Terrific Free Ballooning Tools

We all have a desire to grow our businesses. We try to do this through gaining knowledge, learning new skills and designs, and working on our social media activity. 

Attending training sessions, events, and conventions is a fabulous way to gain confidence, knowledge, and improve our ballooning skills. But having access to additional resources is vitally important for the growth of our balloon businesses!

Today, there are many resources available online. These are some of my favourite, and they are all FREE! 

March 2019 saw the launch of the first ever free online Balloon Magic! Until now, Balloon Magic has only been available as a paid subscription, but it's now free and packed with some amazing content! 

One of the great benefits of this publication now being available online is that it includes video tutorials.  This gives us the opportunity to watch and follow while an instructor creates one of their wonderful designs. In this first issue, you can see both Vadim Shushkanov, CBA and Nicole Greg, CBA demonstrate two amazing and very sellable designs - I know I will definitely have a go at making them both! 

To learn how to make this fabulous little balloon sculpture - click HERE 

To learn how to make this adorable Toucan click HERE

In addition to the how-to-video's, there are also some great step-by-step design recipes from Pippity Pop, Matt Falloon and Takehiro Kai - all of whom are incredible artists! 

If you are new to the world of entertaining, there is an outstanding article by guest writer Todd Neufeld of the Twisted Balloon Company, New York, USA. Todd shares the Top Ten Components of an Entertainment Contract!

Even if you are not a twister, you can really learn some great skills from Balloon Magic and maybe even incorporate some more twisted designs into your everyday designs and decor!

Balloon Images also went digital earlier this year, and is now available online. Like Balloon Magic, it has the benefit of featuring how-to-videos, which are a great way to learn new ideas and skills.

Design inspiration is something we are all looking for constantly. Lucky for us, Balloon Images is packed with ideas, tutorials and amazing high quality stock photographs that you can use for marketing and to show your clients.





Where else would you be able to find a great how-to video tutorial, like how to make a fabulous on-trend hot air balloon? Plus some great downloadable high resolution images that you can use for your marketing campaigns! If you are a QBN member, by simply logging in, you have access to even more free materials! 

Check out this great how-to video, simply click HERE

Downloading images is easy, just click on the arrow that appears on the left hand side of the image and choose the size of the file that you want to download! 

Another excellent resource is Q Corner - a twice weekly live-streaming talk show that is aired on YouTube and hosted by Dominic Cassidy, CBA, and Keith Stirman, CBA. Known for their lighthearted banter and entertaining style, Keith and Dom show features a wide variety of topics including: Business Tips, Design Inspiration, Industry News and Announcements, New Product Features and much more. 

Below is one of their earlier episodes where they show Confetti Balloons & Gumballs.

The great thing about Q Corner is if you miss an episode, you can always go back and watch it at a later date! We recommend that you subscribe to the channel, that way you will always get a notification when a show is about to air.

For Russian speaking balloon artists, there is now a Russian Qualatex TV channel. This new channel is hosted by Alexander Solomatin, CBA. Each episode covers a variety of topics and includes some great how-to videos. The show airs weekly, and you can subscribe to ensure that you get notification when a new show airs.

In addition to these excellent resources, there is of course the Very Best Balloon Blog - which of course you must know about, as you are reading this blog post! I wrote my first post in June 2011, and to date I have written 390 different posts covering a wide range of topics! It is very interesting to see which of the posts are most often read - can you guess? Whilst you would think it is a design related post, it's actually - How much should I charge for that... how to price your work! This post has been viewed over 45,000 times! Pricing is one of the hardest things to do, especially if you have never run a business before. Learning how to price to ensure that you make a profit is not always easy. I hope that my pricing related posts (I have written a few) help those who are struggling. 

I am always keen to hear what topics you would like me to write about. There may be a subject or something that you would like to know more about. My posts are often inspired by questions that I see on Facebook groups, such as how to write a Risk Assessment or Method Statement, or how to use a heat sealer. 

If you need to search for a specific blog post, just type in key words to the search bar, and you will see all the posts that relate to those words.

Each one of these amazing free resources is sponsored by Qualatex, and I truly don't believe that there is any other balloon manufacturer who gives so much support to the balloon industry! Thank you Qualatex and all those who work so hard to bring us such high quality support and freely accessible materials.

Happy Ballooning!


Sue
www.suebowler.com
#suebowler

How can I make my Balloon Business Successful and Fail-Proof? - Part 1

Launching a business can be one of the most exciting and challenging things you will ever do. So why would any of us start our balloon businesses, and if we had hindsight what would we do differently?

There are many reason why someone might choose to start running a balloon business:

• It is a natural extension to a business that you already run.
• It's a hot trend on social media and you want a slice of the action.
• You want to be your own boss and balloons are the right fit! 
• You can work from home and fit a balloon business around your family life.
• And probably about 101 other reasons...

Something that I always say to anyone starting out in the balloon industry is: "It is fantastic if you are a creative person, but don't forget that you have to be able to run a business too!" 

The reason I started my balloon business over 30 years ago was because I wanted to find a business that I could run from home, that could fit around my young family and work with a product that was non-perishable (not food or flowers which have a very limited shelf life.) I had never run a business before, but I was creative and felt confident that running a business would not be that difficult 😉

I did not have big aspirations when I started, it seemed that every new design and technique was a huge challenge and posed a massive learning curve - complete trial and error, which was actually not such a bad way to learn!  Training opportunities were sparse and social media was nonexistent! My balloon business grew slowly and organically over those first four years. The biggest problem that I experienced during that period was that I was not familiar with the "business side" of being a business owner, and knew very little about pricing, which was a complete guessing game for a number of years!  I also found working on my own and from home very lonely! Not having anyone to share my bad or good experiences with or being able to talk through a problem or creative challenge! I could have easily thrown in the towel after 4 years. I had made very little money and was floundering badly. For me, the QBN program was my life & business saver, and from the moment I embarked in the program, my businesses moved forward and started to become profitable and more successful! 

As a training instructor, I have met hundreds of people who have started balloon businesses just like I did. Some survive and go on to grow successful businesses, while others fall away by the wayside after only a few short years.

It is reported that roughly 20% of small businesses fail within the first year, and roughly 50% fail within the first five years! (https://fortunly.com/articles/what-percentage-of-small-businesses-fail/)

So how can we make our balloon businesses successful and fail-proof? To answer this we need to know why so many small businesses fail:

• Lack of knowledge on how to run a business
• Running out of money
• Lack of adequate marketing and publicity
• Lack of research and market knowledge

In Part 2 of this post which you can find by clicking HERE, we will look at in greater detail:

1.  How to run a business?
2.  Funding and Finance
3.  Marketing and Publicity
4.  Research and Market Knowledge.

Happy Ballooning!

Sue

www.suebowler.com

Follow me @suebowler

Balloon Basics - Bubble Balloons

Qualatex^® Bubble Balloons are a relatively new balloon made from stretchable plastic, making it unusual and eye-catching. Unlike a Microfoil^® balloon, it is inflated until all the creases at the seams have been removed, making it more like a beach ball, and looks great from all angles.

Bubble Balloons are non-allergenic, making them ideal for hospital gifts and deliveries. They do not oxidise* and floating times are mainly measured in weeks rather than days.

22" "Birthday Pink Starburst Sparkle"
U.S. Patent No. 6,782,675

Single Bubbles

These stunning balloons are available in 22". They will float for approximately 2-4 weeks.
They come in a fantastic range of designs including licensed characters, birthday including milestones and age. New baby and special occasion. They are extremely versatile and can be used in balloon bouquets, centrepieces and to make fun little character designs.












These balloons are simple and elegant, with 3-D designs that look beautiful from any angle. They have self-sealing valves and come with a pre-attached ribbon.

Are you Ready for the Corporate Market? Tips for Building a Corporate Client Base as a Small Business Owner

Many Balloon Business Owners start out by offering balloons for birthdays and parties. Over time, we develop our skills and grow in confidence, and now we want take that next step - the corporate market! 

This stage decor was created by Sue Bowler in collaboration with Ali Welsh of Ali Welsh Events for Christmas corporate event.
Each letter stood over 10' tall and was perfect for this DISCO theme party! The room was also filled with one hundred and thirty 3' Silver Confetti Balloons that represented Disco Balls! 

So what is a corporate client?

The term "corporate client" typically refers to a business or organisation that seeks and purchases goods or services from another business or organisation for the purpose of fulfilling their own business needs. It is easy to think that corporate clients are all huge corporations that typically wouldn't hire a balloon decorator for an event. However, this is untrue, as corporate clients come in all types and sizes and can operate in various industries such as finance, healthcare, retail, and more.

In the context of a small balloon decorating business, a corporate client might be a business that wants to decorate their office or host a corporate event, such as a product launch, trade show, or company party. Building relationships with corporate clients can be beneficial for a small business as they can provide regular and potentially large orders, as well as referrals to other businesses in their network.

My Journey into the Corporate World: When I first dipped my toe into the corporate decor world, my initial projects were designing seasonal window displays for a local jewellery store, and creating wedding displays for a bridal shop. For the latter, I collaborated with the owners and they promoted my services in exchange for the decor I created for their shop displays. This proved to be a successful arrangement, as I received regular bookings from brides. As my confidence and portfolio grew, I secured decorating contracts with the local council, designing for all their events and functions, and even worked for a local brewery who hosted regular events for their pub owners and landlords. My list of corporate clients continued to expand. However, I eventually stopped my decorating business to become an industry instructor. A few years on, an old ballooning friend who had started her own events company offered me many incredible opportunities to create decor for various events for her clients, and these fit perfectly into my teaching schedule. This fruitful partnership lasted for years and once again demonstrated the power of collaboration.

Here are some amazing examples of decor that was created for corporate events.

This stunning entrance arch was created by designers: Alexander Solomatin, CBA, Moscow, Russia, Dmitry Novikov, CBA, Moscow, Russia

This Car Showroom Decor was created by Chris Adamo, CBA of the Balloon Crew, Sydney, Australia.

These Striking Balloon Arches are by Dianna Glandon, CBA, of 
Above the Rest Event Designs,  
Knoxville, TN , USA.

Vodafone Store Decor was created by
Chris Adamo, The Balloon Crew, Sydney, Australia

So how can you find corporate clients to work with?

1. Attend networking events and trade shows to connect with potential clients - Start by searching for "Networking Events near here (your location)" on your preferred search engine. You will be surprised at how many organisations hold these events. The meetings can be held in person or remotely through virtual channels. Choose events that are most relevant to you. The cost is usually minimal, and it's an excellent opportunity to connect with other local businesses while participating in discussions on various topics.

2. Utilise social media platforms, such as LinkedIn, to showcase your work and connect with decision-makers in companies.  Fact - Linkedin is the most effective B2B marketing tool, it is a lot more powerful than Facebook and Instagram for reaching the people who matter!

If like me, you do not really use Linkedin, here are some tips for using LinkedIn to connect with other businesses:

• Optimise your profile: Before you start connecting with other businesses, make sure your LinkedIn profile is up-to-date and professional. This will help establish your credibility and make others more likely to accept your connection request.
• Identify relevant businesses: Use LinkedIn's search function to find businesses that are relevant to your industry or niche. You can search for companies using keywords, industry, location, and other criteria.
• Personalise your connection request: When sending a connection request, make sure to personalise it and explain why you want to connect. This can help increase the likelihood of your request being accepted.
• Engage with their content: Once you've connected with other businesses, engage with their content by liking, commenting, and sharing. This can help establish a relationship and increase the chances of them engaging with your content in return.
• Offer value: If you want to establish a deeper connection with other businesses, offer them something of value. This could be sharing an article or resource that you think would be helpful, or offering to introduce them to someone in your network.
• Attend industry events: LinkedIn can also be a great tool for finding industry events. This can be a great way to meet other businesses in person and establish a deeper connection.

3. Offer special promotions or discounts to businesses to entice them to try your services. For example you could approach your local car dealership and recommend decor for their showroom for a seasonal event such as Valentine’s Day or Christmas, and you could give them an introductory discount for using your service. Fact - Always think outside of the box when it comes to ‘finding’ your leads, car dealers often use decor to create interest in their showrooms, think of what other businesses could use your decor to enhance their business and products! 

This car showroom St Patrick's Day Decor was created by
Colin & Jeannie Stewart of STEWART's Baskets & Balloons,
 in Ontario, Canada

This car showroom St Patrick's Day Decor was created by 
Colin & Jeannie Stewart of STEWART's Baskets & Balloons,
 in Ontario, Canada

4. Partner with event planners or other businesses in the event industry to expand your network. Building a good relationship with an Event Planner was probably my greatest tool when growing my corporate work. Event planners and other businesses won’t necessarily find you, you will need to find them! Search on Instagram and Linkedin, follow them, like and share their posts. It could be a local hotel or events venue, not necessarily a person, your aim is to make contact without being a stalker! 

5. Create a professional website that highlights your portfolio and services, and make sure it is optimised for search engines.

Here are some tips for creating a professional website that showcases your portfolio and services and is optimised for search engines:

• Choose a clean and modern design that reflects your style and brand.
• Use high-quality images and graphics to showcase your work.
• Clearly list your services and pricing.
• Include client testimonials to build trust and credibility.
• Optimise your website for search engines by using keywords that are relevant to your business and industry.
• Ensure that your website is mobile-friendly and easy to navigate.
• Make it easy for potential clients to contact you through a contact form or clear call-to-action buttons.
• Regularly update your website with new content to keep it fresh and engaging.
• Integrate your social media profiles to increase your online presence.
• Consider hiring a professional web designer or developer to ensure that your website is of the highest quality.

6. Attend local business events and seminars to meet potential clients and learn about their needs.  - check out and join your local Chamber of Commerce.

7. Send out email newsletters to past clients and potential clients to keep them informed about your business and services. Make sure that you adhere to GDPR rules, you cannot just send out emails to past clients unless you have agreed to be ale to do this. This is generally done through a tick box system in your previous marketing with them.

8. Build relationships with local hotels and event venues to become their go-to balloon decorating business.

9. Collect testimonials and reviews from satisfied clients to use as social proof and to help build your credibility with potential clients - Don’t feel afraid to ask for a testimonial or review from a satisfied customer. If you have a Google profile for your business (Google My Business https://www.google.com/intl/en_uk/business/) then you can send a direct link to your customer, making it easy for them to do there and then! 

https://www.google.com/business/

Remember to tailor your approach to each potential client, taking into consideration their specific needs, budget, and industry. With a little bit of effort and persistence, you can find and attract corporate clients for your small balloon decorating business. Develop good research skills, create a strong professional image and a good network, which is essential for growing your corporate market.

And finally...

• Growing a corporate client base can be a time-consuming process, unless you have strong connections from the beginning.
• Remember that every interaction counts, from the way you present yourself to how you communicate with customers.
• Taking steps in the right direction, no matter how small, can help you achieve your goal.

Good Luck! 

Happy ballooning! 

Sue

www.suebowler.com

Follow me: @suebowler

Balloon Basics - Inflating and Tying Latex Balloons

For many of you that regularly read the Very Best Balloon Blog, you probably already know all the basic techniques that we use. However, there are many that are new to the wonderful world of balloons, others that are self-taught, and those who might like a quick refresher! 

I would like to start by saying that there are no right or wrong techniques, just those that might be a little easier or have benefits when working with multiple balloons. I know that I tie balloons a little differently from some of my ballooning friends, but like many, I was self-taught and don't feel the need to change my technique as it works really well for me.

Latex Inflation

When inflating Qualatex^® round latex balloons, it is important to fill them until the balloon forms a teardrop shape. An over-inflated round balloon develops a pear shape, whilst under-inflated balloons are more round in shape.

This rule does not apply to the giant latex 30" to 36" balloons, which are produced on different forms* and should be round rather than teardrop-shaped.

Latex balloons may be filled with air, helium*, or balloon gas.* Balloons that are 9" or smaller are generally filled with air rather than balloon gas or helium as they have a very limited floating time, which is generally not suitable for decor.

Balloons filled with air do not float and stay inflated considerably longer (weeks rather than hours) than those inflated with balloon gas or helium.

Balloons inflated with balloon gas or helium are affected by extremes in temperature and altitude. Helium expands in the heat and contracts in the cold. On hot days, when moving balloons from a cool environment to a warm or hot one, ensure that you slightly underinflate your balloons to allow for expansion. It is better to pre-inflate your balloons to their full size first using air, and then re-inflate to a smaller size with helium. For example, an 11" balloon can be pre-inflated to 11", deflated, and then re-inflated to 10.75" or 10.5". By not pre-inflating your balloons you may find that they will still pop even when underinflated.
On a cool day, slightly overinflate the balloons when moving from a warm environment to a cooler one.  In normal conditions, balloons inflated with balloon gas or helium should be inflated to their correct size to ensure maximum float time.
Personally, I would do some floating tests or trials when working in different temperatures to ensure that the balloons offer maximum float time in different conditions.

I recently wrote a blog, Balloons and the Great Outdoors, that may help you when working with balloons in different weather conditions.

Sizing Balloons
Sizing balloons is important for two reasons:

Very Best Balloon Sizer
Available at European Qualatex Distributors.

• Ensuring that all your balloons are inflated to the same size when creating decor will offer a professional finish.
• Balloons filled with balloon gas or helium will have the maximum floating time when inflated to the correct size.

You can use a sizing template to size a balloon. There are various options available to purchase, or you could make your own. 

Event Booking and Consultation Forms - What Do You Use?

Imagine that you are in a meeting with a client to discuss their event. You have probably walked around the event venue with them to look at the space and the decor opportunities and you have started to offer your ideas and suggestions. So how do you now present that information back to your client to ensure that you get that booking and at the same time ensure that you have obtained all the information that you need?

A simple and advantageous way to do this would be to always use an event booking/consultation form. This can also serve as a check-list to help you when you are preparing your quotes and invoices. 

For this post, I have created a comprehensive Event Booking/Consultation Form. To be honest, I am a note-book scribbler, and probably one of the world's worst at obtaining all the relevant information when it comes to booking an event! I am now in the position where I rarely take on big events these days due to all my other work commitments, but I know for sure that if I would had of used a form such as this, it would have made my life a whole lot easier.

Let's start with the more practical, non-creative stuff, like event and client details. Getting all those relevant contact details is so important from the very beginning. And it should include not only not only the person who is booking you, but also the venue contact and the name of the person who is responsible for paying the invoice too! 

If you are at the venue, this is also the perfect time to find out about parking, and other hotel/venue-related information. Many of my previous corporate events were located in central London and that alone brought many additional complications to a job. So standard things like parking are worth finding out about, as many hotels and venues will offer vendors free parking while they are onsite. It's worth noting; having a good relationship with the events manager at a venue can be worth it's weight in gold! 

It's extremely important to know dates and times too! I like to be able to access a venue as early as possible on the day of an event to ensure that we can get a head start, and miss peak time traffic or anything else that may delay us.

You may not need to know about payment details at this point, but you may want to inform the person who is booking with you that you have payment terms, and keep them informed of those when you send in your quotation or proposals. 

Type/ Name of Event
Date of Event		Contact Details
Event Location & Address		Company/Clients Name
Event Start Time		Contact Name: Name of person responsible for payment of invoice if different from contact
Event Finish Time		Contact Email
Venue Access Time		Contact Phone
Venue Parking & Parking cost if applicable		Postal Address
Set-up location		Payment Details
Strike/ Tear- Down Date & Time		Deposit Required
Venue Contact & phone		Deposit Due Date
		Final Payment Required
		Final Payment Due Date

Now let's look at design details and description of work.

Design Details & Description of work
Theme
Entrance/ Foyer
Bar Areas
Photo Backdrop
Stage Backdrop
Table Decor
Other

Sometimes clients have a good idea of decor they want at their events, while other times they have no preferences or ideas, giving you an opportunity to get very creative! I have given some key locations and decor that you can suggest while you are building your ideas.

I have worked directly with both clients and also with event organisers who are managing a big event, and to be honest, working with an events organiser has always been my preference as they can always see the bigger picture and know how to 'sell' to their clients. They often have an idea of the clients potential budget, which again can be very useful to know. I expect that the more experience you get, the easier it is to become a sales person as well as a creative director too! 

So, now you have all this information and all your creative ideas and suggestions, you will be able to get back to your customer with a comprehensive quote. Do not leave this too long, as your client will be keen to get you booked! I would also make your quotes time-limited, like 30 days, to ensure that the client cannot come back to you months later and expect the same deal! 

I like to make my quotes as visual as possible; in this instance pictures are much more impactful than words. The design below is a Sculptured Column that I proposed for an upcoming event for a client. I wanted the client to be able to visualise how the column would look without having to make up the design in balloons. I then use creative and descriptive words to accompany the picture! 

Even showing a customer something as simple as how a logo will look on a balloon can really help to sell the idea or concept to a client.

This is an Arch that I designed for a New Years Party at
the Savoy, London

As part of your quote, you will need to incorporate a price breakdown. I rarely discuss pricing during a consultation as your pricing can be subject to so many variables. Many customers will ask you for an approximation or a ball part price, but you need remember that once you give a price, it is very hard to make changes later. 

Don't present prices for your work to your clients in the same way as you cost your work. Remember, your customers are not buying balloons, fishing line, aluminium rod and helium. They are not even buying Arches, Columns, Balloons Walls and balloon displays, they are actually buying the wow factor and the atmosphere to create a great party or event. They are buying your experience, knowledge and expertise. Never be embarrassed to ask for the full value of your work.

I personally price balloon decor by the job, and not by each specific balloon design or creation. There are many elements that may need to be included into a job to ensure that you can fulfil it within the required time and location.

If a client asks for discount and you want to give it (maybe it's for a charity event that you want to support) ensure that you always present an invoice with the full amount and then take the discount off the bottom. If I ever offer discounts, I will only deduct from the net profit of the job, and never from the costs, to ensure that the job does not cost me money. Remember that even charity events pay for their venue, food, band, etc. They will always try to get discounts, but you also need to cover your costs at a minimum. I recommend that you choose any charities that you want to support at the start of the year, and if anyone asks you to support a charity not on the list, tell them that you have your charities for this year and if they want to be considered for next year, to put their request in writing. 

Here is a full copy of the Event Booking/Consultation Form. If you right click on it you will be able to save it to your computer, or you can simply create your own form using some or all of the information that I have included.

Type/ Name of Event
Date of Event		Contact Details
Event Location & Address		Company/Clients Name
Event Start Time		Contact Name: Name of person responsible for payment of invoice if different from contact
Event Finish Time		Contact Email
Venue Access Time		Contact Phone
Venue Parking & Parking cost if applicable		Postal Address
Set-up location		Payment Details
Strike/ Tear- Down Date & Time		Deposit Required
Venue Contact & phone		Deposit Due Date
		Final Payment Required
		Final Payment Due Date
Design Details & Description of work
Theme
Entrance/ Foyer
Bar Areas
Photo Backdrop
Stage Backdrop
Table Decor
Other

I hope this has helped you to feel a little less overwhelmed in your event planning! Being organised and having all the information recorded is definitely the key to success and a smooth- running event! 

Happy Ballooning! 

Sue

www.suebowler.com

Follow me @suebowler