I am often asked how much money is needed in order to open a party rental business, and the answer I give always seems to shock people. A Tax Return is really all the money you need in order to bounce into the inflatable rental industry.
Now my answer is not as vague as it may seem being that tax returns come in a variety of amounts, so lets say for the sake of this article we use an average tax return of $3500. This amount almost seems laughable as start up capital for any other business, but for inflatable rentals an amount this small can actually get you started.
This is the reason I consider the party rental business the world's greatest business opportunity that everyone ignores. No one really pays attention or even wonders' how much money we're actually making, and I hope it remains that way. I like being ignored by the investment community because it keeps market saturation to a minimum which means more money for me and my colleagues.
Like you, I use to rent a princess castle and other forms of entertainment every year for my daughter's birthday parties prior to me getting into the business, until one day I asked the guy who was delivering the castle a question that changed my life forever.
"Hey buddy are you making any money doing this?"
The guy looked at me with a real conceited grin and answered my question with a more powerful question. "Well how much money did you pay me? When I actually though about it I paid him $380 for the castle, cotton candy machine, and a one hour trackless train ride. Then the guy when on to say,"I have 10 parties just like this one for Saturday and Sunday".
As he walked away I had the feeling like I was in a Spike Lee movie when the actor is standing still but the room is circling around him. I can honestly say his answer changed my life because it was at that moment I realized that not only did I book him every year for my daughter's party, but I also referred him to all of my friends and family. He was making a killing off us and no one even though to add it up until that day. It was at that exact moment I wanted in on the party rental business, and nothing was going to stop me.
Now this conversation with the owner of that company took place in 1994, by the end of 1995 I was delivering my own castles to my own friends and family. The reason I shared that story was to say this, I started my rental company with a $3500 tax return. Sure that small investment on my end didn't buy my me enough units to put any of the existing rental operations out of business, but it did get me in the game. I took my tax return that year and purchased two 13x13 castles, and the rest is now inflatable history.
Despite the fact that I didn't have enough inventory to put anyone out of business or even threaten their existing clientele, I did have enough inventory to service my own friends and family which instantly cut off the cash flow going to the guy we hired every year. With only two castles and a lot of creative promotions my little business grew into one of the largest rental companies in my town.
As I always say, think of how many people you know who have elementary age children? Now multiply that number times 10, because there are at least 10 kids at every birthday party. Here is the best part that I saved for last, you already know all the people you need in order to make at least a $100,000 a year. I promise you almost every adult you know has children, and all of their kids have a birthday party every year. Think about it!
I have just given you the pathway to world greatest business, you can continue to ignore our earning potential to the delight of me and my colleagues, or you can join us. The choice is yours.
Tyronne Jacques
Bouncer Boss
Bouncing N Cash
http://www.bouncingncash.com
Bouncing N Cash 2010 Product Line
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
It's Show TIME!
It's Show TIME!
Well not exactly, but this is the time of year that you really have to put the work in if you plan to have any rental revenue for the winter.
Late fall will always mark the beginning of the off season, or a period of decline in rental reservations. I have spent a great deal of time providing tips that will help you offset the decline in sales during the winter months. Before you can tackle the problem with declining sales in the winter you have to first understand what happens to your rental sales after Black Friday.
Unfortunately what is a great time of celebration for retailers, often marks the beginning of the season of red for the outdoor events market. Party rentals are primarily a commercial outdoor service, which means as the weather goes, so will our sales. The market north of Tennessee will normally see a decline in reservations towards the beginning of October, south of Tennessee will experience the same decline around November 15. The reason for the decline is really simple, it's cold.
There are still some die hard customers who will still order inflatables in the colder months, but this segment of our market is really too small to be divided up by all of the rental companies in your market. So the question remains; how can I sustain my revenue during this period?
Listed below are 3 strategies that will create a revenue source until the spring arrives with a bail out.
During the winter there is a big demand from retailers for advertisement space. Rent your really tall units out as advertisement displays for local business. It is always a good idea to have two units that are over 16ft tall because the units can be attached with the advertisers banners. You can even take two units and place them side by side and attach the customer's banner in the middle displaying whatever message the customer wanted. You can also turn the castle sideways allowing the side of the unit to face the street. This technique will allow you to place a really large billboard size banner on the unit transforming it into a traffic generating inflatable. The good news is you can charge the commercial customers for a one week rental, which will produce mid week revenue. Yes!
Despite cold temperatures kids still love to run and jump. I suggest that you add two dry slides, and two obstacles courses to your inventory for the winter months. Every January the nation gets caught up in "Get Fit for the New Year". Here is where you take one dry slide and one obstacle coarse and promote kid fitness to all of the schools, community centers, and church organizations in your town. The goal here is to make any money you can Monday - Friday, this way the weekend rentals will only push you over the top. Yes!
Finally don't rule out the earning potential of costumed character rentals and cotton candy machines. A large percentage of our clients will not reserve a castle during the winter out of fear of their child getting sick after jumping in the cold all day. Please keep in mind that children born during the winter months still have birthday celebrations, the only difference is the parties are held inside. Costumed Character rentals are a great way to capitalize on indoor parties. The absolute best part of character rentals is you can book 3 - 6 parties a day ranging from $99 - $175 per party. This is where you tie in your cotton candy machine, and face painting which really maximizes your earning potential per party. Yes!
In one of my previous articles I shared how I would allow my preferred clients to keep the unit from Christmas Eve until January the 2nd for only $149 - $179 for the entire week. If you plan to use this strategy then it will require you to get your direct mail brochures out before the second week of December.
Whatever strategy you decide to use please approach it with a positive attitude, and an appreciation for every customer you generate during the off season. Please visit our website for addtional free sales strategies http://www.bouncingncash.com As always, "were never going to survive unless we get a little crazy". Crazy means Creative.
Tj - "Bouncer Boss"
Default Author Bio:
Tyronne Jacques is the GM of Sales and Marketing for Bouncing N Cash. We invite you to visit out website at http://www.bouncingncash.com or email us at tj@bouncingncash.com
Well not exactly, but this is the time of year that you really have to put the work in if you plan to have any rental revenue for the winter.
Late fall will always mark the beginning of the off season, or a period of decline in rental reservations. I have spent a great deal of time providing tips that will help you offset the decline in sales during the winter months. Before you can tackle the problem with declining sales in the winter you have to first understand what happens to your rental sales after Black Friday.
Unfortunately what is a great time of celebration for retailers, often marks the beginning of the season of red for the outdoor events market. Party rentals are primarily a commercial outdoor service, which means as the weather goes, so will our sales. The market north of Tennessee will normally see a decline in reservations towards the beginning of October, south of Tennessee will experience the same decline around November 15. The reason for the decline is really simple, it's cold.
There are still some die hard customers who will still order inflatables in the colder months, but this segment of our market is really too small to be divided up by all of the rental companies in your market. So the question remains; how can I sustain my revenue during this period?
Listed below are 3 strategies that will create a revenue source until the spring arrives with a bail out.
During the winter there is a big demand from retailers for advertisement space. Rent your really tall units out as advertisement displays for local business. It is always a good idea to have two units that are over 16ft tall because the units can be attached with the advertisers banners. You can even take two units and place them side by side and attach the customer's banner in the middle displaying whatever message the customer wanted. You can also turn the castle sideways allowing the side of the unit to face the street. This technique will allow you to place a really large billboard size banner on the unit transforming it into a traffic generating inflatable. The good news is you can charge the commercial customers for a one week rental, which will produce mid week revenue. Yes!
Despite cold temperatures kids still love to run and jump. I suggest that you add two dry slides, and two obstacles courses to your inventory for the winter months. Every January the nation gets caught up in "Get Fit for the New Year". Here is where you take one dry slide and one obstacle coarse and promote kid fitness to all of the schools, community centers, and church organizations in your town. The goal here is to make any money you can Monday - Friday, this way the weekend rentals will only push you over the top. Yes!
Finally don't rule out the earning potential of costumed character rentals and cotton candy machines. A large percentage of our clients will not reserve a castle during the winter out of fear of their child getting sick after jumping in the cold all day. Please keep in mind that children born during the winter months still have birthday celebrations, the only difference is the parties are held inside. Costumed Character rentals are a great way to capitalize on indoor parties. The absolute best part of character rentals is you can book 3 - 6 parties a day ranging from $99 - $175 per party. This is where you tie in your cotton candy machine, and face painting which really maximizes your earning potential per party. Yes!
In one of my previous articles I shared how I would allow my preferred clients to keep the unit from Christmas Eve until January the 2nd for only $149 - $179 for the entire week. If you plan to use this strategy then it will require you to get your direct mail brochures out before the second week of December.
Whatever strategy you decide to use please approach it with a positive attitude, and an appreciation for every customer you generate during the off season. Please visit our website for addtional free sales strategies http://www.bouncingncash.com As always, "were never going to survive unless we get a little crazy". Crazy means Creative.
Tj - "Bouncer Boss"
Default Author Bio:
Tyronne Jacques is the GM of Sales and Marketing for Bouncing N Cash. We invite you to visit out website at http://www.bouncingncash.com or email us at tj@bouncingncash.com
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Inflatable Tents - "Welcome To The Next Level"
Inflatable tents not only provide shelter from the summer heat, inflatable tents are really HOT. Here is the main reason inflatable tents are so HOT, most rental companies have yet to add them to their inventory.
In the party rental business you have to present the customer with the items that you want to move. If it's a new product that your introducing to your market then you have to invest the time in promoting it. But once you do the grunt work of advertising, customers will begin to request your new product. This is the case with inflatable tents. Many of the customers have only seen inflatable tents on cars lots show-casing the latest BMW 750i.
The inflatable tent market is totally open and waiting on you to make an aggressive move in your local area. Traditional tent rental companies have yet to receive any real challenge to their market share until now. Inflatable tents main selling point is quick easy set up, with no poles to fight. The tents are very light weight, and the smaller diameters units can even fit inside the trunk of a car.
The market that I want you to target is the summertime baseball, football, soccer mom crowd. Often times at these events there is never enough protection from the blazing sun. The good news is your product becomes a cure to a potential health risk. I would encourage you to target little league coaches with your advertisement. The inflatable tents even come in concession designs which will help your promote the "staying kool with our tents" ad campaign.
In my earlier article I stressed the need for you to maximize the customer's available budget through up selling. Inflatable tents are the perfect product to add to a customers total daily rental. The summer months will only increase the demand for your inflatable tents. The Sun will become your number one salesmen due to the need to have protection from the summertime heat. I am encouraging you to have at least one tent in your inventory to take advantage of an untapped market.
The tents inflate in least 10 minutes, and with Bouncing N Cash's new water proof blower, the units can even remain inflated during mild precipitation. Customers that rent an inflatable castle, snow cone machine, and the tent would also get a free generator rental to power all three units. The free generator rental is a great sales promotion and provides the clients the convenience of setting up wherever they want.
Here is your opportunity to get the jump on your competition by adding inflatable tents to your inventory. Each tent makes for perfect advertising with your logo stretched across the top of the tent. We can even custom design the tents in any size, or color you choose. Please visit our website for an index of designs that we currently have in production. Total production time is 4-6 weeks,and shipping is free for Bouncing N Cash members.
Never follow, always make your competitors follow you. Maintain a visible presence in your local markets via television, and promote your new inflatable tents. If you inflate it, they will come. http://www.bouncingncash.com
Tj
Bouncer Boss
In the party rental business you have to present the customer with the items that you want to move. If it's a new product that your introducing to your market then you have to invest the time in promoting it. But once you do the grunt work of advertising, customers will begin to request your new product. This is the case with inflatable tents. Many of the customers have only seen inflatable tents on cars lots show-casing the latest BMW 750i.
The inflatable tent market is totally open and waiting on you to make an aggressive move in your local area. Traditional tent rental companies have yet to receive any real challenge to their market share until now. Inflatable tents main selling point is quick easy set up, with no poles to fight. The tents are very light weight, and the smaller diameters units can even fit inside the trunk of a car.
The market that I want you to target is the summertime baseball, football, soccer mom crowd. Often times at these events there is never enough protection from the blazing sun. The good news is your product becomes a cure to a potential health risk. I would encourage you to target little league coaches with your advertisement. The inflatable tents even come in concession designs which will help your promote the "staying kool with our tents" ad campaign.
In my earlier article I stressed the need for you to maximize the customer's available budget through up selling. Inflatable tents are the perfect product to add to a customers total daily rental. The summer months will only increase the demand for your inflatable tents. The Sun will become your number one salesmen due to the need to have protection from the summertime heat. I am encouraging you to have at least one tent in your inventory to take advantage of an untapped market.
The tents inflate in least 10 minutes, and with Bouncing N Cash's new water proof blower, the units can even remain inflated during mild precipitation. Customers that rent an inflatable castle, snow cone machine, and the tent would also get a free generator rental to power all three units. The free generator rental is a great sales promotion and provides the clients the convenience of setting up wherever they want.
Here is your opportunity to get the jump on your competition by adding inflatable tents to your inventory. Each tent makes for perfect advertising with your logo stretched across the top of the tent. We can even custom design the tents in any size, or color you choose. Please visit our website for an index of designs that we currently have in production. Total production time is 4-6 weeks,and shipping is free for Bouncing N Cash members.
Never follow, always make your competitors follow you. Maintain a visible presence in your local markets via television, and promote your new inflatable tents. If you inflate it, they will come. http://www.bouncingncash.com
Tj
Bouncer Boss
Saturday, November 21, 2009
The Party Rental Business - Bouncing on Cash
I can honestly say that I did not get into the party rental business just for the cash, however I was fully aware of the earning potential of this industry prior to investing. Here is the absolute best reason for owning an inflatable rental business, at the end of the day the equipment is coming home with me. No matter what the customer paid for the daily rental it's just that, a rental.
Now I am now encoraging you to gauge your customers, whatever your local market demands for your services is where you should be. What I would like for you to focus on is how to maximise each and every sale you get. When a customer has decided to rent one of your castles for a day you now have something no other rental company has, their undivided attention. It's obvious that if the customer selected your rental operation then they must consider you worthy of their hard earn dollars. There is nothing wrong with up-selling, or suggestive selling in order to ensure that you have not left any money on the street.
One of the strategies I use in order to make sure that I have provided my customers with a full rental service for their event is to offer package specials. Package specials are great for totally booking out your entire inventory. A customer may have called you for a castle, and you are in the castle business therefore you can service them, but what about a face painter to go with the castle? Let's build the package another way, let's say we take a dozen balloons, the face painter, the castle, and tie it together as a special promotion. Now we have just tapped into the party supply business with the balloons, and at the exact same time we've grabbed a small portion of the children's entertainer market.
The reality is the customer will most likely spend money on those exact forms of entertainment for their party, but the only difference is they did not rent those items and services from you. In the inflatable rental business we have such a unique advantage being that we are most often the first call a customer will make as they begin to plan their party.
One of my favorite customers once said to me "I like to get your part out of the way first, because you always cause the most damage to my wallet"
What he was in fact saying was the castle part of his budget represented the higher ticket item. What I later discovered one day when I was picking up his unit at the end of the party was I may have represented the highest ticket item, but there were four other vendors that serviced this same party. I was in fact leaving about $280 on the street, as a result leaving money available for my competitors to share. I am a very nice guy, but no way am I in business to make sure my competitors are booked out as well.
The are a few services that you can add to your rental operation that will produce some big time revenue if you concentrate on packages. Listed below are a few of the party packages that we have had great sucess with over the years.
1. Castle & Balloons Delivered - This required a helium tank rental and that's it. Being that we were already schedule to deliver the castle it required no additional effort to deliver the balloons. This special would run $149 in my market which is saturated with rental companies.
2. Castle, Balloons, Face Painting - The best part about this special is you can book 5 reservation a day with one team, which means that if you have 10 units you can sell this promotion 10 times. I would normally charge $229, and it only required two teen age girl's to handle the face painting.
3. Castle, Balloon, Face Painting, Cotton Candy - One again if you have 10 units then you can sale this promotion 10 times. I would send a server to handle the cotton candy machine, while the face painter is in action for one hour only. I would normally charge $309 for this promotion.
The main point I am trying to drive home here is do not leave the money available for your competitors, max out the customer's budget with your services. If the customer chooses not to get the other items and only has interest in the castle, just know that it's not because they did not have the money, you simply failed to give them a reason to spend it. The good news is I will give them the perfect reason to spend it with my rental business, if you fail to do so. Do not leave any money on the street, because I will pick it up.
Bouncer Boss
Bouncing N Cash
Now I am now encoraging you to gauge your customers, whatever your local market demands for your services is where you should be. What I would like for you to focus on is how to maximise each and every sale you get. When a customer has decided to rent one of your castles for a day you now have something no other rental company has, their undivided attention. It's obvious that if the customer selected your rental operation then they must consider you worthy of their hard earn dollars. There is nothing wrong with up-selling, or suggestive selling in order to ensure that you have not left any money on the street.
One of the strategies I use in order to make sure that I have provided my customers with a full rental service for their event is to offer package specials. Package specials are great for totally booking out your entire inventory. A customer may have called you for a castle, and you are in the castle business therefore you can service them, but what about a face painter to go with the castle? Let's build the package another way, let's say we take a dozen balloons, the face painter, the castle, and tie it together as a special promotion. Now we have just tapped into the party supply business with the balloons, and at the exact same time we've grabbed a small portion of the children's entertainer market.
The reality is the customer will most likely spend money on those exact forms of entertainment for their party, but the only difference is they did not rent those items and services from you. In the inflatable rental business we have such a unique advantage being that we are most often the first call a customer will make as they begin to plan their party.
One of my favorite customers once said to me "I like to get your part out of the way first, because you always cause the most damage to my wallet"
What he was in fact saying was the castle part of his budget represented the higher ticket item. What I later discovered one day when I was picking up his unit at the end of the party was I may have represented the highest ticket item, but there were four other vendors that serviced this same party. I was in fact leaving about $280 on the street, as a result leaving money available for my competitors to share. I am a very nice guy, but no way am I in business to make sure my competitors are booked out as well.
The are a few services that you can add to your rental operation that will produce some big time revenue if you concentrate on packages. Listed below are a few of the party packages that we have had great sucess with over the years.
1. Castle & Balloons Delivered - This required a helium tank rental and that's it. Being that we were already schedule to deliver the castle it required no additional effort to deliver the balloons. This special would run $149 in my market which is saturated with rental companies.
2. Castle, Balloons, Face Painting - The best part about this special is you can book 5 reservation a day with one team, which means that if you have 10 units you can sell this promotion 10 times. I would normally charge $229, and it only required two teen age girl's to handle the face painting.
3. Castle, Balloon, Face Painting, Cotton Candy - One again if you have 10 units then you can sale this promotion 10 times. I would send a server to handle the cotton candy machine, while the face painter is in action for one hour only. I would normally charge $309 for this promotion.
The main point I am trying to drive home here is do not leave the money available for your competitors, max out the customer's budget with your services. If the customer chooses not to get the other items and only has interest in the castle, just know that it's not because they did not have the money, you simply failed to give them a reason to spend it. The good news is I will give them the perfect reason to spend it with my rental business, if you fail to do so. Do not leave any money on the street, because I will pick it up.
Bouncer Boss
Bouncing N Cash
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Guess What? It still works
Today I wanted to share with you two very outdated tools that I still used everyday because of reliability, Appointments books and Post Cards. With all of the modern day technology many people in the party rental business have shifted their entire reservation systems to electronic, or web based systems. Although electronic reservation systems are extremely convenient, there is still the risk of catastrophic system failures.
I joined the computerised reservation movement back in the 2001 after meeting a sales representative at the IAAPA Trade Show. We purchased the product and installed it on my reservation laptop the moment I got back from the trade show. Everything worked great and the support was wonderful, so I know your now wondering what was the problem? Great question, I'm glad you asked.
My daughter (18 months at the time) had this great fascination with unscrewing the top off her sippy-cup and pouring the content on the floor. Well what was a cute family moment turn into sheer horror when she poured all of her juice into my lap top. Every reservation I had for the next two months were destroyed as well as my entire customer database that was stored on the hard drive. The system worked well as a stand along product, but nothing could have prepared it for the destruction of my baby girl.
We still utilize a web based reservation systems however, I mandate that all reservations are also hand written in a separate reservation appointment book. This way we always have two copies of each and every reservation regardless of coincidental circumstances of day to day operations.
One other tip I wanted to share with you was the use of Hand written Thank You post cards. I can not count the number of compliments that I have received because of a hand written post card, or thank you letter. You have to personalize your services if you want to establish your base, or returning clientele. Something as simple as a hand written post card, especially if you can personally deliver it will lock up that customer until the child is well into their teens.
If you found this article helpful then I invite you to visit our free party rental training blog at http://www.bouncingncash.com/
Bouncer Boss
I joined the computerised reservation movement back in the 2001 after meeting a sales representative at the IAAPA Trade Show. We purchased the product and installed it on my reservation laptop the moment I got back from the trade show. Everything worked great and the support was wonderful, so I know your now wondering what was the problem? Great question, I'm glad you asked.
My daughter (18 months at the time) had this great fascination with unscrewing the top off her sippy-cup and pouring the content on the floor. Well what was a cute family moment turn into sheer horror when she poured all of her juice into my lap top. Every reservation I had for the next two months were destroyed as well as my entire customer database that was stored on the hard drive. The system worked well as a stand along product, but nothing could have prepared it for the destruction of my baby girl.
We still utilize a web based reservation systems however, I mandate that all reservations are also hand written in a separate reservation appointment book. This way we always have two copies of each and every reservation regardless of coincidental circumstances of day to day operations.
One other tip I wanted to share with you was the use of Hand written Thank You post cards. I can not count the number of compliments that I have received because of a hand written post card, or thank you letter. You have to personalize your services if you want to establish your base, or returning clientele. Something as simple as a hand written post card, especially if you can personally deliver it will lock up that customer until the child is well into their teens.
If you found this article helpful then I invite you to visit our free party rental training blog at http://www.bouncingncash.com/
Bouncer Boss
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
How to open your own Party Rental Business - Part 1
I don't want you to concern yourself with how many company are renting inflatables in your market, what's more important is that all of your units are booked out. This business is so unique that it's really not affected by saturation mainly due to the amount of children in any given zip code.
Even if you rented 100 units per day each weekend, I promise you the guy who only has four castles will still rent all of his units. This is a business of relationships and referrals, and to break it down even more you have to work your circle.
I use to get upset every time I would see another company completing a delivery in my area until I realized that there are enough birthday parties every weekend for party rental 100 companies. I have developed a formula, and if you follow it to the letter booking out will be the least of your worries.
The basic things you need to get started
Here are the basic things you need to get started in the party rental business. I will get into details on how each variable plays into the cash equation in part 2 of this series.
1. Phone book ad 1/4 of a page minimum.
2. 6 - 10 units to start your inventory.
3. Business telephone with voice mail
4. Truck, lawn trailer, heavey duty dolly
5. A website
6. Liability Insurance
Now notice I never mentioned a location as one of the 6 basic things you will need, and that is because you don't need a location in order to succeed in party rentals. You will need a place to store your units, off site away from your home. I tried to store inflatable castles at my home and the zoning people would always come knocking.
The best part of being in this business is you can run your entire operation from your home office. Your yellow page ad in conjunction with your website will give your potential customer all of the information they need in order to book their event. In the term of start up cost we are still under $20,000, and even less than that if you already have a truck.
If you have found this article helpful then you will love our online couching series on how to open your own party rental business. Please visit our Coaching and Training website at http://www.bouncingncash.com/Coaching.html
The Bouncer Boss
Even if you rented 100 units per day each weekend, I promise you the guy who only has four castles will still rent all of his units. This is a business of relationships and referrals, and to break it down even more you have to work your circle.
I use to get upset every time I would see another company completing a delivery in my area until I realized that there are enough birthday parties every weekend for party rental 100 companies. I have developed a formula, and if you follow it to the letter booking out will be the least of your worries.
The basic things you need to get started
Here are the basic things you need to get started in the party rental business. I will get into details on how each variable plays into the cash equation in part 2 of this series.
1. Phone book ad 1/4 of a page minimum.
2. 6 - 10 units to start your inventory.
3. Business telephone with voice mail
4. Truck, lawn trailer, heavey duty dolly
5. A website
6. Liability Insurance
Now notice I never mentioned a location as one of the 6 basic things you will need, and that is because you don't need a location in order to succeed in party rentals. You will need a place to store your units, off site away from your home. I tried to store inflatable castles at my home and the zoning people would always come knocking.
The best part of being in this business is you can run your entire operation from your home office. Your yellow page ad in conjunction with your website will give your potential customer all of the information they need in order to book their event. In the term of start up cost we are still under $20,000, and even less than that if you already have a truck.
If you have found this article helpful then you will love our online couching series on how to open your own party rental business. Please visit our Coaching and Training website at http://www.bouncingncash.com/Coaching.html
The Bouncer Boss
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Party Rentals
Is this a great business or what?
I think the best part of the party rental business still has to be Saturday morning deliveries. Sure the delivery aspect of our business is where the real work lies, but it also has a Santa Claus like appeal to it. To see the look on the face of kids as you turn on the blower and inflate the bouncer will never get old to me.
There was a time when inflatable castles were mainly rented by elementary schools for school fairs, now the moon bounce has become as essential as the birthday cake. The real reason that party castles are so popular is mainly due to it's entertainment value. Party castles are delivered bright and early in the morning prior to the starting time of the birthday party, and picked up later in the evening. This means that kids get to jump all day long, for one flat price.
Many families are opting to have their birthday parties in the backyard versus hosting their events at the larger entertainment restaurants. Backyard parties are now more popular than entertainment restaurants mainly due to cost. A party at Chuck E Cheese can far exceed the cost of having the party in the backyard. Party castles really provide the best of both worlds because you can still provide constant entertainment for the party goers, without the hefty price tag.
What was once an optional item has now become just as important as the actual birthday cake, which is why this is the world greatest business. I know that may sound like a bias statement, but any business that can excite children into a bouncing frenzy has to be considered a formidable industry.
As long as the cost of the inflatable castle rentals remain in check we can expect a continued increase in the popularity of birthday party rentals. The average cost of one rental can range from $99 - $130. In certain regions I have even seen prices as high as $140 for 4 hours. Overall the cost of party castle rentals are still considerably less then paying the per child cost at a larger entertainment restaurant.
Our castles have become so popular that many of my customers call us first before they even order the birthday cake. I have coined a phrase for entrapanurs who are considering investing in the business of party rentals, "if you buy 10 you will never work again". Yes, you will still work your butt of within your own business, but your days for working for someelse will come to a quick end. This business has a high cash flow, as well as low overhead which makes it the world's greatest business.
For more information on opening your own party rental business please visit our website www.bouncingncash.com We aslo offer a Online How to Video Coaching Series that you can watch online instantly. For How To Training please visit http://www.bouncingncash.com/Coaching.html
Tyronne Jacques - Bouncer Boss
I think the best part of the party rental business still has to be Saturday morning deliveries. Sure the delivery aspect of our business is where the real work lies, but it also has a Santa Claus like appeal to it. To see the look on the face of kids as you turn on the blower and inflate the bouncer will never get old to me.
There was a time when inflatable castles were mainly rented by elementary schools for school fairs, now the moon bounce has become as essential as the birthday cake. The real reason that party castles are so popular is mainly due to it's entertainment value. Party castles are delivered bright and early in the morning prior to the starting time of the birthday party, and picked up later in the evening. This means that kids get to jump all day long, for one flat price.
Many families are opting to have their birthday parties in the backyard versus hosting their events at the larger entertainment restaurants. Backyard parties are now more popular than entertainment restaurants mainly due to cost. A party at Chuck E Cheese can far exceed the cost of having the party in the backyard. Party castles really provide the best of both worlds because you can still provide constant entertainment for the party goers, without the hefty price tag.
What was once an optional item has now become just as important as the actual birthday cake, which is why this is the world greatest business. I know that may sound like a bias statement, but any business that can excite children into a bouncing frenzy has to be considered a formidable industry.
As long as the cost of the inflatable castle rentals remain in check we can expect a continued increase in the popularity of birthday party rentals. The average cost of one rental can range from $99 - $130. In certain regions I have even seen prices as high as $140 for 4 hours. Overall the cost of party castle rentals are still considerably less then paying the per child cost at a larger entertainment restaurant.
Our castles have become so popular that many of my customers call us first before they even order the birthday cake. I have coined a phrase for entrapanurs who are considering investing in the business of party rentals, "if you buy 10 you will never work again". Yes, you will still work your butt of within your own business, but your days for working for someelse will come to a quick end. This business has a high cash flow, as well as low overhead which makes it the world's greatest business.
For more information on opening your own party rental business please visit our website www.bouncingncash.com We aslo offer a Online How to Video Coaching Series that you can watch online instantly. For How To Training please visit http://www.bouncingncash.com/Coaching.html
Tyronne Jacques - Bouncer Boss
Saturday, November 14, 2009
The Feast to Famine Cycle
Old Man Winter
Unless you live in Miami Florida, or New Orleans Louisiana you will definitely be affected by winter. I get asked all the time for strategies in surviving the winter. I'm not boasting but I once delivered 17 bouncers on Christmas Eve for events on Christmas Day!
How was I able to do that you ask? I ran a promo $149 which allowed the customer to keep the unit from Christmas Eve until Jan 2. That's right the customer was able to keep the unit for an entire week for $149. Let’s do the math.
$149 per rental x 17 units = $2,533
December normally marks the end of our season, so to make $2,533 at a time when the phones are barley ringing was a winter time victory.
Here’s how I created the sales, I sent out a mail blast to all of my customers in our database. It was a simple one page flyer mailed out the first week of December, by the 15Th of the month we had rented all of the units and even sent the over flow to my buddy in the business.
You can make money in the winter months but you have to be creative. I have just given you one of my main winter strategies for only the cost of this series, but it took me 12 years to come up with a way to make money in December.
During the summer months we would really rake in some serious doe, but it all would fall off right after Black Friday in November. This would always lead to a feast to famine cycle. The party rental business was always my full time job, therefore I did not have another gig to fall back on, I was truly all in. Looking back on it all I came to realize that my business was better to me then I was to my self. With so mush cash flow I would often over spend during the surplus month, and then have to stick it out until February.
Then came the winter 2001 and I nearly starved to death, and had to return to working a full time job just to pay my bills. What happen? I will tell you what happen, peak season, after peak season I would never put anything away to carry me through the off season.
In the spring of 2002 I begin to take 1/3 of my Sunday sales and place it in an escrow account that I would not touch until December 1st. To my amazement this account had grown to $15,000! We really had a merry Christmas for the first time in years.
You have to put a plan like this in place to keep you afloat during the off season. I have determined that the off season starts December 1st for warm weather states, and Oct 31st for cold weather states. The off season will last until March 1st. Now you will still get opportunities to make money during the off season but don't count on being booked out.
Another fact you may want to consider is that not all cultures celebrate Christmas or Birthdays, however they are still just as passionate about their children. Many of my Christmas rentals would come from the Jewish, Jehovah Witness, and Islamic communities.
I would even advertise in their circles as a way to keep my business moving forward during the down season. Please remember money is green, so you must develop the ability to market to all cultures.
Tj
Bouncer Boss
www.bouncingncash.com
1-888-317-7013
Unless you live in Miami Florida, or New Orleans Louisiana you will definitely be affected by winter. I get asked all the time for strategies in surviving the winter. I'm not boasting but I once delivered 17 bouncers on Christmas Eve for events on Christmas Day!
How was I able to do that you ask? I ran a promo $149 which allowed the customer to keep the unit from Christmas Eve until Jan 2. That's right the customer was able to keep the unit for an entire week for $149. Let’s do the math.
$149 per rental x 17 units = $2,533
December normally marks the end of our season, so to make $2,533 at a time when the phones are barley ringing was a winter time victory.
Here’s how I created the sales, I sent out a mail blast to all of my customers in our database. It was a simple one page flyer mailed out the first week of December, by the 15Th of the month we had rented all of the units and even sent the over flow to my buddy in the business.
You can make money in the winter months but you have to be creative. I have just given you one of my main winter strategies for only the cost of this series, but it took me 12 years to come up with a way to make money in December.
During the summer months we would really rake in some serious doe, but it all would fall off right after Black Friday in November. This would always lead to a feast to famine cycle. The party rental business was always my full time job, therefore I did not have another gig to fall back on, I was truly all in. Looking back on it all I came to realize that my business was better to me then I was to my self. With so mush cash flow I would often over spend during the surplus month, and then have to stick it out until February.
Then came the winter 2001 and I nearly starved to death, and had to return to working a full time job just to pay my bills. What happen? I will tell you what happen, peak season, after peak season I would never put anything away to carry me through the off season.
In the spring of 2002 I begin to take 1/3 of my Sunday sales and place it in an escrow account that I would not touch until December 1st. To my amazement this account had grown to $15,000! We really had a merry Christmas for the first time in years.
You have to put a plan like this in place to keep you afloat during the off season. I have determined that the off season starts December 1st for warm weather states, and Oct 31st for cold weather states. The off season will last until March 1st. Now you will still get opportunities to make money during the off season but don't count on being booked out.
Another fact you may want to consider is that not all cultures celebrate Christmas or Birthdays, however they are still just as passionate about their children. Many of my Christmas rentals would come from the Jewish, Jehovah Witness, and Islamic communities.
I would even advertise in their circles as a way to keep my business moving forward during the down season. Please remember money is green, so you must develop the ability to market to all cultures.
Tj
Bouncer Boss
www.bouncingncash.com
1-888-317-7013
Friday, November 13, 2009
Surviving the tough times in the Rental Business - Part 1
Blame it on the RAIN!
Even on my worst days in the party rental business I still wouldn't rather do anything else. I've had some of the roughest days imaginable, days so difficult that many of my colleagues quit the business when face with the same circumstances. I can even remember the summer of 2003, it rained every single day.
What was so heart breaking was to watch a $5,000 weekend, after weekend simply get washed away. And it never failed, I would have 15 deliveries schedule for that day and all would cancel except two. Now you might think that something is better than nothing, but in the party rental world it’s actually better if they all just simply cancel.
Here is the reason salvaging two bookings on a rainy day is still considered bad news. The customer will blame you because it rained! That's right it's your fault her kids did not get the opportunity to jump in the Princes Castle, and now she wants to know how much of her money your going to refund. If there was ever a time I got into an argument with a customer it was regarding them excepting a delivery on a rainy day, then getting angry with me because it rained all day.
Rain is apart of the business, as rental operators we have to take the good with the bad. Rain is really our only competition as an industry, other then that there is nothing really hindering you during the warmer months.
I began to realize just how much these rainy day confrontations was hurting my reputation, so I decided to make the rainy days work for me rather than against me.
So I came up with a rainy day policy that said that if it started to rain after we delivered your unit then simply call us to pick it up, and we will give your child another party on us.
This policy was only valid if the customer called us before 2 pm, which place the ball in their court if they wanted to continue with their plans. Notice I never refunded the money, because I still had cost associated with this delivery, but it did give the customer something for their money. It also allowed me to promote the policy which completely separated us from our competition.
Another great solution I discovered that off set all of the loss associated with washed out weekends was www.rainprotection.net . Now I am not an affiliate with this company, but I really need to be just based on the amount of people that I have referred to them. They will allow you to insure your reservations against rain related cancellations. Yes you heard me right the first time, you can now purchase an insurance policy just for the weekends. This one simple investment will help you survive the tough times that are associated with being in an out door events business.
This article is apart of a three part series titled "Surviving the tough times in the Rental Business". Please check in with our blog for the complete series as well as other free resurces for party rental operators.
Please visit
http://partyrentalbiz.blogspot.com/
Please visit our website
http://www.bouncingncash.com/
TJ
The Bouncer Boss
www.bouncingncash.com
888-317-7013
Even on my worst days in the party rental business I still wouldn't rather do anything else. I've had some of the roughest days imaginable, days so difficult that many of my colleagues quit the business when face with the same circumstances. I can even remember the summer of 2003, it rained every single day.
What was so heart breaking was to watch a $5,000 weekend, after weekend simply get washed away. And it never failed, I would have 15 deliveries schedule for that day and all would cancel except two. Now you might think that something is better than nothing, but in the party rental world it’s actually better if they all just simply cancel.
Here is the reason salvaging two bookings on a rainy day is still considered bad news. The customer will blame you because it rained! That's right it's your fault her kids did not get the opportunity to jump in the Princes Castle, and now she wants to know how much of her money your going to refund. If there was ever a time I got into an argument with a customer it was regarding them excepting a delivery on a rainy day, then getting angry with me because it rained all day.
Rain is apart of the business, as rental operators we have to take the good with the bad. Rain is really our only competition as an industry, other then that there is nothing really hindering you during the warmer months.
I began to realize just how much these rainy day confrontations was hurting my reputation, so I decided to make the rainy days work for me rather than against me.
So I came up with a rainy day policy that said that if it started to rain after we delivered your unit then simply call us to pick it up, and we will give your child another party on us.
This policy was only valid if the customer called us before 2 pm, which place the ball in their court if they wanted to continue with their plans. Notice I never refunded the money, because I still had cost associated with this delivery, but it did give the customer something for their money. It also allowed me to promote the policy which completely separated us from our competition.
Another great solution I discovered that off set all of the loss associated with washed out weekends was www.rainprotection.net . Now I am not an affiliate with this company, but I really need to be just based on the amount of people that I have referred to them. They will allow you to insure your reservations against rain related cancellations. Yes you heard me right the first time, you can now purchase an insurance policy just for the weekends. This one simple investment will help you survive the tough times that are associated with being in an out door events business.
This article is apart of a three part series titled "Surviving the tough times in the Rental Business". Please check in with our blog for the complete series as well as other free resurces for party rental operators.
Please visit
http://partyrentalbiz.blogspot.com/
Please visit our website
http://www.bouncingncash.com/
TJ
The Bouncer Boss
www.bouncingncash.com
888-317-7013
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Sweet Cotton Candy
I love Cotton Candy Machines, I mean I really love cotton candy machines. I first discovered the power of cotton candy in 2001 when I invested in one machine. I quickly realized that I did not have enough machines to meet the demand so I invested in 4 more. The next week we kicked off a promotion that offered cotton candy, Balloons, and a bouncing castle for $199, which became an instant hit.
My thrill over the success of this promotion lasted only for one week, to be exact it lasted unil that Sunday night. Even after we spent extra time at each delivery explaining how to operate the cotton candy machines correctly, the customers still managed to burn out the motors on 4 out of the 6 machines. All of the machines were under warranty, but the problem was now the the turn around time for a replacement was 3-4 weeks. I did not have the luxury of time due to the fact that all of the machines were booked out for the next weekend.
So imagine a grown man crying like a 4 year old child, and you have just capture my mental breakdown moment. It took me about 48 hours to pull it together, I was at the very bottom a pessimistic pit. I did not want to buy 4 new cotton candy machines in order to replace the damaged units therefore, I had to come up with something really fast. Whenever your faced with catastrophes in you rental operations I want you to approach it from the positive position of what resources do we have that will minimize the impact to future obligations. When I applied this problem solving principal to my current situation I came up with the following solution.
Four out of the six cotton candy machines were destroyed the first weekend out. This left me with two good machines to cover six parties. So I came up with a plan to split the two machines in between both parties. I then called each customer and announce that their party has been selected to receive a free concession server to operate the machine for one hour. The customers all loved the ideal because their biggest concern was how to operate the machine without making a huge mess.
I have had plenty of good ideals over the years but this one was, and is still the greatest of all time. I recruited my brother to take three parties, and I even paid one of my drivers to get in a Winnie The Pooh suit for one hour. The plan was a hit and we totally excited the entire party, business cards were flying everywhere. I discovered with this method that I actually made more money on each machine than if I were to rent the unit to one customer for the entire day. Once the replacement machines finally arrived I hired a cotton candy / costume crew to entertain 18 parties per day, at a charge of $229 each.
The Recording Artist Seal 1991 song "crazy" says "were are never going to survive unless we get a little crazy". In our business "crazy'' represents creative thoughts. If you allow your creativity to flow no matter how crazy it make seem, you will enjoy the taste of sweet profits.
Tj
Bouncer Boss
www.bouncingncash.com
My thrill over the success of this promotion lasted only for one week, to be exact it lasted unil that Sunday night. Even after we spent extra time at each delivery explaining how to operate the cotton candy machines correctly, the customers still managed to burn out the motors on 4 out of the 6 machines. All of the machines were under warranty, but the problem was now the the turn around time for a replacement was 3-4 weeks. I did not have the luxury of time due to the fact that all of the machines were booked out for the next weekend.
So imagine a grown man crying like a 4 year old child, and you have just capture my mental breakdown moment. It took me about 48 hours to pull it together, I was at the very bottom a pessimistic pit. I did not want to buy 4 new cotton candy machines in order to replace the damaged units therefore, I had to come up with something really fast. Whenever your faced with catastrophes in you rental operations I want you to approach it from the positive position of what resources do we have that will minimize the impact to future obligations. When I applied this problem solving principal to my current situation I came up with the following solution.
Four out of the six cotton candy machines were destroyed the first weekend out. This left me with two good machines to cover six parties. So I came up with a plan to split the two machines in between both parties. I then called each customer and announce that their party has been selected to receive a free concession server to operate the machine for one hour. The customers all loved the ideal because their biggest concern was how to operate the machine without making a huge mess.
I have had plenty of good ideals over the years but this one was, and is still the greatest of all time. I recruited my brother to take three parties, and I even paid one of my drivers to get in a Winnie The Pooh suit for one hour. The plan was a hit and we totally excited the entire party, business cards were flying everywhere. I discovered with this method that I actually made more money on each machine than if I were to rent the unit to one customer for the entire day. Once the replacement machines finally arrived I hired a cotton candy / costume crew to entertain 18 parties per day, at a charge of $229 each.
The Recording Artist Seal 1991 song "crazy" says "were are never going to survive unless we get a little crazy". In our business "crazy'' represents creative thoughts. If you allow your creativity to flow no matter how crazy it make seem, you will enjoy the taste of sweet profits.
Tj
Bouncer Boss
www.bouncingncash.com
Friday, November 6, 2009
How old is too old? Turning over your Inventory
I once had a water slide that I simply could not bring myself to throw away. This slide was like a member of my family, like one of my old buddies. May be it was because we had been together 6 years, through the good, and the bad times. I know your probably saying "it's only a stupid water slide", but in this business we become attached to our equipment.
During the summer months, one really good water slide will bring in the same revenue as two rental apartments in prime locations. Which is another reason why letting go is so hard to do. But like all units you reach the point when the repairs become too frustrating, and the customer complaints are simply not worth the risk.
Not to mention the cost to ship a giant water slide back to the manufacturer is simply not worth it in the long run.
We have now adapted a policy of "4 and Out", which means we are turning over our units before they become wounded veterans. The value in this plan is derived from a progressive inventory, which results in fewer disruption in your rental sales. Believe me I know it's hard to say good bye to old units/buddies, but it's always best to end a relationship on good terms if you know what I mean.
I would love to hear from you. Please send me your stories of units that lasted well beyond what you ever expected. Until then, may the cash continue to bounce your way.
TJ
www.bouncingncash.com
During the summer months, one really good water slide will bring in the same revenue as two rental apartments in prime locations. Which is another reason why letting go is so hard to do. But like all units you reach the point when the repairs become too frustrating, and the customer complaints are simply not worth the risk.
Not to mention the cost to ship a giant water slide back to the manufacturer is simply not worth it in the long run.
We have now adapted a policy of "4 and Out", which means we are turning over our units before they become wounded veterans. The value in this plan is derived from a progressive inventory, which results in fewer disruption in your rental sales. Believe me I know it's hard to say good bye to old units/buddies, but it's always best to end a relationship on good terms if you know what I mean.
I would love to hear from you. Please send me your stories of units that lasted well beyond what you ever expected. Until then, may the cash continue to bounce your way.
TJ
www.bouncingncash.com
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Party Rental Owners vs. The Winter
I have been the in party rental business for nearly 20 years and the one thing I have always dreaded is the arrival of Black Friday. While many people love Black Friday, for those of us in the party rental business it starts the beginning of the end of our season.
Sure the summer, spring, and fall were all block buster seasons due to great weather, no hurricanes in the Gulf States, and the increasing popularity of inflatable castles, but December still is and always will be a tough pill to swallow. In my early years I would always go from feast to famine every winter until I came up with creative strategies for surviving the winter months.
Based on previous revenue reports from my own rental operations we have determined that the off season starts every December 1st, and will last until March 1st. Now don't get me wrong we still get opportunities to rent bouncers during this off period, but booking out becomes a major challenge.
I would love to hear from fellow party rental owners on their strategies for this up coming winter. Are you taking the winter off, or are still planning to beat the pavement?
Tj
www.bouncingncash.com
Sure the summer, spring, and fall were all block buster seasons due to great weather, no hurricanes in the Gulf States, and the increasing popularity of inflatable castles, but December still is and always will be a tough pill to swallow. In my early years I would always go from feast to famine every winter until I came up with creative strategies for surviving the winter months.
Based on previous revenue reports from my own rental operations we have determined that the off season starts every December 1st, and will last until March 1st. Now don't get me wrong we still get opportunities to rent bouncers during this off period, but booking out becomes a major challenge.
I would love to hear from fellow party rental owners on their strategies for this up coming winter. Are you taking the winter off, or are still planning to beat the pavement?
Tj
www.bouncingncash.com
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