Your go-to podcast for balloon business success
The Bright Balloon
The Bright Balloon podcast, hosted by Sara Meyer, offers innovative strategies and real-life success stories to help balloon business owners thrive. Learn how to boost profits, reduce stress, and connect with a supportive community of creatives through insightful discussions and practical tips.
Recent Episodes
446
Oct. 27, 2026
446. The offer letter every big build needs
Handshake agreements feel fine... right up until someone asks what time they were supposed to arrive or how much you said you'd pay them. In Part 2 of my conversation with Ashley of The Balloon Lab, we dug into the behind-the-scenes logistics of a bid day install with 25 people, including out-of-town pros she had mostly never met. She shares the offer letters she sent to hired artists, why she chose a travel stipend over booking flights and how she handled lodging, meals and shifts for her team
445
Oct. 20, 2026
445. Getting your foot in the door for Bid Day balloons
Eleven sorority houses, 30-foot columns and an overnight install with the whole campus watching on Instagram. So how does a balloon business even get a foot in that door? This week I'm talking with Ashley, owner of The Balloon Lab. Her team decorated four sorority houses for bid day this year, and she's sharing how she got there: the jumbo foil heart outreach that put her in front of every house on campus, calendar deposits that lock in next year, pricing inside each sorority's budget and why h
444
Oct. 13, 2026
444. Could printed props be your next moneymaker?
What if your next backdrop was one you never had to return for? This week's guest turned custom signage into the biggest part of her business... and now she's making it easy for the rest of us to lean into custom prints, too. I'm so excited to introduce you to Chelsa of Custom Sign Sisters in Indianapolis. She started out with yard sign rentals alongside her sister and kept saying yes to new client requests until her business became something completely custom. Listen to her blow my mind as we
443
Oct. 6, 2026
443. Balloon myths that are costing you
Balloons are cheap. A full calendar means you're making money. You don’t have to be artistic to have a successful balloon business. These are some of the myths floating around the balloon industry… sometimes from our customers and sometimes in our own minds. So in this interview with Heidy of Decor by Heidy, we’re talking about how believing these myths are quietly holding your business back. Weather, education, hiring and sustainability are also on the table in this discussion that just might
442
Sept. 29, 2026
442. How much should you pay another balloon pro?
They said yes... now how much do you pay them? If you've ever DMed a balloon friend for help on a big job and then panicked in your group chat about what's fair, this episode is for you. I'm sharing real numbers and the one change I'm making to how I hire help from now on. Hiring another balloon pro is one of the biggest mysteries in our industry. There's no standard day rate, no contract and usually just a handshake agreement. So in this free preview of the private feed On The Bright Side, I'm
441
Sept. 22, 2026
441. The library box that became free advertising
What if you could skip the whole balloon sustainability debate? Our guest in this episode does just that, and might be the first person to change my mind about how to actually implement practical sustainability efforts. I'm chatting with Jen, owner of Wonderwall Event Co. in Maryland, and from the get-go, she made sustainability a core part of her business. Now, she has corporate clients looking past other decorators to hire her because of it. She walks us through the branded pop and drop box
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Recent Blog Posts
Oct. 27, 2026
Offer Letters, Stipends and Systems for Massive Balloon Installs
Handshake agreements feel fine... right up until someone asks what time they were supposed to arrive or how much you said you’d pay them. When Ashley of The Balloon Lab is hiring balloon artists for large installs, she has systems for avoiding that …
Oct. 22, 2026
Outgrowing Your Home Studio? Test-Drive a Retail Space First
If you've ever found yourself hauling a helium tank up the stairs while a finished garland waits on your couch and your garage has quietly turned into a balloon warehouse... it might be time to consider a balloon pop-up shop. So many of us start at…
Oct. 20, 2026
How to Land and Price Bid Day Balloon Installs
Picture 11 sorority houses packed so close together you could toss a rock from one window to the next... and every single one wants to outshine its neighbors' bid day balloon installs. That’s the world Ashley of The Balloon Lab Oxford works in arou…