The Bright Balloon

Jeff is one of the new owners of the company that creates the most valuable tool in my toolkit: my magnets! I had the pleasure of meeting him briefly at FLOAT and was happy that he could come on the show to tell us more about how he and his business partner made their way into the balloon community through Clik-Clik. I loved his openness and honesty and it was really a delightful conversation! You...

Back by popular demand is Courtney of Courtney Lynette Creative Co! And this time, we're chatting about her website services and how she can help your business take root with a permanent internet home that doesn't rely on social media. Websites are her bread and butter service, and the event industry is her sweet spot. With a history working in events, she knows how to create websites that are fun...

I've felt my business grow over the past couple of years, but there have also been some life changes that kind of made things feel a little out of whack. So in this episode, I share how I'm trimming the "fluff" and tuning up my business by going back to the basics! This process is actually inspired by my previous time as a 6th grade art teacher. So much of what we would cover was foundational prin...

Travis and I purchased our marquee letters from the same vendor at about the same time, and in this episode we share our thoughts about the upsides and downsides of owning marquees. We start with all the good things about our marquees, including: How they help us land more corporate and convention jobs How they're a good anchor for balloons & serve multiple decor purposes Why they're an easy sale...

My guest in this episode is very familiar with the balloon industry and has become hugely helpful to me as I've needed graphic design elements in my business. Emily of The Party Method helps event decorators fulfill their customers' requests with custom backdrops and other printed products! In our chat you'll hear about Emily's background and how she was introduced to the balloon community. She al...

I felt like we were overdue for an episode about AI, so in this one I'm sharing how I've used it, where to find it, and how it can help your business... including something that has been a total game-changer for me! To be honest, I kind of feel like AI is becoming a bit of a buzz word that doesn't always apply as advertised. What I consider real AI is a tool like Chat GPT - the one I use most ofte...

In this interview I'm chatting with Alexis, the founder of Fanfaire, about her new platform aimed to help us sell our balloon decor options by bringing designs to life. It was really exciting to learn about her product and how it came to be! You'll hear about her background in both tech and balloons, then she'll dive into Fanfaire's digital storefront and how it aims to be an end-to-end solution....

Karin comes on the show to tell us about how she manages her balloon jobs, a large rental inventory and her flight attendant job... that she has no intention of leaving. I've loved Karin's spirit and energy since I met her at Balloon Wonderland, so it was so nice to have her on the show! Hear how the rental side of her business quickly led to balloons, which quickly grew into a sizable company tha...

Let me tell you something... when you have a 5-digit tax bill at the end of the year - even after paying quarterly taxes - that is a really good time to lean on professionals to help you configure your financial setup! Today's guest, Elizabeth from Fiore Accounting & Tax Services, helped me do just that, and then some. Listen in for the details of: all the services their team provides what S Corp...

A big thank you to my friend Ashley of Pink Flamingo Party Co. who came on the show for this episode all about the ins and outs of retail. This is something I know almost nothing about, so it was really insightful to get more details about not just retail, but also staffing, training and adding inventory. We will also hear how she fought the proposed balloon ban that happened in her state! The Pin...

Today I'm sharing with you a change that I never thought I would make in my business! I'm increasing the number of times I make contact with my customers, and I'll tell you how... what led to this decision... and why I think it's going to change my business. If you've been listening for a while you know that I am all about efficiency, so the idea of getting on the phone with more customers is a bi...

This episode is a little different because I'm chatting with someone who works for a balloon company... but not the owner. Heather, who supports Tiffany at the Confetti Castle, comes on the show to give us some tips about keeping your assistants and employees happy while best utilizing their skills. We'll hear about the range of administrative duties she takes care of on any given day, and how doi...

I recently did a job alongside a lighting and entertainment company who came in with such professional looking equipment that it had me evaluating my own branding. I realized that some things don't take a lot of time, money or energy to update... and I'm sharing those ideas in this episode! Of course this all starts with having a logo that you love. I was able to edit mine in Canva until it was th...

It was such a treat to have 9 other moms on the show for this episode, where we talk about everything from juggling business, kids and in some cases, a separate full-time job; plus partner dynamics and even employing our children! These moms represented a pretty big range of years in business, number of kids and business plans... I know you'll connect with at least one. Some of the gems that came...

This week's guest is a friend of mine who helps streamline our businesses, primarily through the platform that sponsors the podcast - 17hats. You're going to hear about the balloon events you may have seen her at in the last few months, plus a huge milestone she's hit in her business since she last came on the podcast! We also reminisce about how she got started in the balloon community back when...

This week I'm sharing what happened on Instagram when I asked business owners with less than 5 years experience to leave a question in the comments, and business owners with more than 5 years experience to drop in an answer. It was such a nice surprise to see how many people participated, and thank you to each and every one who did! There were a ton of great questions and great answers, including:...

I just loved hearing from Alexis in this episode, as she shares with us how she's created crowd-funded balloon installation events for the Title I schools in and around her community! Listen in to hear how you can replicate the idea in your area and become a part of the Loons' for Littles program. Alexis takes us through: how you pitch the program to your clients, including timeline how it doesn't...

I feel like this week's guest, Lamar, and I have such similar businesses. He comes on the show to chat about finding balance as a small business owner, giving classic and organic decor each their own due, and my favorite part... his knack for branding in every aspect of his business. We'll hear what great support he had when starting his business in college, we talk about the transition into ballo...

It was so exciting to hear how today's guests Alissa, Rachel and Aimee came together with their different skill sets to create their own line of modern and fun specialty foils! They each have their own balloon decorating businesses but as they got to know each other in their local area they realized how a team approach to this fun new business would benefit them all. We'll hear about: the first fo...

Get your notepad ready for this episode, because Megan comes back on the show to share with us some amazing tips for posting jobs and interviewing potential staff members. We'll hear how she transitioned into balloon decor, what her team looks like, how she assigns tasks and how it all requires clear and upfront communication. Not only that, but she takes us through the nuts and bolts of how to ac...

2024 Glow Retreat  Let's face it... creating content is practically its own full-time job in our businesses, because it's endless! I know so many of us feel drained with the idea, and I couldn't agree more. So in this episode I'm going to be sharing how batching and cranking out content has changed my business, and why this will be the theme of the 2024 Glow Retreat! Two things have recently chang...

Dolly & Eddie of Delloons almost need no introduction. So many of us follow their great creations on social media and today, they come on the show to tell us what it's like to work in their business together as a couple, and all about the rebranding process they went through. The good, the bad and the ugly, they share a lot of insightful and relatable things about their journey that you don't want...

This interview is with... me! I had the honor of being a guest on the HatsOff podcast, hosted by Amanda Rae of 17hats, and this episode features that conversation. It was really fun to tell my story and share a bit about the balloon industry on their platform! Of course we also talk about workflows and nitty-gritty process details, too... everything from "building the plane as you fly it", to busi...

Buckle in, because this episode is going to blow you away! Brittany helps creative businesses get legally legit, and beyond her 1-on-1 services she also has downloadable agreement resources specifically designed for balloon businesses! I was so impressed by Brittany and I just know that you're going to get a ton of value from this episode and her templates. We get to hear about her path to the cre...

It's hard to believe that it's been over two years since we last heard Tiffany on the podcast! So needless to say, she has a lot of updates about Confetti Castle's expansions to their staff and offerings. And it was so nice to hear how she's done it while outsourcing, meaning she's been able to grow the business without having to put more in her own workload. Before we talk about the financial con...