I was considering starting a home bases bounce house rental and wondered if their is an one out there with experience doing this. I am just in the research stage and would love any info or advise avaliable. I do live in a major Metroplex so I would thank that finding customers would be doable but I don't know how to find out if there is sufficent demand. Any help would be appericated.

Fr_Chuck

kids love them, lots get rented, getting your name out there is the only issue,

Clough

I would think that insurance might be high for something like that kind of operation. So, you would have to weigh the cost of insurance against the potential for profit. Another thing that you would be likely to have to have, depending on where you are going to be supplying the service, is some kind of license to operate this type of recreational service like those do at fairs.

I hope that you live in an area where it is warm most of the year, because if not, this type of business would be mostly seasonal.

Some places that might desire your type of service would be schools, churches, (many have outdoor fairs at certain times of the year), county fairs, shopping malls and public parks. So, putting a business plan together that is targeted to those types of places would be helpful.

To see if there would be a desire for that type of service, you could spend a few days cold-calling the above types of places and speaking with officials that run them, give them your business card and other information like prices, etc., and see what they have to say.

In the U.S. there are groups that you could become associated with that have to do with the organizing of county fairs. "Association" might be one of the words that would be used in the title for them. You could also contact them if you have such a group in the area in which you want to work. It could be that you also might like to travel, so you could contact groups like that in other locations, also.

Minniesmom

Sounds like a good business. Be sure to check to see if you need to be insured in case some little child hurts themselves in your bounce house.

waycool

Hi. Starting a moonwalk business is simple. But you do have issues to consider:
Who will deliver and set-up the equipment?
What will you pay them?
Who will clean and maintain the equipment?
Where will you store the equipment?
How will you advertise?
How much does the market in your area typically pay for a rental? (Find out by calling some local rental companies and ask what their prices are).
How much will it cost to develop a web-site and who will maintain it?
Do you have a great deal of competition in your area?
Do you have the time to manage phone calls in a timely manner?
Do you live in an area of the country that is warm most months? If not, the business will be seasonal (March - November) depending on your state.
You will need insurance. There are some great cost effective insurance companies. The Fireman's Fund provides a fantastic product, which save me $4,000 dollars per year. But you will have to abide by risk management procedures and have thorough documentation.
You will need to decide if you will be running a corporation or a DBA.

Once your initial investment is re-couped, the business can be quite profitable, especially if you already have a place to store the equipment.

I live in Atlanta and am selling mine. You can find it on ebay by searching for moonwalk or inflatable businesses for sale. I have enjoyed running the business, but am finishing school and will be entering corporate America. I am offering the web-site, and all promotional materials with the purchase.

Regards.