What prompted you to start your own business?
My husband and I rented an inflatable for my oldest daughter’s 2nd birthday party. It was the first time we had done so.
When we saw the delivery guys show up and begin to set-up, I noticed how the kids were so excited to see this and how it just blew them away.
I thought, now that would be an awesome job to be able to bring that kind of excitement and happiness to children on a daily basis, and get paid to do it. I asked the delivery guy some questions about the business and expressed my interest in doing something like this.
One year later we received a phone call from that same company asking if I would like to take over the business. Now here we are in our 3rd year.
I have always wanted to operate my own business that makes a positive impact in the community, gives me the opportunity to meet new people everyday, and allows me to work from home to be closer to my children.
Space Walk of Rock Hill has now given me that opportunity. And to be honest I like playing on all the inflatables myself.
What did it take to start the venture and when did you start it?
A lot of praying, patience, faith in each initial investment, and, of course, family involvement. We launched in January 2008.
What are some challenges you’ve been recently faced with?
A sub-par economy is the major challenge. You have to be creative and think outside the box sometimes to not only make your product or service more affordable for your customers, but also to help control business costs.
We have learned to counter this by offering more value, giving more bang for the buck to our customers, while utilizing social media outlets like Facebook to reach out and market the business with special offers and announcing new units.
What would you recommend to other people who want to start their own business?
If you’re going to do it, do it whole-heartedly. Believe in what you do and love it.
Always put customer service at the top. I always tell my Space Walk customers that I would not let you rent an inflatable that I wouldn’t let my kids play on.
A lot of times people are not necessarily buying your products, they’re buying you and the service you give them.
What kind of things do you enjoy doing to rejuvenate after a long day or long week?
Cooking out with my family and friends, playing with my kids on an inflatable, mostly waterslides, and “zoning out” in the theater room at the Omni Health and Fitness.