If you were to ask any seasoned professional what they would do differently if they started their balloon business again, you would find that most of them would have taken up training sooner. Balloon artistry is a creative skill, and there is so much more to it than you many think... but maybe you have already started to find that out?
Training Instructor TY Wong of Colour Life, Hong Kong
I know of a number of very successful balloon businesses who started their ballooning journeys in recent years offering only organic décor. They in their own words were 'self-taught'; however, as their businesses grew, so did their clients requests and it became evident that they needed to learn the true foundations of balloon artistry: Classic Balloon Decor.
Rainbow Arch and Decor by Sue Bowler
Classic Balloon Decor is the foundation of balloon decorating. Foundations can be found in the early defining work of a discipline, and balloon decorating started with balloon garland arches, swags, columns and 'string of pearl' (SOP) arches.
Classic Balloon Decor is the starting blocks for ballooning, and almost all balloon artists/decorators start here! It's as basic as learning how to inflate balloons to a specific size, tying a duplet, twisting balloons into clusters as well as the art of adding balloons to line or framework! Once a decorator has these mastered, they can move onto more challenging projects!
Decor by Sue Bowler
Classic Balloon Decor can be used in so many ways and for so many different types of events, including weddings, corporate decor or shopping malls; think large spaces where balloons can be used on large scale!It's not just about learning Class Balloon Decor techniques, it's also having a good understand of the elements and principles of design.
Creating the 'perfect' design is not something that just happens automatically, at least not for most of us anyway! There are a number of factors that make a 'perfect design', so let's take a look at what those factors are!
Elements of Design:
These are parts that make up the design, and you can either touch or see the elements of design. These include colour, line, shape and texture.
Principles of Design:
The basic principles of design include unity, scale and proportion, balance, rhythm and harmony.
Applying these principles to the elements of a design brings them together into one cohesive idea. How you apply these principles determines how successful a design may be!
So you may be wondering ,how can you learn about these and where can you find training courses, especially during the pandemic?
It is true to say that the pandemic has definitely thrown a spanner into the works when it comes to face-to-face training courses! However, finding good training in many countries has always been difficult even during normal times.
During the past few months, when many countries have been in lockdown, Qualatex has worked hard to bring training to the world-wide community in the form of webinars. To-date, there has been 10 webinars covering a wide variety of topics.
For anyone new to the balloon business, I would like to recommend:
"Cooking with Cam & Eve - Ingredients for Success Part 1 - Qualatex Latex" as well as "Cooking with Cam & Eve - Ingredients for Success Part 2 - Qualatex Microfoil and Bubble Balloons."
I can even offer you a coupon code that will give you $5.00 off each of these courses!
GoMrQ
Both of these videos in addition to other fabulous online classes from industry leading instructors are available to purchase and download from Qualatex Online Education at Vimeo - Click HERE for a direct link or go to https://vimeo.com/qualatex
Can you learn from YouTube?
There are so many great tutorials available on YouTube, but for every quality video there is one that gives bad or ill-informed information You can easily learn really poor skills and techniques which is not a great way to start your ballooning career. I have used YouTube myself to learn how to make different styles of bows, and other non-balloon related techniques, so it's definitely not all bad. Just use discretion when browsing YouTube!
My advice to you would be to seek balloon artists whose styles and designs you like, and follow them on their Facebook and Instagram pages. If they have videos, which many do, then those are the ones that you want to watch.
Qualatex has their own YouTube channel - Q Corner, and I would certainly recommend that you check it out, as it is packed with many great tutorials and training videos - click HERE for a direct link or visit https://www.youtube.com/c/QCornerShow/videos
If you would like to learn more about the elements and principles of design, and how it will help you with your balloon designs, I have written a number of blog posts that will help you greatly:
And of course, don't forget to tune in to Happy Hour with Cam & Eve, you can find that on Mr Q's Facebook page LIVE every alternate Tuesday at 1pm CST. You will need to check your international clocks if you want to watch it live, or you can catch-up afterwards as they are all available to watch, all you have to do is visit Mr. Q Facebook Page and click on videos!
I hope that this is helpful to you, and keep checking The Very Best Balloon Blog as it too is packed with great information and so many helpful resources!
Choosing a business name - not as easy as you think!
Legal requirements and other items that you need to know and do.
How much you should charge - the hardest question of them all!
In this second part we will look at;
Tools of the Trade
Helium
Marketing
Training
Balloons and the Environment
Tools of the Trade
Every industry, especially the balloon industry, has their Tools of the Trade. Deciding on what equipment your trade will need can be a bit of a minefield - should you spend a few pounds on a hand pump versus spending hundreds of pounds on an automatic air inflator!
I suppose you should consider if a tailor for example could work without a sewing machine or a builder without all their power tools?
When you choose to create your air-filled decor with a hand pump, it will certainly require many hours of work, versus the time requirements of a good electric inflator, with which you can create something very beautiful in a fraction of the time - remember "time is money".
There are many 'Tools of the Trade', and to help you through some of them, I will reference a number of blog posts that I have written that will help you in your decisions.
There are many different adhesives that work with balloons. Each glue or tape types works differently and are good for different purposes. This post will guide you through the most regularly used glues and tapes used by balloon professionals.
It's essential to your balloon business to have some kind of air-inflators - the question is, which one? The answer is both! Owning a hand-pump should be a given for your balloon business, as it is an essential tool in any balloon artists toolbox. However, having an electric balloon inflator in addition to a hand-pump will enable a significant increase in the amount of decor work that you can do.
So why should you go one-step further and invest in a top of the range digital balloon inflator? Check out this post to see what is available and why they are so necessary!
If you attend a training course or balloon event make sure you get the opportunity to try out as much of the equipment as you can so that you get a good idea of what you like, and don't hesitate to ask others what their favourite equipment is and why!
Helium
Helium is an inert gas. Meaning it will not react with any other elements; therefore it is impossible to cause a fire or to burn. It is also colourless, odourless and tasteless.
Balloon Gas
Balloon gas is often use in the balloon industry. It is a mix of helium and air. The mix is approximately 98% helium and 2% air, and is a recycled product that can no longer be used for medical and other professional uses.
There are a number of different helium (balloon gas) suppliers in the UK and many others worldwide.
BOC/Linde
Air Products
If you are planning to use helium, you should establish who your helium supplier is before you invest in any helium inflation equipment, as each cylinder type has different fittings. As with all gases, the cylinder that the helium is contained in is under very high pressure, so it is imperative that the correct balloon filling equipment is used for the type of cylinders that you are using, and it should never be altered or tampered with.
In the UK setting up a helium account with a balloon wholesaler can often be less expensive than hiring directly from the actual helium companies, as the wholesaler can benefit from discounts that are generally pass onto their customers.
Helium Safety
Always use a trolley when moving or transporting balloon gas cylinders. A trolley will also act as a support stand when inflating during on-site decorating jobs.
Always secure cylinders. In case you cannot secure them upright, simply use them lying down on the ground and prevent them from rolling.
When transporting or moving cylinders, always make sure that you remove the balloon filling kit, and that the cylinder is well secured so that it cannot move at all.
Helium is a non-flammable gas. If the tank is punctured or knocked over, the gas can escape with such force that the tank can be propelled at a very high speed.
Although balloon gas is not poisonous, it I can cause you to asphyxiate. if it's inhaled too deeply, it can be fatal. A similar thing can happen if a cylinder is fully opened in a non-ventilated room.
Marketing
Marketing takes on many guises in business. Having a good website and having at least one business social media channel is vital for any business.
I have written many posts on social media and the different platforms that businesses use. You don't need to be an expert, but it certainly helps to do some research to ensure that you get the best that you can from each of these platforms! Here are links to two of my posts that you might find useful.
There are many more helpful posts on the blog, use the search option on the blog page to find more!
If you are looking for social media marketing materials, www.Qualatex.com has so many fabulous free posts and images available!
How about ready made posts; these are great when used as part of a social media schedule. Having a variety of post types is very important to keep followers interested and engaged, as well as attracting new followers too!
To see the full range of free marketing resources available from Qualatex click HERE
Training
Learning your trade is so very important. I view many 'ballooning' Facebook Groups and see many "how to" and "how much" questions that are posted daily. While there is nothing wrong with asking a few questions, it is sometimes better and more rewarding to work it out for yourself. Learning through trial and error is the best form of training!
Face to Face Training - if you get the opportunity to attend a hands-on beginner's course with a reputable instructor, you will learn more in one day than you could on YouTube in a month! A good beginner's course is designed to teach you everything that you need to know to get you started. Courses like these cover so much more than how to inflate balloons; a typical beginners course will include the demonstration of a range of different techniques, formulas for creating balloon Arches and Garlands, how to form perfect balloon bouquets using the Staggered and Layered techniques, pricing, equipment... and much more! Qualatex has a fabulous beginner's course known as Qualatex Fundamentals - The benchmark Course for the Balloon Professional. To find out where this course is offered, check out the Qualatex Balloon Education Calendar.
There is a Balloon Basics section on the Qualatex website that will give you tips on how to create Basic Balloon Decor, as well as Basic Balloon Tying and gives you Inflation Tips.
Qualatex also has an Events and Training Calendar on the website. Type in your region and it will give you an up-to-date overview of classes, courses, and events in that region. Just FYI, face-to-face training sessions are currently very limited due to Covid-19 and government restrictions.
The Q Corner Balloon Convention - this is an incredibly valuable free resource. At the beginning of the pandemic lockdown, Qualatex with the help of the 'Boys from Q Corner' Keith Stirman and Dominic Cassidy, produced an online balloon convention unlike any other. It consisted of over 120 hours of non-stop balloon classes from some of the top instructors in the industry, as well as many new instructors who are rarely seen outside of their country, who I must add, all generously gave their time and creative talents.
To see who the convention instructors are, the classes that they teach and to access all the classes click HERE. The convention was recorded in sessions, each which contained a number of different classes.
I strongly recommend that you download the Class Matrix with class descriptions, instructors, languages and direct links to each class - this is available on the link above.
To give you a little taster, I am including one of the convention session here:
Many industry instructors also have training videos that they have produced and are available to purchase as DVD's or as on-demand video downloads, which are available to view from your laptop, TV or phone at anytime!
I have a few training videos that I have produced in conjunction with Balloon School Pro on Vimeo. Balloon School Pro makes high quality training video's specifically for the balloon industry, with professional instructors that give you as much knowledge and detail as you can get without actually being in the training room with them! This includes overhead cameras, close ups of techniques and supporting information either on screen or by email when you purchase the program.
There are certainly many opportunities to learn from YouTube, but be very careful! Many of the tutorials are from people who, though their intention are good, are not always teaching the best skills and techniques - be careful not to pick up bad habits!
Try to learn from the best, and do your research and see whose 'ballooning' style and techniques you like. Follow them on social media - start with the instructors from the Q Corner Convention!
Balloons and the Environment
This is a very important topic that anyone embarking on a career in balloons should have a good understanding of.
Balloon Releases
Any balloon that is released into the atmosphere will almost certainly create unnecessary litter. To help to protect our environment, NEVER release helium-filled balloons as a balloon professional or as a consumer, and always dispose of balloons, accessories and any packing responsibly.
Safe Balloon Practices
There are a number of organisations that work very hard to protect the balloon industry, as well as offer useful advice to both the balloon professionals and the consumers.
The Balloons and the Environment guides and social media posts are all available to download, click HERE for a direct link.
I hope that for those of you who have recently started or considered starting a balloon business that you have found the Starting a Balloon Business Part 1 and Part 2 helpful and informative! Starting any business can be challenging, but I hope that I have managed to answer some of the many questions that you have and helped you to understand our industry a little bit better!
