If you caught our Instagram stories yesterday, you would have seen Audrey and me behind the scenes, setting up an installation with light-up letters. We love sharing those moments because it shows the real, everyday hustle of running DnA Events. But it also sparks a lot of great conversations in our industry.
We polled you guys to see how you use props in your own businesses, and the responses were so interesting. The big debate? Whether it is better to hire your props or own them.
As business owners, Audrey and I are exactly where you are. We have to balance profit margins, storage space, and client expectations every single week. There is no one-size-fits-all answer, so we wanted to pull back the curtain and share how we navigate the world of props to build a successful, sustainable business.
Why Use Props in the First Place?
Before looking at the logistics, let’s talk about why props matter. In the early days of a balloon business, it is easy to focus entirely on the balloons themselves. But as you grow, you quickly realise that the right props are the ultimate business shortcut.
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You sell what you show: This is a golden rule for us. Clients buy what they see. When we post a beautiful setup featuring a sailboard or a light-up letter on our social media, that is exactly what people reach out to book.
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Reaching high-end clients: Props lift your work from a standard decoration to a complete event experience. They add the depth, height, and texture that premium clients are looking for, allowing you to charge premium prices.
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Understanding the client's needs: Sometimes a client comes to us knowing exactly what they want. But other times, they just have a budget and an occasion. By starting a genuine conversation to understand their budget and vision, we can pitch the perfect prop combination that suits their needs and maximises our profit.
The Big Debate: Should You Hire or Own?
There are brilliant pros and cons to both sides of this coin. Here is how we break it down:
Why It Makes Sense to Hire
Hiring is a fantastic tool, especially when you are scaling up or handling massive events.
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No storage headaches: Let's be honest, space is money. When you hire, you don't have to worry about a massive warehouse.
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Zero maintenance: You don't have to spend your evenings repainting scratched surfaces or fixing electrical wiring.
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Building community: Hiring forces you to connect with other local businesses in the party industry. Building those relationships is worth its weight in gold.
Why It Makes Sense to Own
Owning your inventory is where you can truly change your business trajectory.
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Maximum profitability: You aren't giving a cut of your booking fee to a rental company. Once a prop pays for itself, every single booking after that is pure profit.
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Total availability: You never have to tell a dream client "no" just because a rental company is fully booked for the weekend.
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Flexibility: You can repaint, adapt, and change the prop to perfectly suit your client's theme at a moment's notice.
What Do We Do at DnA Events?
We actually use a mix of both! We sat down and made a strategic rule for our business based on logistics and safety.
For larger props or anything using electricity (like massive light-up letters), we choose to hire. It saves us the heavy lifting, the technical maintenance, and the massive storage space those items require.
But for props that are highly requested, highly profitable, and easy to store, we absolutely choose to own.
When Audrey and I first started out, we handled our storage in a specific room and a garage before upgrading to our current storage unit. Because we knew space was valuable, we focused on props that could work hard for us without taking over the room.
That is exactly why we fell in love with sailboards. They are a total staple in our industry because they fit almost every single theme. Best of all? They are collapsible. They pack down flat, make transport a breeze, and are incredibly easy to store in a garage, a spare room, or a van. Because we were booking them constantly, owning them was the easiest way to skyrocket our profits.
Take the Next Step for Your Business
We know how daunting it can be to take that leap from renting to investing in your own inventory. It can feel like a gamble, but we promise you that building a solid foundation of your own staple props is one of the most rewarding steps you can take for your growth.
You don't need to guess your way through it or waste money on trial and error. Because we want to see this industry thrive, Audrey and I have put our exact process on paper.
We’ve created a warm, step-by-step DNA Design Blueprint that walks you through exactly how to build your own professional, sturdy sailboard from scratch—complete with our specific locking bar system for total stability on site.
If you are ready to stop renting, increase your profit margins, and start owning your creative process, we are here to help you do it.
If you have any questions on this, feel free to reach out to us. We are always happy to chat through the business side of things or just talk shop!
Denise & Audrey
