Meet Jessica Stalker of Balloons For All Ages

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Stalker. 

Hi Jessica, 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 backstories with our readers?
People always ask me how I got into balloons and I always have little bite-sized stories I share while I’m working. It is fun how interested people always are about it. As a kid and to this day I have always loved creating, so balloons came pretty naturally. I was about nine years old when I made my first balloon animal. My older sisters had started working with a local company that taught them the twisting basics and sent them off to entertain at restaurants in the area. Naturally, at the time, balloons were around the house and I took that opportunity to learn. I would closely watch what they were doing and figure it out for myself every chance I had. I made a dog, then a flower and pretty soon I was able to figure out all the basics and start improvising with them. When I was fourteen, I wanted the opportunity to make my own money and started making balloons at a few parties around the neighborhood. While other kids with the entrepreneurial spirit may have been babysitting, doing yard work, etc.; I was making balloons. By the time I was fifteen, I had made my way into a couple restaurants and I did that for a while too. I was always extremely shy as a kid, but when I had my balloons, that all changed. It felt great. For those that know me now, “shy” is one of the last words they would use to describe me and I have balloons to thank for that. 

Over the years I have gone a lot of directions for work, the restaurant industry being the big one. I fell in love with waiting on tables as soon as I started. I think it gave me a similar feeling to twisting, I liked doing my part to make sure that people were having a good time and making memories. Balloons have always been a constant in my life though, doing at least a few events every year. Every time I would do an event, I would leave so energized and full of joy. Thinking back, I really don’t know why it took me so long to realize what I should have been putting my energy into. All a part of growing up, I suppose. 

In 2018 I started taking steps towards creating the business that is here today, but I was only really dipping my toes in. Starting your own business takes guts, and I don’t think I had them for a long time. You have to learn how to be comfortable being uncomfortable in a way. I think I was always a little scared of putting myself out there and taking that risk. In early 2020 I was still working at a restaurant while I had a few events on the books for balloon twisting. Then, as we all know, the pandemic hit. All events were canceled and restaurant dining ceased. The next year was a whirlwind of uncertainty, fear, and lots of reflecting, something that happens when you end up with a lot of time on your hands. In that time, I became really familiar with feeling uncomfortable, and instead of going back to the industry that had given me security for the last decade, I decided to finally just jump all in and see what happened. Now I’m a business owner, a creative that gets to do what she loves and make people smile at the same time. Now when I’m at an event and people ask me “Is this your real job?”, I get to say “Yes!” It’s an amazing feeling. I love the idea of bending people’s perception of what is possible to do with balloons. Nothing beats the look on a person’s face when they see the balloon sculpture coming together in front of them or the wholehearted way a 5-year-old will tell me “You’re really good at this!”. It really is the best job ever. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There are always going to be challenges, the big one that comes to mind is the absurdly inopportune timing that I decided to commit to balloons. Running a business based around people throwing events during a pandemic is no easy task, as you can imagine. Thankfully I am a part of a beautiful network of balloon artists all around the world and the ideas and support in that community are never-ending. From that network came the idea of balloon deliveries, a contact-free way to brighten someone’s day and spread a little extra joy when we all really needed it. Now they have become a regular part of my business and I absolutely love it. With deliveries, I usually have the opportunity to take a little more time on the sculptures and really show what I can do! I love when a client just lets me run with their idea and allows me to get creative. 

We’ve been impressed with Balloons For All Ages, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Balloons For All Ages is a one-woman Phoenix-based balloon business. I specialize in live balloon twisting at events and one-of-a-kind balloon deliveries all over the valley. Whether it’s a backyard party or a corporate event, I genuinely enjoy helping people make happy memories and am so grateful to have the opportunity to do so! 

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I am excited to see what Balloons For All Ages will look like in the coming years. Balloons have taken me to so many amazing places and given me countless opportunities in my life, I’m eager to see where and what else that might be moving forward. 

Contact Info:

• Email: jessica@balloonsforallages.com
• Website: www.balloonsforallages.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/balloons.forallages
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/balloonsforallages

Image Credits
Kristen Martinez
Everyday JoJo
Larry Goldstein