A balloon distribution company sells balloons to diverse audiences via one or more locations. Your balloon distribution company may operate from your house, a separate shop, or from a vendor stand on the street. You may run your company all year or just on special events. You might also opt to offer a variety of balloons or specialise in something specific, such as manufacturing balloon animals.
Table of Contents
Follow these ten steps to start a balloon distribution business:
Plan your Balloon Distribution Company
Create a legal entity for your balloon distribution company.
Register your Balloon Distribution Company with the IRS.
Create a Business Bank Account and a Credit Card
Create Accounting for Your Balloon Distribution Company
Get the Permits and Licenses You Need for Your Balloon Distribution Business
Get Business Insurance for Balloon Distribution
Create a brand for your balloon distribution company.
Make a website for your balloon distribution business.
Configure your Business Phone System
Starting a company entails more than just registering it with the state. We’ve put up this basic guide to getting started in the balloon distribution industry. These stages will guarantee that your new company is well-planned, correctly registered, and legally compliant.
STEP 1: Make a business plan.
A well-thought-out strategy is vital for entrepreneur success. It will assist you in mapping out the intricacies of your organisation and uncovering some unknowns. Consider the following crucial topics:
What are the initial and continuing expenses?
Who is your intended audience?
How much money may you charge your customers?
Fortunately, we have done a lot of the legwork for you.
What are the expenses associated with starting a balloon distribution business?
The actual cost of starting a company is determined on where you establish your activities. Many balloon distributors, for example, operate from their homes, eliminating the need for a company lease or business utilities. In this case, your only real costs will be your initial inventory (which will likely cost $5,000 or less, depending on the quantity and type of balloons you purchase), an industrial helium tank (which should cost $350 or less), and a vehicle large enough to transport inflated balloons (this cost may vary, but a decently-sized SUV can be obtained for $10,000 or less). If you want to have a permanent site, you must pay a monthly lease (which varies by city but is likely to be $2000 or more) as well as utilities (which will be $500 or more depending on the size of your facility). Finally, consider spending $1,000 to $2,000 in some small conventional advertising, however you should also take use of the free promotion available via social media.
What are the recurring costs of a balloon distribution company?
The recurring costs of running such a firm are negligible. There are no monthly leasing or utility bills if you operate from home. You are essentially paying for the balloons themselves (which you will purchase as your stock sells, so this amount will vary, but will most likely be less than $1,000 a month depending on your volume), gas for delivering the balloons, and any ongoing traditional advertising you may do (though, as mentioned earlier, social media advertisement is functionally free and very effective, largely negating the need for traditional advertising). You will need to refill your helium on a regular basis, which will most likely cost $100 or less every canister.
Who is the intended audience?
As previously said, your biggest customers are small children. Selling to children helps you to sell more balloons with famous television and movie characters printed on them, since the youngster will be more excited about the balloon. Character balloons may also be priced higher.
How does a balloon distribution company earn money?
Your company concept is straightforward: you charge clients varying amounts of money for different types of balloons.
How much money may you charge your customers?
The price you charge customers depends on whether the balloons are licenced or not, how many you sell, the size of the balloons, the substance of the balloons, and if you manually inflate them. Some venues, for example, may offer six or seven non-inflated latex balloons with characters printed on them for three dollars, while bigger foil balloons with the same figure may be sold for three to ten dollars, depending on size. Non-character balloons may be half the price, although other considerations (such as customised printing) may influence the price. You could also sell helium tanks for $50, and if you are personally delivering the balloons, you may impose a mileage-based delivery fee. You should charge a premium fee for personalised balloon animals, such as up to ten dollars each creation, or roughly $100 per hour if you are working at an event to produce as many balloons as you can during this period (typically no more than twenty).
How much money can a balloon distribution company make?
The amount of profit you earn is highly dependent on your location as well as what you specialise in. Some people earn $25,000 or more a year as balloon decorators for parties, while others earn $50,000 or more producing balloon animals for private events. By doing all of these things, as well as selling balloons, you may significantly boost potential income sources and quickly convert this into a six-figure company.
How can you increase the profitability of your company?
As your company grows, don’t forget to consider boosting your rates; this is one of the simplest methods to make your goods and services more lucrative overall. Additionally, although birthday parties are normally your bread and butter in terms of events that you assist design, don’t forget to market your services to help decorate weddings and high school functions as well. Finally, depending on your degree of comfort, you may adopt a persona or a theme when it comes to balloon delivery; as goofy as it seems, it is much more enjoyable when kids get deliveries from hilarious, adored characters, and this may lead to more repeat business!
STEP 2: Establish a legal entity
Sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company (LLC), and corporation are the most frequent business structure forms.
Establishing a formal business organisation, such as an LLC or corporation, shields you from personal liability if your balloon distribution company is sued.
STEP 3: File your taxes
Before you can begin for business, you must register for a number of state and federal taxes.
To register for taxes, you will need to get an EIN. It’s really simple and completely free!
Taxes on Small Businesses
Depending on the business form you choose, you may have multiple choices for how your company is taxed. Some LLCs, for example, may benefit from being taxed as a S company (S corp).
These guides will teach you more about small company taxes:
Taxes on LLCs
LLC vs. sole proprietorship
Corporation vs. LLC
S Corp vs. LLC
How to Form a S Corporation
S Corporation vs. C Corporation
There may be state taxes that apply to your company. In our state sales tax guides, you may learn more about state sales taxes and franchise taxes.
STEP 4: Establish a company bank account and credit card
Personal asset protection requires the use of distinct business banking and credit accounts.
When you combine your personal and business accounts, your personal assets (your house, vehicle, and other possessions) are at danger if your company is sued. This is known as penetrating your company veil in business law.
Furthermore, understanding how to develop corporate credit may help you get credit cards and other financing in your company’s name (rather than your own), lower interest rates, larger lines of credit, and other benefits.
Establish a business bank account.
Opening a business bank account is not only required when asking for business financing, but it also:
Separates your personal assets from the assets of your firm, which is required for personal asset protection.
It simplifies bookkeeping and tax reporting.
Create a net 30 account.
Net 30 accounts are used to develop and grow company credit while also increasing cash flow. Businesses use a net 30 account to purchase items and refund the whole debt within a 30-day period.
Many net 30 credit suppliers submit information to the main business credit agencies (Dun & Bradstreet, Experian Business, and Equifax Business Credit). This is how firms establish business credit in order to get approved for credit cards and other lines of credit.
Apply for a business credit card.
Obtaining a business credit card benefits you in the following ways:
Put all of your company’s costs in one location to separate personal and business spending.
Build your company’s credit history, which will be important for raising funds in the future.
STEP 5: Establish business accounting
Recording your numerous costs and sources of revenue is crucial to assessing your company’s financial status. Keeping precise and thorough accounting also makes yearly tax filing much easier.
STEP 6: Obtain all required permissions and licences
Failure to get appropriate permissions and licences may result in significant penalties or possibly the closure of your firm.
Requirements for State and Local Business Licensing
To run a balloon distribution company, several state permissions and licences may be required. Visit the SBA’s reference to state licences and permits to learn more about licencing requirements in your state.
For information on local licences and permissions, visit:
Check with the clerk’s office in your town, city, or county.
Contact one of the local organisations mentioned in the US Small Business Associations database of local business resources for help.
STEP 7: Obtain commercial insurance.
Insurance, like licences and permits, is required for your company to operate safely and legally. In the case of a covered loss, business insurance protects your company’s financial well-being.
There are several sorts of insurance plans designed for various types of companies with varying risks. If you are unaware about the hazards that your company may encounter, start with General Liability Insurance. This is the most popular coverage required by small companies, so it’s a good place to start for yours.
Workers’ Compensation Insurance is another important insurance product that many companies need. If your company will have workers, your state may require you to purchase Workers’ Compensation insurance.
STEP 8: Establish your brand
Your company’s brand is what it stands for, as well as how the public perceives it. A strong brand will help your company stand out from the crowd.
If you already have a logo, you can use our Free QR Code Generator to convert it to a QR code. Choose from 13 different styles of QR codes to produce a code for your business cards and publications, or to help spread the word about your new website.
How to Market and Promote a Balloon Distribution Company
You should search for public occasions to exhibit your abilities in addition to selling yourself via birthday celebrations. If you make balloon animals, doing so in a public park or other place where children congregate will increase their enthusiasm and pique the curiosity of parents who wish to purchase from you later. While you should begin with conventional advertising in newspapers and on the radio, social media is one of the most effective methods to market. Setting up specialised Facebook and Instagram profiles will help you reach out to your audience more effectively while also using the visual element of modern media to showcase how colourful and diversified your balloons are. Don’t forget to create your own website so that clients can easily find information like your address, phone number, and business hours.
How to Keep Customers Returning
Changing changing your offers seasonally is one of the finest strategies to attract and keep clients. Make sure you have eerie Halloween balloons, festive Christmas balloons, bright Easter balloons, and so forth. This keeps consumers coming back for more and makes you the go-to place for seasonal décor as well as birthday celebrations.
STEP 9: Create your company’s website.
After you’ve defined your brand and designed your logo, the next step is to build a website for your company.
While developing a website is an important step, some may be concerned that it is out of their grasp due to a lack of website-building skills. While this was a fair concern in 2015, online technology has made significant advances in recent years, making the lives of small company owners considerably easier.
The following are the primary reasons why you should not put off developing your website:
Every genuine company has a website, period. When it comes to bringing your company online, it doesn’t matter what size or sector it is.
Social media accounts, such as Facebook pages or LinkedIn company profiles, are not a substitute for your own business website.
STEP 10: Install your company phone system.
Getting a phone for your company is one of the finest methods to keep your personal and professional lives distinct and private. That isn’t the only advantage; it also helps you automate your company, provides it legitimacy, and makes it simpler for prospective clients to identify and contact you.