Balloon bouquets make lovely gifts. Whether you give them as individual gifts or you couple them with other gifts the effect is always equally inspiring and pleasant.
Balloons have a way of spreading cheer and livening up not just the person receiving them, but also the whole atmosphere. So if you are a person with a imaginative and creative mind, a penchant for fun and love brining a smile to the faces of people balloon bouquet business can be your niche.
From designing to arranging balloons into bouquets, twisting them into different shapes and forms or just making unique decorations, the balloon business is abound with opportunity and expansion.
From Balloon bouquets and decorations for weddings and parties, graduations, sales presentations, inaugurations, for birthdays and christenings and anniversaries, this business is an endless pool of fun and creativity.
So if you are interested in starting your own balloon business here are a few pointers to get you started:
What you will be doing
You will be arranging all kinds of balloons in to beautiful and vibrant bouquets. You can get as creative as you want with these bouquets. Adding little gifts or cards or notes to them adds that special touch. Some people may like giving only a balloon bouquet; others might like to combine it with a gift. For instance, a lot of people like giving a bottle of wine with a balloon bouquet.
Setup costs/income potential
The balloon bouquet business can be set up at relatively low costs. A simple guide to set up your business with the most essentials can give you an idea of how much you would need to invest. The following should be kept in mind when you are calculating your startup costs
1· Basic equipment and tools that you need to assemble your balloon bouquets.
2· A set amount to be kept aside for your retail and wholesale supplies (incase you like attaching gifts to your balloon bouquets)
3· Basic furniture (shelves, cupboards, storage cabinets etc.)
4· Business stationary and miscellaneous supplies, phones, answering machine, credit card machine, computer and fax
5· Initial marketing and advertising investment.
When it comes to the income potential of this business, there is only one limitation; your investment by way of effort and interest. Having said that; a simple balloon bouquet can get you anything from $20 to $100 and upwards. A wedding or any other function can easily lead to earnings of $500 (minimum) and upwards.
What you need to know/have
1· Business essentials like a supply of helium tanks, an assortment of colorful ribbons and a whole box of as many kinds of balloons as possible and a hot glue gun.
2· Most importantly you should a sense of what fits where and with what. A balloon bouquet may be easy to make but if coupled with the wrong colors or shapes and designs can lead to disastrous results.
3· Basic business acumen involving marketing and advertising, book keeping, pricing strategy, customer service skills are essential.
4· A fairly organized way of working is another requirement if you want to keep you on top of things like different orders, different ideas and themes.
5· A list of inventories to get you started which include things like a phone and answering machine to take in orders if you are not around, space where you can assemble all your baskets, shelves or cupboards to store all your items and purchases.
6· Some basic stationary like decoration rolls, stationery, envelopes, business cards, sales slips, invoices, containers, labels etc. You can pick all these items at low costs from any office supply store.
Pricing
Pricing is one area where you need to be careful. If your prices are too high, then you will loose business, if your prices are too low then you run the risk of incurring losses even before you start.
The best way to come up with a pricing system for your products is to check out what your competitors are charging for similar gift baskets. Set you prices based on what a customer is willing to pay and what will fetch you the highest profits.
Bizymoms.com has been helping women start work at home businesses for over 10 years. Their Balloon and Flower Bouquet Career Kit includes everything you need to start your Balloon and Flower Bouquet Business including a basic business start up guide and an easy start program, which provides step-by-step guidance on how to build up your Balloon and Flower Bouquet business within 29 days!
by Susan Hutson