How to Start a Pop Up Picnic Business (25 Best Ways & Tips)

You can surely learn how to start a Pop Up Picnic business by reading this article.

It explains how to get started and tips to help you not only start but also succeed with a Pop Up Picnic business.

 

Importance

There is nothing like the simple pleasures of life.

Typically the simple things in life that create joy and meaningful memories don’t cost a lot of money and involve enjoyment and interaction with others as memories are created.

Examples of these simple things that bring these incredible emotional and memorable rewards could include a walk on the beach, holding hands, sharing a bowl of popcorn while watching a movie, etc.

Another special event that can occur in the lives of individuals, couples, and families is a picnic.

However, the experience of a picnic can be dampened if there are things that are forgotten that were meant to add to the occasion.

Fortunately, there are picnic businesses that do everything for you.

Therefore, if considering a pop-up picnic business venture led us lay out the rug or blanket, open up the umbrella, spread out the food and enjoy taking a look at how to proceed in starting a pop-up picnic business.

 

25 Best Tips to Starting a Pop-Up Picnic Business

 

1. Know all about a Pop-Up Picnic Business

A pop-up-picnic experience is a personalized picnic outdoor adventure that is selected by you as the customer from a menu of themes.

When your choice is made, the professionals, at the picnic company, then go to work and incorporate that theme, plan out the picnic event, gather all of the needed items together and then on the scheduled day create that picnic experience to the point where you and your guests simply show up and enjoy.

Added to the enjoyment of being pampered and catered to, the company will ensure that the entire process is completed by them including cleanup.

 

2. Research

If a pop-up picnic business is of interest to you, it is important to conduct your research.

When researching the possibilities, it is important to learn more about this business, the services offered, the expectations of the customers, the various services that can be offered by the company, understanding all that is needed for full involvement, number of companies in your area that provide this service etc.

 

3. Budget

Before delving too deep into the possibilities of starting this business it would be a good idea to comprise a rough budget.

Starting with the expense side of the ledger you would need to investigate the cost of renting or buying the various types of equipment needed to serve your customers, cost of staff required, transportation costs including the possible purchase of a vehicle, how and where your equipment will be stored (rentals), etc.

On the income side you will need to do some calculations as to how many customers you would need to match your expenses and realize a profit.

It would seem that the best way to create fees would be to charge per person involved with the pop-up picnic unit.

 

4. Competition

A factor that should be considered, especially if you live in a larger community is to determine if there are other similar businesses in operation.

You could look at their webpage, their marketing material, any testimonials that are provided by customers who experienced their service, etc.

You could use this information and more to evaluate their service, what they provide, any unique features that they offer, etc.

All of this information and effort would be used to determine the effectiveness and service provided by your potential competitors to know that you need to at least match that competition or exceed what they bring to the pop-up picnic business industry.

 

5. Business Plan

With this type of preliminary investigation accomplished you then can take time to think through your business plan and use this narrative to capture your vision of your pop-up picnic business and how you will be successful.

A business plan is a roadmap from beginning to the successful and continued offering of this service.

Some of the dynamics of the business plan would include:

• Your vision and mission for the company through an executive summary
• Budget
• Marketing plan
• SWOT analysis (Strength, Weakness, Opportunities, Threats)
• Staffing
• Market analysis
• And more

The business plan will be your blueprint for the successful business operation as well as a well thought out plan of action for any potential investors to review.

 

6. Business Structure

A significant consideration that needs to be addressed is how your business will be legally structured.

The importance of this decision is required as it relates to registering your company with the local, state, and federal government.

Determining your structure of operation will directly impact the taxes that you pay, the reports that you file, and so forth.

Some of those business structures include:

• Sole proprietorship
• Limited liability company
• SCorp
• And so forth

Also See: Tips to Help Start a Tile Business & Tips to Help Start a VR Business.

 

7. Insurance

To protect your clients, your company, and yourself a wise decision to make is to obtain insurance.

A recommended process in looking at your insurance needs is to research this aspect of protecting your hard work utilizing the Internet.

Also, you can reach out to insurance providers and speak to agents to receive their professional advice as to what insurance policies they would recommend.

Types of policies could include:

• Small business insurance
• Professional liability
• General liability
• Workers compensation insurance
• Etc.

 

8. Staff

One of the biggest expenses in operating a business is the expense of hiring employees.

It was seemed that with a pop-up picnic business you may need:

• Administrative staff to help with bookings
• Staff to set up the picnic venue
• Bookkeeping staff
• Food preparation staff
• And possibly other employment staff

The two possibilities of engaging employees would be to actually hire them on a full-time or part-time basis or you could contract with individuals and outsource these staffing needs.

If you choose to outsource these staffing needs you would utilize a freelancer and freelancing job postings can be facilitated by using a site such as www.upwork.com.

 

9. Profitability

Profitability for a pop-up picnic business is dependent upon a number of variables.

Those variables would include:

• Your involvement of time
• Your community
• Marketing strategy
• Etc.

Specifically, you could anticipate running a medium-size business and experiencing average sales and realize income ranging from $5,000-$6,000 a month.

Of course there are no guarantees but is again contingent upon what your market will bear.

 

10. Initial Investment

Your initial investment in starting this type of business can be classified into two categories.

The one category are those costs which can be categorized as required and include the setup costs for your business such as registering your company, permits and fees, investing in software, building your website, transportation of the needed items, purchase of supplies, and so forth.

The other investment category would be optional costs which would include any help with the business plan, consultant fees, legal fees, and so forth.

 

11. Pricing

The pricing involved for your packages should include the costs of planning, setting up, food, and cleaning up afterwards.

You could offer a basic package deal that would serve two to four people at a cost of $150 to $250.

The basic package deal would include:

• Table setting
• Decorations
• Picnic basket
• Cleanup

Additional guests would be extra.

Also, you can provide different packages that would cost more and would include additional services or types of food and drink.

 

12. Permits and licensing

It is important to remember that you will need to make application for a number of permits and licenses.

Some of fees will involve:

• Business license fee
• Health permit
• State tax permit

 

13. Marketing

Of paramount importance is for your potential customers to know about your company, how you can create a wonderful experience, and how you can make significant memories in the lives of those that employ you.

This is done through a robust marketing plan which is critical for the success of your business.

As part of the marketing plan it is important to:

• Fully engage your social media platforms
• Utilized advertising tools such as Google Ads
• Set up a picnic display at popular picnic sites
• Word of mouth
• Etc.

 

14. Equipment

The basic equipment that you will need when starting your pop up picnic business would include rugs or throw blankets that act as the basis of the picnic setup.

You will also need to invest in hand carts to transport the items from the vehicle to the picnic location.

Additionally, in all likelihood, you will need to purchase a vehicle that can transport all of the associated items in setting up the picnic for the customer.

You may also wish to invest in a tent or a covering of some sort if the guest or customer wishes to add a touch of elegance to their picnic.

Also, you will need to have access to tables and chairs.

 

15. Supplies

Other supplies that you may wish to invest in or possibly rent at the beginning of the operations could include:

• Tableware
• Eating utensils
• Place mats
• Picnic Baskets
• And more

 

16. Maintain Contact

It is important to remember that once your business has been conducted with the client, that is not the end of the relationship.

If you can obtain permission to send newsletters and e-mails to your satisfied customers, that is a good way of maintaining contact.

Also, one your service is provided a nice handwritten message to the client thanking them for choosing your company is a good touch to solidify business relationships.

Also, you could offer a discount next time they use your picnic service or recommend you to another and that person hires you for their picnic needs.

 

17. Vendors

As part of your business you will need to establish business relationship with vendors.

Those vendors will be those businesses that provide your supplies that are needed to provide the experience.

Vendor services needed could include food, flowers, decorations, etc.

 

18. Banking

As it relates to finances you will need to engage a banking Institution that will handle your bank transactions related to the business.

Your business can engage a local bank or an online bank.

This action is important because you want to segregate the business finances from your personal finances.

Also, when engaging a bank it is important to understand what their fee structure is and utilize a bank that has minimum or no fees associated with using their banking services.

 

19. Investment Funding

There are many avenues that you can take in order to gain the needed funding to get your business started and have cash on hand for your initial startup.

Utilizing your business plan you can approach a lending institution to make application for a business loan.

With this process the lending institution will often require collateral.

Ask family and friends for their financial support, utilize any items of value that you own (home, vehicle, coin collection, precious metals).

Other methods of gaining the needed financial capital to start your business could include:

• Private Investors
• Partners
• Angel Investor
• Crowdfunding
• And so forth

 

20. Business Name

An important consideration to the success of your business would be the selection of that “perfect” name that indicates what your business is all about.

Tips on selecting a name should involve the name being creative, short, simple, and something that the customer can easily remember and recall.

Help in selecting a name could possibly come from your family and friends as well as websites that will help with the generation of potential names for your company

One such website can be found at www.businessnamegenerator.com

It is also important to remember that once a name has been selected that you ensure that the name is available and does not exist somewhere else.

 

21. Logo

Another it or aspect of identifying your company and capturing the attention of customers and potential customers is your logo.

You can hire a professional to design a logo for you but that may be at a cost range of $1000 to $5000.

Another option would be to obtain a custom-made logo from a website such as www.etsy.com or create your own by going to www.canva.com and utilizing their free online graphic design tool.

 

22. Website

Businesses today understand the necessity of having a quality website can be accessed by customers and potential customers.

A quality website should have eye-catching graphics and provide the needed information that customers are looking for.

The various information that should be reflected on your website would include information about your company, packages that you offer, testimonials, pricing, contact page, and pictures of various events that your pop-up picnic business has been involved with, etc.

 

23. Charity

Many charities organize special events to help them raise money for the services that they provide in the community.

One of those special events could be a golf tournament and within the parameters of the golf tournament other peripheral fundraising opportunities are enacted.

One of those other fundraising action items is a silent auction.

A silent auction is where individuals bid on a donated item and after a set time the person with the highest bid is the recipient of that item.

As the owner of a pop-up picnic business you could donate one of your packages to the charity to help out but also a positive outcome of your charitable giving would be marketing your company and what you provide.

Those business leaders and individuals that are involved in the charitable event will appreciate your philanthropy and possibly engage your business for events that they may sponsor personally or through their business.

 

24. Levels of Service

As part of your service you will want to offer different packages or levels of service.

Perhaps you could them after precious metals such as silver, gold, and platinum.

Each of these different levels would have added features upon the level beneath and bring additional touches of involvement and service.

Also, you could label your packages with themes that the customer can choose from.

Of course the higher the level of service the greater the cost.

 

25. Networking

An important feature and action item to the success of any business is networking.

Networking is the opportunity that is provided to you to get out into the community and meet other individuals with the purpose of learning about their business and sharing what your business can do for them as well.

The best opportunities for networking would be the commitment to join an association or be involved in other groups.

Examples of those associations or groups could include:

• Rotary Club
• Kiwanis Club
• Lyons
• Soroptimist
• The Chamber of Commerce,
• Involvement in the United Way
• And so forth

 

Personal Story

Probably the most memorable picnic that I never went on was when our family packed up the car to go on a picnic.

We made a trip 30 miles north of us and found a little park with a pond and thought that would be a good location to spread out the blanket, bring out the food, enjoy the outdoors, and have an enjoyable picnic.

While most of the family members were unpacking the car my little brother ran off to the pond and the next thing we know he’s running back to us holding his hand and blood oozing from what appeared to be everywhere.

Come to find out he had cut himself on a jagged rock and so even before we had a chance to fully unload the car, we all reloaded the items back into the vehicle headed back to the hospital to get him taken care of.

He ended up getting stitches and so the joke from the family was that was the best picnic we never went on.

 

Popup Pickup Business FAQs

 

To Have a Popup Picnic at a Well-known Vacation Are There Any Permits Required?

In some well-known locations within a community a permit may or may not be required to set up a picnic experience.

Typically, a reputable pop-up picnic business will know as to whether a permit is needed or not.

 

What Are the Advantages of a Pop-up Picnic?

The advantages of utilizing a pop-up technical company include:

• People enjoy good food
• Great company,
• Are provided a cozy setting,
• A variety of different props utilized,
• A created ambiance
• Etc.

 

You Can Do It

If you are looking for a business adventure that is new and has great possibilities for not only you as a profit making venture but for your clients to enjoy a traditional picnic outing with a significant twist then look no further than the pop-up picnic business.

It is something that you can supply for others through your business of venture and is complete in all aspects without the involvement of ants.

 

Conclusion

Not since the famous Jellystone resident, Yogi Bear, has a picnic basket been more exciting more exciting since the beginning of a business service known as pop-up picnic business.

Offering different levels of experiences, the business provides the needed items for the picnic so that one does not have to worry about things that are forgot as everything is neatly packaged so that the picnic experience can be enjoyed by all.