Is This a Crazy Idea?

If I were you, I would call a professional party planner and ask them what is required to get started. (probably not much, just a DBA from city hall). Before my MIL started her buisiness, she went to work for someone who was doing what she was interested in to see what all was involved. When she was knew what it took, she quit and started her own business.

This is a great idea and you should go for it!
There are other children's party planners out there...I hired one to help coordinate a little tea party for my daughter's 3rd birthday. She brought the tables, the tea sets, and assisted with the party. She also coordinated the balloons and the fairy who came. I ordered my own flowers, cupcakes, and food. This was a while ago, but she charged me around $300.00 including invitations and place cards.

Go for it! There are lots of people that feel just as you said- completely stressed out over party planning.

As far as credentials go- look for something online that you can do at night after the kids go to bed.

Good Luck!

It isn't a crazy idea at all...a good event planner doesn't need a degree (though I am sure it includes design basics and some contract training which can be helpful). You need to be organized, punctual, have an eye for detail, and be able to find the idea when your client isn't even sure what they want. You also have to KNOW what your time is worth and be able to charge a price without being apologetic.

If you would start to plan more elaborate affairs, you also need to have a good amount of working capital. Deposits can really add up and you may need to pay them before collecting from your client.

I am a single, working mother and as much as I love to do the fun stuff myself...I just usually don't have the time or patience. I know a lot of people who just don't LIKE to do it.

However, you must be realistic that everyone is not as easy to work with or as generous as your friend was. I don't know if you've ever worked a retail job, but if you have, take a few minutes to remember the meanest customer you ever had.

My personal opinion? Avoid weddings. I worked in the floral industry for years and they are just more trouble than they are worth. There are more lucrative events to consider--corporate meetings, lunches, etc.

Hi M.,
I think you have a great idea! I am a parent educator and am just finishing up taking a marketing class that helped alot. The most important thing I learned is that you talk about NOT what you do....but Who you help (and mention What these people value) and What you help them with. My marketing teacher is quite clear that unless you help someone with a problem or need they have then you do not have a business.

So for example in my business (instead of talking about parent coaching, parent classes and all the different parenting philosphies I am trained in) I say something like this when people ask me what I do: "I help overwhelmed, exhausted, or discouraged parents who want a harmonious, cooperative family find effective solutions for misbehavior or ongoing family conflict".

So you might say something like "I help busy parents who want their children to feel special plan and execute awesome birthday celebrations". If you make a brochure or create a business card you can say that you have 10 (or however many) years of experience planning parties and events. That is true....you do have that much experience!

Here is an article that give some more ideas:
http://www.heartofbusiness.com/avoiding-www/
Would love to see your business card when you have it.
Good Luck!
Blessings,
K.

M.--
i have a job that requires me to work ridiculously long, exhausting hours. it is totally worth it and i am well-rewarded. my husband works full-time as well. we have 2 fabulous children who are 4 & 6. every year for their birthdays i hire someone to help me plan at least one of their parties. often it is the same woman, out of austin, who comes to our house with a pre-planned party. there are different themes, like teddy bear tea party or princess party. she provides invitations/thank-you notes, a cake, and paper goods. i decorate the house or yard and buy the balloons, then get to sit back and enjoy the party too. she arranges all the games & activities and i don't have to do a thing.

i pay about $125-150 for the party, etc, and then whatever i tip her. it's usually at least $25, sometimes more. she is amazing and the kids always love these parties.

this year, my 4 yo wanted a kung fu panda party, so i did all the work for it and discovered that this woman is a much better party planner than i am!!

i don't know if others would be willing to pay more than $100 for a child's party planner, but if you can afford it, it is a wonderful service! i think you could do very well if you marketed yourself well. you should be sure to talk to a lawyer; if that sounds too expensive, google local legal aid places to see what kind of "new client" fee they would charge just to talk--it's often free or very cheap b/c they want your business. just off the top of my head, i would say you'd want to be bonded & insured.

good luck & enjoy!!

M.,
You may not want to invest a lot of time and effort until you know what you can get out of it. SCORE is an organization that is free and helps people starting small businesses. I know they have an office in Austin, Corpus and Harlingen. Dallas and Houston.
www.score.org can give you the rest of their locations. You make an appt, talk to a counselor and you know what your potholes and possibilities are. For FREE!
Good luck,
K.

Go for it!

I am a full time working mom who works very much and tries to throw charity work in with it.

I would definitely be interested in hiring someone like you. I am throwing myself a wine and dine birthday party on Friday and I wish I could hire someone just to do my table setting at an affordable price.

Also, my daughter's party is in January at my house and I have on my list right now to go buy the invitations.

As for price, I have no idea. I would probably charge by the half hour and start at a minimum rate. You probably can do some research online about bill rates.

M.,

Go! Chase your dream! So you don't have a degree in party planning? Who cares! You obviously have a talent that you enjoy and others think you're pretty gooda at it, as well. You'll get referrals by word of mouth and you may end up making a good income doing something you love. Make business cards, have some trendy flyers or note cards printed to leave at your childrens CDO program, their swim class, dance, or gymnastics. I'm not sure what the going rate is, but starting out reasonable is a good idea. Visit your local wholesale paper company to check prices on paper goods, etc. use your first party (your friends son) as an example and charge say 25-50% of the cost of the party. Remember to take pictures of your creations before and during the party for you "portfolio". Along the way, you'll begin a collection of standard party supplies that you can use again, which will cut down your costs over time.

Most importantly, keep your eye on your dream and acheive it!

You've done your first job. You ARE a Party Planner!

I say go for it! I don't think you need any special credentials to do this. Start small, like you already have, with kids' parties, and see where it takes you! You obviously have a gift for this...most people totally stress over it, and if you don't and you love to do it then you have found your calling in life. I'm very happy for you! Good luck!

Hi M.!
This is not a crazy idea at all! I've had ideas for this sort of thing brewing in my head for years now! And hopefully, when the time is right, I'll be able to start something of my own.
A couple things I've thought of (though I am, by no means, any sort of expert...) I dunno if anyone's mentioned it, but make sure you get all the legal stuff down. Filing taxes, etc. for a business is something I wouldn't know where to start with, but personally, I would want to figure it out before, so I was running my business correctly on that side.
Also, if you're purchasing food, etc. for the party - fine, but if you ever get into home-made food of any sort/serving food,etc., I would imagine you would need a food-handlers license.
I know a lot of people don't go to the trouble of all this with these types of things, and if you're just doing it for good friends and family members, that's probably fine. But if you really want to turn this into a serious business, you may want to take the time to get the "not fun" side of it done correctly to avoid legal problems in the future. I like to think big and think it could be a really great, locally well-known business! :)
Best of luck with this adventure. Enjoy it all the way, and good for you for chasing a dream!

Greetings M.,

I pray that you are having a wonderful day!!!!! It was quite refreshing to read your message as I felt your passion for event planning jump off of the page. You asked if you are dreaming, YES!!!!!! but you have actually taken it a step further and have taken a step to realizing your dream which is walking out your vision. I am very very excited for you because your passion is soooo apparent, you were willing to do it for free. Don't discount yourself or your experiences!!!!! Be encouraged and you go girl!!!!!!! Feel free to write me back anytime, especially if you need encouragement!!!!!
God Bless You!!!!!!

Its not a bad idea at all. In fact my Mom became an event planner after retiring from her job at the phone company. She got started be being involved in community events, horse clubs and a rodeo as a volunteer while still working. Then it went on to political events. Also an underprivelaged childerens christmas partythat grew from about 300 kids to 1000 kids under her careN all with donations.
I could go on forever, but to cut it short people ended up seeking her out to work at stores and shopping centers for holiday events, grand openings and whatever else they think of or she suggests. Car shows, art shows, whatever. At one point her and I were managing 2 shopping centers together, that started with event planning.
She makes good money doing this, but its not like a steady job. Its not hard once you get the hang of it, as long as your a people person. My daughter and I have planned some events as well. None of us have a formal education in event planning, Including my Mom.
Start small and see where you end up. Even volunteer for community events, watch and learn. There is a lot of little tricks that can be learned from volunteers. Like resources of where to find unusual things or services you may need.

Good luck!

M.,
A dream is NEVER a crazy idea. I encourage you to pursue your party planning business. You can consult or take care of everything. You could offer to consult to busy mom's on ideas for certain age birthday parties. This could be a phone consultation for $20/hr. You could write and e-book on party planning ideas and offer it for $15-20. This would allow the information to be created once and sold forever. I started my business 12.5 years ago. I recently sold 3 divisions and I am restructuring another division. I am basically back to being a start up. I can't imagine doing anything else, besides being a professional organizer. I encourage you to become an expert in your field. If you are an expert, it does not matter if you have a degree. People hire you because you are the best planner, best in customer service, and you take away their stress. If you have any questions feel, free to e-mail me. Go for it!!!! ____@____.com

I have a friend who planned her own wedding, found it to be the most exciting thing that she had done in awhile (she has a MBA from Columbia), and ended up setting up her own wedding planning business! Just be cognizant that you have two little ones of your own - once she had kids, she found it much harder to plan things.

You've received lots of good advice already. I'm sorry to be so late responding (been out of town), however, there is always room for someone who has a knack for doing something with flair and creativity. Don't hesitate to have people who contract your services to offer their comments or evaluation and on the same form ask if you can use their comments to promote your business? If they are positive, those testimonials can be used on your sebsite or just within your portfolio for potential clients to read what others have said about your services.

On line from Staples you can design a very affordable card as well. It's not free, but it is inexpensive and there are lots of prompts for help. See if places that you might incorporate in your planned events will allow you to post your cards or some printed information at their business for those who might be interested (i.e. restaurants that cater to children like Mr. Gatti's or Chuck E. Cheese, Putt-Putt Golf, ice cream shoppes, etc.)

Best wishes to you as you pursue something you have a passion for.

If I had the money, and it wasn't too outrageous, I wouldn't mind paying someone to plan the party every once in a while.

Just a note: My husband has had 3 ideas that he has tried out as a business. When first presented the ideas to me, each time, I didn't think there would be much of a market. But, all 3 businesses are actual businesses of his. I have been pleasantly surprised. It hasn't made us rich or anything, but people are actually paying him.

Take a chance, knowing that it may not work out, but it may. You can order your first business cards for free at VistaPrint. The only catch is they print their website discreetly on the back. That's what helped my husband get started. Research or contact people who do similar things and see what they charge. Then, charge what you think is reasonable and you would pay yourself. Be willing to make changes as you go. I say if you're willing to face failure and accept it willingly knowing that you at least tried and it won't send you to the loony bin - then go for it! Maybe start with a few "friends" giving them free or discounted services in order to get their recommendations or giving out your card to all the parents at the party. Websites can be free too if you're not too picky.

You do need to register with the city as a business. They also have business mentors that help you out for free. They have helped my husband out.

I don't think it is a crazy idea at all. We are always a little afraid of stepping out there and trying something and I for one can admit I was that way. I have been retired for 4 years and about 6 months ago I decided to start a new business with my son-in-law which was a big step for us both, but we have been very successful of which I am very pleased. You need to sit down and write everything down on what you need to do to start your business. The number one thing is advertising and word of mouth. You don't have to spend a lot of money and with your business you could advertise with having business cards made, flyer and having a website. You can do the website yourself, just study how to do it. I hired someone and they never did what I wanted them to do and I ended up doing it ourselves and it is a great website if I may say so myself. We had to go and meet clients and you can ask children's toy stores, party venues etc. to let you put out your flyer and/or cards at their place. Do not be afraid of other party venues, they want you to make sure you plan your party there so they would work with you. Talk to bakery's and ask them what price they can do for you where both of you make a profit. As you grow you can have some of your own inventory of themes etc. so you aren't having to go out and buy them everytime. If you do a good job then word of mouth will be your best advertising. You may not make tons of money for each party, maybe like the one lady said, $100 but if you grow and you are doing 3 - 5 parties a weekend that is still a nice little income. Bave a positive attitude and a can do attitude and it will work for you, if you get negative then it will end up just on the drawing board. Be aggressive in getting the word out and once it starts coming in the rest will be easy. There are people out there who would gladly pay someone else to do it for them as they work and have little time or they don't know how to do something different. They are going to spend that money anyway for a party so why not pay something to do all the running, planning, putting it together and make it easy on them. You could also learn to bake your own cakes, take a cake decorating class, it is easy and not expensive. Take a cooking course if you want where you can also make meals for people, like casseroles etc. where they can order them from you, you make it and they pick it up on the way home or you deliver it. Trust me, there are a lot of people who would love to just stop and buy dinner so they don't have to hassle with it when they get home. You can also get in to adult party planning and just grow at your own pace. The economy is tough right now, but if you are reasonably priced people will pay for it. Just don't over price yourself or you won't get business. Make sure you find out what their budget is and go from there. Don't go over their budget unless you contact them first and let them know that something they want will cost more. You will be amazed at how vendors will work with you. Remember they want business also and if they don't work with you then you go elsewhere. Good Luck to you. It will take a lot of your time planning and getting it together before you can kick it off, but it will work. Even if you only did the 3 - 5 parties and it ends up a month vs. a weekend, that is still some extra income for you and your family. Just remember to keep good books and pay your taxes or you will be out of business in a hurry. Good Luck to you. I know you will be successful because it is something you love and want to do.

I would say go for it! If this a dream of yours and somthing you think you are good at then just do it. Dont doubt yourself!

I think this is a great idea -- I would pay for this help for sure, although not at the moment due to tight funds -- but I think a lot of working parents would value this help a lot, because party planning DOES stress a lot of us out, If you go for it, you might also want to consider also bartering services with parents -- things you really need or want like massage, manicures, landscaping, computer help or other services -- even a website advertising your services! It could help to get your business going in a tight economy. One other thought I have is to be very careful to outline exactly what you offer and what you will be charging, as I am pretty sure folks who do this sort of work find that not everyone likes to pay up at the end, and some find excuses to claim they didn't expect certain expenses or weren't satisfied, so best to have a simple form they sign saying exactly what you will give them and exactly what they will pay, with you and them keeping a copy. I love this idea and hope you're still doing it in the future so I can use your services! You have my permission to send me an occasional promotional email to my home email address.

I don't know much about the business part of it...but, it sounds like you enjoy this, and you are good at it. I say go for it! Maybe you could make some business cards and drop them off at some businesses or post them at some businesses. And if you could have someone design a website for you that would probably help a lot too. Good luck to you!!

Life is too short and too precious to not do the thing that you want to be doing, so go for it!!!

Go for it!! I don't think you need a license to plan parties. You have already had your first client. Start slow with family and friends and build your business on referrals. Good luck!!!

I would suggest to continue doing research on this as a business venture. IN the meantime if you are able to do this for some people, go for it. Certifications or degrees in event planning only help clients know that you are serious about your business and show that you are legitimate.

I myself have done a lot of research and I am taking an online course to be a certified wedding consultant. I fell into it in a similar way that you did in helping a friend with her wedding.

You may want to see if there is an online certificate course that you can take in your own time and may be better for your budget.

Then you want to get a business plan together. There are plenty of examples online. Score and the small business administration also have lots of good information.

You should also research the base market in your area to see if this is a service that people would be interested in. Then once you have all that together you can start marketing your services.

Personally I would have loved to have someone like you when I was planning my sons birthday. I seem to be great at helping other people plan events, but horrible when it comes to my own events! (plus it stresses me out!)

One more idea, you may want to contact places like Bouce U, Chuck E Cheese, Incredble Pizza etc. and see if they would partner with you and if you could get any special deals for potential clients.

Good luck I think it's a great idea!

Hi M.,
Yes, this is a crazy Wonderful Idea!
Yes, you are dreaming. That is how wonderful ideas are born.
No, you are not required to go to school as you are Already knowledgeable and experienced. Since you were paid for doing the boy's birthday, the mom must have thought it was a success. When you have a passion to do anything, you have the ability to do it. Congratulations on recognizing your talent and using it to help others who have different talents.

I have been gone and am just now going through the mail. Your idea sounds great to me. There a lot of working parents out there and they just do not have the time to do some of the things that they want to do. Plus there are a lot of people that just plain do not know how... go for it.

If you've got an interest and a smidgen of talent, why not try doing another event for a friend and see if the satisfaction remains. Take classes as your interest and needs arise, but really reading books on your own and experience is a pretty good education. If you want to be more creative in your party planning, consider shadowing someone who is good at it and having them mentor you while working for them...but really if you just want to keep it small (for the moment) you've got a good start with just what you've done to draw from. Keep records and photograph events to create a portfolio to show future clients :)

Too: Remember its easy to get sucked into activities when we are bored with what's going on at home. Even if the kid's are in mom's day out there is still so much on the homefront that (although it may be underappreciated...speaking from a stereotypical point of view) still needs to be balanced...

Good Luck!

I don't think it's crazy. If there are no laws to consider, I say go for it.

M., There must be something about your name because all of the Michelles that I know are very talented and creative. The sky is the limit with party planning. You could do graduation parties, bridal showers, baby showers etc. You could definitely have your own home business and host parties and sell products.

I think you'd be great at it. If this is a natural gift you have then you should roll w/it. Just keep in mind that not everyone you help w/give you a generous tip or even an extra tip at all. What I'd do first is ck w/your state licensing board to see if you require a license for party planning, I don't think you do but it's always a good idea to check that first, then you'll know where to go from there. If you don't need a license, then you can ck w/your city to see what you need to do to start a business. You can even work from your home I'm sure. A good idea to have is having some samples to show your customers. You should have some photos of the parties you've planned already if you can get some & then you'll have a photo album of examples of parties you've planned so far. You can always look & see if there's a home study or correspondence course having to do w/party planning that's a great deal less expensive than the school you've checked into already. I'm not sure if there are any but it's always something to ck in to. If you don't know how already, I'd gain some knowledge on how to run a small business, at least, so you can find out how to do your bookkeeping, & other records you may need for tax purposes. I think you should go for it. Good luck!!

I think its great idea! I had thought about it too! But not sure how much someone would pay. For moms who work, they would have the money and not the time, and something like that would be perfect. Maybe charge like a percentage of the party. It would depend on how much time you put into it. Have you heard of www.orientaltrading.com awesome party stuff cheep! Good luck, if you go for it!

Go for it! I think it would b awesome. Pray about it and b patient. Through God all things r possible.

THis is not a crazy idea. The fact that you did this successfully for someone else while taking care of your own little ones should be all the incentive for you to pursue this.

Ask yourself if you loved doing this, really loved it. If you answer yes, then that is all the input you need.

To do something you love and be lucky enough to earn an income from it is wonderful.

Keep me informed of how you are doing and don't forget me...when I need someone to plan a party for me I hope you'll give me a little discount!!!!!

Good Luck and God Bless,
J. R.

I don't know about laws and such, but it seems like you could do it if you want. You can always try it and if it doesn't work, you can stop. It sounds like it is something you really enjoy. Have fun with it. No you are not crazy.