How to Start a Balloon Business

Do you want to get into the business of selling joy? You’ve come to the right place. 

There are so many great reasons why you should start a balloon business:

• Your starting costs are minimal
• Your product is non-perishable
• It can be a side-gig or full-time career
• You can start your business at home
• You can team up with other entertainment vendors to sell more product and build your network
  

Here we cover the basics of how to start a balloon business by answering the following:

• How to start a balloon business from home: first steps
• How to register your business
• What equipment do you need?
• How much does it cost to start a balloon business?
• How to market your balloon business
• Are balloon businesses profitable?
• How to price balloon work 

Want more help? Call / text Jeff at 206-488-1871



It’s easy to start a balloon business. It’s much harder to run a successful one.

Many balloon business owners start by working out of their homes. This helps them explore what sort of decorations, events, and customers they like working with, so they can market specifically to those needs. 

By starting at home, you’ll learn and grow without stressing about paying rent for a physical location. 

Business Plan

 
Check out our free Balloon Decor Business Plan Template which you can copy and modify to launch your business.

While you’ll update your business plan as you go, this plan will give you the blueprints you need to run your company. Even if you can’t answer all the basic questions of a plan yet (e.g. what is your unique value proposition?), it’ll help you think about those questions going forward. Here’s a business plan template to get you started.

Refer to your business plan regularly and update it regularly. It’ll help you determine if the projects you’re taking on are aligned with your vision and help you make adjustments to your plan along the way.

At the beginning, understanding how you will get yourself trained and start selling are two key areas to focus on.

Name Your Business

Make your business official with a name so you can open accounts and invoice customers. Naming your business requires more than coming up with a name. Check to make sure your name—or a variation of it—is available on all the social media platforms you’ll be using. If you need help coming up with a name consider trying our balloon business name generator.

Start Marketing

1. Create a Google Business Profile
2. Create a Facebook Account
3. Get a Website

All Balloon Suite packages include ready to go balloon decor website templates. Don't spend weeks or months wasting time building a website. We can have your website live tomorrow!

Determine Your Target Customer

First things first: what type of balloon business are you running and what kind of balloons are you selling? You don’t want to sell pieces you don’t like creating. That takes all the fun out of it! Figure out what you like and dislike, so that you know:

• What equipment do you need?
• What you’re selling
• Who your audience is

Start small. You’ll run out of air if you overwhelm yourself with too many offerings. 

Consider starting with traditional décor and bouquets rather than the large organic installations you see in Instagram and TikTok.

How to Register Your Business

Next up: the legal stuff. What kind of business structure will you have?

• Sole proprietorship
• Partnership
• Limited Liability Company (LLC)
• Corporation

Sole proprietorships and LLCs are usually the most common for balloon businesses. A sole proprietorship is the easy and least expensive business license to obtain. However, an LLC protects you from personal responsibility for debts and liabilities. You can also start as a sole proprietor and then become an LLC later on. 

Taxes

You have to register for taxes before you can get started. You can apply for an EIN (employer identification number) on the IRS’s website. It’s easy and free! You may also have to register for a sales tax permit.

Next, open a business bank account and consider applying for a business credit card. These accounts make tax filing much easier, because they separate your personal assets from your company’s. 

Permits and Licenses

Visit sba.gov to learn and apply for any licenses or permits you may need based on your location, and apply for business insurance to protect your company if something goes awry. It’s better to be fully prepared for these things than to be caught off-guard later.

What Equipment Do You Need?

Startup costs are pretty affordable, especially compared to the costs incurred by other business types. Here’s what you need:

Basic balloon supplies:

• Balloons
• Inflator
• Storage
• Décor recipes
• Poppers

And many more gadgets you’ll see listed from décor trainers.

Contact wholesalers and use your network. You’ll likely have to order in larger quantities, but you’ll be grateful for that once you get going! 

Office supplies:

• Laptop
• Phone
• Printer and paper
• Tracking and inventory processes
• Accounting software

Customer Relationship Manager

For BalloonSuite customers we recommend using Salesmate because it has an awesome automation capability and you can call and text all your clients without using your personal cell number.

Large Delivery Vehicle

Inflated balloons take up space. You need a vehicle large enough to accommodate them, like an SUV or delivery truck. 

For extra credit, paint your business name and information on your delivery vehicle to increase exposure.

Rental trucks work until you’re established.

How Much Does It Cost to Start a Balloon Business?

Your starting costs will vary depending on what you require. Here’s a general list of things you’ll need and what they may cost:

• Basic balloon business starter kit
• Supplies
• Required licenses (varies by business type and location)
• Office supplies (depending on how equipment you have to buy)
• SUV, Van, or delivery vehicle (You can just rent one when you need it)
• Standing location (varies by location and size)
• Utilities (varies by location and size)
• CRM
• Website
• Google My Business profile

You should also set aside money for your advertising budget, which brings us to our next section:

How to Market Your Balloon Business

There are many strategies to pricing, so you have to find one that works for you. Many artists charge based on market rates, while others use a formula based on cost.

Here’s a formula to get you started:

• (Cost of Materials + Cost of Labor) X Market Increase + Shipping/Delivery Costs = Total Cost 

For example, let’s say you’re creating five centerpieces for a birthday. 

Your total cost of materials is $25 ($5 per centerpiece) and it takes you an hour to make them. Let’s say your current labor costs are $30/hr. 

Depending on your market, you can charge two or three times total costs. 

If you’re shipping the end product, add that to the total cost. For delivery, add how much it’d cost you in time, gas, and wear and tear to your vehicle. To keep it simple, your delivery rate for this project is $15.* 

As a result:

• ([$25 materials] + [$30 labor costs]) X 2 [Market Increase] + $15 [Delivery] = $125

Your labor, market increase, and shipping/delivery costs will vary, so this isn’t an exact science. We recommend seeing what your competitors charge and playing around with this formula to get a better idea of your rates.

*Zapiet has a good delivery rates by distance calculator.

Look to the trainers in your area to understand market pricing and resist the urge to offer low price service. Make money from the start so you can grow and establish your business.

Starting a business is never easy, but we’re here to help. We have over 50 balloon decor and twister clients and specialize in building successful balloon websites that increase traffic and deliver results. Let’s chat! We’d love to help your balloon business float off the ground.