Take one look at a bouncy castle, and tell me what you see. A giant castle made of, hmm..., some sort of bouncy material, filled with air, painted to look like a real castle. Now look at it again from a monetary point of view. What you should see now is:

• Low start-up cost, as the bounce houses aren't so costly
• Your clients would be the parents of the children
• Storage made easy since they are inflatable
• Low cost of maintaining the bounce house

Put it all together and you will see an idea that doesn't cost too much to start and can be carried anywhere! Start-Up List and Costs for a Bounce House Business Most businesses are judged by the number of people the CEO has under him/her. The beauty of it all is, you're alone and you really don't need to split profits with anyone else. Of course, once your business starts to get bigger, you will probably need to hire some help. And again, you can hire people who need a job and you can truly trust, so it's still pretty good. Planning Ahead There is a small checklist you need to finish before you start off:

• Do you have a big enough car (or van) to go around delivering bounce houses for rent anywhere? How many of them can you fit into your car/van?
• Do you have a job right now? (It would be prudent to have a job, this will supply your capital and keep you financially safe.)
• Do you have enough savings to keep yourself and your family afloat till your business becomes a full-time project?

If you can manage to tick all three options, you're ready to start your own gig. Buying a Bounce House This is a very easy task if you have the Internet at your disposal. Typical bounce houses cost anything between $300 to $900 (depending on the size, age specification and material used). You can order them online or find the nearest distributor. Either way, try and establish trust with the dealer before you buy anything (easier done in person than online). This makes for any future purchases you want to make, or any repairs that you can't manage. Learn about the top brands from as many dealers as you can and take your pick out of them. There is a difference between residential and commercial bounce houses, figure out which one you want to go for. You will also have to look over the safety issues of a bounce house at this point. Marketing Do your marketing part right, and you won't have to worry about your business taking off. There is a children's party in every neighborhood all the time. What you need to make sure is that the parents know about you. Do this by posting fliers wherever applicable. A good idea would be to ask the local ice cream man for a neighborhood and ask him to post a flier on his ice cream truck (you need summer for this, but that's when your business booms). That gets the kids' attention and may give them the idea to get a bouncy castle or an inflatable water slide for any party. Next up, grocery stores; take to the nearest grocery stores and put your fliers at a place where people can see it easily. And presto! You got yourself your first customer! Once the calls come in (no matter how few they are), always keep a good relationship with the clients. If they like your skills, they will tell their neighbors and friends. And soon you'll start getting more calls. Mode of Transport You'll need your own car for this. If you have a big car or a van, even better. You can manage to fit multiple units in a van, allowing you to go to multiple locations at one go. Additional Help Getting some extra help at the start or at a later stage depends on the number of clients you aim to cater to. I recommend you to start off as a one-person-business. As time progresses, you'll learn more about the tricks of the trade and eventually need an extra man to get the deliveries done. Well, there you have it. Running a bounce house business is easy to start off with, and your income will be limited only by your marketing skills and will. Apart from that, the bouncy castles pretty much sell themselves, you know!