Costumed Singing Telegrams - I usually do this as a chicken, but I also offer a clown as an option too. I make a large balloon sculpture (like the birthday cake in the video below or a bouquet of balloon flowers) and show up to sing/cluck Happy Birthday to them in front of all their friends (usually at work). The whole thing takes about 5 to 10 minutes with pictures and stuff.
Monetizing this kind of thing - Yes, these visits are a lot shorter than your average party. As a result, you can't use your regular hourly rates as a comparison for the amount to charge or you'll put yourself out of business in gas and wear yourself out running all over creation. These are not the kind of services that you will market towards cheapskates.... these are premium services for people with money for extras or corporate situations. I've had workplaces hire me directly to do a chicken-o-gram for a manager. Private schools and daycares may have the extra funds for special things to do with their class for elf deliveries where an individual family might not spend that kind of money. These are also services that can be hired during the week while we, as clowns, are usually only hired on weekends. You'll notice if you look at my prices for these services though, that I have to charge almost as much as my hourly rate for one of these visits... while the visit itself is maybe 5 or 10 minutes, when you add in my driving there, costume costs (wear and tear, makeup, etc), and material costs, the expenses are almost the same as one hour of regular work anyway.
Have fun and be creative!!
Perry Noia the Scaredy Clown :D
