Hidden Gems: Meet Rickey Patterson of Iconzballoons &Events LlC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rickey Patterson

Hi Rickey, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Wow! It has been a remarkable journey, beginning with a serendipitous request from my daughter for a balloon garland to celebrate her 8th birthday. Following the purchase of a balloon kit from Marketplace and creating a Facebook post showcasing the setup, I received numerous requests for balloons, suggesting the potential for a viable business opportunity.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No! This has been a true journey.So our business took off during the height of Covid and people couldn’t really go out to celebrate their loved ones.So us offering delivery and custom balloon artistry was a hit and most of all safe and convenient.So everyone wanted balloons to still feel like they were still celebrating those they love.Over the years, the balloon industry has changed tremendously and there are so many more artist than it was when we started.So of course there so many new amazing artist in this community and I love that! BUT..Pricing!!! Many people have no idea the money that goes into providing luxury balloon services, using premium quality balloons, and there’s a lot of time that goes into it. It’s often questioned when you have people charging for instance $100 for a $350 minimum (same job) by industry standards it hurts us more experienced businesses .Balloons are a hobby for many so they don’t mind taking minimum pay. For us, it’s our bread and butter. It keeps the lights on. So to your question we are in a very overly saturated market with many talented artist hurting the value of our craft.There is not a happy medium in this industry any more.I’m all for friendly competition in this competitive market, but let’s just say McDonalds vs Wendys.One has a $5 bundle and the other has a 4 for $4. There’s a dollar difference.lol. We over here have a $250 difference on the low end for the same work. Like REALLY?

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I’m Rickey Patterson, Owner and Chief Balloon artist and CEO of Icon’z Balloons and Events located in Buford, GA. Alongside my Wife, Karin Patterson, a military Veteran and It Help Desk Tech. Also, my son, Jalin Patterson, a Solphmore and Jr Varsity football player for Mill Creek High School.Together we run and operate every aspect of Icon’z Balloons. I’m also the proud dad of four other kids Bella,Erin,Grayson, and our future president Mr.Aiden lol. Icon’z Balloons specialize in custom luxury balloon decor services.We have serviced over 1,200 clients throughout the state of Georgia.We also take pride in our corporate portfolio with 83 corporate clients we’ve serviced to date.One of our proudest accomplishments was being tasked as the official balloonist for the multi million dollar production for the Walmart Free Skate event in 2022.Our Team inflated and installed over 20,000ft of balloons in 3 days it was truly amazing!

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
So balloons are very versatile and there is so much you can do with them. So honestly, balloons have an endless future. I do feel organic decor will eventually phase out but classic is FOREVER!

Pricing:

• Balloon Orgainic decoration should start at a minimum $25/sqf
• Arches a minimum $350
• Balloon Columns a minimum $99

Contact Info:

• Website: www.Iconzballoons.com
• Instagram: Iconzballoons
• Facebook: Iconzballoons