We recently connected with Johnna Wright Perry and have shared our conversation below.

Johnna, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Parents play a huge role in our development as youngsters and sometimes that impact follows us into adulthood and into our lives and careers. Looking back, what’s something you think you parents did right?

I grew up in a tiny factory town. My mother worked at the factory, my dad owned an auto repair shop. While it might not seem relatable to apply my dad’s business to my work as a balloon artist in a large metropolitan area, I credit him with laying the foundation for how I approach business each day.

My dad showed up every day and gave it his all. Because my dad’s customers relied on him for transportation, there was always a sense of urgency. He didn’t ever procrastinate or do less than his best. I watched him treat customers as though they were his family and in return, many treated him the same way. The tins of cookies they brought to him during Christmas would have fed half of the town! He was quick to help and focused on providing high quality service for his customers. Seeing this as a child and not knowing there was any other way to do business has definitely left a mark on how my business functions. I aspire to treat my customers with as much kindness and to always provide the best service possible.

Because balance in business is always a struggle, I do have to say my dad worked A LOT. As do I. But it’s hard not to when you truly care about your customers.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’ve been creating with balloons since 1995. As an art student, planning my wedding, I took a job at a florist. The florist got a balloon journal in the mail and would pass it on to me. I would spend hours gazing at elaborate balloon artistry from around the globe. There were artists working with balloons; I knew I wanted to create with this ephemeral medium, too!

This next part, it’s a cautionary tale… My fiance (now husband and business partner) and I decided we would adorn our own wedding reception with balloons. We had a lovely wedding at Disney World and a reception in KC, which meant we had the day of our reception free to decorate. That’s the cautionary part, most of us don’t have the time. It took all day! We did just fine, as someone asked if they could hire us for their upcoming milestone birthday party right there at our reception!

It wasn’t long until I was working more than full-time creating everything from balloon bouquets to elaborate sculptures with balloons. Birthdays, weddings, corporate events, if a celebration needed a pop of color, I would bring the balloons! During those first years, we both worked hard to learn everything we could about balloon artistry, attending conventions, traveling around the globe to work with and learn from the best of the best. We are still so committed to this, always learning!

Just a few years later, John left his “real job” and joined me to make balloon artistry our only work. We are often asked what our real jobs are and it’s THIS, creating balloon artistry. We are so lucky to do what we love for a living!

Here is what we’ve learned in the 25+ years we’ve been creating with balloons: there is simply no better way to make smiles, bring joy, add a touch of whimsy to any celebration than with balloons. I love that we get to make balloon happiness every single day!

My balloon artistry studio creates custom balloon decor, sculptures and themed installations. We focus on making our customer’s celebration dreams come true by creating balloon artistry unique to their event. We are fueled by Ooooohs and Aaaaahs and love that moment when a customer gets the first look at what we have created for them.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

If Bootstrap Nation was a place, I’d like to be an elected official there. I started my business with a helium tank that was abandoned in a warehouse and a $15 inflation nozzle bought at a welding supply store. It’s been a minute, but I think my first year’s business license was $40 and my liability insurance premium was $75 as a member of a large group policy for balloon artists. I started a business for less than $200 and know others can do the very same and grow into profitable businesses without debt.

As I gained clients and booked events, I would use the deposit to buy necessary supplies. With the remaining balance paid, I would pay myself first and use any funds leftover to save for more business equipment and supplies. Within two years, I was able to make my side hustle into my full-time job and soon after I was making enough for my husband to join my business, leaving his corporate job to work full-time as a balloon artist, too.

For many of us, gaining business funding isn’t easy. That’s a different topic altogether, but I do wish to encourage those who are struggling to find funding that it is possible to get a business up and running without a lot of funding.

Can you talk to us about your experience with buying businesses?

I’ve bought several businesses and each comes with a sad backstory. I’ve purchased three businesses that were very similar to my own. Each business chose to close for a different reason and sold their inventory and equipment for pennies on the dollar. The acquisition process each time has taught me so much. Here are four things I’ve learned through the business acquisition process: 1. You don’t have to buy all of the fanciest or newest equipment to run a profitable business. Buy what you need as you need it until you have built up funds. Be especially wary of buying from those who profit from constant turnover in your industry, whether that be through equipment sales or coaching.
2. Be mindful of stock levels. If you use one case of white balloons on average each month, there is no reason to sit on ten cases of stock.
3. If you see someone in a similar line of work selling off inventory cheap, take a hard look at what that inventory is. If they can’t move it, how will you?
4. Small business owners care deeply about the business they have created. Seeing them make the tough decision to close and lose money on their equipment and stock isn’t easy, especially if you are succeeding at what they dreamed of as their success. It’s been a reminder each time to always be on top of business goals, financial reports and level of commitment.

Contact Info:

• Website: upupandawayballoons.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/upupandawayballoons
• Facebook: facebook.com/upupandawayballoons

Image Credits
Jana Marie Photos