Weekend 09/16

As promised I am attempting to stay consistent with my posts on the Creative Inflation Blog. Once or twice a week I want to keep you guys updated on issues that pertain to my brand of "Bending" which is the word I have decided to use to describe the advanced balloon artistry I am known for. We Benders are an interesting bunch. Some of us end up in the balloon industry by accident. Some of us end up here by choice. One thing is for sure though, nobody stays in the balloon industry unless they have a reason. It's hard to learn how to make
"cartoon-balloons" (another description created expressly for describing the work I do at Creative Inflation) and unless someone is avid hobbyist who simply likes practicing their art-form and really appreciates being praised by family and friends, the truth is there has to be some type of financial reward for perfecting your skills as a balloon-artist and as an entertainer. It's not an easy way to make a living, and like any industry, there are slow times and financial struggles and periods of boredom and then finally that trade-show comes around and drops $2500.00 dollars in your lap for a days worth of work, and then you remember why you got into this weird career in the first place as you happily deposit what would be a month's salary for some people into your bank account. Of course big events like this also bring private party requests, usually for children's birthday parties, and those kinds of events can bring anywhere from $200.00-$500.00 dollars depending on how many kids are at the party, so as you have probably figured out, getting your name out there and actually being aware of what trade-shows, festivals and special events are going on around town is really the most important part of your business plan, right after becoming the world's best balloon-artist your neighborhood has ever known! The reality is, where yes, we are artists, entertainers and business owners, the most important part of our work day is searching for and planning out our schedule of events. You have to be diligent about finding new business each week. You have to do your research and find out what is going on in your community. What local organization is sponsoring what event? Who is putting together the local Fall festivals? What are the schools doing in honor of which holidays? How about churches and mosques? Some of the best events I have ever done, have been at an Islamic Mosque, who hired me twice to come out and entertain at their children's functions. I found every event I have ever worked by doing research on-line, making phone calls to groups I hoped would be interested and by answering inquiries from different types of people who had seen me or one of my benders, entertaining with advanced balloon artistry at some party or special event. The lesson here is that word of mouth advertising works, but that it's only part of a complex formula I use to constantly fill the sales funnel each week with new events to work all month long. There is a lot of planning that goes into running any type of business. I'd like to help shed some light on that planning process and help those of you who are interested in perhaps making money with your own balloon-company. This ain't rocket-science as they say! However, like anything worth doing, there are some
tips & tricks you might want to know about that have helped me become more successful along the way. I hope some of the things I plan to share in my next few posts will help you too. Stay tuned, because there's more to come!

Benders unite...    

=RICK=