The Bright Balloon

Hosted by Sara Meyer

Marketing Arts

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Episodes

318

Latest episode

Jun 2026

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About the show

The Bright Balloon is a podcast where Sara Meyer shares bright ideas for your balloon business. We help overwhelmed balloon artists more money, eliminate stress and grow our creative businesses together. Welcome to The Bright Balloon.

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60 recent

June 16, 2026Episode 42621 min

426. From Party City to the World Series

She went from making her first balloon mosaic with Party City balloons to decorating the Rogers Stadium for the World Series. And the strategy behind her growth? Simpler than you think. In this live episode from the International Balloon Convention, I sat down with Ana Karina of AK Balloons. She is originally from Venezuela, now based in Toronto, Canada, and came to the balloon industry from the corporate world as an accountant. After seven years in business, she now runs a balloon studio with a full team and counts major sports venues among her clients. In this episode, she shares how word of mouth and a simple daily outreach habit built her corporate client base; how she successfully outsourced social media; and why she believes you should never cut your marketing budget no matter what. In the UGlu Hotline, hear what Erin of Young & Wild Balloon Co. does with her SOP docs! Unlock three free bonus episodes! RESOURCES MENTIONED: Sales Sets Havin' A Party Wholesale (save 5% on orders $200+ with code PODCAST) buildwiththeguild.com UGlu by Pro Tapes (save 5% on orders $200+ at Havin' A Party with code PODCAST) DM @thebrightballoon on Instagram to ask a question or leave advice for the UGlu Hotline! 2026 Bright Balloon Planner @akballoons - - - - On the Bright Side Apple | Patreon Join the Bright Balloon email list The Bright Balloon on YouTube

June 9, 2026Episode 42535 min

425. 87 years of balloons and big values: the Sempertex story

Ever wondered about the people behind the balloons you use every single day? This episode is one of those career-highlight conversations you don't want to miss. I sat down with Leo and Marcela of Sempertex at the Sempertex International Balloon Convention in Orlando. Leo is the CEO and Marcela, the VP of Sales and Marketing. We talk about the incredible 87-year history of this family-owned company; from Leo's Austrian grandfather founding it in Colombia in 1938 to the bold decision to focus exclusively on natural latex balloons. Leo and Marcela share how they hire for culture and values, why 65-70% of their team is women, how they work with 250 farming families in a crop substitution program and what the DUR recycled balloon initiative looks like. If you've ever wanted to feel more connected to the brands you depend on, this is the episode. In the UGlu Hotline, hear how one listener searches Instagram to get a better feel of a color before trying it. Unlock three free bonus episodes! RESOURCES MENTIONED: Sales Sets Havin' A Party Wholesale (save 5% on orders $200+ with code PODCAST) buildwiththeguild.com UGlu by Pro Tapes (save 5% on orders $200+ at Havin' A Party with code PODCAST) DM @thebrightballoon on Instagram to ask a question or leave advice for the UGlu Hotline! 2026 Bright Balloon Planner @sempertex - - - - On the Bright Side Apple | Patreon Join the Bright Balloon email list The Bright Balloon on YouTube

June 2, 2026Episode 42341 min

423. How to let hiring be easy

If you run a balloon business by yourself, you might get to the point where you just can't do it all alone anymore, and that can be a very overwhelming place to be. So I sat down with Jessica, the owner of Balloons by F&F, and we had a very honest conversation about hiring: Who to hire first, The little details about hiring that are easy to forget, What tools are helpful for tracking the work, Some of the mistakes we've made along the way, How to not get lost in the weeds when starting, A position to hire you maybe haven't thought of, And ultimately, what gets unlocked in your life and your business when you finally hire help. I love talking about hiring because even though it's scary to start, there are so many right ways it can be done. In the UGlu Hotline, hear why one listener sets a goal to send five hand-written thank you cards each month. Unlock three free bonus episodes! RESOURCES MENTIONED: Sales Sets Havin' A Party Wholesale (save 5% on orders $200+ with code PODCAST) buildwiththeguild.com UGlu by Pro Tapes (save 5% on orders $200+ at Havin' A Party with code PODCAST) DM @thebrightballoon on Instagram to ask a question or leave advice for the UGlu Hotline! 2026 Bright Balloon Planner @balloonsbyff - - - - On the Bright Side Apple | Patreon Join the Bright Balloon email list The Bright Balloon on YouTube

May 26, 2026Episode 42234 min

422. What to do with your cluttered camera roll

If your phone's camera roll looks anything like mine, it's just thousands of pictures of balloons, mixed in with screenshots of inspiration, mixed in with photos of my family… and no strategy or organizational method to the madness. So in this episode, I'm talking with Dionne, a professional photo manager. She owns Captured Memories Photo Solutions and we are both 17hats ambassadors. She shares some really good insights about photo storage, including: backing up versus syncing your photos (and which option to actually choose) strategies for getting rid of all of the photo clutter why taking screenshots of your own photos compounds the problem By the end of the episode you'll know what to do to put a system in place so that your camera roll can actually help you and your business, while keeping all those photos of your kids and pets cleanly separated. And thank you to this month's presenting sponsor, Grow My Balloon Biz! Don't forget to check out Carolina's episode, which was the first one in May. In the UGlu Hotline, hear a tip for stuffing balloons! Unlock three free bonus episodes! RESOURCES MENTIONED: Sales Sets Grow My Balloon Biz Havin' A Party Wholesale (save 5% on orders $200+ with code PODCAST) buildwiththeguild.com UGlu by Pro Tapes (save 5% on orders $200+ at Havin' A Party with code PODCAST) DM @thebrightballoon on Instagram to ask a question or leave advice for the UGlu Hotline! 2026 Bright Balloon Planner Captured Memories Photo Solutions - - - - On the Bright Side Apple | Patreon Join the Bright Balloon email list The Bright Balloon on YouTube

May 19, 2026Episode 42031 min

420. Marketing methods: a panel discussion

What's actually working for balloon business marketing, and what's a waste of money? In this panel episode, I'm joined by Renisha of Chic Balloons and Alex of Blown Away Decor for a candid conversation about finding clients, spending wisely and what they'd tell someone just starting out. You'll hear our discussion about each of these marketing methods: Word mouth and local Facebook groups Chamber of Commerce Paid advertising Vendor events and bridal expos Van wraps Printed goods Websites and social media We also talk about how to get your first clients when you have no portfolio and why making what you want to sell is the fastest way to build that portfolio. And thank you to this month's presenting sponsor, Grow My Balloon Biz! In the UGlu Hotline, hear how one listener labels all of her equipment. Unlock three free bonus episodes! RESOURCES MENTIONED: Sales Sets Grow My Balloon Biz Havin' A Party Wholesale (save 5% on orders $200+ with code PODCAST) buildwiththeguild.com UGlu by Pro Tapes (save 5% on orders $200+ at Havin' A Party with code PODCAST) DM @thebrightballoon on Instagram to ask a question or leave advice for the UGlu Hotline! 2026 Bright Balloon Planner blownawaydecor.com @chicballoonsdtx - - - - On the Bright Side Apple | Patreon Join the Bright Balloon email list The Bright Balloon on YouTube

May 12, 2026Episode 41840 min

419. Secrets to longevity in the balloon industry

In this episode I'm joined by Jacqui, who has been in business for 33 years… so I think it's self-explanatory why I wanted to have her on the show. But you'll also hear about the very interesting work she did before balloons! We are talking about how to build and sustain a business that long, how to keep a passion for balloons, the secret to continuing to make money year after year after year and what's so special about our industry. Something that I also find really interesting about Jacqui is that she launched her business with a business partner who has since retired and now Jacqui is running the business solo with no intention to retire anytime soon. She also tells us how she had hand surgery and didn't have to turn down any work in the process of recovering! There is so much insight from her experiences in this conversation… enjoy! And thank you to this month's presenting sponsor, Grow My Balloon Biz. In the UGlu Hotline, hear a tip about keeping your helium number balloons in the correct order for delivery, so they never look like a number they shouldn't. Unlock three free bonus episodes! RESOURCES MENTIONED: Sales Sets Grow My Balloon Biz Havin' A Party Wholesale (save 5% on orders $200+ with code PODCAST) buildwiththeguild.com UGlu by Pro Tapes (save 5% on orders $200+ at Havin' A Party with code PODCAST) DM @thebrightballoon on Instagram to ask a question or leave advice for the UGlu Hotline! 2026 Bright Balloon Planner - - - - On the Bright Side Apple | Patreon Join the Bright Balloon email list The Bright Balloon on YouTube

May 5, 2026Episode 41741 min

417. Building momentum with corporate clients

In this episode I am joined by Carolina, and we are going to crack the code on corporate sales! Carolina is the owner of Balloon Element and she is also the owner of Grow My Balloon Biz. She takes us through her own trial and error in approaching corporate clients over the years, and then shares the method she found that actually made the biggest impact… which is simpler than you think! Listen to real scripts, real examples and hear her coach me through a real situation I had. We talk about: What corporate clients are looking for How to approach them How often to approach them What to say How to build momentum Get ready to get motivated! In the UGlu Hotline, hear about two must-have email templates to send after an event. Unlock three free bonus episodes! RESOURCES MENTIONED: Sales Sets Grow My Balloon Biz Havin' A Party Wholesale (save 5% on orders $200+ with code PODCAST) buildwiththeguild.com UGlu by Pro Tapes (save 5% on orders $200+ at Havin' A Party with code PODCAST) DM @thebrightballoon on Instagram to ask a question or leave advice for the UGlu Hotline! 2026 Bright Balloon Planner - - - - On the Bright Side Apple | Patreon Join the Bright Balloon email list The Bright Balloon on YouTube

April 28, 2026Episode 41643 min

416. What it's really like working with a VA

In this episode, we're talking about one of my favorite topics: outsourcing your admin work to a virtual assistant. I'm interviewing Nicole, who is my virtual assistant. She's also the owner of Let Nicole Help, and she offers many other services but for me, she primarily helps with sales. She is my client-facing, invoice-sending admin genius who has freed me up from computer work so that I can focus on the part of my business that I really like, which is getting new business and doing installations. We are getting into the nitty gritty about how we met, how we started, the clunky figuring-it-out stage we went through and our recommendations of how you can onboard your own virtual assistant. You'll also hear us talk through a process improvement we discovered we should make while recording! And one more shout out to this month's presenting sponsor - Betallic! In the UGlu Hotline, hear what kind of suction cups are great to keep in your toolkit. Unlock three free bonus episodes! RESOURCES MENTIONED: Sales Sets Betallic Havin' A Party Wholesale (save 5% on orders $200+ with code PODCAST) buildwiththeguild.com UGlu by Pro Tapes (save 5% on orders $200+ at Havin' A Party with code PODCAST) DM @thebrightballoon on Instagram to ask a question or leave advice for the UGlu Hotline! 2026 Bright Balloon Planner @letnicolehelp | www.assetassign.app - - - - On the Bright Side Apple | Patreon Join the Bright Balloon email list The Bright Balloon on YouTube

April 21, 2026Episode 41428 min

414. Reaching outside of your balloon boundaries

This was such a fun and inspiring interview. If you've ever felt stuck "just" doing balloons… wondering what's next, how to grow and how to start saying yes to bigger, more creative opportunities… you're going to love this conversation! I'm chatting with Lizeth and Oscar of Mom's Kloset. They're a husband and wife team based in Atlanta who started with a bag of balloons and have grown into full-scale fabrications and custom builds. I am such a huge fan of these two and what they create; honestly, I was fangirling during this interview. We recorded live at the International Balloon Convention and we talk about: how they made the transition from balloons into full-on fabrication how they figure things out when they're doing something for the first time what they would actually recommend you start adding to your business if you want to grow outside of balloons. It's one of those conversations that really pushes you to think bigger, but in a way that still feels doable. And a huge thank you to this month's presenting sponsor, Betallic! In the UGlu Hotline, hear a fun tip about sharing scissors. Unlock three free bonus episodes! RESOURCES MENTIONED: Sales Sets Betallic Havin' A Party Wholesale (save 5% on orders $200+ with code PODCAST) buildwiththeguild.com UGlu by Pro Tapes (save 5% on orders $200+ at Havin' A Party with code PODCAST) DM @thebrightballoon on Instagram to ask a question or leave advice for the UGlu Hotline! 2026 Bright Balloon Planner @moms_klosetballoons - - - - On the Bright Side Apple | Patreon Join the Bright Balloon email list The Bright Balloon on YouTube

April 14, 2026Episode 41323 min

413. How Betallic and Sempertex work together

This episode is a little bit different, but in a way that I think you're really going to enjoy. If you've ever felt confused about the brands that you're using in your business and wondering what's going on behind the scenes in the industry, you're not alone. Most of us are just in our own businesses doing the work and not really sure what's happening in the bigger picture. But in this episode, I'm bringing you behind the curtain with Andrea and Barry from Betallic. This was recorded live at the International Balloon Convention, and we talked about the connection between Betallic and Sempertex. If that's ever confused you, they explain that relationship, plus what's changed in the industry over time and how they're thinking about supporting balloon decorators moving forward. It's a really insightful behind the scenes conversation, and I think it will give you a lot more clarity and confidence in the brands that you're using to run your business. Episodes this month are sponsored by Betallic! Be sure to check out the Betallic Balloon Club and mark your calendars for IBC in October 2026 in Miami, Florida. In the UGlu Hotline, hear a great tip for a ceiling installation without helium! Unlock three free bonus episodes! RESOURCES MENTIONED: Sales Sets Betallic Havin' A Party Wholesale (save 5% on orders $200+ with code PODCAST) buildwiththeguild.com UGlu by Pro Tapes (save 5% on orders $200+ at Havin' A Party with code PODCAST) DM @thebrightballoon on Instagram to ask a question or leave advice for the UGlu Hotline! 2026 Bright Balloon Planner - - - - On the Bright Side Apple | Patreon Join the Bright Balloon email list The Bright Balloon on YouTube