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Becoming the industry contrarian

by Frank Price
President FL Price & Founder Birthday University

Thanks Frank for letting us reprint this informative article from your enewsletter.

The contrarian is a person who opposes or rejects popular opinion and goes against current practice. Birthday University has always represented a contrarian approach. Like other pioneers who traveled uncharted paths and became well known for their ingenuity, daring new discoveries, exciting and envied lifestyles, it's still the path traveled less by most. This is why it's so appealing to today's family consumer. 

In the party business, the choice is yours, more is better or better is better. What do you choose? Notice below there are "more" reasons to choose "more" parties (no pun intended), but the result may "less" favorable.

More businesses...

• Choose more parties, aiming for an all-inclusive market, with below average spendable income.
• Choose more parties which result in higher traffic, during your busiest day parts, taking its toll on resources, both physical and human.
• Choose more parties that can't help but produce a below average experience, where low price and location become the competitive draw.

More businesses choose and accept this.

Less businesses...

Choose fewer parties, with a select, high value market, resulting in an elevated experience, attracting loyal, higher income consumers, where memorable, emotional connections are the difference. The result is they compete with less and profit more. Fewer businesses choose and achieve this.

The family market with the greatest spendable income and continued desire to participate in out of the home entertainment has evolved its consumer decision-making process. They have become "Value Centric". "Value" is no longer who's the biggest, has the most or is cheapest, but who deserves "My time" and "My money" or in plain terms ... "Was it worth it?"

The majority of today's birthday businesses all swim in the same metaphorical fishbowl, competing for the same food (market). They blend together, attempting to capture the entire market by offering a little bit to everyone. In the crowded fish bowl, everyone looks the same, they're all doing the same, and competing for the same amount of attention.

Just like the goldfish in the picture, it's a leap of faith to jump out and into a bowl where not many have gone. But wait ... once you get there, the competition is nowhere to be found, and you're the only one eating.

I believe success is the contrarian. A unique party business offering solutions to deliver a personalized, interactive, emotionally connected and memorable offering will win every time. It's why the innovators of any industry are typically defined as the premier brand, with slower, but steady long-term growth and profit. What bowl do you choose to swim in?

Frank's Next Birthday University will be in Orlando, January 25-26, 2017. Register now. Frank's past three classes sold out!

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