Balloon Kings franchise

2024 filing · July 2, 2024GrowingShares sales figures

Balloon Kings at a glance

A balloon shop selling balloons and creating balloon décor, drops and designs for parties, corporate events and celebrations. At the end of 2023 there were 2 Balloon Kings locations in the US, 1 franchised and 1 company-owned.

The business

Industry: Entertainment; Also listed in retail
Franchisor: Balloon Realm, LLC; The company that sells the franchises
Who runs it: Manager; A trained manager can run it day to day
Franchising since: 2018; 6 years of selling franchises
Franchisor based in: New York, New York
Typical size: 1,000–1,700 sq ft

What you pay

Cost to open: $128K–$235K; Fee, build-out and opening working capital
Franchise fee: $45,500; Paid once, when you sign
Royalty: 7%; 7% of total sales, paid weekly, plus a 1% website system fee. A brand development fee of 1% is not charged yet
Agreement length: 10 years
Territory: Protected; Protected territory
Franchisor financing: None offered
SBA Franchise Directory: Not listed; Lenders check this list before an SBA loan

Where it is

US locations, 2023: 2; Franchised and company-owned
Franchised: 1
Company-owned: 1
Change in 2 years: +1; Franchised locations, 2021–2023
States: 2; Most in New Jersey and New York

Support and records

Shares sales figures: Yes; For some or all locations
Initial training: 63 hours; 18 hours in class and 45 on the job
Lawsuits disclosed: None
Bankruptcy disclosed: Yes; A related company or person
Latest filing: Jul 2, 2024; 2024 filing

From Balloon Realm, LLC’s 2024 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.

Estimate your costs Model the payback

Where it ranks

Balloon Kings among all franchises with the same figure.

Figure	Balloon Kings	Among all franchises
Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate	$181,450	Costs less than 72% of franchises
Franchise feePaid once, when you sign	$45,500	Higher than 61% of franchises
RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor	7%	Higher than 70% of brands with a set rate
US locationsFranchised and company-owned	2	Fewer than 82% of franchises

How much a Balloon Kings franchise costs

Opening one Balloon Kings costs an estimated $128,400 to $234,500. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.

Source: Balloon Realm, LLC, 2024 filing, page 16

Balloon Kings franchise fee

The franchise fee is $45,500. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.

Source: Balloon Realm, LLC, 2024 filing, page 10

Royalty and ongoing fees

Royalty	7% of total sales, paid weekly, plus a 1% website system fee. A brand development fee of 1% is not charged yet.
Software subscription	Currently, $450 per month
Transfer fee	$10,000 plus any broker fees and other out-of-pocket costs we incur
Replacement/Additional Training fee	Currently, $250/day
Local Marketing	Greater of (i) $1,000 per month or (ii) 2- 3% of your total sales

The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.

Source: Balloon Realm, LLC, 2024 filing, page 11

Other fees as filed, from pages 11–13. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.

Sales and earnings

Shares figures Balloon Kings publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.

Source: Balloon Realm, LLC, 2024 filing, page 38

How Balloon Kings compares

Of the 168 entertainment franchises on this site, Balloon Kings is the 46th cheapest to open and the 108th largest by number of locations.

Figure	Balloon Kings	Typical entertainment brand	Typical franchise
Cost to open, low end	$128K	$286K	$222K
Cost to open, high end	$235K	$598K	$477K
Franchise fee	$46K	$45K	$40K
Royalty	7%	6%	6%
US locations	2	8	21
Closed or left per year	0%	4.5%	–
Shares earnings figures	Yes	113 of 168	2,147 of 3,352

Typical is the median across the 168 brands in entertainment franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.

Locations opened and closed

1 opened

0 closed or left

Franchised locations, last 2 years

2021

1 opened0 closed or left

1 (+1)

2022

1 (0)

2023

0 opened0 closed or left

1 (0)

Year	Franchised	Company-owned	Opened	Closed
2021	1 (+1)	1	+1	0
2022	1 (0)	1	–	–
2023	1 (0)	1	0	0

Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating.

See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.

More in the guides: franchise failure rates.

Source: Balloon Realm, LLC, 2024 filing, pages 40–41

Source filing (2024, PDF)

Where Balloon Kings locations are

At the end of 2023, Balloon Kings had locations in 2 states. The most are in New Jersey and New York.

New Jersey1
New York1

State	Franchised	Company-owned	Total
New Jersey	1	0	1
New York	0	1	1

Source: Balloon Realm, LLC, 2024 filing, page 41

Who owns Balloon Kings?

Balloon Kings franchises are sold by Balloon Realm, LLC. Its filing names no parent company.

From Balloon Realm, LLC’s 2024 filing, page 8.

Lawsuits and bankruptcy

Lawsuits and regulatory actions	None. The filing says no litigation has to be disclosed.
Bankruptcy	No bankruptcy of the franchisor. Its founder filed for personal Chapter 7 bankruptcy in August 2012; it was discharged in December 2012.

Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.

Source: Balloon Realm, LLC, 2024 filing, litigation on page 10, bankruptcy on page 10

Source filing (2024, PDF)