Why Running an Annual Audit Can Transform Your Balloon Business
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 of us avoid: slowing down to do an annual audit.
Running an annual audit is one of the most impactful things you can do to create a more predictable year ahead. It doesn’t require fancy software, complicated systems or expensive tools. It just requires intention.
What an Audit Really Is
An audit is simply taking inventory of the work you’ve already done. I recommend looking back through your calendar, invoices or CRM to identify what jobs you completed and where your revenue came from. This gives you real data (not guesses) about how your business was actually operating in the past year.
If you use a CRM like 17hats, much of this information already lives in one place. If not, paper invoices and calendar records work just as well. The goal is to identify patterns, not perfection.
Focus on Repeatable Events
Not every balloon job is meant to repeat. Weddings, milestone birthdays and one-off celebrations usually don’t come back year after year... and that’s okay.
The audit is about finding repeatable work:
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Corporate events
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Employee appreciation days
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Holiday displays
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Fundraisers
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Proms and annual school events
These types of events are often built into an organization’s yearly rhythm. If you did them once, there’s a strong chance they’ll happen again. And bonus: they’re much easier to rebook than finding brand-new clients.
Write It Down (Yes, Manually)
Even with an automated business, I intentionally keep this part manual, because writing things down forces awareness.
A simple spreadsheet works perfectly. Month by month, list:
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The event
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When it happened
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How much they spent
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Who the contact person is
You can add notes like design ideas, changes for next year or whether the contact person may have left their role. This document becomes your roadmap for the upcoming year.
Create a Rebooking Plan
Once you know which events could repeat, the next step is reaching out - before your calendar fills up. I like contacting clients two to three months ahead of their typical event date.
Early outreach helps you:
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Look professional and organized
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Stay top of mind
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Have time to identify new contacts if roles have changed
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Secure repeat work before new inquiries crowd your schedule
Many times, clients are relieved you reached out first because they meant to contact you but hadn’t gotten there yet.
Why This Changes Everything
When you don’t plan ahead, your calendar fills reactively with whoever emails you first. That often means more onboarding, more back-and-forth and more stress.
An audit flips the script. It allows you to prioritize your best, easiest and most reliable clients, while also giving you a realistic baseline for setting revenue goals, planning staffing and identifying slow months that need extra marketing.
This simple annual habit doesn’t just organize your business. It gives you confidence, clarity and momentum going into the new year.
Listen to the full episode to learn exactly how to run your own audit and start building a calmer, more intentional business.
