Things You'll Need:
- A little cash
- A bounce house
- A generator
- A truck or trailer
- Entrepreneurial spirit
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Step 1
Operations
Don't quit your day job - you don't have to! Bounce houses usually rent on weekends, so you can start your business in your spare time. You don't have to quit your job and go full-speed ahead. Just start with a small investment, and work in your spare time, building incrementally as demand for your products and services increase.
For years I had a high-pressure corporate job with a fortune 50 behemoth. The pay was huge, but the stress was extraordinary. One of my co-workers was an anomaly - he never stressed about anything, and seemed happy with his job and life. I never knew his secret until he quit out of the blue. What was his secret? He had been successfully investing in inflatables, and renting them out , making deliveries in the evenings and on the weekends. He had steadily built himself a business in the course of 12 months that exceeded his fortune 50 income in his spare time! One of the main characteristics of an entrepreneur is risk, but this guy had taken very little risk, investing only his time and a few thousand dollars, and building a scalable business, that was only equivalent to the demand for his product in his area. By the time he quit his job, he had quite a few bounce houses, but he had paid for them, and the return was huge. All he paid out was gas and time, and he was raking in the cash.
Once your income from your business is acceptable to you, then consider becoming a full-time Bounce House entrepreneur. What will you be doing? Quite simply you'll be renting bounce houses to people throwing parties. This usually entails delivering and picking up the bounce house, setting up and anchoring the inflatable, training and/or manning the inflatable during use, and cleaning the bounce house after use.
So you'll need a vehicle big enough to deliver your inflatables (some people use trailers), as well as enough manpower to move inflatable that can range from 100 - 400 lbs. You'll need bounce houses, and most likely a generator, since power is required, but not always available. If you're renting water items, you'll need a constant source of water (a hose). Most testing and governing bodies require you to follow all listed directions, as well as training your customers, so keep those handy as well. Remember, safety and using instructions may seem like common sense to you, but when dealing with your patrons... well, you're dealing with children.
Keep in mind, the bounce house industry is seasonal -
Step 2
Equipment
There are some very inexpensive inflatable bounce houses out there. These are usually made from oxford cloth, and while they are excellent for home use, they are not suited for rentals. In fact, they may be illegal to rent in some cases! There are really only two major assets to your fledgling business: YOU and your EQUIPMENT. YOU need to be honest and ethical, and your EQUIPMENT needs to be attractive, safe and durable. Plan on spending around $1,000 - $2,000 for small inflatables suited for birthday parties, etc. Larger amusement attractions will run $4,000 and more. These will require more education, more insurance, and someone to monitor the safety and operation of the ride. You might employ a high school student for the perfect high school job: weekends standing there making sure kids don't hurt themselves.
When evaluating your equipment, make sure to buy inflatables made of commercial grade PVC material. This will keep your patrons happy and safe, and that small extra investment will pay off shortly, because the durability of these items will put money in your bank quickly, and continue to pay off for a long time. Commercial grade bouncers are springier, as well, due to the nature of the materials used. Bonus: YOUR BOUNCER IS MORE FUN! -
Step 3
Compliance
Always check your state requirements. You will need to follow laws pertaining to business ownership in general (ie business permits, sales tax laws...), as well as the rules of the industry. You may be considered an "Amusement attraction owner/operator." Each state has its own requirements, which you will need to investigate and comply with. Currently, NJ and PA are the strictest.
Remember, following the rules protects you, as well as your clients. You will be providing amusement attractions for children, so you must comply with safety and insurance regulations. Also be aware that your competitors will be watching you. If they find that you are not in compliance with codes and regulations, this may lead to fines or your business being closed down. It's easy to take shortcuts, but these won't do you any good if you get closed down, or slapped with a lawsuit. Nobody likes a rat, but the owners of inflatable businesses need to protect the safety reputation of their industry, to keep demand high and insurance costs down.
Different states have different levels of certification and inspection standards, but currently only two states, Pennsylvania and New Jersey require inflatables to pass engineering and safety standards before allowing the equipment to be rented out. -
Step 4
Insurance
You may or may not find that your state requires insurance. NO ONE will recommend you operate without insurance. First, it is unethical to operate without insurance. If a patron were to be injured on an uninsured attraction, 2 problems arise: first, the patron may not receive proper medical coverage. Second, the business owner will likely be sued and shut down without protection from the insurance company. -
Step 5
Safety
Bounce houses are safe. In fact, many believe bounce houses are safer than trampolines and jungle gyms, but again there are serious considerations. Always use common sense practices, and ask your customers to do the same. An adult should monitor play at all times, because injuries occur when kids don't play safely. This is true of all play, not just inflatable play, but the difference is now you're liable because the kids are playing in equipment owned by you! Bounce houses should never be used in the wind or rain. In one case, 2 people were killed and 13 injured when an inflatable was carried off by a strong gust of wind (story). In another case, a girl died and 15 were injured. Again the culprit was wind (story). Needless to say, all inflatables should be anchored at all times! And remember, the blowers are electric, so they should never be exposed to water.
The problems are rare, but illustrate what can happen when people don't use proper care operating inflatables. Here is a collection of inflatable ride accidents (story) -
Step 6
Advertising
Yellow pages, and word of mouth! These two should get your business up and running. Also consider tagging all of your inflatables with a sign advertising your business, with your contact info. Anyone driving by will automatically stare at a bounce house in a neighbor's yard, so take advantage of that opportunity to gain exposure! If your bouncer isn't being used, take opportunities to donate it (for use) to little league events, etc., this can give you tax write offs, as well as ton's of exposure! Just be creative, because people love inflatables! Be safe and follow the rules and your job is easy.
