Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric Gilmore.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’ve always enjoyed bringing people together. Whether it was through music, event rentals, or now an event venue, it’s always been about creating experiences that people will remember.
My path has been anything but traditional. After serving in the U.S. Army, I built a career in Human Resources while continuing to pursue my passion as a professional DJ. DJing gave me the opportunity to be part of some of life’s biggest celebrations, but more importantly, it allowed me to build real relationships and earn the trust of my clients.
Party and Jump Inflatables was never supposed to become what it is today. It started as an extension of my DJ business. I just wanted to offer a few event rentals so my clients could get more of what they needed from someone they already trusted.
Looking back, I realize the growth wasn’t by accident. Years of DJing allowed me to build genuine relationships with my clients. By consistently showing up, providing great service, and creating memorable experiences, I earned their trust. So when I launched Party and Jump Inflatables, I wasn’t starting from scratch. I was building on a foundation of trust. Many of my DJ clients became my first rental customers. They referred their friends and family, and before I knew it, the rental side of the business had taken on a life of its own.
Today, Party and Jump Inflatables has grown into a full service event rental company with a dedicated delivery team serving customers throughout Maryland. We’ve built systems that allow us to operate with the professionalism and reliability of a much larger company while still providing the personal service people expect from a local, family owned business.
As we’ve continued to grow, we’ve also grown with the event industry. That led to the opening of my event space The Dennis Room, allowing us to offer clients an even more complete event experience.
Alongside my entrepreneurial journey, I’ve continued to build a full time career in Human Resources. Balancing a career while growing multiple businesses hasn’t always been easy, but it’s taught me discipline, time management, and the importance of building strong systems and surrounding myself with good people.
When I look back, I don’t measure success by how many inflatables we own or how many events we’ve booked. I think about the relationships we’ve built and the trust we’ve earned. It’s rewarding to know we’ve played a small part in so many birthdays, school events, church festivals, family celebrations, and community gatherings. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s always been about for me, helping people create memories they’ll never forget.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. One of the biggest challenges I faced was realizing that if I wanted my business to grow, I had to grow first.
Early on, I approached the business with the mindset that I had to do everything myself. Over time, I realized that mentality would eventually limit how far the business could go. I had to break old habits, change the way I thought, and become the person the business needed me to be. That meant learning to trust other people, building a dependable team thru training and coaching, creating systems, and focusing on leading instead of trying to control every detail.
Another challenge was balancing a full time career while building the business. There were plenty of early mornings, late nights, and weekends where I had to make sacrifices. It wasn’t always easy, but I stayed committed because I believed in what I was building.
I’ve also learned that growth requires taking calculated risks. Every investment, whether it was adding new inventory, expanding our fleet, hiring team members, or opening my event space The Dennis Room, came with uncertainty. You never have all the answers, but I’ve learned that if you prepare, stay consistent, and keep your customers at the center of every decision, those risks become opportunities.
Looking back, every challenge pushed me to become a better leader and a better business owner. The struggles weren’t roadblocks. They were lessons that helped shape both me and the businesses I have built.
As you know, we’re big fans of Party and Jump Inflatables . For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Party and Jump Inflatables is a full service event rental company proudly serving Baltimore and the surrounding areas. We help families, schools, churches, businesses, and community organizations create memorable events by providing inflatables, water slides, obstacle courses, tents, tables, chairs, concessions, games, and other event essentials.
From the beginning, our goal has been simple: provide clean, well maintained equipment, dependable service, and an experience our customers can feel confident about, all at a fair and affordable price. We believe people shouldn’t have to choose between quality and value.
One thing I’m especially proud of is the reputation we’ve built in our community. Since we began tracking our Google reviews, we’ve earned more than 200 five star reviews. We never take that for granted because every review represents a family, school, church, business, or organization that trusted us to be part of one of their special moments.
To me, those reviews represent much more than a five star rating. They reflect the trust we’ve earned, the relationships we’ve built, and our commitment to consistently delivering the kind of service people can depend on. We know customers have a choice when planning their events, so every event is an opportunity to exceed expectations.
As we’ve continued to grow, we’ve expanded beyond event rentals and into the event space business with the opening of our flagship space The Dennis Room which also contains the Victoria Room (named after my parents), allowing us to offer even more ways to help people celebrate life’s special moments. At the end of the day, that’s what our business is really about, creating experiences and memories that last long after the event is over.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I’ve always believed luck favors people who are prepared. One of my favorite ideas is that when you put in the work, sharpen your skills, and consistently execute at a high level, what other people call luck starts showing up more often.
In my business, luck often comes in the form of opportunity. You never know who’s going to be at an event. It could be a family planning another celebration, a school administrator, a church leader, or someone organizing a large community event. I can’t control who’s in attendance, but I can control how prepared we are and how well we execute.
That’s why I believe in the saying, “If you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready.” I also live by the idea that proper preparation prevents poor performance. Every event is an opportunity to earn someone’s trust, and you never know where that trust will lead. Some of our biggest opportunities have come simply because we showed up, did what we said we were going to do, and delivered an experience people wanted to tell others about.
So has luck played a role in my journey? Absolutely. But I believe luck is often the result of preparation meeting opportunity. The opportunity may be out of your control. Being ready for it never is.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://partyandjumpinflatables.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/partyandjumpinflatables
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/partyandjumpinflatables
