Work at Home As a Party Planner
A Home Business Article Contributed by Donna m. Brown
Work at Home Helping Busy Parents Plan Parties
Parents today are pulled in many different directions and you can help them by starting your own work at home party planning business.
While many parents have the money to throw a birthday bash for their birthday child, they often don't have the time to coordinate invitations, entertainment, food, music and decorations. The task can be daunting. As a work at home party planner you can provide a terrific service for busy parents and their children.
Work at Home Today As a Party Planner
If you want to work from home and be successful at it, it is important that you do your homework and determine what services are in demand, what services you will provide and what you will charge.
Check your local newspapers classified ads to determine if the kind of service you want to provide is already available. If so, is there room for another party planner? How much are others charging for this service? What will distinguish you from others who share your passion for parties? It's important for you to keep up with current kids trends as the fastest way to a parent's heart is through a child's eyes.
As a work at home party planner, you can offer different packages to your clients depending on their varied needs and budgets. For example you could offer the following:
Planner package: In this package, the client provides all of the materials needed including invitations, decorations, entertainment and food. You are the coordinator, the Maestro of the upcoming party. Your role is to save the day for a parent who desperately wants to make a favorable impression on peers, but lacks either the skills, ideas or the time. You have them all! You mail out or deliver invitations provided by the client, hang up their decorations and line up the entertainment your client selects.
If a caterer is in the picture, make the necessary phone calls required to get the food right. Pick up the cake and ice cream and make suggestions on various party themes. This is a baseline service that will relieve some of the pressure of planning. Make a very specific list of what you will and will not do. Determine how long this is likely to take you. Estimate how much you want to make per hour while you work at home and charge accordingly. Be sure to include the cost of mileage and long distance phone calls.
It's best to establish a flat flee, but be flexible in your willingness to add services for more money. The beauty of this service is that you can get started with very little investment.
Traveling Party Package: As you begin to make money, set a portion of it aside and earmark it for reinvestment. Slowly build up a supply of invitations, paper plates, plastic utensils, napkins, balloons, costumes, games and decorations. Start to build party packages based on popular themes. Don't purchase too many items relating to any one theme because childrens' tastes change fast and as a new movie or cool toy is released, the focus can turn on a dime to a totally new product!
Collect items you can reuse. Buy these items in bulk from discount stores you find online or in your local phone book. Get a business license and purchase them tax free. Many wholesale outlets require a business license and tax identification number from their customers.
Your role is to be a walking party. Put together a book detailing the themes and packages you offer, detail exactly what the parent can expect and update it often. Line up a list of entertainers and find out what they charge. Add a mark-up to their fee for your time in coordinating with entertainers and include them as a part of your package!
For an extra fee you can appear at the party in costume. A clown costume is ever popular, but movie characters are also in. Let your client decide with the help of his or her child. Always include the child in the planning process.
Market Your Business Carefully While You Work at Home
Your marketing materials including flyers, cards, advertisements and phone calls should be all about fun for the birthday boy or girl and piece of mind for the frustrated parent. Target upscale areas of your community. Hang flyers in grocery stores, office buildings and on Web sites for women.
