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The Secrets of How to Start and Run a Profitable Bouncy Castle Hire Business (Part1)

Nick James

If you know the trade secrets of running a bouncy castle business, not only will it be much easier and more enjoyable, but you are much more likely to succeed….This report has been written to show absolute beginners exactly how to profit from this lucrative business in a step by step way and avoid the mistakes that others have made in the past who perhaps.

CONTENTS:

 

Step 1

Introduction

Research

Equipment needed

Promotional items

Who can you hire to?

Safety

 

Step 2

Presenting the right image

Postcard sized adverts

Business Cards

Leaflets

Posters

Receipt pads

Stickers

Launching you new business

When to launch

Tracking enquiries

Advertising

Copy dates

Advertising discounts

 

Step 3

Up and running

Repeat business

The power of referrals

Basic book-keeping

Step by step

Further promotion

Expansion of your business

What to do next

Useful contacts

Summary and conclusion.

Appendix

Bouncy castle safety cartoon sheet

Terms & conditions of hire form including disclaimer.

 

Introduction

RESEARCH

The first thing to do is to look through all your local newspapers. Locate the classified section and then find the heading Entertainers" or "Leisure" . Also look at your local Yellow Pages directory under the heading "Bouncy Castles & inflatables." See if there is anyone else running a Bouncy Castle Hire Business. Don't just look for one week. Keep looking every week. If you do spot a regular advertiser, don't be put off. There's still room for you. When my first advertisement appeared, to my astonishment another one appeared that same week. But, as I found out later, it didn't matter. The calls kept coming in, there seemed to be room for us all. In fact, I learned later that this new rival was actually giving my telephone number to any inquirers he couldn't fulfill himself.

This new local competition seemed to rely on just that one little advertisement every week. But it must have worked for him. Nobody keeps placing the same worded advertisement week in, week out, unless it is working well. Later on in this manual, I'll show you additional ways of generating inquiries that the competition probably won't have even thought of.

Having found any likely competition, your next move is to pose as an interested customer. Telephone one of the advertisers. Ask questions like: "What is the cost per hire"? Do you have insurance cover? What if it rains? Do I send a deposit?" Tell them you will telephone again when you have sorted out a date, but ask whether they have many days free!

Once you have gone through this procedure a couple of times you will have a better idea of the "going rate" and the bookings methods of your rivals.

If you are lucky, there may be no rivals operating in your area. I've had many calls from people who lived about thirty miles away from my area. They've all explained how they have searched through all their local newspapers for weeks for a Bouncy Castle to hire. They, like me, found that the Yellow Pages didn't help either.

I have hired out to a few customers in this situation, but have always pointed out that I have to charge them an extra £5 to £10 to cover the distance if they wanted delivery.

Just think, setting up a Bouncy Castle Hire Business if you live somewhere like this, you could virtually command the whole area.

I went to great lengths posing as a potential customer, to see how "easy" it was to get hold of a party-size Bouncy Castle. I even telephoned toy shops and fancy dress hire stores. Even theatrical agents listed in my local Yellow Pages telephone directory.

I went to great lengths posing as a potential customer, to see how "easy" it was to get hold of a party-size Bouncy Castle. They all told me what I wanted to hear -- "sorry, I don't know of anyone who hires Bouncy Castles." I then looked under "Entertainers". There were plenty of magicians, puppet shows, balloon suppliers and caterers. But no Bouncy Castle Hire.

 

By this time I knew that the local newspapers were the only place to find one. So you can see how I was convinced my Bouncy Castle Hire Business would work.

I'm sure that you'll be even more encouraged than was at the time, if you find that your area has none at all. As mentioned earlier, this would be a golden opportunity to be the only Bouncy Castle Hire Business for miles. Now keep reading and I'll show you how to get started.

Equipment needed.

Here is a list of what you're likely to need.

1. Bouncy Castle, inflation fan, anchor stakes, and sack trolley.

2. Heavy duty plastic sheeting 13 or 14 feet square for use as a shower cover. Builders' damp-proof membrane is ideal.

3. Electrical extension cable, 50-60 feet long.

4. Club hammer or mallet for knocking in anchor stakes

5. RCD circuit breaker (safety cut-out device for mains electric)

6. Robust plastic box for the storage of extension cable, anchor stakes, hammer, circuit breaker, instruction sheet, business cards or postcard advertisements.

7. Local map of your town and its surrounding area.

8. Desk diary for taking bookings, preferably tow days to a page A5 size.

9. Ledger book for recording takings etc., A4 size.

10. Public Liability Insurance (for £1million of cover) Some local authories will insist on £2million to £5million for inflatables put up on their land.

You may already own a circuit breaker, club hammer box, extension cable, diary etc. if so, then there's not too much to obtain before you can get started. Some bouncy castles come with a shower cover as standard. I recouped the total cost of my equipment in only two months from starting up!

To find your castle buy a copy of Exchange & Mart, look up in the index for the section "Business and Technical". Once you have found that section, locate the pages headed "Business Opportunities". Under a small sub-heading of "Equipment Suppliers" you should find at least a couple of companies that sell Bouncy Castles and other associated and other associated inflatable products. Sometimes they are advertised as Children's' Party Bouncers, but most people refer to them as "Castles".

Telephone the companies advertised and ask them to send you a copy of their brochure and their latest price list. See if any of them offer easy payment terms, or take credit cards. Many do.

Now, speaking from experience, don't buy anything over twelve feet square or it won't pack down small enough to fit into a car. After all, that's the basis and the ease of the Bouncy Castle Hire Business. The smallest Bouncy Castle usually starts at about eight feet square, the next size up is normally around ten feet square but this does vary between suppliers.

Check that an electrical inflation fan is included in the price. Decide whether you want a petrol driven fan or not. You'll find that it's about £150 extra. This is handy for using at fetes or car boot sales held in the middle of a field for instance, or a barbecue party held on a beach. But really, an electric fan, should be adequate to start your business with.

Also inquire if delivery and VAT are included on the price list or not. It varies between companies. If you are already self-employed, and are registered for VAT, then you may be able to claim the VAT back. Check with an accountant. Some Bouncy Castle suppliers will even paint your chosen training name and telephone number on your castle at no extra cost. Take advantage of this if they do, as it could mean even more bookings. Other people at the event can easily see and make a note of your telephone number. In fact, on my Bouncy Castles, I've avoided using a trade name altogether. I just had; "TO HIRE" followed by my telephone number. The reason for this was so that it would appear larger and more prominent.

Read the supplier's "small print" thoroughly. This is often on the back cover of brochures. Check that there are no usage restrictions. Also inquire as to whether a repair kit is included with your Bouncy Castle.

Most Bouncy Castles come with a one year guarantee. With some suppliers, it's even a two year guarantee.

Promotional Items

Now this is important. The worst thing you can do is not take advantage of your very first hiring. For example -- a parent has just hired your bouncy castle for their son's birthday party. You've just pocketed your first £50 or so. Well, so far, so good. But remember, at the party there may also be the parents of the other children. Their children all have birthdays too. So you need to push your name and telephone number as much as possible. This can be done in a number of ways.

Here is a list of items that will help you achieve this:-

  • Postcard size (88 x 142) "advertisements" of your service (leave a bundle in your storage box).
  • Leaflets. A5 in size (210 x148mm) which can also double as mini-posters.
  • Business cards with your address and telephone number. Or just your telephone number alone.
  • Envelopes.
  • Receipt book and rubber stamp. Or better still, printed pads, with duplicate sheets.
  • Letter headings -- size A5 (210 X 148mm),or A4 (297 X 210mm).
  • Second class postage stamps.

On page 17 I'll show you how you can organize and order your printing in a most cost-effective way. I'll also show you all the shortcuts and money-saving tips I've learnt.


Who To Hire To

The beauty of the Bouncy Castle Hire Business is the almost endless range of possible customers. You'll find that the home birthday party will be your biggest customer attraction. Let's face it, wherever you live there are families with children, and they all have birthdays! However, most of your bookings will be for weekends. Whilst a child's birthday may be on a weekday, the party will probably be wanted on the Saturday or Sunday.

Other regular customers are schools. I've hired out many times to school fetes. They charge the children, about £1 for five minutes "bouncing". With a twelve foot square castle taking about eight children at a time and the fete usually lasting about three hours, it's possible for them to take about £200. less the hire charges of, say, £65 they could make about £135 profit.

Another possibility is pubs. More and more pubs are trying to encourage families to their premises. Therefore a beer garden with a Bouncy Castle could be just what the publican is looking for to help attract custom. Parents could enjoy a drink while the children are amused bouncing on the castle. If you contact some pub landlords well in advance of the summer, they'll be able to mention your Bouncy Castle to their regulars and other customers and mention it in their local newspaper advertising in good time. Charge about £120 - £150 for a whole weekend. (Please note that some insurance companies will not provide public liability insurance for licensed premises, so please check the small print on your insurance documents or telephone them).

Next -- car dealers. Let's say a local dealer has a new model launch at the showroom. You can offer to hire them your Bouncy Castle for the corner of their showroom. Parents can view the new car while the children are kept amused at the same time. You could probably work out a special weekend price-deal with the owner. £100 - £150 is not an uncommon figure. Watch the national press for new car launches by the manufacturers. Then you've got time to inform your local garage about your offer before they plan their showroom launch. That way, again, they have plenty of time to include a mention of a Bouncy Castle in their promotional literature and newspaper advertising.

Builders. By this, I mean builders of housing estates, family homes etc. you could supply your Bouncy Castle at the site next to the show house. Parents could safely leave their children playing on the Castle while they view the show house in peace. Keep an eye on Estate Agents promoting new housing developments. Contact them as early on as possible.

Cricket and other sports clubs might like to hire your Bouncy Castle for children of parents watching a game on a weekend afternoon. I hire one of mine out ever August Bank Holiday for the local cricket club's charity match.

Approach the manager of your local DIY Superstore. They've normally got the space for a Bouncy Castle, and may perhaps like to link the hire with an open day or a promotional drive of some to link the hire with an open day or a promotional drive of some kind. Again, a weekend hire charge of £100 - £150 is a good guide.

Here's a list of other possible customer outlets who would all have an interest in hiring:

  • Car Boot sales/events
  • Shopping Precincts
  • Village Halls
  • Supermarkets;
  • Rugby Clubs
  • Zoos
  • Football Clubs
  • Barbecues
  • Tennis Clubs
  • Christening Parties
  • Golf Clubs
  • Cub and Scout Groups
  • Hockey Clubs
  • Brownie/Guide Groups
  • Shop Openings
  • Beach Parties/Barbecues
  • Garden Centres; Mother and Toddler Clubs
  • Wedding Receptions
  • Playgroups.

Safety

Obviously with children, safety is paramount. Thankfully, a Bouncy Castle is one of the safest things on which children can play. Nevertheless, it is strongly recommended that you supply your hirers with a RCD Circuit Breaker, as mentioned earlier in the section on Equipment. This device will cut the power immediately should, for any reason, the electrical cable be cut or any exposed electrical connections get wet. When your purchase your fifty or sixty foot extension cable, try to get one with rubber plugs and sockets. Some Circuit Breakers are also available combined with a plug as one unit. A good way of ensuring it is used and also returned to you!

The anchor stakes normally supplied with most Bouncy Castles should be well hammered into the ground. An adult should be present at all times when the Castle is in use. Emphasize these points in your instruction sheet which you supply to each customer (see page 20).

Indoors, say in a local hall, the castle is usually more stable. If your castle has anchor straps attached to the base sections, then these could be weighted down with sandbags.

Finally, don't forget to arrange Public Liability Insurance.

Presenting An Image

It's important from the beginning to try to portray a professional image to your new part-time business. Obviously you'll want to keep your initial expenses at the outset to a minimum. But cutting your costs too far may produce an amateurish image.

You have probably received leaflets and sales letters that have an unprofessional appearance. Badly spelt and printed; in fact, many are just faded photocopies, hurriedly put together.

How do you start to present a professional image? The first thing is to create a logo. Now, I don't mean a symbol; I mean a name you can trade under, typeset in a particular style, that you can use wherever you want your name to appear. A very distinctive typeface could be your logo. It'll need to be bold and, bearing in mind that Bouncy Castles should represent fun for children, also easily readable by adults. After all, they will be the ones making that initial inquiry and eventually paying you.

Of course, you don't have to use a trade name if you don't want to. I decided to call myself just "BOUNCY CASTLE HIRE". The reason for this was that I wanted to try to attract customers as quickly as possible. Also, if you book small advertisements in your local newspapers, you usually get the first three words in bold type.

Once you've decided on a trade name or the straightforward "Bouncy Castle Hire", you'll need to design your logo style. Now you can have a go yourself, or, as I did, get a professional graphic designer to give you two or three rough ideas. Many Instant-Print shops offer a design and artwork service as well as just printing.

If your local Instant-Print shop doesn't offer this service, look in the Yellow Pages. Under the heading of "Designers -- Advertising and Graphic" you should find a good selection of companies and "one-man-band" freelancers. If you can, try and pick a freelancer. The chances are they will be cheaper than a design studio.

Sketch out ant any ideas, you have, together with a possible typeface you like. Clip typeface samples that appeal to you from magazines, or newspapers. This will help to convey what sort of "feel" you would like to aim for. Don't forget to get a quote before any work is commenced.

I started by giving a local freelance graphic this rough sketch:

I told him I wanted a "loose" style of typeface. Big and bold enough to stand out and be almost read at a glance.

The design was then worked up to a finished stage, known as "artwork". This was then given to me, which I in turn gave to my printer who made up my stationery needs ready for printing.

Regarding printers, it may well be that your local Instant-Print shop is competitive in price for printing. The small printer I found though, was recommended to me by the graphic designer I had used. Being in the trade, he knew of half a dozen or so printers. One would be suitable for colour brochures, and one suitable for just one or two colour stationery. This was the one recommended to me. Two brothers ran this business from an old lock-up garage. They gave me a good, efficient and reliable service and gave me sixty days to pay the bill.

For example, they printed 6,000 leaflets, black on yellow paper, trimmed to A5 size, for £70 . The local instant print shop wanted £85, and I would have to pay when I collected my leaflets!

I suggest that you approach about three or four small local printers and get quotes based on the tips mentioned in the section "Leaflet/Posters" and compare them.

Try to visit each printer in person. It's better to find one who is able to give you helpful hints and the benefit of his experience, rather than just cheap prices. Reliable and accurate "completion dates" are important, especially when tying-in with pre-determined launch advertisements.

Now based on my experience, overleaf is what you will need in the way of stationery and promotional literature (note: sizes are mentioned in millimeters as printers prefer to work in metric).

Postcard Size Advertisement (88 x 142mm)

These can be place in newsagents and sub-post office window display boards in your local area. They can also be used as giveaways to customers. Store some in your plastic storage box of accessories. That way they are at every customer's venue and can also be given away to possible future customers. Always ask the customers who's returning your Bouncy Castle, if they have taken any of your cards. More often than not they will have forgotten to. I even managed to encourage some of my customers to insert a postcard into each of the children's party bags that they took home with them, thereby reaching the parents that were not even at the parties. If hiring to pubs, ask the landlord if he wouldn't mind placing some cards on his bar. Keep your cards in a small plastic bag with a rubber band around so they stay clean. Every now and then, top up with some new cards.

You may find that 500 business cards will last you a year or two. But the postcards may only last you one year as these will be used the most as giveaways at parties etc. so the following year will probably mean you only need to reprint the postcards. Get them laid 4 up and again you get 100 printed and end up with 400 for the prince of printing 100.

 

Leaflets/Posters

Try to convey the "fun" image of Bouncy Castles. Get your designer or printer to add balloons or clowns somewhere. Don't forget to keep using your logo. As for size, A5 (210 x 148mm) is the most economical for leaflets or mini posters.

Two A5's side by side on the long edge make exactly A4. So get your printer or graphic designer to make up your artwork like the layout above. Obtain a quote for printing about 3,000 A4. One cut down the centre and you have now got 6,000 A5 for the price of printing 3,000.

Print black on yellow paper for maximum impact. Use as leaflets for the launch of your business. Any spares can be used as handouts or posters at a later date.

Receipt Pads

You could purchase a pre-printed receipt pad from your local stationers. But having come this far with your own logo, it makes sense to see the professional image right through. Again A5 (210 x148mm) is the ideal size. If your designer or printer lays out the artwork as shown below, you can print on A4 and trim through the middle giving you an A5 printed receipt sheet and a ready-made blank for your carbon copy. Get them made up into pads of ten or twenty leave and use carbon paper.

Note: Make sure that you add a small asterisk (*) next to the section where you write in the deposit amount. Then add (in small type) at the base of the receipt "non-returnable". This should cover you for anyone cancelling at the last minute after you have probably turned away other possible customers.

Stickers

These are not a necessity, but I'll include them here in case you want to use them at a later stage.

Obtain some A4 sized "crack back" self-adhesive label sheets from your printer or stationer. Many are pre-cut and ready to print onto. If you have access to a photocopier, you could save money by copying your logo artwork directly onto the stickers by feeding them straight into the photocopier. Peel off a couple and stick to the sides of your inflation fan, and your accessory box. In fact, anywhere where your logo could be seen whilst on hire.

Instruction Sheet

Some Bouncy Castle manufacturers supply an instruction leaflet on how to erect the Bouncy Castle, but this will often carry their logo and address. Keep your image going by having it neatly re-typed onto an A4 size sheet of paper headed with your logo and telephone number.

If they don't supply an instruction sheet, erect the castle yourself and make notes on the procedure. Then later, write out your own instructions. Keep it concise and straight to the point.

Once you've checked and double-checked your instructions, and had them typed, you could then photocopy twenty or thirty and keep them handy. Replace the one or two supplied in your accessory box each time they come back dog-eared or torn. I found a better way was to create one good quality instruction sheet and then have it encapsulated in plastic. This makes it strong and robust as well as waterproof. A photographic studio or an instant-print shop will probably have a laminating machine. It should only cost one or two pounds.

Launching Your Business

After taking delivery of your Bouncy Castle, you need to fix a launch day. This will be the day you start trading. The day your first advertisement appears. The day you distribute your leaflets. The day you listen in earnest for the telephone to ring.

When to Launch

Late March or early April is about the right time to start. It'll be the Easter Holidays and then summer approaching with school holidays, it's the ideal time be begin. You'll probably find a slight increase in bookings around that time.

So where do you start? Well, the first thing to do is to get those A5 leaflets printed. The best way to launch your Bouncy Castle Hire Business is to try and cover as many angles as possible. Remember, your ideal target customers are the parents of three to ten year olds who live in a house with a reasonably sized garden in your local town.

To reach that sort of customer, you could take out a large advertisement in your local newspaper. In my opinion, though this is false economy. The newspaper will probably be thrown away after a couple of days. Plus, not everybody buys the local paper. That's kept until a later date. Hardly anybody will bother to cut out your small advertisement and keep it. A distinctive, coloured paper leaflet can be an eye catching advantage.

The best and most cost effective way to reach your possible customers is to target as many residential home as you can afford. Have your leaflets distributed as an insert in your local free sheet newspaper or advertiser. The two reasons for this. Firstly, the insertion rates of a free sheet are generally cheaper than those of a purchased weekly local newspaper. Secondly, many free sheets are delivered to homes where they never even buy the local newspaper. Your other option is to approach a leaflet distribution company and get a quote.

Insertion costs vary quite a bit from free sheet to free sheet. So check their prices before you decide on which one to use. Sometimes discounts are available if you have a minimum of 5,000 leaflets inserted.

Contact all your local free sheet newspaper offices and ask them to send you a circulation breakdown. This is a listing, coded into various north, south, east west areas of your local town.

Try to pick out the residential areas of your town, so that the figures add up to the approximate number if leaflets you think you can afford to have printed and distributed. Avoid areas where there are blocks of flats. You need families with gardens!

Get a completion date of your leaflets from your printer and then allow about one week to the actual date that you intend to have your leaflets inserted.

Next, run small back-up advertisements in each of the other free sheets and the weekly selling newspapers in the classified sections. Ensure that your advertisements go in under the heading of "Entertainers"

Try to take your advertisements into the newspaper offices personally, at least at the very beginning. That way you can talk to someone directly about your new business and avoid the misunderstanding of entertainments (What's on locally)and entertainers (magicians, discos etc.)

Time your back-up advertisements to appear in the same week as your leaflet distribution. Don't bother with an advertisement in the free sheet where you intend to have the leaflet inserted. Put one in the following week.

Place your postcards too the same week in your local newsagents' windows. In towns, news agents tend to charge around 50p per week. Local surrounding village stores or newsagents often only charge 20p or 30p per week.

Now here's something interesting -- and surprising. I live in a town surrounded by small villages. When I launched my Bouncy Castle Hire business put postcards in all the town's newsagents and all the sub-post office windows, with about seven or eight around the different village newsagents and general stores. Well, four months later I was amazed. I pulled about six to eight inquiries from the village placed postcards and absolutely none from the busy high street placed postcards! It may work differently where you live, but it's worth bearing in mind when choosing the placing of postcards. Especially as regards to cost etc.

Overall though, after I had launched my business with a 6,000 leaflet insert, back-up display advertisements, and postcards, I received the most inquiries from my advertisement in the locally sold weekly newspaper. Over fifteen inquiries over the first weekend. Next were the free sheets, then the leaflets, and finally the village placed postcard window advertisements.

I found that over the next six months, inquiries from my leaflet were still coming in. proving what I had mentioned earlier. People were saving them until they needed to book nearer the time of their child's birthday.

How To Track Enquiries

Keep a sheet of paper handy next to your telephone or in the back of your bookings desk diary. Head it up something like this:

Just tick a box when you have deduced from your caller how they came by your telephone number. Over a period of two to three months you'll see a pattern emerging of the best media to continue with and, consequently, what media to drop and not bother with.

Here is a method I used to save asking each caller "where did you see my advertisement?"In my leaflet, I mentioned the size of the bouncy castle, the hire charge plus accessories. In my newspaper advertisements I didn't mention size or price. So when a caller asks the hire charge, then you know it's a newspaper response. If they just want to know a certain date, it usually means it's a leaflet or postcard response.

Advertising

Look in your local newspaper. You'll probably find a classified section that "classifies" advertisements into sections headed: "Articles for Sale" or "Local Services". Most of these advertisements will have been booked by the line or word and be printed one after the other in columns. Some of these advertisements will be boxed with a black line. These advertisements are called "semi-display" or "classified display". The space used is always measured by the centimeter. So if an advertisement measures five centimeters deep and one column in width, with a black line border all round, it would be known as a five by one box ad. (often written as 5 x 1). The same size depth spanning two columns would be known as a five by two, and so on.

Now, to keep the initial cost down, I could have booked cheap lineage advertisements. These are priced as so much per word. Often it's twelve words as a minimum charge. But I wanted something that would stand out as I was launching a new business venture. The spaces I booked were three by one column. You'll find in general that this is the minimum size of semi-display advertisements that local newspapers will allow, although some will accept a two by one.

Telephone your local newspaper offices and ask each of them for their single column centimeter rate for the classified sections. Alternatively, get them to send you a copy of their rate card. It's usually free of charge.

Try and talk to a member of staff who deals with the "Entertainers" section. Make a note of their name and ask for the same person every time you call. Or, even better, especially when placing your first advertisements, call into the newspaper's offices and try to meet them in person to discuss your present and possible future advertising requirements.

As mentioned earlier, here's how easily my logo adapted for a classified display advertisement. My local newspaper had a column width of three centimeters. So, as the minimum acceptable size was a three by one column, the square format of my logo reduced perfectly to three centimeters square. By just changing the wording inside slightly and adding the all important telephone number.

Keep your information within your advertisement to a bare minimum. That way you can get your telephone number as big as possible. I had my advertisement made up by my graphic designer, who then supplied me with half a dozen PMTs (Photo Mechanical

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