The Bright Balloon

My friend Stephanie comes on the podcast for this episode and tells us all about fulfilling her dream of having a retail store. But even if retail doesn't interest you, listen in for some other great bits from our conversation that apply to all balloon business owners!

We chat about:

• cold calling and sales
• the mindset impact from being in Balloon Boss Mastermind
• how to search for and select a retail location (and a landlord)
• Balloon Planet
• inventory management and processes
• doing installations alongside having the retail space

It was so great to have Stephanie on the show, and she completely deserves all of the success she's creating. I know you'll feel uplifted after listening to her story and advice!

Also, this week on the UGlu hotline I answer a question about the balloon walls made out of starpoint balloons and point you towards some artists who create them really, really well!

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

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Backsliding is the concept of getting new systems all set up, only to revert back to your old ways... I've been guilty of it - have you? In this episode I'm sharing some of the areas I've backslid in, and if they ring true with you, too, let's make it a goal to pay more attention to these going forward!

Some money-related backslides for me include signing up for subscriptions I hardly use, sometimes spending too much on convenience, setting myself up for bank fees and almost always eating the cost of rush shipping instead of passing [at least some of] it onto the customer who ordered last minute.

And as we all know as entrepreneurs, we work hard for that money! So letting it slip through the cracks can really hurt.

Another thing that can occasionally get away from me is my balloon inventory. My custom color chart has been a tremendous help in keeping things in check but every now and then some other colors creep in and then I'm left with no way to use them again.

The color chart also helps me keep my shop clean because everything has its spot... so many other things in my shop don't! I need to take the time to make homes for all those odds and ends so that it doesn't go from clean to a disaster zone in one weekend.

A couple of tech-related backslides I've had are with my 17hats CRM and email marketing. 17hats does amazing things for me, but it does need to evolve with your business. New policies, updated workflows, etc... I need to get better about taking the time to make some small updates that reflect the new ways I do business. Email marketing... I love it and I strongly believe in it, but sometimes I just let life get in the way. This disappoints me because I know the kind of return on investment it gives me.

Lastly, I find myself backsliding on my goals. I get distracted and forget what my focus for the year was supposed to be. It's actually kind of crazy how easy it is to forget your goals if you don't keep them in front of you.

And this week's question from the UGlu Hotline related perfectly to backsliding. I think we all fantasize about having a great pre-installation checklist, but it can be really hard to know where to start. I'm going to aim to make notes the next time I do each type of installation, then use those notes to create the nice color-coded manual I dream of.

So if after listening you're starting to feel bad about the areas you may have backslid in, just know that it was meant to be an encouraging episode for us to re-center on, shake off the cobwebs and find some areas of opportunity. You've got this!

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

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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 Summit & BalloonCoach.com

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

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I've never done an episode like this before, but I'm excited to hear your results from joining in! I have a 24-hour sales challenge for you, with 7 strategies that work well for me to generate sales during the slower times.

Strategy #1: check your inbox. This might mean your email inbox or maybe it's your 17hats / CRM system. Look for those jobs where you were communicating with a customer and things kind of fizzled out for one reason or another.

Strategy #2: check your calendar to see what you were working on this time last year. I love doing a calendar audit to steadily keep jobs coming my way and to make sure the annual jobs get rebooked.

Strategy #3: dig for your pumpkins. Yes, I'm talking about the Pumpkin Plan again! In this strategy, I want you to dig through your data to find your top customers so that you can give them your best energy and attention, and be ready and willing to help them with their next event.

Strategy #4: send a newsletter. I'm a big believer in email marketing and feel like I make a sale every time I send a newsletter! It doesn't have to be fancy... in fact, I think the more personal, the better. More on this in a future episode, but I'm almost certain I booked my biggest job ever because of a newsletter.

Strategy #5: send cold emails or DMs. This one is scary for me, but Rachel of How About Balloons gave a lot of great tips on how to do this in Episode 137.

Strategy #6: post on social. And don't forget... post the things that you actually want to sell. We always want to share our most impressive work, but a lot of the time that work was actually pretty difficult to accomplish so it's not always a good idea to encourage more people to book similar jobs with you.

Strategy #7: do some cash and carry options. This is a sales strategy in reverse... first you make the thing, and then you sell it. The idea is that you are making things incredibly convenient for the customer while also using up older inventory items.

I hope this episode gives you a little boost in your sales... today! If you close a sale thanks to one of these strategies PLEASE send me a message so that I can celebrate with you!!

(And this week on the UGlu Hotline we get an awesome tip for using UGlu Dashes with your foils - don't miss 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 Summit & BalloonCoach.com

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

Ep. 53 - Set It Up September | Calendar Audit

Email Marketing for a Year | Canva Bundle

50% off your first year of Flodesk

Ep. 137 - Cold emailing | Rachel of How About Balloons

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Balloons are generally a profitable business, but there are always those traps where we overspend and let money slip through the cracks. In this episode I'm sharing the tools and strategies I believe contribute the most to my profitability.

First, it's my actual balloon inventory. I've created a custom color chart that limits the number of choices available to my customers. This means I'm spending less time ordering, I pay way less in shipping, I can easily find the color I need and my inventory is far less likely to go bad.

This custom & limited color chart has already been a game changer in my business, but I can also see how it'll continue to save me time if I decide to have my part-time employee purchase inventory in the future.

Another part of my business that contributes to my profit is my 17hats CRM. Emails, invoices, workflows... so much of it either runs on autopilot or happens with just one click. In fact, Grab and Go Garland sales are entirely automatic through 17hats!

So not only does it save me the cost of an admin assistant, it helps me to actually make money, too.

Now let's talk about actual money management. You may have heard me mention Profit First in previous episodes. It's my cash flow system that essentially makes sure I take profit. Without a doubt, implementing this system has been a major part of my profitability.

I'd say it's actually increased my confidence with money in general - mainly in my spending. I used to never know how much I could or should be spending, but now I know what the limits are and it keeps everything in check. I can't recommend the book and system enough!

Finally, the last thing that has contributed to my profitability are my rental items. To be honest, I resisted them for a long time because I know it can be a slippery slope. But now I have a limited stock of rentals that I'm proud to say have almost all paid themselves off, meaning they're practically 100% profit at this point.

I've quickly realized that rentals are not only a good way to make money, but they're also great for installations because you know exactly what you're working with.

If you feel like you're not making as much as you should in your balloon business, I have a recommended order of things to examine and implement so that you can find your way to profitability.

(And speaking of rental items, in this episode from the UGlu Hotline we cover backdrops... which ones I have, whether I use customers' backdrops and a resource to create free-standing garlands.)

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 Summit & BalloonCoach.com

Call the UGlu Hotline- ‪(262) 221-8514‬ *For a limited time, callers will receive 100% off any download from The Bright Balloon Store

Inventory System w/ Custom Color Chart | Multi-Brand

Ep. 51 - Set It Up September | Profit First

Ep. 80 - Profit First Revisited with Elizabeth Fiore

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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 Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. This episode is a brief overview of the key takeaways!

Thanks to our sponsors!

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Alex and Ellie started their business doing lawn decorations, but after one balloon basics class they immediately fell in love with the limitless decor potential of balloons. Now, years later, they've basically become these jacks of all trades who can design practically anything!

And they're giving back to the balloon community by hosting an upcoming networking event: Mimosas, Mocktails & Mingling. It's meant to be a space for balloon business owners to reset their goals for the second half of the year, mingle and ask those business-related questions that there isn't always time for at technique classes.

They announce two fun surprises about the event in the episode and have more up their sleeve as well... I can't wait to be there and would love to know if you're going, too!

(Also in this episode from the UGlu Hotline, I'm sharing ideas on how to price marquees... which are largely thanks to Misti's awesome tips in episode 146!)

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 Summit & BalloonCoach.com

Call the UGlu Hotline- ‪(262) 221-8514‬ *For a limited time, callers will receive 100% off any download from The Bright Balloon Store

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

Mimosas, Mocktails & Mingling: Networking for Balloon Professionals | [email protected] | balloonsbypacha

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When Tisha started her business, she initially set out to create and curate Insta-worthy party ideas for DIY moms, but, as she describes, balloons quickly chose her as the specific type of party decor to lean into.

Now, she's built her business up to include three part-time employees helping with inflating, install and admin work. She largely serves those looking for the over-the-top birthday parties for their kids, but, being in Las Vegas, she also gets a lot of business from bachelorette parties in the big hotels... which just may need to become its own episode!

Tisha and I also chat about the Balloon Esteem community she's building, which was sparked by Tisha's great relationships built with other vendors and other local balloon businesses. She wants to flip the script on worrying about competition and find a way for all balloon artists to lean into their craft and their superpowers while supporting one another along the way.

Balloon Esteem communities have since popped up in Texas, Ohio, California and Alaska... with more on the way! They're all about low-stress, happy vibes for balloon artists who really get what each other experience day in and day out. Plus, they're starting to do some really cool charity events as well.

We chat some more about how to properly share the information learned through investments in classes, conventions, etc., and I love and appreciate her approach of pointing people in the right direction and acknowledging the original creator.

This was such a fun and light episode that proves, once again, how much having a community helps!

(The episode also kicks off with a great question from the UGlu Hotline about itemizing invoices, and I share my middle ground approach for billing my customers that I feel keeps things easy and leaves me some design wiggle room, too.)

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 Summit & BalloonCoach.com

FLOAT the Convention 2024

Call the UGlu Hotline- ‪(262) 221-8514‬ *For a limited time, callers will receive 100% off any download from The Bright Balloon Store

@balloonesteem

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Flavia started her company in 2018 and has seen incredible growth ever since. Now with a fleet of vans, multiple employees and a booming business that services both the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. metros, Flavia has built her company into a thriving machine that I loved learning more about.

She takes us through:

• the progression of the hires she made
• some awesome & unexpected things that came up from making those hires
• her new role now that she has a team
• some crazy (and somewhat unreal) van experiences she's had

(Seriously, you've got to listen in to hear what she's been through!)

As we wrap up the interview, I ask Flavia what her best advice is for getting started on hiring. And she delivers with some well thought out practices she's implemented with her own employees. Even though I don't think I'm meant to own a business in the same way she does, I'm encouraged by her advice to keep inching forward in terms of delegating pieces of my business.

Thanks, Flavia, for coming on the show and sharing your experiences!

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 Summit & BalloonCoach.com

FLOAT the Convention 2024

Call the UGlu Hotline- ‪(262) 221-8514‬ *The first 10 callers will receive 100% off any download from The Bright Balloon Store

@partistryballoons

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My friend Misti of Balloons by Misti has developed a super unique tier system that gives her designer choice every single time. It gave me several light bulb moments that I can't wait to implement into my business and I know you'll find at least one takeaway from this episode as well!

Misti shares with us the details of how she developed her unique pricing structure that keeps it all as simple as possible. In a nutshell, she figures out the pricing for her components and builds upon that. And what I love about it is that it's a brilliant way for her as the designer to keep herself in check... because we all know how easy it is to keep adding more and more in order to get the design "just right".

And you've got to listen in for some great examples in the way she communicates with her customers... from expectations, to trust and turning down jobs, Misti shares some great language that's professional and kind while helping her keep her boundaries.

We go on to talk about the pros and cons of different booking processes, ways to interpret what our customers really want and her signature delivery goody that she includes with every order. It seems like she has 1,000 great ideas and reasons for using her balloon tags and it's definitely inspired me to start using them, too.

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 Summit & BalloonCoach.com

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This week I'm chatting with Travis Green of Squeek Balloon & Decor about networking! So many great tips and action steps!

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

50% off your 1st year of 17hats

Balloon Suite

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

UGlu by Pro tapes

Balloon Boss Summit & BalloonCoach.com

FLOAT the Convention

Call the UGlu Hotline- ‪(262) 221-8514‬

*The first 10 callers will receive 100% off any download from The Bright Balloon Store

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