I admit, I’m a bit of a software geek. I enjoy learning about and trying out new applications to find that perfect software stack (a group of applications that work together) on which to run my party rental business.
Currently there are seven cloud-based software applications that I use on a daily basis to run my business. Here they are, listed in no particular order.
Continue reading
Working for the Man… No one likes working for the man. We all want to work for ourselves.
Starting an inflatable rental business is one way to do that.
It’s what I did.
But, I have to warn you, I quit my day job too soon. It was a long time ago now, but if I had it to do over again, I would do some things differently.
Continue reading
“Hindsight is 20/20.” That’s what I was telling myself after unsuccessfully trying to expand my party equipment rental business’ delivery area to too many new towns in one shot.
It seemed like an obviously bad idea after the fact. I stuck with it for one year (2015) before finally pulling the plug and shrinking our service area to just a little beyond what it was originally.
When expanding your delivery area, do it in a methodical, thought-out way, one step at a time. I learned this lesson the hard way.
Continue reading
Adding new inflatables to your inventory can be exciting, but don’t do it on a whim. Here are some things to think about before making a purchase.
1) Is It Safe?
Not just safe if used correctly, but safe being used in the creative ways kids will think to use it. We know kids figure out ways of doing things they shouldn’t on inflatables. There is no way you can anticipate everything, but sometimes you can just look at an inflatable and see what could go wrong.
Other times you have no idea until you own it and see kids using it. Not much you can do at that point except train your employees to include a warning in the safety review with the customer. And then don’t purchase that design again in the future.
Safety is always a concern, but having inflatables in you inventory that you know could lead to problems will only raise your stress levels.
Continue reading
We’ve all heard the expression “a picture is worth a thousand words”. It’s especially true for the pictures on your website. Yet very few party rental companies take the time to make sure their product photos do their inflatables justice.
In real-life the inflatables are big, bright and colorful. But on the website they are little, dull and boring.
Camera phones take great photos now, but that doesn’t mean that the photo couldn’t use a little editing help. Do you think a photo in a magazine or professional website ever gets there without editing? Of course not. And you should treat the photos on your website with the same respect.
Continue reading