Meet Marisa Johnson of Balloonytwists

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marisa Johnson.

Marisa, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I am the youngest of four children and, while growing up, having balloon animals all over the floor was not uncommon. My oldest brother learned how to create shapes with balloons and made it into his own party business. He taught me how to make a dog but I wasn’t too interested in learning…. I was about 10 years old. Fast forward and I’m taking a short break from college to marry my husband in Arizona. Our plan was to only be in Arizona for a few months for the wedding. We needed income and I was having a hard time getting hired for only a few months. That’s when the thought came to my mind to buy a bag of balloons and a pump and start learning balloon animals. I remember my siblings would go to restaurants and work off tips while creating balloons for the guests. I practiced and memorized designs for a solid few weeks until I felt comfortable performing in front of people. I next went on a hunt for a place that would allow me to entertain their guests. It was tough finding restaurants but I eventually found a Texas Roadhouse that would allow me to do this! My first night performing I was very nervous, but I made over $150 dollars that night and I was so proud of myself! I passed out business cards to spread the word about doing birthday parties. I also started with doing a few free parties for close friends. Through word of mouth I began to grow and maintain a very successful party business. Eventually many people were asking me about face painting too. I love painting and art! I remember specifically there was one phone call where the client asked if my business did face painting. Even though I hadn’t done it before I figured it wouldn’t be too hard to learn and master. So without hesitation I said “Yes, we do!” I immediately bought a face paint kit and supplies and began to master a few designs. Since then I kept practicing both balloon and painting designs. Growing my selection and enhancing my skills was very important to me. That’s basically how I got to where I am today. It’s a business I can move anywhere and a skill I can share with others. I will always feel like I have something to fall back on (income wise) if something went wrong. There’s always a new restaurant to find or new people to advertise too in case we move.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I would say that as far as learning the art, it was pretty smooth for me. I picked up the skill quickly. It was tough moving my business from Arizona to Hawaii and back to Arizona again because of school. It was like starting over each time trying to spread the word about my business. It always picked back up but took a couple months.

Right now my challenges are training my new employees in the art. I have to be patient and I’m learning that this is a hard skill for many people to master and it takes time. Once I have them trained it is a lot less stressful.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
My business is a balloon art and face painting company. We mostly do home parties but are getting into big events now that I have more help. Our designs are small, cute and bright. They are the perfect combination of simple and detailed.

What were you like growing up?
I was very outgoing and hyper. I would give hugs to just about anyone. I was always very positive and could see the bright side in situations. I love sports and played tennis most of my life. My favorite subjects in school were math, art and drama.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.balloonytwists.com
• Phone: 480-800-7358
• Email: balloonytwists@yahoo.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/balloonytwists
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/balloonytwists
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/balloonytwists-mesa

Image Credit:
Carter Event Photos

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