the plan I had already laid out for myself. Then at that point, I'm not fully committed to either goal!

To eliminate those shiny objects, I've decided to unfollow or mute some of the accounts that tempt me to change my plan. If you find yourself scrolling and suddenly feeling down about where you are with your business, I encourage you to do the same.

My next tip is cliche, I know, but I'm trying to really dig deep into it this year; it's the phrase "define your why". It's so easy to default to your children or family as your "why", but I'm forcing myself to look at it in terms of what my "why" is as a creative business owner. To be the most creative? To grow a team? To be the one to make a lot of decisions? To work just enough to pay the bills?

These are hugely different purposes so it's important to understand this about yourself as you set your goals for your business.

Now, more practically, here are a few other things I'm doing in 2024 to keep myself from moving my own goalpost, and I share more details in the episode:

• Pre-planning my promotions by quarters

• Scheduling and focusing in on my biggest annual jobs

• Deciding which annual jobs I don't want to take again

• Scheduling vacations (personal and working vacations)!

• Creating a list of ideas for later

I really hope this episode helps you find ways to stay true to your goals in 2024, and I'd love to hear what they are!

And from the UGlu Hotline this week, we get a question about doing #allthethings and being everywhere when it comes to social media. I give my take on the platforms to incorporate, the strategy I take for each and what tool I use to schedule posts.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

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

Balloon Suite

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 Boss Mastermind & Summit

PremiumConwin

2024 Bright Balloon Business Planner

Ep. 144 - Goal check-in

Ep. 117 - My 2023 goals

Ep. 65 - 3 ways to remember your goals

Ep. 64 - Year end review of your balloon business

Ep. 63 - How will you stay on top of your goals in 2022?

Ep. 22 - What's your word for 2021? | Goal Setting

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I've been keeping this huge secret for several months now! But I'm ready to share all about how I'm preparing my business for my maternity leave, what will change and more...

Long story short, this was a huge surprise. And it's one thing to wrap your head around maternity leave while working a 9-5 job, but the prospect of making this happen successfully as a business owner takes it to a whole new level.

Luckily, I'm due in February, which is normally a pretty slow time for me. And since I've already started outsourcing quite a bit in my business, I'm feeling confident that all will be fine.

Kate, my inflator, has continued to improve and I know that she can make things happen if one of my big "pumpkins" comes up with an event. I've also got my bookkeepers to help my finances stay in order, and as we talked about in the book club last month, I now have a virtual assistant to help me with my leads as well! I'm so grateful I already had most of these things in place so that the transition doesn't feel rushed and hectic.

Right now my plan is to push as many Grab & Go Garlands during my leave as possible. I'm also exploring other items that could make sense for pick up or leave behind, and have fully changed my mind about hiring help to install if it can save me some of the physical labor.

Some other things I have in place (that I think can benefit anyone) are:

• pre-scheduling social media & newsletters to my balloon customers, along with episodes for the podcast
• hiring other local balloon decorators to fill in for me
• a great cash flow system in Profit First that has helped me build my savings
• health insurance

All of these safety nets have helped make the pregnancy pretty stress-free, and I believe these ideas can also be applied to those who are caring for parents or a spouse, are healing from a surgery, etc. It might take a mindset shift to get there, but the ease that they can bring into your life is totally worth it.

In the UGlu Hotline this week, we get a cool tip about how to respond to leads while you're busy doing other things! And what great timing - I'll definitely be using this tool while on maternity leave!

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

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

Balloon Suite

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 Boss Mastermind & Summit

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Ep. 150 - Finding Profit

Ep. 80 - Profit First Revisited with Elizabeth Fiore

Ep. 162 - Protecting yourself and your business | Erin from Country Financial

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