Interview with Splodge Director Debbie Shearer

I thought I would share this little interview with you, it gives a little bit of background to the whole SPLODGE concept, hopefully you will see what this little biz means to Karen and I and how determined we are to continue to grow!

what is your story? what prompted you to start this little biz?

We started Splodge as a bit of a hobby about 3 years ago. We couldn’t find a company providing parties with craft activities so we decided to do a few ourselves; the feedback was amazing. As we realised the potential we began to focus on splodge as a serious business and grew into the Events and Weddings market.

tell us about your little business. 

Our business is Splodge - Children's Entertainment. We provide crafty fun birthday parties, event and wedding entertainment, face painting for children of all ages and Kindercraft workshops for under 5’s where we hire church halls and community centres or go along when invited to mums groups, playgroups or community events

where did you get your ideas for your brand: biz name, logo, ‘look’ etc?

We just played around with lots of names and looks. We wanted something fun and messy so when we looked at the word "splodge" it seemed to fit. I drew out the design idea myself and then took it to a graphic designer who made it up on the computer for us.

do you have much competition from other businesses? do you find this difficult to deal with?

There are lots of companies doing parties which is great, Mums should have a good choice and it keeps us on our toes. We just try to stay focused on providing a great service.

what is the thing about your biz that makes it stand out from the competition?

Children don't need to be artistic to enjoy our parties, events and workshops. Splodge is about fun, textures, colours and mess! Even the parents can't resist getting involved.

what has been the most challenging thing for you so far as you have been building your biz?

All the "business stuff" - staff, insurances, book keeping, marketing etc.  Karen and I don't come from a business background, so learning these new skills whilst building the business has been a challenge in itself.

what aspect of building your little biz do you like working on the most?

Creating new projects. An Event Organiser will give us a theme or topic for their upcoming event and we have to theme all the projects and games around it, we love it! After a couple of hours in the workshop we come out covered in paint, sticky tape and glitter but we always create something unique and fun for children to make.

what is next for you?

We would like to grow the Kindercraft side of our business as we haven’t really had time to focus on that. Kindercraft has amazing potential and has received some great feedback. It focuses on all the fun crafty mess but also encourages development of fine and major motor skills and hand eye co-ordination.  

what advice do you have for other mums who are thinking of or trying to build their own little biz from home?

Look at it as a serious job and other people will see it that way. If you treat it as something you slip into between washing and ironing - thats all it will ever be. Allocate a seperate area for the business and give youself a title Manager/Director/CEO, and start using that in any job description. Talk about your business as your job rather than a bit of a hobby.  

is there anything else you would like to add?

Splodge recently won the BEC/Hewlett Packard National award for best home based business in Australia. This has really re-enforced for us the fact that we are doing well. We would never have dreamed of being nominated for an award like this never mind actually winning, so it just goes to show hard work and belief in what you are doing does pay off!

wow! that is great. congratulations! how were you nominated? have you found BEC to be a useful organization?

BEC (Business Enterprise Centres) nominated us for the award and we then provided a bit of history of ourselves.   BEC has been a life line to us and we would thoroughly recommend any small business get involved with their local office.

Interview by Karen from Build a little biz

*** i just wanted to add that from the minute i heard from splodge i just loved their name, their logo, and their concept. such a great biz idea! the day after i heard from them, i happened upon a splodge event at my local shopping centre! what luck! my kids LOVED the activities and made me take them back the next day for more. it was well worth the glitter that lives in the boot of my car now. thank you ladies! =) karen ***

Not another kids birthday party this weekend!

Its party time again! Was it really only a year since the last one? I always leave it too late and end up rushing the invites; trying to make sure I don’t double up on the date with another child from the same class, stress about booking an entertainer or venue and struggling to pick up the cake on the morning of the party. That’s when it finally clicked: after school! What possible negative reason is there to having a party after school? I can think of a couple but the positives seem to out weigh them for me; I’ve got all day (child free) to decorate the party area, arrange the food and party bags and prepare for my little guests. The cake can easily be picked up at my leisure and the entertainer is less likely to be booked out, especially at short notice. All the kids are together (if it’s a school class party - which the majority of 5-9 year old parties are). I just walk them all home, they should all be hungry at the same time as they have had recess and lunch together all day, we snack, have our entertainment, cut the cake and the parents pick them up at 5-530pm on their way home from work, no after school care needed for them that day. I then have the weekend free to enjoy some quality family time and perhaps a bit of a family celebration for my child's birthday with grown up drinks, and bbq.

It may not work for every family but it definitely makes things easier for a lot of families. Often kid’s parties at the weekend drag on forever.....the parents arrive to pick up the children and end up staying for a "quick" drink which lasts into the evening.

Many families like to have the child's friends for a couple of hours then have a family gathering. When you try to do them both one after the other, the poor birthday child is exhausted and doesn’t want their friends to leave. It’s a long day to be showered with presents and expected to smile and behave!

Consider the after school option, it may well work for you.

Debbie Shearer is the Owner/Director of Splodge Children's Entertainment running birthday parties and children's entertainment for children in and around Adelaide.
Check out the splodge facebook page at www.facebook.com.au/splodgeevents

What do parents want in a kids birthday party?

As a parent and owner of Splodge Children's Entertainment Company, I constantly ask my customers what they want from a party organiser at their Childs Birthday Party.


The replies are varied of course, but in the main it appears to be fun but controlled entertainment and value for money.


Controlled entertainment - by that Mums and Dads want to leave the group of children at the kid’s birthday party with the entertainer and know they are not going to disappear or run amok through the house/garden. Think of this when you hire an entertainer. If you have booked a puppet show or fairy can they perform and still control the children or do you and other parents have to help out?


Fun - Children’s attention spans are not as good as adults a 1 hour birthday party can be a long time if there is not lots to do. Make sure the entertainer provides you with an exact run down of what the children will be doing for the hour or two at the birthday party to ensure you don't have them sneaking into the bedrooms to find the play station!!! Remember to cater for boys and girls alike. Will the boys really enjoy that fairy or the girls the soccer game. When kids get to a certain age usually 8, 9 or 10 years they opt for single sex parties, up till then it's mixed and can be tricky. Make sure you are satisfied that the entertainer can entertain both well and doesn’t lean towards girls or boys alone.

Value for money - What are you getting for your money? Craft activities are great fun at Birthday Parties and provide the children with something to take home with them. Buying craft bits is expensive; an entertainer doing craft should be able to supply you with a huge range of bits and pieces for the children to use at a fraction of the cost. Lolly Bags - Think of the money you've spend on those lolly bags that end up devoured before the kids even get home from the birthday party - and the time it took you to shop around for all those little bits and pieces inside. Don't over spend on party bags; $5 is a reasonable price to spend on a kids birthday party lolly bag, to include a game/toy, lollies, puzzle, stationary, sticker and balloon. At least with a craft birthday party they go home with a couple of craft items and perhaps a prize or two from the games played.

Finally make sure your entertainer is happy to clear up any mess. You will have enough to do with the food and catching up with the other Parents to have to worry about their mess!

Debbie is Co-owner and founder of Splodge Children's Entertainment.   

Visit http://www.splodge.com.au/ - Kids Birthday Parties Adelaide - crafty fun, games, puppet shows, face painting and lolly bags for boys and girls at Birthday parties, weddings and events around Adelaide.
Also facebook/splodgeevents

Do you invite the kids to your wedding?

We know how restless kids can get at weddings, the stories we have heard from brides who wished they had thought of their child guests needs at their wedding are endless.  

Children are adorable but unpredictable!   If the thought of a child interrupting the peaceful proceedings of your ceremony or crawling around the tables and dance floor in the evening fills you with horror, then perhaps a child free wedding is for you.   If however, this isn’t an option, perhaps you both have children from a previous marriage, or a large family with young children then plan, consider them, think about what there will be for them to do all day!      Think about what role you want the children to play (some ideas below) and make sure they don’t get bored and “unpredictable” on your big day.

There are some companies who can assist, perhaps a puppet show in the evening, some craft activities and games during the day or perhaps a sit down with some pop corn in a quiet area to watch a movie with a sitter.   Create a an agenda for them and link it in with yours to make sure they are around for the food, photographs and get to spend some time doing the fun stuff at the wedding

.

Consider the venue also if you are thinking of having a child free wedding.   Can the doors be closed to the nearby traffic dangers?    Is there steep stairs all over the place?   Is the building used as a museum with “very precious things” all around?

Children are part of our lives and being at a wedding is something they will cherish, your responsibility as “wedding planner” is to do just that…….plan!

Some official roles for children at weddings:

Ideal roles for younger Children:

Flower girl –   usually a young girl between the ages of 3 and 8 who has a special connection to the bride and groom. Perhaps she is a niece or cousin, or a family friend. She follows behind the bridesmaids (sometimes before and sometimes after the maid of honour) with a basket of flowers, scattering them down the aisle.   She can also help the maid of honour or bride pass out any favours to female guests.

Ring bearer - A ring bearer is usually a young boy between the ages of 3 and 8 who has a special connection to the bride and groom. He may be related to them, or just be a family friend. He walks down the aisle immediately after the flower girl, or last bridesmaid, with the wedding rings tied to a small pillow.

Bouquet holder – hold's the bride's bouquet during the ceremony.

Ideal roles for older children:

Junior Bridesmaid/Groomsman
They will wear an outfit similar to the other members of the bridal party, and fulfill many of the same roles as they do. They need not attend bachelor/bachelorette parties or showers.

Reader - They will read a passage about marriage or love during the ceremony.

Escort - There's no reason why your child can't be the one to walk you down the aisle.

Usher -   They will help guests to their seats, pass out programs, and do everything the other ushers do.

Debbie Shearer is co-owner and founder of Splodge children’s Entertainment providing entertainment for children of all ages at birthday parties, corporate events, shopping malls and weddings.

Check out Splodge facebook page at www.facebook.com.au/splodgeevents

and website: http://www.splodge.com.au/