A commercial grade inflatable is an inflatable that is specifically designed to be used by businesses like party rental companies or indoor play centers. Commercial grade inflatables are typically larger in size and can host more riders than smaller residential inflatables. Commercial grade inflatables are constructed with heavy duty pvc vinyl material, have double stitching at seams along with reinforcement in high stress points which makes the product last for several years. The attention to detail in the manufacturing of commercial grade inflatables is necessary as they typically get a lot of wear and tear from use in business applications.

A residential grade inflatable is one that is designed for personal use either indoors or in the backyard. Residential inflatables are typically made with oxford fabric material which is lighter weight and not as heavy duty as the pvc vinyl material. The longevity of residential inflatables are typically about 6 to 18 months compared to several years for commercial grade inflatables Residential inflatables are also smaller in size than commercial inflatables and usually accommodate a handful of riders at a time. Residential inflatables are typically good for toddlers or kids up to about 8 or 10 years old residential inflatables are only recommended for personal use and not for commercial use.

The thickness of the vinyl on commercial grade inflatables most commonly used nowadays is 16 ounce. Manufacturers used to use heavier 18-ounce material, but with the increased demand of lighter material and lighter overall weight, manufacturers have recently switched to 16 ounce. Some areas of the inflatable that are purely aesthetic or have no touch point by riders might even have lighter 12 ounce material to keep the overall weight down. Hybrid or crossover inflatables use lighter vinyl like 12 ounce or possibly even thinner, these are not recommended for commercial use. The thickness of the vinyl coating is basically the safety barrier before the inside woven fabric is exposed to possibly getting damaged, therefore the thicker the vinyl coating the more safety barrier your material has before the woven fabric is exposed to getting damaged.

A hybrid inflatable also known as a crossover inflatable is one that is new to the industry and is a mix of commercial grade and residential grade qualities. They are usually made with a mix of lighter weight pvc vinyl and oxford fabric material to keep the weight and the cost of the product down. These are not as strong as commercial grade inflatables but typically they are stronger and will last longer than residential grade inflatables. Hybrid or crossover inflatables are recommended for personal use only and not commercial use.

A wet or dry inflatable is one that can be used both as a dry product and also as a water product. Wet or dry inflatables have become popular in recent years because of their flexibility of using it both ways and the opportunity it gives to rent a product out more frequently. Wet or dry inflatables should have some alterations to their regular counterpart like special non-slip material in the climbing or bouncing area for safety reasons and possibly a removable or tuck away pool. Wet or dry inflatables will provide more frequency of use for operators, but will have a slightly shorter life span than regular dry inflatables. You can find wet or dry inflatables in multiple categories like bounce and slide combos, standalone slides, and even obstacle courses.

A bounce house or party rental business is a fun and exciting business that can be started at almost any level. People can start a bounce house business with as little as $10,000 and a few products and just start by offering services over the weekend, so a good weekend side hustle. Other people might want to start a bigger business by investing hundreds of thousands of dollars in inventory and personnel to make their primary source of income. You can grow the business to as big as your market allows or keep it as small and simple. Most bounce house business owners find that it is an exciting, rewarding endeavor because almost every event or rental creates fun and excitement for kids of all ages and oftentimes adults as well.

A bounce house business can be a full-time business if one gets all in and makes it their primary source of income. There are countless bounce house rental business owners that have scaled their business to millions of dollars in rentals annually. It can also be a part-time business. There are a lot of people that have a full-time job during the weekdays and do bounce house rentals over the weekend only. The answer really depends on what level of time you want to commit, or what your goals are for the business. It could be a part=time or full-time business. It depends on what you want to do!

You don't need an LLC or a corporation to start a business, but it is a good idea and there are a lot of benefits to start an LLC or a corporation when starting a bounce house business.Without an LLC or corporation, your personal assets might be at risk if your business was to get sued for any reason. Since most cities, counties, and states have different laws and regulations, you should consult with an attorney or a certified public accountant in your area to get more detailed information on the legal and tax benefits of forming an LLC or corporation for your business.

It is highly recommended to get general liability insurance if you plan to start or are currently operating a bounce house business. If you operate a bounce house business without insurance, you place yourself at a high risk of losing everything you work for if you were to get sued for any reason. Operating without insurance also limits you to renting your products only to smaller backyard event rentals. Some benefits of having general liability insurance are security of protection against liability and the opportunity to rent to local city or county parks, recreation centers and bigger event locations. The benefits of having insurance greatly outweigh the risk of not having insurance.

A bounce house rental business can be started with as few as a handful of inflatables.Typically it is advised to start with at least one or two products of each category like a bounce house, a combo with a climber and a slide, a wet or dry slide or even possibly an obstacle course or interactive games, This gives your clients more options to choose from as far as what type of product they want. Of course the more inventory of inflatables you start off with, the more likely you will be to have something the client wants to rent and in turn more likely to get your products rented. However, it is best to start off smaller to see where your market demand is and increase your inventory as you grow and get more demand for business.

You do not need to have your inflatables inspected or approved before using them. Certain states, however like New Jersey or Pennsylvania do have strict requirements for business Owners, that they should be aware of and educate themselves on before purchasing inflatables for their inventory. It is a good idea to look at the state department website and call them to inquire about the rules for inflatables and bounce houses in that market. Relying on manufacturers to provide you this information may or may not be a good idea especially if the manufacturer is new to the industry, they might not be aware of the regulations themselves and might not provide you the correct information. So do your research and visit your state website, call in, ask questions before purchasing the products.

Some commonly used locations that people store their bounce houses are home garages, storage units or a warehouse facility. The important thing is to make sure the storage area is dry and free from any water leaks. If your bounce houses do get wet during use, it is advised not to store them away while wet as they can develop mold and mildew. Make sure to dry your bounce houses before storing them away especially if you plan to store them away for several weeks or months. If possible, it would be a good idea to open and air out the units once or twice during long storage durations.

Commercial grade bounce houses typically last for several years if properly taken care of. Residential grade bounce houses will typically last from a few months to maybe one to two years if properly taken care of. Several factors affect how long a bounce house lasts, like who the manufacturer is, their reputation for quality and detail, the thickness of the vinyl, how well the operator takes care of the product, and if it is dried and properly stored. For example a typical commercial grade bounce house manufactured by Magic Jump, if properly taken care of can last five to ten years or possibly even more, however, that same product abused and not taken care of by another operator might only last three years before it needs some major repair.

Yes! Bounce houses and smaller inflatable combos or slides can definitely be done by one person. Typically it might take about 15-30 minutes to set up or take down the bounce house or a smaller inflatable combo or slide alone. Certain experienced operators are also able to do slightly heavier products by themselves if they have the correct dolly or vehicle to help make it easier for transporting the inflatable or for putting it inside the vehicle. However, it is advised for heavier units to have a second or even possibly a third person to help. During the setup or the takedown process, having a helper always makes the job easier and faster and especially when it pertains to heavier inflatables that weigh several hundred pounds it usually is necessary to have another person to help in this scenario.

A dolly or hand truck is a very important part of the bounce house rental operation. Bounce houses are transported using a dolly or hand truck to move them from the storage area to the delivery vehicle and then from the delivery vehicle to the setup location. Depending on the size of the inflatable, different types and sizes of dollies can work best. For smaller and lighter inflatables like bounce houses, a regular and expensive dolly with two wheels either pneumatic or rubber wheels will work just fine. For combos, slides, and bigger inflatables it is recommended to invest in a heavier duty dolly that can handle the heavier weight. These heavy duty dollies may have four wheels or even a braking system to help get the inflatable on the dolly. There are also motorized battery powered dollies available now that can help make it very easy to transport heavier inflatables.

Several types of vehicles can work for delivering inflatables. Some of the most common types are pickup trucks, cargo vans, suvs, towing trailers, or box trucks. Depending on your market, the street conditions, the type of products you are transporting, one vehicle might work better for you than another type of vehicle. Hillsides and mountainside areas with small or windy roads typically are more difficult to service with box trucks or trailers. For smaller and lighter weight products, a regular pickup truck or cargo van will typically work best. For larger and heavier products, a box truck or trailer might work best. It really depends on what type of vehicle you really prefer to use. There is no right answer to this question but more on what your preference is and how you want your company to look when arriving at an event location.

There are different types of trailers you can use for transporting inflatables. The types of trailers most commonly used are either an open utility trailer or an enclosed trailer. Open utility trailers are typically lighter in their overall weight for towing purposes than enclosed trailers. However enclosed trailers provide for more security as they can be locked with the products stored inside along with protecting the products during days when it is raining outside. Some things you need to pay attention to when considering a trailer is the gross vehicle weight rating, the trailer coupler size, braking system, and if your vehicle can't hold the trailer. You also need to pay attention to laws regarding towing the trailer in your area, different states might have different regulations on towing a trailer.

Pricing your inflatable depends on several factors: the location you are servicing, your competitors and what their prices are, the product and how it differentiates from others in the market, your target clients and your value proposition and how you want to brand your business. Different markets have different pricing for the same product, so the first thing you should do is look at your local competition and check out their website and see what similar products are being rented for. Next thing you should consider is your product, does it stand out, it is different from any products that your competitors offer and if your clients are more likely to rent your product, Also your pricing can depend on who your target client is, typically a regular consumer for backyard rentals will want to get a good deal, get a coupon or an offer whereas a corporate client renting from you might rent that same product for double the price. Lastly if your value proposition is a better service or quality than your competitors and you have reviews to prove that you can price your products a little bit higher than your competitors because you are providing a better value for them.

This is a good question and it really depends on your company situation. If you're just starting out, the best way to go is generic inflatables because it will give you the option to cater to a larger audience. Once your business is growing and you have more demand, you will have clients inquiring about specific themed inflatables like a mickey mouse bounce house to match their mickey and friends themed party. For this reason clients will pay a premium for a specific themed inflatable to match their event theme but they will not pay a premium for a generic inflatable. Certain themed products, depending on your market or target Audience may run very well for you but that same themed product at a different market or target audience might not do very well. At the end of the day what rents better or makes you more money will depend on who your target audience is and how you market your products.

Currently the only inflatable manufacturer licensed in the United States or Canada to legally manufacture and sell licensed themed bounce houses like Mickey Mouse, Star Wars, Marvel Avengers, Disney Princesses, amongst others is Magic Jump Incorporated. If you are offered and purchase a licensed themed bounce house that looks like and is a knockoff or a printed banner you purchase from someone to apply to the bounce house, this can open you up to a huge lawsuit from the studios that own these licensed properties. These big studios like Disney or Warner Brothers spend millions of dollars a year to protect their brands from knockoffs. Lawsuits against people who purchase and use or make knockoffs have been known to be around tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars. The risks of purchasing an illegal license themed bounce house or banner far outweigh any benefits or cost savings. Magic Jump has made it possible directly through our website to anonymously report people who are using or manufacturing these illegal licensed banners.