In May of 2007 I was deciding, whether or not to try to get into some type of Family Fun business. Back in the mid 90's I opened up a small scale family fun centre in my local area. Unfortunately, I did not have enough capital to carry me through the lean months because of the high rent I was paying. However, I still enjoyed the idea of working with children's entertainment.



In May of 2007 I was deciding, whether or not to try to get into some type of Family Fun business. Back in the mid 90's I opened up a small scale family fun centre in my local area. Unfortunately, I did not have enough capital to carry me through the lean months because of the high rent I was paying. However, I still enjoyed the idea of working with children's entertainment. My kids are all grown now and at the age of forty something, I know I have at least another 10 good years left.

Internet Research Helps With Planning

I decided to search the internet to find a profession that would not require leasing a space, and be able to work the business on weekends only. I was looking for something that would not interfere with my real job. I came across the forum and all the information helped me to determine that an inflatable rental business was what I wanted to do.

I then spoke to friend of mine that has a very successful Family Fun Centre that offers Mini Golf, batting cages, go carts and birthday parties. He thought my idea about getting into the inflatable business was a good one. He told me he was attending the IAAPA show in Atlanta and invited me to go with him.

Detailed Research Makes a Difference

After speaking to my wife and daughter about the business, they thought it was an interesting concept and gave me their blessings. I took the time to research the Internet to find out as much as I could about the inflatable hire in Birmingham. After contacting some companies and getting their responses, I made a list of questions I could ask at the IAPPA Show. I wanted to know things like, where are your inflatable’s made, what materials do you use, what's the stitching length, warranty, shipping, blowers and whether or not they met the requirements for UK hiring

I then called a solicitor to find out how much to set up a company. I also called my insurance agent to find out if there was affordable liability insurance. At the time my agent checked it out and told me insurance would cost between £270 and £350.00 per year.

It all seemed reasonable to me, so I started designing my first website and within three weeks of having an idea my site was live and I had my first booking for Birmingham inflatable.