I just made $1000 at a birthday party and tipped $100 on top of it!

$1000 dollar bill

$1,000 for a birthday party – sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? A colleague of mine, Andrew Smith, wrote a book explaining his technique for earning $1,000 for a birthday party. I was a skeptic at first. $1,000 dollars for a party! That is, until I was actually paid $1,000 for a birthday … Read more

Requesting A Recommendation

Marketing material

Admit it or not, recommendations drive a significant portion of an entertainer’s business. When not actively seeking referrals from past clients, we often depend on advertising to attract new business. I’ve dedicated considerable effort to expanding my clientele over the last three decades. Despite the vigor I invest in acquiring new clients, it’s noteworthy that … Read more

Splitting the Line

Dale Obrochta Balloon Show

Here is a line technique for better control of a line while giving the appearance lines are smaller. I look up, and all I can see are eyes looking back. Moms are standing, smiling, yet I can see in their eyes they have other places to be, things to do, and standing in line for … Read more

Fun Balloons at Family Birthday Parties

I am at birthday parties each week, and like a server who spends all day catering to people’s requests is not going to a friends party and start catering to their guest.  Yet, I have cousins with little ones and periodically their party fits into my schedule and I find myself at a family birthday … Read more

Balloon Animals Misrepresent Balloon Entertainers

When I look at balloon entertainers websites, they are misleading. Visible to the eyes are brightly colored photographs of balloon pictures with multiple balloons. They do not make balloon animals they make balloons animals. In fact, an array of balloons are used in the creation of a single balloon figure. Now, there are groups of … Read more

Birthday Parties Over, But The Cake Isn’t

How long can it last? While entertaining at a local business expo, I was approached by a Mom who told me that I had made her daughter a balloon cake before Christmas 2011. Her daughter refuses to toss it out and still has it on her dresser.  The mom kindly emailed me the photo so … Read more

Goofin with the Chicago Bulls

Every year the Chicago Bulls put on a family clinic, where athletes and families get together for an evening of fun in the guy.  This year I had the opportunity to participate in the event. I didn’t do the balloon decorations; I was there to entertain. Inside the Berto Center, the players are introduced. You … Read more

Don’t Be a Crab

What am I going to do today? The best part of my job is that I get to choose what I want to do. I can work efficiently, swiftly, and pick the jobs I want to do.  Other days, I can take on the world, tackling completed jobs that require planning, work, and perseverance.  Doesn’t … Read more

Worlds Smallest Balloon Animal

Cute Little Teddy Bear Every balloon entertainer has experience making a teddy bear, and I have done thousands of them over my career.  After a time, I can craft a teddy bear so that all dimensions are perfect in size and the details are a speck on. The world’s smallest balloon teddy bear came about … Read more