My husband is a professional Santa Claus. Or, he is now. For the past five years he donated his time, but now that we've moved to a new area and decided to really go pro he had his first paying gig last weekend. His next paying gig is a company Christmas party this weekend. Additional ones are rolling in, even though we aren't really advertising, so I think moving forward his seasons will be pretty full, just based on word of mouth.
So far we have already invested $1000s of dollars. Some of the costs:
-Professional Santa school
-Background check
-Professional suit
-Beard maintenance (he's a real-bearded Santa, which can command a higher price, but takes a lot of work year round)
-Makeup (he has more makeup than I do.... if Santa isn't wearing makeup he's doing it wrong!)
-Backdrop and props
-Candy canes etc. etc.
I would LOVE to get him a custom made suit for next year, but they are pricey.
My justifications...
-It would solidify his image to help him stand out from the crowd
-Anything that makes him seem more "real" is a huge selling point
But...
Should I wait until the sunk costs are already covered before investing more?
Now that I type that, I'm pretty sure I know the answer, but would still appreciate feedback.
Attached picture is him last weekend so you can get an idea of his current suit.