When I first thought of stuffed balloons, I had a very specific picture in my mind: a teddy bear inside a clear balloon with a bow on top. Cute… but not exactly groundbreaking. After sitting down with Marlene Potts of Balloon Masters, my pers…
As busy business owners, sometimes we need a reminder to not let the basics slip. Not because we don’t know better, but because sometimes survival mode kicks in. Slow Down Your Emails (Just a Little) When inquiries are coming in fast…
As balloon business owners, we spend most of the year focused on what’s right in front of us: upcoming installs, client emails, supply orders and busy weekends. But in episode 390 of The Bright Balloon, I'm making the case for something many o…
Making your first hire can feel intimidating, especially when you’ve built your balloon business entirely on your own. In episode 41 of The Bright Balloon Podcast, Erin from Young and Wild Balloon Company shares what pushed her to finally make…
Carolynn Hayman has spent nearly two decades building a balloon career that’s anything but ordinary. She’s the creator of Conrad the Unicorn, a balloon costume that went viral around the world, gained hundreds of millions of views and re…
One of the absolute best investments I've made in my balloon business is purchasing a van. It quickly changed my business in ways I didn’t expect. Like so many of us, I spent years thinking, “One day I’ll get a van……
When Jessica and Dae walked into Balloonathon last June, they had no idea the weekend would spark a brand-new chapter in both of their businesses. They were already friends, already collaborating, and already cheering each other on... but the indust…
If organic pricing has ever felt like guesswork... same. For years I tried quoting garlands by linear feet and it rarely felt good for me OR my customers. Now I use a simple, visual system that’s faster to bill, easier to explain, and harder t…
If your inbox is full of mismatched inquiries, it’s not (only) a marketing problem, it’s a positioning problem that a website audit can fix. I sat down with Courtney, a brand and web designer for creatives, to talk about how you can do …
If you’ve ever wondered how some balloon companies scale quickly without burning out (or burning cash), this conversation with Tiffany from Confetti Castle will give you just that insight. In 2019, she put $10,000 into a brand-new balloon busi…
What happens when a balloon artist stops fighting their market and starts listening to it? For Jam, it was opening his own balloon shop! Saying no to money because the model "didn’t fit" For months, Jam was fielding calls for quick, lower-pr…
If you’re a balloon pro debating whether a big convention is worth it, let me pull back the curtain on the FLOAT balloon convention—the industry’s classic, multi-track decor convention that’s helped me level up again and agai…
If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed, awkward, or burnt out by social media for your balloon business, you’re not alone. Most balloon pros would rather be designing than filming reels—and I get it. That’s why it was so refreshing…
Balloon Boss Summit: my review. Spoiler alert: It might be the best thing you do for your balloon business. If you're a balloon business owner looking to grow, connect, and finally get clarity on what’s next, the Balloon Boss…
Running a balloon business on your own can feel like a constant juggling act—between clients, creativity, admin tasks, and family life, there’s barely time to think. That's why I loved my conversation about business and life hacks with m…
What if your next big idea wasn’t about doing more balloon installs—but creating something totally new? In episode 34 of The Bright Balloon Podcast, I talk with my good friend Lilly Jimenez, founder of The Creative Heart Studio and …
Running a business is hard. Running a family business? That brings a whole new layer of complexity. In this episode 376 of The Bright Balloon Podcast, I sat down with Andrea and Aidan from the HI-FLOAT team—mother and daughter, and part of th…
What if your biggest business breakthrough is on the other side of fear? In episode 32 of The Bright Balloon, I talk with Tinesha from Mbellish Events, a balloon artist, full-time mom of five, and creative entrepreneur who decided to stop waiting f…
I just got back from the Sempertex International Balloon Convention, and I couldn’t wait to record my thoughts while everything was still fresh. This was my first Sempertex event, and I can honestly say: it was one of the easiest, most energi…
Let’s talk about something that might sound crazy: I’m hoping for unfollows on Instagram. Yes, you read that right. In episode 31 of The Bright Balloon, I opened up about how my once-thriving business Instagram account has beco…
Why Cheap Tape Could Be Costing You Clients I’ll be honest—I never thought I’d dedicate an entire episode to how cheap tape could be costing you... but here we are. In episode 372 of The Bright Balloon, I had the opportunity to c…
How I Use My Calendar to Get Through My Inbox If you’ve ever looked at your inbox and felt completely overwhelmed—you are not alone. But good news... you can always implement time blocking in your balloon business! Today I’m shar…
How to Build Systems That Simplify Your Balloon Business If your balloon business systems feel chaotic, you're not alone. I’ve been there—juggling emails, installs, invoicing, and trying to remember which client wanted what color palett…
In a special Q&A episode of The Bright Balloon, I answered your most frequently asked questions about my balloon business, creative tools, pricing strategies, and more. Whether you’re just starting out or have years of experience, this epi…
