How This Balloon Artist Built a $128K Party Rental Business

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Key Takeaways

• How This Balloon Artist Built a $128K Party Rental Business Karin Capellan turned a simple idea into a thriving six-figure party rental busi...
• Here’s how she built K and J Party Rentals from scratch, scaled without paid ads, and learned to navigate the challenges of entrepreneurship...
• Written by Ben Huber Last Updated: April 1, 2025 Home Side Hustles Side Hustle News Karin Capellan stood in her yard, arranging balloons for...

How This Balloon Artist Built a $128K Party Rental Business

Karin Capellan turned a simple idea into a thriving six-figure party rental business -- all while working full-time. Here’s how she built K and J Party Rentals from scratch, scaled without paid ads, and learned to navigate the challenges of entrepreneurship.

Written by Ben Huber Last Updated: April 1, 2025

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Karin Capellan stood in her yard, arranging balloons for a company party , an event she hosted just to get promotional photos. She had no paying clients, no experience, and no idea if this could become something real. But a few weeks later, a father on Facebook Marketplace hired her for a birthday party , and just like that, she was in business.

Her first rental? A $40 order for 20 chairs. Her first balloon décor job? A financial loss , but it planted the seed for what would become her signature service. Pricing was a guessing game, and she had no booking system in place. But as word spread and clients returned, she realized she had built something bigger than a side hustle.

Within a few years, K and J Party Rentals had grown from $26,000 to $128,000 in revenue, becoming a go-to provider for balloon artistry and event rentals. She and her partner built the business without relying on influencers or paid ads , just word-of-mouth, Google reviews, and social media. Over time, Karin took on nearly all aspects of running the business herself. Now, she’s managing a six-figure business while still working full-time, proving that a simple idea , and a few folding chairs , can turn into something much bigger.

From Side Hustle to Thriving Business

Karin and her business partner made their first investment , 100 folding chairs and 20 wooden tables , before landing their first real booking just days later. She didn’t have a website, a pricing model, or a formal booking system , just a Facebook Marketplace listing and a willingness to figure it out as she went.

Karin started with DIY setups for photos, now, her balloon décor is in high demand for events like this baby shower.

Her first rental was a $40 order for 20 chairs. She hadn’t factored in delivery fees, and she later realized she had undercharged significantly. But it was enough to prove that there was demand.

Her first balloon décor gig, however, was a different story. A father from Facebook Marketplace needed balloon decorations for his children’s joint birthday party. Karin took the job but only charged for materials, making no profit. She later realized she had actually lost money on the event.

Without a portfolio of past work, she had to get creative. Before booking her first paid balloon job, she decorated her own yard for a company party, using those photos as promotional material.

Before her first paid gig, Karin staged DIY balloon setups for promo photos, an early step that helped her book real clients.

That first set of images helped her start booking real clients.

She kept her pricing simple , charging just enough to cover costs , while relying on excellent visuals, even if they were just DIY displays from her yard. She moved quickly, responding to inquiries fast and following up to close the deal.

“That first customer took a chance on me,” she said. “I wasn’t the cheapest, and I wasn’t the most experienced, but I responded fast, I was eager, and I made it clear I’d go above and beyond.”

Once rentals and balloon jobs were coming in regularly, she quickly realized she needed better systems. Invoices, payment collection, and scheduling weren’t things she had considered when she first started.

“Customer service was the simple part,” she said. “But figuring out what to charge for my time while being fair to both myself and my clients was a challenge. I had no idea what was standard. I started asking others in the industry what systems they used, what was normal, and found my own way of doing things.”

Beyond pricing, the business itself was still much a one-woman operation. While her partner handled fabricating marquee letters and numbers, Karin managed nearly every aspect of operations , scheduling, customer communication, and marketing. While difficult, she credits this hands-on approach with shaping her as an entrepreneur.

“This might be an unpopular opinion, but being hands-on with everything has definitely helped me grow. From cleaning and maintaining all of the inventory to delivering and picking up orders, as well as being the main online face of the business, it’s molded me into the business owner I am today.”

Related: 20 Low Cost Online Business Ideas With High Profit Potential

Navigating Challenges and Learning From Mistakes

Even with steady growth, running a party rental business hasn’t been without its share of obstacles. From logistical nightmares to unexpected costs, Karin has learned to adapt on the fly.

One of her biggest challenges came when a venue gave her the wrong event time, leading to a delayed setup. “I had three events that day, and I had called all three venues in advance to confirm setup times,” she said. “For the third event, I was told it started at 5 PM. Turns out, it actually started at 3 PM.”

By the time the client called her, guests were already arriving, and her balloon décor was nowhere in sight.

“My heart sank,” she said. “After four years in business, I had never had something like this happen, and it was 100% on me. I should have confirmed directly with the client instead of relying on the venue’s information.”

She rushed to the venue to salvage the setup, but by the time she arrived, the party was already in full swing. Since then, she’s implemented a strict double-confirmation process with clients to prevent these kinds of issues.

Beyond scheduling, one of the biggest ongoing challenges has been storage and vehicle maintenance.

Managing 400+ chairs, tables, and décor takes strategy, Karin optimizes storage to stay organized.

“We own over 400 chairs, 75+ tables, 10+ backdrop walls, and 35+ marquee letters,” Karin said. “Space is expensive, and it’s the easiest thing to run out of. We’ve had to be strategic , optimizing storage, rotating inventory, and planning deliveries efficiently to keep costs manageable.”

Then there’s the cost of running multiple delivery vehicles. Constant travel between venues means fuel, maintenance, and insurance costs add up quickly.

Cancellations are another unavoidable part of the business, but her policy has helped reduce financial loss.

“We started during the pandemic, so we’ve always had a cancellation policy: no refunds, but payments can be applied to future events if we have availability. This has helped us maintain cash flow while keeping policies fair for clients.”

Over time, she built a structured pricing model, learned what rentals had strong demand, and set up systems for client bookings and deposits. She also adjusted her inventory strategy, moving beyond impulse purchases and instead focusing on high-performing items that consistently booked out.

Every challenge became an opportunity to refine operations. Learning from mistakes , not avoiding them , is what allowed K and J Party Rentals to grow.

Scaling Up: From $26K to $128K

What started as a side hustle to make extra income quickly turned into a six-figure business , without ads, influencers, or outside funding.

One of the biggest factors behind that growth wasn’t paid ads or influencer marketing , it was word-of-mouth and strong Google reviews.

What started as a $26K side hustle has grown into a six-figure business, driven by word-of-mouth, repeat clients, and strong Google reviews.

Today, with over 120 five-star reviews, K and J Party Rentals stands out as a top event rental and balloon décor company in its area.

“There was no one big moment that changed everything,” Karin said. “It was a mix of doing excellent work, getting repeat business, and making sure our shoppers were happy enough to recommend us.”

But it wasn’t just excellent service that fueled growth. Karin also made small but strategic changes , like setting up automated follow-ups for past clients and consistently asking for Google reviews after successful events.

From backyard setups to big events, Karin’s balloon artistry is a go-to for corporate and private clients.

As positive reviews stacked up, so did inquiries, numerous of which came directly from local searches.

Even as demand grew, Karin never left her aviation career. The flexibility of her job allowed her to schedule time off around busy weekends, but managing both roles required careful planning.

“I’ve been in aviation for over 10 years, and with time comes seniority and flexibility,” she said. “I always give myself a buffer. If I have an event on Saturday, I won’t work on Friday in case of flight delays.”

Despite running a six-figure business, she never felt pressure to quit her job.

Related: 21 Low-Cost or Free Small Business Marketing Ideas

Smart Growth: Expanding Without Losing Quality

With K and J Party Rentals bringing in steady revenue, the next challenge was figuring out how to scale without sacrificing service quali

Final Thoughts

The bottom line: a little research on this balloon artist built goes a long way. Compare your options, watch for seasonal offers, and never pay full price when a better deal is one click away.

Originally published at dollarsprout.com.