Running a party includes everything I mention here, and greeting the guests, leading the games or crafts, and most important: crowd control!

I figure out what to charge for each service the same way I do for the normal services. I plan my prices so I'll  make about $10 an hour.

I provide a variety of birthday party services:

• Planning
• Selecting themes
• Sending invitations
• Planning games and crafts

I can even actually throw the party, depending on what my customer wants.

In my service list, I include clean up. Almost everyone wants help cleaning up.

After having a party, parents are usually tired. Plus, they want to thank the guests and talk to the parents coming to pick up their kids.

While they talk, I clean up. Clean up can include taking down decorations, clearing the table, throwing away wrapping debris from the gifts, sweeping and wiping tables and counters.

Figuring out how much to charge is the hardest thing. You probably will have to change your prices as you go along and get a better idea of how much time things take and how much money you have to spend.

I usually make my prices come out so I earn $10 an hour. I figure out how long each service usually takes and then assign it a price:

• Writing out invitations usually takes 30 minutes, so that service is $5.
• Setting up usually takes anywhere from 30 minutes to one hour, so the charge is listed as an hourly rate.

With each party, I get better at figuring out how long certain services take and I can revise my price list.

Tell friends of your family who have small children about your new business. And ask permissions to pass out your flyers to local preschools or elementary schools.

Either way, only deliver flyers to people you know.