Most likely, you see balloons at least once a week. These colorful orbs are used in advertisements, to promote special events, and even to decorate car dealerships. Amazing Balloons By Gee makes balloon magic in Southern California.
Claudia Gee and her husband own Amazing Balloons By Gee. She started her career as an accountant, like many other entrepreneurs.
Why do balloons exist?
When we first started dating, my boyfriend would always bring me balloons and fresh flowers. I saved the foils from balloons and hung them on my walls. We came across a small balloon business at a tradeshow for small businesses and decided to try it out.”
They started out part-time. Claudia and her husband used their personal credit cards to pay for the $4,000 startup costs. Her husband suggested they start a business after he was laid off.
Gee: “I left my job the following day.” Their client list is impressive. The couple have worked together now for more than 20 years.
Amazing Balloons By Gee is a company that specializes in theme decor, from small private parties to large productions. The company was recently hired to decorate Mattel’s headquarters for an event to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation. In August 2015, their balloon designs were featured worldwide at the Special Olympics opening ceremonies. Amazing Balloons By Gee, located near Hollywood, has been hired to create displays for television shows such as Grey’s Anatomy and Glee, Honda commercials, and feature films.
The largest job we ever did was for the film Poseidon. Gee says that they did a 15,000 balloon balloon drop. It was a great experience!
At the peak of our business, in 2000-2001, we employed two drivers part-time along with an administrator. Eight people worked for our home business. It was a busy, but enjoyable time.”
On September 11, 2001, tragedy struck America. Amazing Balloons By Gee wasn’t immune to the economic effects.
Gee says that after 9/11, all parties ceased. Every economic downturn has an impact on celebrations and our bottom line. Claudia and her husband were able to weather the storm by using their personal credit cards. In 2012, however, there was a global helium shortage. A tank of Helium suddenly cost $200.00 instead $65.00.
She found it hard to get the small loan she needed. She says, “I thought it was difficult for banks to take us serious because we didn’t need a million-dollar loan.” Gee began an online search, and discovered SmartBiz.
She found out that other lenders offered less money with shorter terms.
She says, “That wouldn’t have been helpful. So we went with SmartBiz. We are very happy”. After being rejected for so many loans, we never imagined that we would be able to qualify for this one!
Gee began the application process after a five-minute prequalification. Unfortunately, she ran into a problem. In her name, a fraudulent tax return was filed. Gee was immediately contacted by her SmartBiz representative. We brainstormed on how to deal with this. It could take up to six months for the IRS to sort out all of the paperwork.
Her SmartBiz representative provided ideas on how to speed up the procedure. Gee walked into the IRS office near her and quickly had the issue resolved.
We secured a $150,000 loan with a 10-year payback. The entire process was great. We were able to consolidate and save a lot of money. “I feel like I can breathe.”
Gee made monthly payments totaling $4,000 on credit cards and credit lines. She was able consolidate her debts with the SmartBiz proceeds and pay only $1,600 per month.
We are now able to save and create an emergency fund in addition to consolidating all of our debts. It is a huge relief. If everything continues to go well, they would like to hire a driver full-time to allow them to pursue more balloon business. Gee and husband are looking forwards to industry growth and innovation.
You can’t imagine the new technologies coming out of Japan and Russia. Watch out for balloon dresses and flowers in the future. They will blow your mind!
Want to save money and expand your business? Apply Now Online and find out if you are eligible for a SmartBiz low-interest loan in only 5 minutes.
