Stop comparing your balloon business
Scrolling through Instagram and suddenly feeling like your balloon business isn't measuring up? Same. We've all done it. We see someone post a massive install or announce they're "fully booked" and that little voice in our heads starts whispering that we're behind. But here's the thing; what you're seeing is never the full picture. Stop comparing your balloon business to someone else's highlight reel.
There is not a fixed amount of money or a limited number of clients in this industry. Someone across the country crushing it doesn't mean there's less for you. More birthdays are happening every single day. So let's talk about the specific areas where comparison trips us up and what to focus on instead.
You Don't Know Their Real Numbers
The number people love to share is their sales number. And sales numbers can be incredibly misleading. If someone does $200,000 in sales but spends $180,000 keeping their business running; that's a very different picture than it looks on Instagram. You also don't know what kind of debt is behind those numbers. Maybe they front-loaded their business with a loan for a van, a warehouse and all-new equipment. That's not wrong; it's just a completely different business model than someone bootstrapping slowly. Comparing the two is apples and oranges.
The other piece nobody talks about? A partner's income. Someone married to a six-figure earner with insurance and PTO has a very different runway than a single parent building from scratch. None of this is good or bad; it's just context you don't have.
Staff Size Is Misleading
We tend to equate "big team" with "big success." But you have no idea what someone's team actually looks like. I could say I have a team of five. None of them are full-time employees; they're all subcontractors. Depending on how you spin it, it sounds impressive or it sounds like exactly what it is; a small operation with flexible help. Someone loading up their Instagram stories with 10 people on an install might be paying each of them $50 cash. It doesn't change your bottom line either way.
Social Media Is a Highlight Reel
I post Valentine's Day photos from three years ago because they fit the theme. My posts are auto-scheduled and most of them are recycled content from months ago. If you didn't know that, you'd think I'm doing huge jobs every single day. Some of my most impressive Instagram photos were styled shoots where I made zero dollars. And one of my biggest paying jobs ever barely photographed well enough to post. "Fully booked" could mean 9 jobs or 100; you genuinely have no idea.
You Don't Know How They Got Started
Some businesses look like overnight successes, but they're actually rebrands, family transitions or pivots from adjacent industries. I came into balloons with an existing client list from face painting. Someone else might have come from event planning with a killer network already built. Starting with an established base looks very different from starting at zero; and neither is wrong.
Define What Success Means for You
This is the real strategy. Instead of measuring yourself against someone else's business, get clear on what you actually want. For me, it's money in the bank and quality of life. I want to send my daughters to a great school, get my nails done, never stress about overdrafting and still be able to take a weekend off. Because I'm focused on those things, I'm genuinely okay that I don't have a storefront or a huge team.
The comparison trap gets dangerous when you're measuring your business against one that looks nothing like what you actually want to build. Figure out your version of success; then protect your energy for the things that move you toward it.
Next time that voice creeps in, remind yourself: it's none of my business. And I mean that in the best way possible.
Hear me talk through it all in episode 72.
