3.1 Introduction

There are not huge amounts of pieces of equipment or specialist materials that you will need in order to set up your own balloon modelling business, and this means that you won't need to generate a huge amount of capital in order make a start in the business.

There are, however, a few essential items which you will need to have before you will be able to really call yourself a balloon modeller.

3.3: Diary

Whether you store your bookings in an electronic app or whether you keep a paper diary on you at all times, it is extremely important to be very organised when you are working for yourself.

Having one place where you meticulously write down all of the times and locations of your bookings will make it much easier to stay on track.

Make sure that you purchase a diary with enough space to write down all of the details and remember that you are likely to take multiple bookings in a day as you become more well-known, so buy an organiser which caters for this.

Having a diary is not much use if you don't always have it on you, so make sure that you keep it with you at all times so that you can check your availability if anyone wants to make a booking. If you keep the contact details of your clients in your diary as well then you will always have them on you should you need to get in touch with them for any reason.

3.5: Marker pens

Whilst a good balloon modeller should be able to make recognisable shapes using just the balloons themselves, sometimes being able to draw on a couple of markings here and there can make all of the difference.

If you are booked for a lot of children's parties, marker pens can also come in handy to label the balloons.

Writing the name of the child who owns the balloon on the model itself can avoid disputes and arguments later on.

If you always have a marker pen on you then you can also use the models as advertising, as you can write your name and number on them before you sell them or give them away at places like village fetes or in the city/town centre.

3.7: Costume

No balloon modelling act is complete without a costume.

You want to make sure that your appearance is as memorable as your balloon modelling skills, so that people will recognise you easily from one booking to the next. You can choose whatever you like for your costume; just make sure that it is relatively comfortable, as you will often have to spend long periods of time wearing it.

Once you start to get lots of bookings it is also a good idea to have more than one set of costume clothes as you might not have time to wash and dry your outfit between events.

3.9: Business Cards

You never know when somebody might be impressed by your performance and want to book you for one of their events.

You will appear prepared and professional if you have a set of high quality business cards printed with your name and contact details. This will give a great impression to people who are meeting you for the first time and will make them more inclined to want to book you.

Always having a business card on you will save you time as you won't have to look for a piece of paper to scribble your number on and potential clients will be less likely to lose your number.

Business cards fit neatly inside wallets and purses so they are less likely to end up forgotten at the bottom of a pocket or under a table. If you attend school fairs or summer fetes then you will also be able to place business cards on your table as easy advertising.