- Once I have taken this
training course, how much money do I need to really get started?
- Why can't I learn the
balloon business on my own just by buy those balloon videos?
- What benefit is there
in me taking this course with you instead of looking for resources on the
net and trying to do it myself?
- What
happens if I get home after I take the classes and I forget how to do
something?
- Once
I complete this course, will I know everything I need to start my business?
- Can I do
this part time and keep my regular job?
- What about
class size and how much time do we work during the week?
- Where can I stay while training and what airport do I
go to?
- Do I really
need a yellow page display ad when first starting out? They are very
expensive!
- Do you have any restrictions?
- I am excited!!! Tell me
what I need to do to enroll in your classes.......
- What can I expect to
learn from your classes?
- After this training, is
there any need for further balloon classes?
- What do I need to bring
with me?
- Give me some idea of
what the classes are like?
- When is the next
available class?
- How do I make payment
for the course?
I would say about $600 minimum. Others have started
for less; others, more. Remember, if you have to put down a deposit on a
business phone, that will be an additional cost
to be included in your start up costs. I provide an itemized list of the
necessities and where to purchase them at the best wholesale price ! ( I buy
nothing retail!) You do not need to buy all the pieces of equipment out there.
Old timers techniques will teach you how to do things without all the machines
they want you to buy for this and that!
You can, but at a price. Time and Money.
Balloon videos are great if you already have a foundation, a knowledge, of how
everything works. . . and if you already know you are doing the technique correctly.
They are really geared for the intermediate balloon artist to teach new
techniques and “another” way of doing things. They don't teach you how to
operate your whole business for a profit and they don't teach you the
common pitfalls and mistakes you can make. Experience passed down does
that, and that saves you money, embarrassment, and time.
You need to learn (by doing) hands on techniques AND practice with an
instructor so you can do the basics correctly. It has been my experience that
time spent learning it right instead of trial and error does two things. It
saves time in the long run and your credibility/reputation is not damaged. I’ll
give you an example. Making a helium balloon arch sounds simple. But to the
untrained person, who just figured it out, their arch may have small gaps
between the clusters to see the pole (that is only one of the many problems). Unfortunately if
you are making a simple mistake there is no one popping out of the video showing
you what you just did wrong. If you are going
to compete with the established guys in your yellow pages for the same business,
your work has to look perfect and professional. If you were the only one in your
“village” doing this, well then, it would not be a big deal since the
customer would not know any better. If you want to make money, learn it right,
know how to fix the problems and be professional. The money will come! If you
can build a latex balloon column, take a photo of it for your professional
portfolio (not scrap book!), disassemble every balloon and put it back in the
bag it came in to use and sell at a later date-- then you know the first lesson
of our class. If not, you really don't know technique, how to utilize and
save money.
3.What benefit is there in me taking this course
with you instead of looking for resources on the net and trying to do it myself?
The benefit is to learn every facet of the
business and where to buy your supplies at wholesale prices and do it right.
The cost of your tuition, lodging, airfare will be covered by the money
you save purchasing wholesale product, not buying equipment you don't need when
you can do it without-- the money you save in making the right
decisions on setting up your business, not paying huge yellow page prices but
getting same thing for a fraction of the cost---and the money you save in client
satisfaction in doing the job perfectly. This translates into more
business. I cannot stress this enough. In all parts of life, your best bet
is finding something that works and copy it. Don't try and invent it
yourself when some successful person already has. What
you save in learning it right from someone with experience, is well worth the money spent on the front end.
4.
What happens if I get home after I take the classes
and I forget how to do something?
Hopefully that will not happen because you
will have
a wonderfully complete training manual. And, because I make you replicate
everything we do, (hands on training)... it is a known fact that you will remember
it. But if that does happen, email/phone
support from me is always available to you. By the way, you do have to
pass a basic skills test or you are not leaving the class! And you also
have your class support group as well as me!
There is a
professional balloon artist networking organization which is also a great
support group and supplies you with great new ideas and answers to any kind of
questions. These people have been around for many, many years and are a
wealth of information. When you join this organization along with your
membership you receive your own webpage on their server where you can promote
your own business. They have several templates and all you have to do is
upload your information and your photos! Quite Wonderful!
5. Once I complete this course, will I know everything
I need to start my business?
Absolutely! The only thing you have to find out how to do on
your own is the laws of your state and the state sales tax. I can tell you where
to find that information. Every state is different.
6. Can I do this part time and keep my regular job?
If you want to do only part-time decorating, this is a simple task
because most parties/events are evenings and weekends. You can make appointments
with your clients after work to discuss their decoration needs. It can be a
perfect home base business. You can see your tax accountant for specific write
offs in your home. You will, however, come to that fork in the road when you become so well
known, you have to decide whether or not to make it a full time ambition. (Trust
me ---it happens!)
7. What about class size and how much time do we work
during the week?
I try to keep the group very small. The perfect class size
is 8 students, but it can be as large as 10-12 students. More than that is
too much!
Time in class:
Regular 6 day seminar:
Classes will start at noon on
Sunday and 9 am Monday thru Friday.
They will all end between 5-6 pm. Last day
of class we end at 8 pm at dinner. When
booking your flight, make sure you have 2 hours to sit
at our airport before your departure time. They
really mean it!!! If you must leave
before the class is over, you must find your own
transportation from classroom to airport.
The Short Summer Sessions
Classes are Monday a 9 am to Thursday at 8 pm.
What really happens in a class?
We work 9-5 in class and then some people to opt to go to dinner and talk after class. You have my
Undivided attention. If someone is not getting a technique in class, we
work on it that night. There is some homework at night as well. Tell
you family and friends you are NOT on vacation in Florida.
This is no light weight class! And yes, you get
a certificate! BTW you will leave over qualified to pass the CBA. Help to pass
the test is available- but my students don't need it....
8. Where can I stay while training and what airport do
I go to?
You need to fly into Tampa International
Airport (TPA). We are actually 10 minutes away from the Tampa Airport. No
need for a car rental unless you want to add a few days to see the sights. Book
an extra day for the beach, Busch Gardens (1/2 hour away) or a quick trip to
Disney (1 1/2 hrs away). See the Accommodations page for suggestions on
where to stay. See the link for Travelocity for hotel and airfare deals.
South West and Spirit has some great deals to Tampa. I pick up/drop off students from the
Homestead Studio Suites only during class time if you don't
want to rent a car. If you book you hotel somewhere else than the
Homestead, know that you need a car rental to get to class. Someone in class
always has a car....
You have to get yourself to and from
the airport to the Hotel.
9. Do I really need a yellow page display ad when first
starting out? They are very expensive!
I can teach you how to place an ad the size of a business card
and not pay the $250+/mo Ma Bell would charge you for the same size display
ad. More savings to you! In the Tampa market I am only paying $69/mo for a nice
sizable 1 1/2 inch ad. That savings alone over the period of a year will pay for the
price of your tuition!
10. Do you have any restrictions?
Yes, two. Anyone from the State of Florida or going into business in
the State of Florida, has to sign a non-compete
agreement. That means you cannot open up a business within 1 1/2 hours driving time
from my business in Tampa, Florida. The reason for this is I share all my
business materials, marketing strategies, pictures, etc with you and I cannot
have someone in the next town using my pictures in their portfolio to sell their
business. This only makes sense. If you sign the non-compete agreement and
you do end up in my back yard, I can sue you. It is only right to make this
disclaimer up front. Therefore I
do not teach people living in the towns close to me. How silly of me to
teach my competitors?! My lawyer says, THERE ARE NO LONGER ANY EXCEPTIONS!
Also, I don’t speak any foreign languages. You need to have a decent
command of the English language to be able to keep up with the class. (This is
most important for the other students in the class.) I have found that one
person who cannot comprehend what I am saying slows down the learning process
for the rest, and we do not get the whole course of study finished. For those who
may need an interpreter, special classes times would be happily arranged.
11.
I am excited!!! Tell me what I need to do to enroll
in your classes.......
First: Qualify your need for starting a
new business in your present area. Go to your yellow pages and see what your
competition will be. If you live in a metropolitan area where there
are 4 pages, front and back, of balloon companies, then you might want to
reconsider this profession OR consider moving elsewhere! I honestly don’t want
to train someone and then find out the main reason that they didn’t succeed was
because the market was already flooded. My training of students is limited to
only a few classes a year. That is all the time I
can give up. I want to make sure the students I do teach will flourish and you
are not wasting your time!
Second:
Fill out the Enrollment application
and tell me when you want to take the class. I will return your email and
let you know if it is available. Sometimes we find classes totally booked,
but due to human interactions, someone will have to change their scheduled date-
and then there suddenly is an opening. If you are interest in a "first
available"- let me know.
Finally...... you have to send a check,
money order, or pay by Paypal if you are going to use your credit card, to hold your space. This deposit is
non-refundable, but if you have to reschedule your class, you are free to do so
up to 45 days before the scheduled class not lose
your "seat deposit". You may reschedule 1 time with the same deposit. If you
cancel less than this you will have to put down a new deposit to hold a seat again. NO
EXCEPTIONS Please understand All Deposits are used toward the money for the rent
of the building we are having classes in-so they are already spent.
Once you have in your deposit, you will receive a link
to the forms to fill out, what to bring, what will be happening in the class etc
The research begins and you will be working on all the info you need to acquire
to start up your new business. This may take you several days and a ton of
phone calls, but you will be coming to class with all the info I need to help
you set up your business. (And you thought I was kidding when I said you
would walk out the door doing balloons!) Students with fully paid tuition
receive their training manuals early. More info on that on the homework
link you get once your deposit is in. ****If you pay your full tuition, receive your training manual, and then do not come to the
designated training session,
you DO NOT get any tuition reimbursement. You may come to a different
session but there are no refunds once you receive your training manual.
12.
What can I expect to learn from your classes?
A short cut to success!
There is much to be said for been there and done that and now
I know better how to do it. To be able to cut 2 or 3 years off of getting your
business going and growing is a Godsend. A seasoned veteran with 28 years of
teaching experience to show the best and fastest ways of doing things will
propel you way ahead of all the others. Accumulating all the resources of 20
years, knowing the short cuts, and how to save money is worth its weight in gold.
The training cost FAR outweighs the money you will save by not making the
mistakes, doing it quicker, buying it cheaper, and enabling your business to grow rapidly. (I only
wish this were available to me when I started out.) Again, In ANY BUSINESS VENTURE if
you can copy the pattern of someone else's success, that only makes sense. Don’t
do it all yourself if there is already a proven way out there. Learn their basic
operation and then put you own flair to it to make it your own.
13.
After this training, is there any need for further
balloon classes?
You bet there is!!! This business changes all the time and new
ideas are out there for the taking. Plan on attending at least one balloon
convention a year to learn more balloon ideas. (Conventions usually cost me
about $1000+ for four days--that is the class fee, airfare and hotel and
food) You will find networking with
other balloon companies around the country is also wonderful thing. Even after 29+
years I still go to conventions. Usually I end up teaching or helping the people
who are running the event. It always happens that I work with another balloon
artist who has found a better technique for doing something I do everyday. If
you find just one thing you have learned from these conventions, it is worth the
trip! One year my dear friend, Linda Bruce, taught how to do a centerpiece that I thought
had great potential. I came back and sold this centerpiece (with my own
variations) 175 times! Its now my favorite.
Trade magazines will also be a necessity to keep current and get new ideas.
You will find yourself waiting at the mailbox for each new issue!
14.What do I need to bring with me?
Comfortable clothes that fit our climate, a well-rested body, a desire to
learn, and sense of humor! It has been also suggested to
bring your vitamins! Since this is non-stop, it is a good idea not to “frenzy
yourself out” before coming and that you do not arrive here tired. Although
your training manual is quite concise and you do not have to write everything
down, you will be making notes to yourself.
A good camera to take pictures is also
necessary. If you do not have one, borrow one. The wider the lens the better for
taking pictures of entire room balloon decor.
15.
Give me some idea of what the classes are like?
In the beginning we will be going over basics
on starting your business and the mechanics of accomplishing this. Then we will
move on to learning about helium, balloons, and all the hands-on training.
(making balloon sculptures, large dance
floor decor, etc) Then on to the tricks of advertising, making your own portfolio and
logos, and a whole lot more. EXCEPT for entering competitions at conventions- I
teach you everything I can do. My grad students tell me I make mini me's
out of them and that I do not charge enough for the course. The class
outline lists many topics but not
everything in the training manual is listed on this outline. It is quite
in-depth.
16.
When
is
the next available class?
See Home page for the list
of scheduled classes. Because I teach only 3-4 seminars a
year, these classes fill up months before the start date.
Students have now gotten smart and pay their full tuition
and received their training manual. This guarantees them
their seat. Most seats are purchased no less than
45 days before the start of class.
17. How do I make payment
for the course?
The old fashion way of a check, snail mail
works--- as well as Master Card and Visa ONLY thru Paypal. Students from
foreign countries who cannot use Paypal can use Western Union (zip code 33615)
You can use Pay Pal to put a deposit of
$200 to hold your place, which is non-refundable. If you have to change
your date, give a minimum 45 days notice, then you can apply your deposit
to anther class and you don't lose your deposit. Balance is to be
paid before class using Paypal credit card, check OR money order. When you pay
your balance you receive your training materials.
Additional Comment on Class costs: Many of the search engines have the same info they
spotted on this website when it was first put up in 2003. Due to increased
costs of the hall we rent, for the seminar, and an enlarged agenda, the cost of
tuition has gone up since 03. Unfortunately Google and others have not sent new
spiders to pick up the new information. Therefore you could see the search
description saying this class is $600. There is nothing I can do to have
them change this old information! Sorry!
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