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#21 Once Upon A Theme

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Posted 14 October 2008 - 04:28 PM

fantastic post, it is so easy to be tempted to go outside the perimeters of your business plan. We can not be everything to everybody all at once. I went to our local college and took an entrepreneur program that included business planning, taxes, permits ect. Then it took me another year of research until I felt I had it as best as I could get it. This included taking surveys amongst parents and running the areas demographics to see who my target audience was. You may think I took a long time and i probably did, but by doing so I felt I was better prepared. This is a tough and manually hard business, you really must have a plan with a future to be able to get through the tough times.
Thankyou Reaper for always giving us great words of wisdom
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#22 SanDiego Fun Rentals

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Posted 14 October 2008 - 09:30 PM

Great post! I agree with most of your topics. I espically agree about growth. We are a 6 month old company and are doing very well. We had a very good business plan and we stuck to it starting up. We have actually blown our revenue projectons out of the water! We have added many additional products throughout the six months and have paid from the proceeds of the company. No credit or loan from shareholder! We would never buy inventory just to accomodate every deal. We don't want to accomodate every deal. We had a plan to build our residential market first and then chase the event market. We did just that and it has realy paid off!

#23 midcape

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Posted 18 October 2009 - 06:37 PM

A timeless post—I see why it is pinned—thanks.

We are developing our business plan this fall so that we can start with a little guidance next spring. I love to make Excel charts, crunching numbers every which way. And as I learn more about the business (mostly here on the forum), I can crunch new things with the older data and get a whole new set of crunchalets that I need to figure out how to pin down. I am continually thinking that I finally got everything all looking good. I am continually finding out that I don’t have everything looking quite as good as I thought/hoped.

Sometimes I try on different scenarios just to see how they fit together.

We're already trying to determine which direction we want to take the company. Sure, first year is concentrating on residential and smoothing out operations and procedures. But I keep thinking about movie screens and backyard cinemas. I know we are not going to start with it the first year, but I kinda want to pursue that avenue. Oh, and I keep thinking about hot tubs. And should I move south for the winter and try to generate a little more revenue, or should we buy them top-dollar Ninja Jump graphic bouncers or should we buy cheaper Chinese modular units. My heart wants to go with eInflatibles and Ninja Jump, but the crunchalets are screaming, "Moon-Walker Sales! Moonwalker sales! MOON---WALKER---SALES...MOONWALKERSALES!!!"

I hope that if I can only absorb one bit of wisdom, from this topic, it is that we should follow our plan for our business before we follow the customers’ plan for their whims. Yeah, I bet that if come June we ordered everything that our customers wanted, we’d be up a smelly creek in a leaking inflatable.

I love all of the input around here. Yes, even the bantering and even the whining, for it gives me more of a well-rounded feel for the business, but posts like this give me a more tangible grasp on the business.

It's all good.

Thanks again,

Pat
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#24 KeepitBouncin

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Posted 05 November 2011 - 10:55 PM

Thanks for this POST! It's sobering and just what we needed to re-adjust for next season. The 3 Keys to Business Success-Discipline, Dedication and Determination.

#25 weekend warrior

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Posted 06 November 2011 - 07:54 AM

Well it is a great post but I'm a little different. I started with just a speedpitch booth and I made everything work. I really didn't have much of a plan except I was super stressed at work and needed to do something different. This is how my adventure began and it's been a wild ride. I see what I like and check around to see if I can use it. Then I adapt it to my business. Not the best business plan but that's the way I'm programmed. I do have some things that didn't work but I think we all do. Last year I got some inflatables and it's been ok but I have a lot of p2p so these are just the fluff in my business. These are to help build a little extra thru the week and weekends. Also they help my sons be a part of what I do.

#26 bouncyclown

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Posted 06 November 2011 - 08:24 AM

Well it is a great post but I'm a little different. I started with just a speedpitch booth and I made everything work. I really didn't have much of a plan except I was super stressed at work and needed to do something different. This is how my adventure began and it's been a wild ride. I see what I like and check around to see if I can use it. Then I adapt it to my business. Not the best business plan but that's the way I'm programmed. I do have some things that didn't work but I think we all do. Last year I got some inflatables and it's been ok but I have a lot of p2p so these are just the fluff in my business. These are to help build a little extra thru the week and weekends. Also they help my sons be a part of what I do.


You sound like that dude eating an apple or something in his garage that recently passed away as a billionare. I wonder what his business plan was sitting in his rented garage?

Ok, I got to go check my coming weeks business plan on my Iphone, write up some offers on my apple laptop and will later relax listening to my ipod.

#27 weekend warrior

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Posted 06 November 2011 - 10:37 AM

Ok I don't have a apple or iphone or a rented garage. I have something that works for me. I'm just saying it's best to have a plan if you go into this business. You got to have a love for what you're doing. I enjoy this and try to have a lot of fun. Sometimes I do get stressed but nothing like when I had a job. Random thoughts from Illinois. Hope to see a lot of you at IAAPA.

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#28 BigBouncer

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Posted 21 February 2017 - 01:17 AM

an oldie but a goodie!



#29 totallytikisandbounces

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Posted 10 August 2017 - 02:00 PM

I'm just starting out. Thanks for the excellent advice. This is one of the first posts I've read. Looking forward to all the information I can soak up here.

 

http://totallytikisandbounces.com



#30 Jumping Jeremys

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Posted 12 August 2017 - 06:53 AM

Great Post.  Newbies should take heed.  We just started our 20th year, am happily retired from my full time job, so have a retirement check coming, health and life insurance paid for.

 

We are very happy where we are, 20 units, dunk tank and concessions.  We dont worry if everything is not rented out every weekend.  Sell off a few each year, and replace them.

 

hard work, but we love what we are doing.

 

Best of luck to everyone.






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