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Start a Children's Party Planner Business

People who love the planning part of parties and who have the organizational skills to do it well often find that a great career for them is a party planning business. Those who particularly love planning and executing children’s parties become party planners who specialize in planning kids’ parties. Here are some of the steps that you’ll need to take if you want to start a children’s party planner business:

Think about all of the work that goes into planning the parties that you’ve done for your own kids. Do you enjoy it? Are you interested in doing that on a regular basis? Remember to factor in the stress (and joy) of working with others on planning parties.
Create a binder filled with children’s party ideas. This should include separate sections for kids’ party games, party themes, and location ideas. Brainstorm as many different types of these things as you can think of; get some help by doing your research into children’s parties. Then organize it all into a binder. Eventually, you can turn this binder into something to present to parents to help them make party planning decisions.
Research party planner vendors in your area. You will need someone from whom to buy decorations. You will also need someone for your cakes and any other catered food that you might provide at the parties that you plan. You may also want to get acquainted with costume stores for themed parties and entertainers sch as clowns. Additionally, you should get to know the managers at some of the locations you’d like to plan parties at.
Create a schedule of approximately how long you’ll need to plan a party. If you know that your cake maker needs three weeks notice, put that three weeks in advance of a party. Decorations will need to be put up a few hours before the party.
Determine your rates. Figure out about how long each party will take to plan and what you want your hourly rate to be. You can let your clients negotiate but you should have a price in mind to get them started.
Start spreading the word. Build your children’s party planner website, get your business cards going and definitely start working on word of mouth. Whenever parents mention a party for their kids, let it slip that you’re a children’s party planner.
Show off by example. Start throwing seasonal themed children’s parties for your own kids. If you invite other kids and their parents to parties that wow them, you’ll get known for being a children’s party planner and that’s the best way to get ongoing business.
Make sure you do everything by the book. You should create simple contracts that outline your responsibilities and your rates and have clients sign them. You should keep good records of your income and file taxes for your party planner business.
Collaborate with other creative people. After you start your children’s party planner business, you can expand by teaming up with other creative people to offer parties that are more like events. You can work with a photographer to document your parties, performers to liven them up and anyone else that you might meet along the way. Be creative in your collaboration!