I built a balloon business in the middle of COVID, when I was like, really pregnant. As crazy as it sounds, that business changed my life!
To give a bit of perspective I live in, and serve, a small town in South Mississippi with a census-confirmed population of just under 12,000 people. This is my way of saying if I could make a living from playing with balloons… anyone can.
I share a few basic details about how I built my local balloon business, with a step-by-step tutorial for others to do the same in this post.
That’s not what this particular post is about, though. Here I’m going to focus on my monthly income reports through Honeybook.
I recommend using HoneyBook, or a similar software when managing a small business. HoneyBook works as a customer relations manager, payment processor, and business organization hub (calendar, tasks, etc.) all in one.
My first post on social media announcing that I’m opening a balloon business was in May of 2020. Here’s what my balloon income looked like for the rest of that year.
2020 Monthly Balloon Business Income
If you’re looking at November and wondering what in the world happened… well, a few things, actually!
Mainly- I had my baby in October. As a result, I didn’t post on social media as much. Marketing plays a massive role in any small business and its income and mine was no exception to that rule.
Also, my fantastic employee who handled EVERY balloon install during my maternity leave jackknifed the balloon trailer in a client’s driveway around that timeframe. It wasn’t a massive deal to me personally from an expense or damages perspective. It did however affect her confidence in delivering and installing balloon garlands the following few weekends! Which was completely understandable.
Also, holidays tend to be slower for party businesses. I remember the week of the 4th of July I felt stunned that no one booked the whole week. The next year, I went on a beach vacation in July with zero fear of missing income. My best friend who owned a balloon business in Texas said it’s just part of the cycle.
My November & December income was primarily based on Christmas tree garlands, elf arrivals, and company Christmas parties. I also have a tendency to give major discounts during the holidays (’tis the season) and worked myself to the bone donating balloons to organizations I loved that give back to my community around that time.
I also used my balloon business income to purchase ANOTHER business that focused on recycled children’s clothing. As a result, my interests (and time) felt split between allofthe work that goes into being self-employed and taking care of my kiddos.
2021 Months Explained
So, now that you see how quickly a post and idea turned into monthly income in 2020! Here’s how consistent the balloon business income was in 2021. I stopped working balloons in October 2021.
You’ll see an income dip in July of 2021 (the expected week-long beach vacation) where I accepted that most people aren’t worried about their balloons so instead of booking as much as possible, I didn’t worry as much.
My recycled children’s store also completed a full rebuild and moved to the new location in July. I think the final nail in the coffin for me with balloons, though, was my oldest starting public elementary school.
Balloon installs are primarily on nights and weekends. It’s a perfect gig when you have tiny babies at home that are sleeping during nights and weekends. Once my oldest grew up and was never home when I was (during the week + daytime) I felt a major push to redirect my life and re-focus on my family.
With my recycled children’s clothing business, and another part-time job working as a project manager, this decision worked for me and my family. So, now that I’ve explained all of the deviations, here’s the monthly breakdown for 2021.
2021 Monthly Balloon Business Income
Looking back, I had so much fun working as a balloon artist. I grew up in my small town, but moved away in middle school. When I came back as an adult I felt a bit disconnected.
My little balloon biz helped me reconnect with my community. I got to know a lot of incredible people, make friends I’m so thankful for, and bring a lot of celebrations to life along the way.
It’s crazy to think, it all started with just a few balloons.
