The Bright Balloon

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...

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, deli...

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 S...

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 reta...

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, sometim...

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 thi...

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...

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!  17hats (get 50% off your 1st year)  Havin' a Party Wholesale (save 5% with code BRIGHT)   Balloon Suite   UGlu by Pro Tapes (save 5%...

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...

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 pa...

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...

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...

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 receiv...

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 Goals by Zig Ziglar. 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)  Balloon Suite   BalloonCoach.com  

It seems like it happens every year, right? Some of the goals you've set for yourself at the beginning of the year kind of fade away, either because you've forgotten about them or because you've lost interest in pursuing them. Well I'm here to say that it's OK to reevaluate your goals and shift them as needed! In this episode, I'm reviewing the 2023 goals I set for myself and sharing how they're g...

I've always lived in organized chaos - are you the same?! But what I'm beginning to notice is that the organized parts of my life (like my actual balloon storage) are making the less organized parts of my life really stand out... and sometimes in a painful way. I've decided I need to find a more consistent and systematic decluttering process, not only for the physical, but for the mental and digit...

In this episode I'm chatting with Steven Jones, the Executive Director of FLOAT, a convention that is very near and dear to my heart. That's why I'm so excited to announce a FLOAT registration giveaway!! Listen in to hear all of the details... the winner will be announced June 19! ENTER THE GIVEAWAY HERE!   If you're not familiar with this convention, this interview is going to be a great introduc...

Today I'm discussoing how to book big jobs, and more importantly, now to re-book them for reliable, consistant money! Register for my in-person "Impressive Installations" class here 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 M...

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!  17hats (get 50% off your 1st year) Havin' a Party Wholesale (save 5% with code BRIGHT) Balloon Suite BalloonCoach.com

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...

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...

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 h...

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...

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) Balloon Suite BalloonCoach.com

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 categor...