How to Start a Clown Business

Part 1 - How to start a Clown business - Background

A clown or costumed entertainer is hired for parties and other social and business-oriented gatherings to serve as entertainment and sometimes hosting of the event.

Our guide is in 3 parts:

• Part 1 - How to start a Clown business - Background
• Part 2 - Our planner tool to see if this idea is the right fit for you
• Part 3 - Action plan to get started

What are the costs involved in opening a clown business?

The initial costs for starting your own clown business can be fairly low, with the bulk of your money and resources being spent to outfit your business with the proper insurance, reliable transportation, and the basic supplies used for entertaining at parties. And, with less emphasis on the traditional clown makeup and outfits, many performers are able to perform in regular clothes and minimal make-up, relying instead on the acts they perform and talents they put on display. For approximately $1000.00, most performers are able to get their clown business up and running, although the cost will fluctuate, depending on your expertise and business plan.

What are the ongoing expenses for a clown business?

Recurring fees will relate to the materials and disposable goods used for each performance. Maintenance for any equipment, including a vehicle, will also constitute a portion of a monthly budget, along with travel expenses for getting to and from the party locations.

Who is the target market?

Typically, your target audience would be parents looking for entertainment for a child’s birthday, holidays, or other social gatherings, such as Bar and Bat Mitzvahs. More recently, target markets have also extended to businesses or organizations looking for party entertainers and hosts. Corporate businesses and organizations are considerably more interested in the talents of a clown, minus the face paint, and will often pay considerably more for your time.

How does a clown business make money?

Clown businesses make their money from the fees collected for their entertainer jobs. Fees will should be adjusted based on the hours in attendance and the work being performed.

How much can you charge customers?

For most performers, fees are charged by the hour. You will need to see what other performers in your area make, on average, for their services. Fees can range anywhere from $15 to $100, per hour, depending on the job and the services requested. And, as mentioned above, the person or group hiring the performer may be more willing to pay top dollar if they have the organizational financial backing to pay more. These will all vary, depending on the climate for clown and costumed performers in your area.

How much profit can a clown business make?

The average costumed performer can make around $35,000 per year. This number will fluctuate, depending on if this is a full or part-time job and what services you can offer your customers. Some larger party companies have reported profits exceeding $100,000, annually,although these businesses tend to be multi-faceted and able to supply party performers and atmospheres for a myriad of customers and situations. Versatility, then, becomes key.

How can you make your business more profitable?

As mentioned above, versatility is important for expanding on a niche market to include more than just a clown performer. Consider all the aspects of party entertainment and look for what you can specialize and add as part of your entertainment packages.

Also, since there is more of a scary clown vibe among many people, exploit this fear and offer your services as a scary clown. Haunted houses and Halloween-themed attractions may be looking for real clown performers to add to the overall terror of their business ventures. If people are scared of clowns, who better to profit than clowns themselves.

Day-to-Day and Growth

What happens during a typical day at a clown business?

A traditional clown business focused on entertaining audiences, as a face-painted clown. More recent business models have expanded on this theme and include many more facets of entertainment. A modern clown business attends to:

• Receiving and responding to booking requests

• Updating monthly calendar(s) to reflect upcoming jobs

• Preparing theme-based shows and packages for upcoming parties and events

• Restocking supplies and care and maintenance of equipment and costumes for events

• Hiring additional performers (as needed)

• Marketing and advertising your services

What are some skills and experiences that will help you build a successful clown business?

Many clown and costumed performers are and have been trained in clown performing schools. As a sub-genre of acting and entertaining, a good clown must be a natural performer, able to perform many tasks and forms entertainment. Often, these are the types of things taught through a clown school, but it is not necessary to have attended a school in order to be a successful clown and performer. However, there are a number of traits and talents you must possess, or be able to learn, in order to become a success in this business. Some examples are:

• Singing, dancing, acting, playing musical instruments, and interacting with a crowd

• Applying make-up and performing face-painting for audience members

• Juggling, performing magic tricks, making balloon animals and “sculptures”, and doing some basic gymnastics

• Understanding a crowd and adjusting your routine to fit with the audience

• Managing a small business, including hiring and firing employees, balancing finances, and marketing and promotion

• Managing and using social media and technology to maximize the reach of your business and the quality of your performances

What is the growth potential for a clown business?

Clown and costumed performer businesses have traditionally done well, with numerous requests for children’s birthday parties and celebrations often accounting for the bulk of the reservations. However, in more recent years, traditional clowns have seen less work, primarily caused by a shift in perception of clowns from cheery and happy to more ominous and, for some, scary. Numerous factors can be cited for this societal shift but, the bottom line is, the business is experiencing a change in how these performers use their crafts to maintain a decent work schedule. By expanding the forms of entertainment available in the performer’s repertoire, the clowning business is finding new and exciting ways to bring the spark back to this classic performing profession. And, with the new changes come more expansion and growth potential. As a performer, the field is rife for expansion, but needs creative individuals to steer this clown car to the modern events of the new millennium.

What are some insider tips for jump starting a clown business?

As we’ve been mentioning, clowns, in general, have experienced a backlash in popularity. The typical imagery of a clown, complete with white face paint, a ruffled collar, and a red nose, is now perceived as creepy or scary for many. In fact, coulrophobia or the illogical fear of clowns, has its own dictionary entry. Knowing this will help you prepare for the inevitable “evil clown” references and imagery. Here are some methods for shifting focus and making the most of your combined abilities.

• Consider less face paint. Focus on accent areas and look to involve your audience in the face painting experience. This can lessen the impact, especially for children, and will help de-stigmatize clowns, in general.

• Focus your advertising on ALL of the aspects of your entertainment packages, not just traditional clown performances.

• Consider corporate party organizing and performing. As an animated performer, you will still engage an audience, yet your focus becomes more about the act and talents than the makeup.

• Join or create groups, forums, and organizations pertaining to clowning or costumed entertaining. By becoming part of a community, you will increase your exposure and ability to network for greater employment opportunities.

• Advertise through local party rental stores or partner with existing party rentals or party supply businesses. You will more than likely work as an independent contractor, which allows you to pursue many different types of jobs, along with the referrals coming from party related businesses.

How and when to build a team

Starting out, you will probably be a one-person team. The expenses need to be minimal to start, and the revenue should be at least partly funneled back into the business. As you become more popular, though, you will probably want an office manager and performance assistant to come on board. If at all possible, these two roles should be combined for one person. Not until you are regularly booked for work weekly will you want to add more team members. But, once your business is rolling, many clown and costumed performance businesses will employ a stable of performers, capable of fitting the needs of almost any gathering, party, or event.

Part 2 - Is a Clown business the right fit for you?

Part 3 - Action plan to launch your Clown business in 90 days