Moms Set Up Birthday-Party Business
Two stay-at-home Coast moms were having trouble finding new birthday-party ideas for their children after Hurricane Katrina, so they came up with the concept for a stuffed-animal party.
A little more than a year later, Shannon Lutkins and Sharmin Culwell have turned their party skills into a business with 15 consultants nationwide and are taking online orders from as far away as Norway.
Lutkins and Culwell started Party Animals on a shoestring, often bartering parties for services such as the design for their Web site. Lutkins’ father, who is an accountant, and her business-manager brother helped them set up an affiliate program.Now, she said, the business has moved out of the red and is starting to turn a profit.
They began by hosting parties at which kids packed animals or dolls full of stuffing; they are now trying to broaden their market.
“We are trying to get more into events for tweens and teens with more custom parties,” said Lutkins.
Some of Party Animals’ popular new parties have kids decorating flip-flops or adding color and fragrance to create their own lines of shampoo, bubble bath and other products. Lutkins said she can come up with party ideas for any age and the options for special keepsakes are almost unlimited.
Photo by Party Animals.
FranchiseBrief.com on May 2nd, 2007 11:43 am
Kids business are so hot right now. Same for senior services businesses…
Jess on May 2nd, 2007 2:14 pm
Awesome :D Events are always a great business to get into, especially if you find the right niche market as Shannon Lutkins and Sharmin Culwell have done here. :)
Congrats ladies!
shannon on May 23rd, 2007 10:36 am
Thanks!!!
danakeith on May 22nd, 2008 8:22 pm
I think party business never goes out of style, as long as you conduct good presentation.
CONGRATULATIONS!
Nice job:)
Birthday party ideas on December 3rd, 2008 12:02 pm
One great idea for a kids birthday party, is to create and send out a birthday wish list. Possibly of the stuffed animals they want particularly. This will help the people coming to the party find and choose what to bring, as well as allow your children to get the ones they want.
birthday cake ideas on December 15th, 2008 9:28 am
That would be a great party experience for many kids. Kids really want wearing animal costumes..
Nice work..
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