Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Seth and Theresa Harding. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Seth and Theresa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you share a story that illustrates an important or relevant lesson you learned in school
SETH: Early on, I had a strong interest in visual arts… illustration etc. In high school and even in middle school I can remember doing drawings for the other kids, sometimes they would pay me, other times they would barter for other items such as candy, comics or even their lunches. I developed a keen sense of exchanging art for commerce… the seeds of entrepreneurship. It gave me a sense of independence knowing that with some time and effort I could produce something that someone would give me money for. Eventually I fell in love with the performing arts and more specifically theatre. I still occasionally illustrated, but I decided acting would be what I ended up studying in college and would eventually bring me to LA. A friend of mine from school had come out to California ahead of me and introduced me to the world of children’s entertainment. Specifically being a clown or other various characters for parties and events. While I may not have been becoming a household name on the silver screen, I was carving a niche for myself entertaining children and their families while still satisfying my “itch-to-act” and performing for others. It was at this point that I started to discover the world of balloons.
Clowns are jack-of-all-trades in many cases (at least those that go to parties). Aside from being generally silly and entertaining, they often do a bit of face painting, perhaps some magic… and of course most have a basic repertoire of balloon twisting skills. Balloons blew my mind (pun not intended) as I discovered a craft in which I could still bring my skill set as an actor (as you are still very much performing for others) but also rediscover and incorporate my love for the visual arts. I was getting the best of both worlds. I was only a clown for a short number of years, but I fell in love with balloons as a craft and decided to focus on balloons alone. I had worked on and off for other companies, but eventually I met my would-be-wife, and we eventually started our own company: Madcap Balloons.
It’s those lessons that I learned early in school, drawing illustrations for the other kids at lunch which led me to pursue finding a way to be able to monetize one’s passion. I think it’s something that is often overlooked, and there is sometimes an outdated stigma that artists need to “starve”. Now more than ever – folks can find ways to monetize their passion so long as they can find an audience for their work. Art and commerce needn’t be so at odds with one another.
THERESA: Similar to Seth, I studied the arts in school; specifically, Musical Theater. The wonderful thing about being involved in the field is that you learn to collaborate with all aspects of the stage. There is the director, the grips, the costume department, props, stage management and of course the actors. To have a common goal of putting on a successful production really teaches the value of teamwork and celebrating the end results when we hear the applause at the end of a show. There are no small roles. Everyone has an important part to play in making the event successful. This can easily be applied to our business; we work with our clients to ensure that their balloon experience goes smoothly and everyone has a chance to appreciate what we do.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
THERESA: The short answer I tell everyone is that I got into this business because I married a clown! Then I became a clown for a tiny bit, but the one aspect I really loved was the balloons! As a performer, there is this amazing connection that happens when someone requests a specific balloon design and after all the twists and turns…you present them with their balloon, and they smile!! That near instant reward after a short performance is such an indescribable feeling! We absolutely love what we do! We provide an array of balloon services from Entertainment, Balloon Decor, Balloon Deliveries…anything with balloons…we do it!
We pride ourselves on having 20 plus years of experience collectively. In fact, my very first balloon arch was done for my wedding over 10 years ago. We do a lot of custom work for corporate and private events. What sets us apart from others is that we familiarize ourselves with all aspects of balloons, such as arches, columns, garlands, centerpieces, bouquets, you name it, we do it all!
We are a small business with a whole lot of heart! And it has been an amazing journey to experience working with my spouse and the rest of my family. There may be an event where you see one of my sisters twist balloons for a party. There may be another time where you see my brother and my parents help me set up a massive installation. Whoever is working the festivities, we treat each event as a special occasion. We bring a lot of joy to your celebration. Life is a party, we just make sure you have balloons.
Have you ever had to pivot?
THERESA: Prior to the pandemic, we were 95% twisting balloons for entertainment. When everything suddenly shut down, we were concerned about the possibility of our business disintegrating. We had always wanted to expand and eventually offer Balloon Decor and this was the time to learn and invest on how to further our business on a bigger scale. It was not easy, the decor side of balloons is very different than entertainment. Initially, we thought it was similar to twisting but with much bigger balloons! Not quite…there is a lot more strategy and communication involved and we had to adjust. Offering decor in addition to balloon animals was a godsend to our business. It kept us afloat (pun intended). If we had not pivoted, our business would have ceased to exist. I am so grateful to continue to be in this amazing industry and provide joy. After what we experienced with the pandemic, I am extremely humbled and honored that I get to work creating balloon art… while making others smile and create magical memories for their events.
SETH: When I answered one of the previous questions, I spoke specifically of how I loved the balloons as they gave me the best of both worlds, providing a performance platform. I enjoyed interacting with a live “audience”, but also it scratched my creative juice in regards to visual arts by creating elaborate designs. As we pivoted during the pandemic and adding some of the more decorative elements to our business… that was especially challenging for me to embrace as I felt like I was taking a step backwards. I wasn’t getting “the best” of both worlds – as the performance element was no longer front and center. It took some adjusting to be sure. On the other side of it… hindsight being what it is I appreciate that we were simply adding another tool into our tool box.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
THERESA: One of the books that has significantly impacted me when I was at a low point in life is a book called Failing Forward by John C Maxwell. I remember seeing the title on a bookshelf and it immediately intrigued me. As a perfectionist, failing is always difficult. The book reminded me that in order to succeed, you have to expect to fail so many times. It was the encouragement and motivation that I so desperately needed. That book was a gateway to seeking out more literature in the fields of personal growth, positive mindset, leadership, and business. It introduced me to such names as Jim Rohn, Og Mandino, Tony Robbins, Darren Hardy and so many more. Reading or listening to podcasts about these topics is a way for me to keep learning and build upon my skills. The life of an entrepreneur is no easy thing. There are good days, great days, and bad days…and it is on those bad days, you question if you really have what it takes to succeed. Reading or listening to these resources is a personal and daily ritual that is so very important to have. As you grow, your business will grow. As cheesy as that phrase sounds, I believe Zig Ziglar said it best, “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing, that’s why we recommend it daily.”
SETH: The funny thing is, BOTH Theresa and I have a similar soft spot for Failing Forward. I discovered John Maxwell a couple years before I met Theresa. More recently, during the pandemic, I discovered Atomic Habits by James Clear. The idea of staying on course, even with the tiniest improvements, but staying consistent was hugely influential on me. Especially as we were attempting to pivot… everything seemed daunting at the time. Implementing and eventually being able to realize goals by creating tiny but crucial habits was a paramount addition to not only the way I thought of our business but how I managed my time on a personal level as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.madcapballoons.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/madcapballoons
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/madcapballoons
- Twitter: @madcapballoons