Can You Make Money Renting Bounce Houses

Start an inflatable bounce house business by following these 10 steps:

You have found the perfect business idea, and now you are ready to take the next step. There is more to starting a business than just registering it with the state. We have put together this simple guide to starting your inflatable bounce house business. These steps will ensure that your new business is well planned out, registered properly and legally compliant.

Check out our How to Start a Business page.

STEP 1: Plan your business

A clear plan is essential for success as an entrepreneur. It will help you map out the specifics of your business and discover some unknowns. A few important topics to consider are:

What are the startup and ongoing costs?
Who is your target market?
How much can you charge customers?
What will you name your business?

Luckily we have done a lot of this research for you.

What are the costs involved in opening an inflatable bounce house business?

Opening an inflatable bounce house rental company requires very little overhead. Each bounce house averages approximately $1,500 in cost and $200 for shipping. Consider investing in at least one combo unit, which will cost you approximately $2,800. You'll also need to budget for a reliable vehicle, large enough to deliver multiple bounce houses at a time, as well as a trailer, for busier delivery days.

For a storefront location, your costs will be significantly higher. You'll need a large, open building and an architect to help properly plan the space. The building should be equipped with multiple different types of bounce houses, as well as small rooms for hosting birthday parties. Total investment for franchising opportunities indicate a budget of $166,000 to upwards of $250,000 to open an indoor bounce house establishment.

Once you've acquired your space, you can begin stocking your inventory:

Multiple bounce houses of various sizes - $1,500 to $2,800 each
Food and drink - tables, chairs, soda machines, kitchen equipment
Party rooms - equipped with tables, chairs, and decorations

Regardless of which path you take, you'll need the following items:

Insurance policy - Speak with a trusted insurance professional, regarding the type of liability coverage your business requires.
Marketing materials
Website

What are the ongoing expenses for an inflatable bounce house business?

Again, these costs will vary depending upon how you decide to set up your business. Experienced storefront business owners recommend budgeting for the following items:

Cleaning supplies
Labor/payroll costs
Energy costs
Marketing
General Liability insurance
Business insurance
Repair and replacement of damaged equipment

As a rental business, you'll incur the above expenses as well as the following:

Maintenance and repair of your vehicle
Fuel

Regardless of which way you decide to structure your business, insurance and payroll costs will represent the largest portion of your budget.

Who is the target market?

While many adults are now hosting parties that include bounce houses, a majority of your business will cater to children who are having birthday parties, graduations, family reunions, other big life events. Churches, businesses, and fundraising events are also a great audience to target in your marketing efforts.

How does an inflatable bounce house business make money?

Inflatable bounce house rental companies generate revenue from each event they deliver a bounce house to. Storefronts charge an entry fee for each child and often host birthday parties for younger children for a group rate.

How much can you charge customers?

Prices vary by region and upon goods and services delivered. Regular inflatables average $125 for a four hour rental, toddler houses average $80 to $250, depending upon your needs, and combo bouncers average $250.

Admission to inflatable storefront locations is $7 to $10 per child, while private parties start at $250 for twenty children. Before setting your prices, research the average prices of similar businesses in the area.

How much profit can an inflatable bounce house business make?

Industry research indicates an average of 1.5 rentals per week, which comes out to $188 per week per bounce house. If you invest in 4 bounce houses, your business will draw in about $750 per week.

How can you make your business more profitable?

Consider some of the below strategies for maximizing your inflatable bounce house profits:

Offer additional party services, such as slides, interactive games, dunk tanks, carnival attractions, face painting, tents, tables, chairs, sounds equipment, and concessions.
Indoor establishments could include arcades, laser tag, food, and drinks.
Indoor establishments can run special events, such as day camps, during summer, Spring break, and Christmas break.

What will you name your business?

Choosing the right name is important and challenging. If you don't already have a name in mind, visit our How to Name a Business guide or get help brainstorming a name with our Inflatable Bounce House Business Name Generator

If you operate a sole proprietorship, you might want to operate under a business name other than your own name. Visit our DBA guide to learn more.

When registering a business name, we recommend researching your business name by checking:

Your state's business records
Federal and state trademark records
Social media platforms
Web domain availability.

It's very important to secure your domain name before someone else does.

STEP 2: Form a legal entity

The most common business structure types are the sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company (LLC), and corporation.

Establishing a legal business entity such as an LLC or corporation protects you from being held personally liable if your inflatable bounce house business is sued.

Read our Guide to Form Your Own LLC

Have a Professional Service Form your LLC for You

Two such reliable services:

You can start an LLC yourself and pay only the minimal state LLC costs or hire one of the Best LLC Services for a small, additional fee.

Recommended: You will need to elect a registered agent for your LLC. LLC formation packages usually include a free year of registered agent services. You can choose to hire a registered agent or act as your own.

STEP 3: Register for taxes

You will need to register for a variety of state and federal taxes before you can open for business.

In order to register for taxes you will need to apply for an EIN. It's really easy and free!

You can acquire your EIN for free through the IRS website, via fax, or by mail. If you would like to learn more about EINs and how they can benefit your LLC, read our article, What is an EIN?.

Learn how to get an EIN in our What is an EIN guide or find your existing EIN using our EIN lookup guide.

Small Business Taxes

Depending on which business structure you choose, you might have different options for how your business will be taxed. For example, some LLCs could benefit from being taxed as an S corporation (S corp).

You can learn more about small business taxes in these guides:

LLC Taxes
Sole Proprietorship vs LLC
LLC vs Corporation
LLC vs S Corp
How to Start an S Corp

There are specific state taxes that might apply to your business. Learn more about state sales tax and franchise taxes in our state sales tax guides.

STEP 4: Open a business bank account & credit card

Using dedicated business banking and credit accounts is essential for personal asset protection.

When your personal and business accounts are mixed, your personal assets (your home, car, and other valuables) are at risk in the event your business is sued. In business law, this is referred to as piercing your corporate veil.

Additionally, learning how to build business credit can help you get credit cards and other financing in your business's name (instead of yours), better interest rates, higher lines of credit, and more.

Open a business bank account

This separates your personal assets from your company's assets, which is necessary for personal asset protection.
It also makes accounting and tax filing easier.

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Recommended: Read our Best Banks for Small Business review to find the best national bank, credit union, business-loan friendly banks, one with many brick-and-mortar locations, and more.

Open net-30 accounts

When it comes to establishing your business credit, net-30 vendors are considered the way to go. The term "net-30," which is popular among vendors, refers to a business credit arrangement where the company pays the vendor within 30 days of receiving goods or services.

Net-30 credit terms are often used for businesses that need to obtain inventory quickly but do not have the cash on hand.

Besides establishing business relationships with vendors, net-30 credit accounts get reported to the major business credit bureaus (Dun & Bradstreet, Experian Business, and Equifax Business Credit). This is how businesses build business credit so they can qualify for credit cards and other lines of credit.

Get a business credit card

This helps you separate personal and business expenses by putting your business' expenses all in one place.
It also builds your company's credit history, which can be useful to raise money and investment later on.

STEP 5: Set up business accounting

Recording your various expenses and sources of income is critical to understanding the financial performance of your business. Keeping accurate and detailed accounts also greatly simplifies your annual tax filing.

STEP 6: Obtain necessary permits and licenses

Failure to acquire necessary permits and licenses can result in hefty fines, or even cause your business to be shut down.

State & Local Business Licensing Requirements

Certain state permits and licenses may be needed to operate a bounce house business. Learn more about licensing requirements in your state by visiting SBA's reference to state licenses and permits .

Most businesses are required to collect sales tax on the goods or services they provide. To learn more about how sales tax will affect your business, read our article, Sales Tax for Small Businesses.

In addition, certain local licensing or regulatory requirements may apply. For more information about local licenses and permits:

Check with your town, city or county clerk's office
Get assistance from one of the local associations listed in US Small Business Associations directory of local business resources

Release of Liability

To avoid liability and potential lawsuits, bounce house businesses should have their clients sign a release of liability form. An example of such a waiver can be found here .

Recommended: Rocket Lawyer makes it easy to create a professional release of liability form for your bounce house business when you sign up for their premium membership. For $39.95 per month, members receive access to hundreds of legal agreements and on call attorneys to get complimentary legal advice.

Certificate of Occupancy

A bounce house business can be run out of a large storefront or large outdoor space. Businesses operating out of a physical location typically require a Certificate of Occupancy (CO). A CO confirms that all building codes, zoning laws and government regulations have been met.

If you plan to lease a space :

It is generally the landlord's responsibility to obtain a CO.
Before leasing, confirm that your landlord has or can obtain a valid CO that is applicable to a bounce house business.
After a major renovation, a new CO often needs to be issued. If your place of business will be renovated before opening, it is recommended to include language in your lease agreement stating that lease payments will not commence until a valid CO is issued.

If you plan to purchase or build a space :

You will be responsible for obtaining a valid CO from a local government authority.
Review all building codes and zoning requirements for you business' location to ensure your bounce house business will be in compliance and able to obtain a CO.

STEP 7: Get business insurance

Just as with licenses and permits, your business needs insurance in order to operate safely and lawfully. Business Insurance protects your company's financial wellbeing in the event of a covered loss.

There are several types of insurance policies created for different types of businesses with different risks. If you're unsure of the types of risks that your business may face, begin with General Liability Insurance. This is the most common coverage that small businesses need, so it's a great place to start for your business.

Learn more about General Liability Insurance.

Another notable insurance policy that many businesses need is Workers' Compensation Insurance. If your business will have employees, it's a good chance that your state will require you to carry Workers' Compensation Coverage.

STEP 8: Define your brand

Your brand is what your company stands for, as well as how your business is perceived by the public. A strong brand will help your business stand out from competitors.

If you aren't feeling confident about designing your small business logo, then check out our Design Guides for Beginners, we'll give you helpful tips and advice for creating the best unique logo for your business.

How to promote & market an inflatable bounce house business

Social media is a great way to reach a large number of people. Your marketing goal is to appeal to both children and their parents. This means getting a little creative with the business' advertising. Consider taking out an ad in school yearbooks throughout the community. Donating your facility or an inflatable for a daycare, school, or church event is a great way to advertise your business while giving back to the community.

How to keep customers coming back

Customer retention comes down to competitive pricing and the quality of goods and services you provide. Consider a referral and repeat customer program, in which individuals or groups receive a reduced rate on rental fees or parties, after a certain number of visits or referrals.

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Still unsure about what kind of business you want to start? Check out the latest Small Business Trends to help inspire you.

STEP 9: Create your business website

After defining your brand and creating your logo the next step is to create a website for your business.

While creating a website is an essential step, some may fear that it's out of their reach because they don't have any website-building experience. While this may have been a reasonable fear back in 2015, web technology has seen huge advancements in the past few years that makes the lives of small business owners much simpler.

Here are the main reasons why you shouldn't delay building your website:

All legitimate businesses have websites - full stop. The size or industry of your business does not matter when it comes to getting your business online.
Social media accounts like Facebook pages or LinkedIn business profiles are not a replacement for a business website that you own.
Website builder tools like the GoDaddy Website Builder have made creating a basic website extremely simple. You don't need to hire a web developer or designer to create a website that you can be proud of.

Using our website building guides, the process will be simple and painless and shouldn't take you any longer than 2-3 hours to complete.

Other popular website builders are: WordPress, WIX, Weebly, Squarespace, and Shopify.

STEP 10: Set up your business phone system

Getting a phone set up for your business is one of the best ways to help keep your personal life and business life separate and private. That's not the only benefit; it also helps you make your business more automated, gives your business legitimacy, and makes it easier for potential customers to find and contact you.

There are many services available to entrepreneurs who want to set up a business phone system. We've reviewed the top companies and rated them based on price, features, and ease of use.