How to Launch your Party Planning Business with a Bang
Listen to this articleMany people spend their whole lives in careers they hate and jobs they never planned on doing. In fact, according to Gallup polls, only about 15 percent of everyone worldwide claims to be actively engaged at work. But it doesn’t have to be that way. There’s no reason to spend the rest of your working years making someone else rich when you could be doing something you love and building your own wealth. And one of the best careers to do this with is party planning. Party planners usually love entertaining and organizing. And it’s a lucrative field with plenty of potential as long as you know how to launch it with a bang.
Choose a niche
You can be a party planner who coordinates everyone’s events, and you might even see some success. But the most successful people in this business are the ones who specialize in one particular niche. This allows them to network and market more effectively because their target market is much easier to identify. But it can also allow them to become the go-to expert in their field. For example, say you specialize in wedding planning. After you’ve done it for a while, you’ll be able to whip an event together relatively quickly. You’ll know exactly what vendors to call, you’ll already have some supplies, and you’ll be able to anticipate your client’s needs without giving it much thought. Some popular niches include bar and bat mitzvahs, children’s birthdays, weddings, corporate events, and fundraisers.
Network with other vendors
Once you’ve picked a niche, it’s helpful to start networking with other vendors immediately. You can do this by going by to introduce yourself, setting up an introductory party, or just connecting on social media. Businesses you might be working with could include party supply stores, caterers, florists, and entertainers. Of course, these might vary some, depending on your specialty. For example, if your niche is children’s parties, you might have need of water slide rentals NJ. In this case, it might be a good idea to go by the rental shop and introduce yourself. You can also find out about contracts, fees, and other requirements for renting this type of item.
Take care of all the business stuff first
Just because the business is fun doesn’t mean there are no legal or financial requirements that go along with it. Talk to your insurance agent about any extra policies you might need. Obtain all the proper licensing from your city and county courthouses and talk to your accountant about any tax considerations you may not have thought of.
Market your business
Launching your party planning business could start with a big event of your own. For the event, you can invite local vendors you want to work with, along with potential customers you’ve already engaged with. This type of event can give others in your community a glimpse at your planning skills and serve as an advertisement on its own. But you’ll probably need to continue getting your name out there as long as you’re in business. You can do this with promo items, such as business stickers and pens. You can also host regular community events and become actively involved in local service organizations.
But it’s also important not to neglect your social media engagement. Your social media campaign could involve all the different platforms, but experts recommend sticking with just a couple, especially in the beginning. You can do this by first identifying your target market and then finding out what social media channel they prefer. But if you want to keep it simple, Facebook is usually a safe choice. Since so much of the population uses this platform, you’re likely to find at least a portion of your target audience there.
Launching a party planning business doesn’t have to be tough. With these tips, you’ll be well on your way to creating your first event.
Claire Peters is a contributor to the Los Angeles Post-Examiner and Baltimore Post-Examiner.
