The Bright Balloon

Before implementing The Pumpkin Plan, I felt like I was trying to market to everybody but getting no traction. What really helped me regain my focus was finding the sweet spot within my business... and that's what this episode will help you work towards, too. (And don't miss the quiz in the show notes!)

There are three main aspects to this:

1. finding your best clients
2. identifying your unique offering
3. streamlining your process

You can start by listing your clients in order of amount spent. And as you look at the list, consider whether any of those top spenders are actually difficult to work with. If so, guess what? They're no longer one of your best clients.

You can continue to work with this list, assigning "grades" to each of them, according to things like how frequently you've worked with them, how forgiving they are about mistakes, whether they've referred anyone to you, etc.

Once it's whittled down to your best 20 clients, it's time to start examining what your market niche is and how you can serve them with a unique offering!

I'm especially excited about this part of the process for the Pumpkin Plan Accelerator because we all know that sometimes we're so far in the weeds with our own business that we're not able to identify things like this for ourselves. It can really help to bring in some outside perspective; and if you really want an edge on your competition... have some conversations with your clients about their wants and needs!

It's so scary, but so worth the effort because you'll know exactly how and where to spend your energy with what you offer.

Then when you know what you're offering, it's time to systemize and streamline it. This will include doing things like delegating and automating so that you can best serve those big pumpkins with ease.

Finding your sweet spot is a fascinating, humbling and eye-opening process. There are so many resources I can share with you inside the accelerator program that will help you through each step of the way! Listen in to hear about those resources, the structure of the group and who makes a great candidate for The Pumpkin Plan process. (Doors close in 2 days!)

In the UGlu Hotline, I'm answering a question about certifications... are they worth it? When should you get certified? How hard are they? What do most people get wrong about certifications? I'm dropping thoughts on it all!

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

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Balloon Boss Mastermind & Summit

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

Business Sweet Spot Quiz

Pumpkin Plan Accelerator

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Special announcement: Enrollment for the Pumpkin Plan Accelerator opens today! (9/12/23)

I have been waiting for this episode to be released! It's an interview with my friend Emily of Utah Balloon Creations, who runs a pretty large scale business. So she knows the tools and processes that we need in our business in order to succeed.

She's coming on the show to tell us all about her Delivery & Quantity Calculators, two things that she created out of necessity for her business and that are now available to us all! I've been using the delivery calculator in my business already and it's been amazing for eliminating the guesswork out of my quotes... I can't wait for you to hear about it!

Not only will you learn about the benefits of her resources, but she also walks us through how she and her husband bought Utah Balloon Creations from its previous owner and survived the pandemic shortly after... how the business ran as they had more children... and how they've since grown to a point of having multiple employees.

But back to the calculators, you'll hear how the quantity calculator allows them to know exactly how many balloons (of each color) are needed for each design, and then how that compares to their current inventory. The calculator knows how many balloons come in the bags from our top manufacturers, too! She thought of everything while building this tool - all you need to do is plug in a few numbers and it does the rest.

Then her delivery calculator is a game-changer because it will incorporate things like rush hour, how many people are going on the delivery and your desired profitability to make sure you're not selling yourself short... all especially helpful if you've got employees sending out quotes. And for those who have newer businesses, don't miss Emily's advice on pricing for the future!

I'm so excited for us all to have access to these tools; thanks for coming on the show, Emily!

And from the UGlu Hotline: we're talking about how to get noticed by area companies you're trying to connect with. I've got ideas for both Instagram and in-person networking that might help!

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)

Balloon Boss Mastermind & Summit

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

Balloon Calculators | @myballoontoolbox | @utahballooncreations

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When I first read The Pumpkin Plan by Mike Michalowicz years ago, it wasn't the right time in my business for it to really "click" for me. But about a year ago I found myself accidentally implementing the practices, which led me to take a more intentional approach with the process... and let me tell you... it had an immediate impact on my business.

So much so that it inspired the Bright Balloon Book Club and my recent certification as a Pumpkin Plan Strategist!

In this bonus episode I'm sharing info about:

• what the Pumpkin Plan Accelerator Course is
• how to get involved
• course assets, lessons & activities
• how to find your business sweet spot
• changes you can expect to see (and feel) from implementing the Pumpkin Plan

And in the UGlu Hotline, we have a question about how to stand out from the competition in your area. There are actually several Pumpkin Plan practices that you can do to improve this, and I share them here in the episode!

Thanks to our sponsors!

17hats (50% off your 1st year)

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

Balloon Suite

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

BalloonCoach.com

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

Resources mentioned:

Business Sweet Spot Quiz

Pumpkin Plan Accelerator Course

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@thebrightballoon

The Bright Balloon on YouTube

In this week's episode I'm chatting about my experience hosting my first ever Glow Retreat! I met awesome people, had a great time and learned a lot.

I wanted it to be a space for balloon business owners to talk shop, because those are often my favorite moments and memories from conventions, and I think we all have something to teach, offer and share with one another.

One thing that really helped with this was the diversity in the ways that the attendees run their business. Home-based, retail, e-commerce, Etsy... There were quite a few different business structures being represented and it made for some really high level and interesting conversation. I'm not even sure I could have hand-picked a better group!

So many things went well, but when I reflected on the experience I did discover some things that would need changing. From group size, to the number of days, to content, to lodging and more... I'm giving an honest reflection on the experience and whether I would do it again.

I feel like the most room for improvement is with the topics that I facilitate. I really wanted to be sure participants left feeling like their money and time was well-spent, but I realized that it was too much for the timeframe we had.

Because of this, I'm moving the content we covered into an online, 4-month group program: The Pumpkin Plan Accelerator! The Pumpkin Plan has made such an impact in my business that I recently became certified as Pumpkin Plan Strategist in order to help pass along the benefits of this approach to other balloon businesses.

I give more details about the program in the episode, but the main purpose is to help you discover your best customers and attract more of them so that you can narrow in on what makes your business unique. I really can't recommend this process enough and am so excited about the idea of helping you find the sweet spot of your business!

And this week in the UGlu Hotline, instead of the usual advice, we have a special tribute to Tommy of Balloons by Tommy, who many of you know is battling cancer. Words of support and encouragement came flooding in from across the country, and the segment has been dedicated to him... we love you, Tommy, and hope you get better soon!

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

50% off your 1st year of 17hats

Balloon Suite

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

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

Balloon Boss Mastermind & Summit

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

Business Sweet Spot Quiz

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@thebrightballoon

The Bright Balloon on YouTube

In this interview with Brian from Banzi Balloons we hear about the tremendous growth of his company, but I also put him on the spot for some "next steps" advice for my business. And the thing I love about Brian is that when you ask his opinion - he gives it!

We talk about how he bought out his competition and could hardly keep up with the growth they experienced when the pandemic started to lift. From a two-person, home-based show to a 10-employee and 6,000 square foot studio space, Brian and his wife Christina were "building the airplane as they flew it".

Life circumstances had Brian calling in help from anyone he could find and having no choice but to delegate. Now, they've trained their team so well that they've been able to step away from doing the sales calls, yet are steadily making their way to their $1 million sales goal!

He shares with us some of the things that he feels have made a huge difference for their team. Things like price lists, e-commerce setup and empowering and trusting employees. Then we chat about his DNA Document - something that represents who they are and what they stand for. It's a pretty neat shift in thinking, compared to the usual mission and vision statements.

Next, I put him on the spot for that "next step" advice. And it's something that I knew I might hear again! It quickly leads into the topic of exit strategies, and I appreciated Brian sharing a few of his ideas on that.

We covered so much in this episode, I just know they'll be at least one thing you can take away from the conversation.

...And the question from the UGlu Hotline this week is about conventions - mainly Balloon Boss Summit and FLOAT. I share my thoughts on each of them!

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

50% off your 1st year of 17hats

Balloon Suite

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

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

Balloon Boss Mastermind & Summit

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

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50 Ideas for Email Marketing | Join the Bright Balloon email list

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@thebrightballoon

The Bright Balloon on YouTube

This episode is really interesting because Lori tells us how she and her photobooth company added balloons into the mix. They started as an add-on but quickly grew to a sizable portion of her business during the pandemic.

In our conversation she also mentions a really unique service she does that was a huge light bulb moment for me and inspired me to take action right away!

We also hear about:

• Lori's initial start and what she wanted to do differently with her photo booth
• how balloons made their way into her business
• how 17hats helps her manage the photo booth, balloons and other services
• her advice on adding a photo booth to a balloon business
• more specifics of the unique service that I'm going to try
• her storage situation

Once again, I've come away from an interview with some really cool ideas to try in my own business, and I'm certain you'll take away at least one idea from this episode, too!

And this week in the UGlu Hotline, I answered a logistics-related follow-up question from the "24-hour sales challenge" episode. If you're still feeling hesitant about the do's and don'ts of email marketing, I hope this answer helps!

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

50% off your 1st year of 17hats

Balloon Suite

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

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

Balloon Boss Mastermind & BalloonCoach.com

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

Ep. 151 - 24-hour sales challenge

Flodesk - 50% off your 1st year

@fotovibeparty | www.fotovibeparty.com

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This week's episode is a bit unique, because it's kind of like a history lesson. Briana came on the show wanting to talk about some of the legends in our industry and the lessons that she's so quickly learned from them.

She had some rough timing with the start of her business, but her philosophy of serving first helped her become a positive contributor to her community. She's such a joyful person and her spirit is contagious, so it's no wonder she's made such an impact.

We chat about integrity, efficiency, "doing things right", and tools and techniques developed by a few of the legends she and her team follow.

I also ask a few rapid-fire business questions to Bri, including one about my most recent curiosity: exit plans. I think they're not talked about enough in our industry and I appreciated Bri's willingness to share hers!

Also, this week's UGlu Hotline topic is all about insurance - why you should have it, when you might need it and where to look for it.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

50% off your 1st year of 17hats

Balloon Suite

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

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

Balloon Boss Mastermind & BalloonCoach.com

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

Bomba Insurance

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Over the past seven years, Ryan and his wife Christine have scaled their balloon business into a full brick and mortar balloon bar in Sioux Falls, SD. They're succeeding in both retail sales and installation jobs, so I was really excited to have him on the podcast to hear more about their setup!

He takes us through their awesome automation for bouquet sales... the size options, style options, delivery charges and the platform running it all. Then Ryan shares great tips for how to get started in the automated bouquet sales process:

1. keep it simple
2. have the right tech
3. remember the photos

If you've been listening to the podcast for a while you know I'm a huge fan of automation and streamlining, so this conversation was so motivating. Especially after he shares the sales numbers they've experienced since implementing!

(And don't miss this week's tip on the UGlu Hotline about taking and recording measurements!)

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

50% off your 1st year of 17hats

Balloon Suite

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

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

Balloon Boss Mastermind & BalloonCoach.com

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

____________________________

Join the book club

50 Ideas for Email Marketing | Join the Bright Balloon email list

courses | templates | planner

@thebrightballoon

The Bright Balloon on YouTube

This month's bonus episode is a little different since we didn't read a new book. Instead, we took a hiatus to actually implement what we've been learning!

Listen in to hear about some actions I took after the latest book, Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki.

Join here!

Thanks to our sponsors!

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

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

Balloon Suite

UGlu by Pro Tapes (save 5% @ Havin' a Party with code BRIGHT)

BalloonCoach.com