How to Start a Jumping Castle Business

Do you love working with children, have a strong desire to own your own business and are able to come up with at least $7,000 in capital? If so, you may want to start a jumping castle business. Jumping castles are inflatable play arenas made of strong, durable material. They resemble different types of castles such as a prince or princess castle or medieval castle. The brightly colored structures allow children to run, play and bounce within the inflated walls. Jumping castles are very popular for children's parties in many overseas countries and are becoming more popular in the United States.

Things You'll Need

• $7,000 to $49,000 in capital
• Jumping castles

Instructions

1. Recognize that there are two ways to start a jumping castles business. You can purchase a franchise that starts at $19,000, not including the castles, or you can start an independent jumping castles business. The franchise cost will include training, a brand name and advertising. There is an additional equipment fee. If you start your own jumping castles business you will have to put out funds for advertising. Currently, one franchise in the United States--PartyCastles.com--specializes in jumping castles.

2. Purchase at least one jumping castle if you are building your jumping castles business independently. Jumping castles come in a wide range of prices and sizes. You will want to purchase one large enough to hold at least six children. You can purchase castles direct from a supplier at around $5,000 (see Resources). If you purchase a franchise at PartyCastles.com you will have an equipment fee of $30,000, which will include 10 castles.

3. Get the appropriate business license for your state. Contact your county clerk's office to find out the requirements for your area. If you plan to have employees, you will also need to get a federal tax identification number. You can apply online at the IRS website (see Resources).

4. Advertise your jumping castles business on sites such as Craigslist, at schools, churches, day cares and more.
   Post colorful ads on community bulletin boards. Jumping castles are great for parties, school functions, celebrations, day care events and other community functions.

5. Charge a daily fee for the jumping castles, which is usually several hundred dollars for 3 to 4 hours. If you have several jumping castles you can charge more.

6. Supervise the children in the jumping castles carefully. Ask their parents if you can take photos to use for further advertising.

7. Purchase more jumping castles as you have more parties and make more money. You can then hire people to go out, set up and supervise these jumping castles to make more money.

Tips & Warnings

• This is a ground floor franchise opportunity just being rolled out in the United States. Franchises include liability insurance. If you're an independent owner you will need to contact insurance brokers to obtain small business liability insurance.

Resources

• Jumping Castles Franchise
• Source for Jumping Castles
• Federal Tax Idenfication Number