Building a Successful Party Rental Business

So...here's the question. What should you buy? How Many? Where do you get them?

There are inflatables available for your rental company in all kinds of shapes and sizes.

Bounce houses, Slides, obstacle courses, toddler towns....you name it and someone makes it!

If you're just starting out your first purchase should be a couple of moonbounces. I recommend 15 x 15's with walls, roof and a front entrance ramp. You'll also want to make sure the bounce is made from flame retardant material.

There are too many manufacturers to mention here, but just do a search on inflatables for sale, moonbounces for sale, etc and you'll find a good list to start.

Here are some more suggestions:

My interview with Matt Thomas was just published this week. If you want more info on starting a party rental company...or just want to listen to me sound nervous :) ...click here: How to Start a Party Rental Business

You can see bounce houses everywhere in the warmer months. You might have even rented one in the past. And there's a good chance that you've thought about starting a bounce house business yourself.

Bounce houses rent for anywhere from $85.00/day on the west coast to $250.00 & up in other parts of the country. Here in Indianapolis, we rent ours for around $225.00 for four to six hours. Soif you charge $150.00 for your rental, you can make an extra $300.00 per week in income.

Of course, there are some expenses that come with the rental. You'll need a truck or a small trailer. A good dolly, extension cords, business cards, insurance and other small business items. Most people who start up a rental company do the deliveries and bookings themselves. That's the joy of it. You work when you want to.not when you're told to. On the other handthe downside is that if you want the income you might as well accept that it's going to be there on the weekend and that's when you'll be working.

Insurance is the biggest cost. Although it seems to get cheaper when more units are added, start up costs are tough. Bounce House purchase prices average around $1500.00 but insurance will be around $750.00. That means your first year start up is going to cost around $2500.00. If you rent your unit for $150.00, you'll still have paid for your costs in less than 20 rentals. And, of course, the more you charge, the quicker your investment will pay for itself.

You might be surprised to find that there is a lot more to rentals than bounce houses. Our initial start up five years ago was two bounces but within just a short time we have grown to over 50 inflatable and interactive games. You can find giant slides, obstacle courses, casino tables, Bungee Runs, Toddler Games and fun foods. The business actually will grow as large as you want it to. As long as you get the equipment out in front of people, you'll be booking rentals. The units themselves are their own advertisements.

You can get started in a bounce business by following a few easy steps.

-Talk to your state and local boards to find out what is necessary to open your own inflatable rental business. Some states have restrictions on what you can do.

-Check on suppliers. You can look on the web for "bounce house" or "inflatable games".

-Find out about insurance. You can get information from inflatable suppliers. Make sure NOT to make a purchase until you secure insurance.

-Order your bounce(s) just as soon as you have your insurance in place.

-It'll take some time to get your equipment and you have work to do while you're waiting for it to arrive. Make up fliers and business cards. Do a press release. Get your phone number and web address. Don't forget to tell everyone you know about your new business.

-Although you're starting to advertise, it's not recommended to book your units before they arrive. That's just asking for trouble.

-It's always fun when your new equipment arrives. But don't get so excited that you forget to check your shipment completely to make sure it's all there and that there are no damages. Do this before the delivery driver leaves.

-It's so much fun to blow up your unit the first time. The neighborhood kids will want too play and you need to let them. Watch them have fun and learn all about your new bounce. Remember, the more people see it, the more people will rent it.

It looks easy, doesn't it? And it really is. You'll be making money by selling fun. Could any business owner ask for more?

Dont' start your new rental biz without reading Cheryl's ebook How to Start a Bounce House Business. If you're ready to purchase your units, find out all you need to know at Moonwalks for Sale Get your own completely unique content version of this article.

I tried a blog for awhile...but to be honest, I kept forgetting to post on it. But tonight I learned about something really cool. So I'm going to try the blog thing again.

Hopefully most of us are using adsense to increase our website income...but did you know that you can make a lot more money if you use the right search words? For example....corporate team building pays about 5.00 a click...whereas moonbounce pays about 5 cents.

It kind of makes you stop and think, doesn't it?

One of the big reasons to blog is to drive people to your site...AND to make more Adsense $$$$. I'll have more on this soon.

As youth group directors know, it can be a tough job to teach, inspire, guide, mentor and reward the good behavior in today's youth. Whether you're a youth pastor or a youth organization director, it can be challenging to successfully attract and keep the targeted youth in your area or even reward existing members. To get and to keep their attention, you'll need a high level of interest, interactive entertainment and the ability to associate something FUN with your church or organization. Whether it's a small youth event or a huge community festival-fundraiser, you want to offer fun activities that keep the youth wanting more!

Inflatable games and other interactive items offer that cutting edge interactive entertainment experience. Games like the Big Glove boxing, Sumo Wrestling suits, Gladiator Jousting, Bungee Runs, Giant Slides, Mechanical Rides are something that the average youth doesn't have access to unless it's at a fair or festival.

Using this type of safe yet challenging equipment is something that can attract youth from all around your area.

If you're not marketing to youth ministry groups, you might want to rethink your marketing plans.

This segment of the marketplace not only offers your business a chance to do something worthwhile, but enables you to make a nice profit at the same time.

So, start your research, send out your postcards, and do something good for your community's youth!

Were you happy with your 2006 profits? Boy, I wasn't. Although sales were up, our profits were substantially down so we're really making some changes in 2007.

Experts say there are 3 ways to grow your business:

Increase the number of people who buy your services or products.

Increase the amount of profit on each sale.

Increase the number of times they buy from you.

Most of us concentrate on the first one, but it really takes all three to keep your company constantly growing.

So....what are some simple ways to do this?

Fish for Negative Feedback...let your customers know you want to hear from them...and offer an easy way to reach you

Watch your timing....customers are impressed with immediate follow thru.

If they're calling you days later for their quote....you're not going to get their business

QUIT DISCOUNTING...stop immediately with new customers and start easing your older customers into a non-discount program

Raise prices a very small percent

Add a rain waiver or damage waiver

Always ask for more business. When you finish a job...try to book their next event right away. Find out other activities they might have where your services can be used.

Ask for friendly referrals. If they don't need your services right away....does a friend?

These are just a few suggestions. But while you're implementing these changes you need to look at ways to decrease your expenses. There are so many ways to cut back that you'll be amazed once you start looking.

Phones....can you use a less expensive phone service

Yellow page ads...are they working? Would a smaller one work as well?

Cost of mistakes....would better training help you avoid problems on the jobsite?

Lost equipment....extension cords, stakes....would a simple packing list enable you to keep your equipment longer?

Advertising....what works...what doesn't? Are you tracking responses?

What are your credit card rates? Is it worth it to take credit cards? Or would you be more profitable without them.

We cut over $2000.00 in general expenses just by making a few changes. I'd be interested in your feed back on other cost cutting ideas. Please feel free to add your comments to the page.