Hi fellow Females of Filadelphia readers 🌻 Hope everyone is staying safe and practicing self-care. I am so happy about today’s story spotlight: Laura Walker! She is the definition of not letting anything get in the way of what you want. During this interview she spoke about her journey to becoming an entrepreneur: learning SEO, connecting with the right team, investing in your dreams and so much more. Before I give too much away, let’s start the interview…
V: To start things off, describe yourself in a couple of sentences to the audience.
L: I would think that I’m a hardworking, passionate entrepreneur. I don’t have everything figured out, but I know whatever comes isn’t going to be boring. I’m always excited to try and experiment. As long as I’m passionate about something, I will put a lot of time and energy into it.
V: What were you doing before you started Philly Snap Booth (PSB)?
L: So I came here with a fiancée visa, which means I wasn’t able to work, so I was babysitting and saving money to buy equipment. During the week, I was taking care of kids and teaching Spanish online, and preparing the website on the side. Then I quit that job and started my business full-time.
V: I also saw that you have a photography page, is that just another side hustle or was that something you got interested in after starting Philly Snap Booth?
L: I was a photographer before Philly Snap Booth and I was shooting weddings and doing family photoshoots. Because I was babysitting, I had a lot of connections so I was doing family portraits and baby sessions. My dad is a wedding photographer and I studied some photography, so it was definitely something I wanted to try.
V: Oh wow so you studied photography in Colombia?
L: I majored in what you would probably call Broadcasting and Advertisement, but I had a concentration in Photography.
V: Oh okay- that makes sense why your path has looked the way it does. Going into your business, what was the first step to launching Philly Snap Booth?
L: Since my family has always been entrepreneurial and they own their own company, I grew up with that business environment. And I knew the ins and outs of events and weddings. I started out by making the website and then putting my company name in different wedding platforms such as Wedding Wire. That was my first investment and I had to pay some money upfront. My dad was also a really good mentor for me since he knew a lot about photography and starting a business. He actually came to the US and built my first photo booth. However, because the photo booth was so heavy I had my friends help me carry everything to events.
Instagram also helped me a lot because a lot of clients were able to find me through there. I also started to work really hard on my website, perfecting SEO. I was able to make it to the first page on Google; if you type “Philadelphia photo booth rental” my company, PSB, will be on the first page which of course helped me a lot.
In 2017, I had 12 events, then I had 60 events in 2018 and last year we did about 183 events. That growth was an interesting process because I changed the photo booth style. My husband built what we call the vintage booth which is a bit more practical and unique. And I also bought two photo booths that only need one person to manage it.
I was also reaching out to students that are passionate and good with technology to help me with all of those events. They were also recommending more people interested in working in the event industry. With their help, I was able to grow Philly Snap Booth, allowing me to cover multiple events a day. Having the right team is essential to the success of any business.
V: How have you been able to keep Philly Snap Booth going during this pandemic, especially since it is so events focused?
L: Yeah Covid-19 definitely wasn’t something anyone expected. Being from the event industry, Covid has definitely affected everyone involved. I’ve had to postpone about 80 events for next year. This year was supposed to be one of the best years. But I’m still taking bookings for 2021, working on my email campaigns and offering other services. One of those services is having selfie stands that work with no attendant and people can rent them for up to eight (8) hours, these machines are great and help with social distancing.
I’m also launching some handmade scrapbooks because a lot of my clients want albums when they book our photo booths, but now I can sell them independently from the photo booth. Additionally, I had moved to a studio last year and then in January, I moved to a bigger studio, but after Covid I had to break the lease and work from home. Those decisions need to be taken to reduce unnecessary expenses. I have my hopes up that next year I will be able to move back to the studio.
V: That sounds really hard and I can only imagine all the struggles all entrepreneurs are going through during this time. If anyone reading this has the option to, I highly recommend helping out small businesses. My last question is: what would you tell your 20 year old self?
L: I would tell her to not be afraid. Do as much as you can. All the energy you put into something, will come back to you. If you decide until next year to do something, that whole year will have been wasted. I’m 29, and I think back to when I was 20. I had just moved to the US and thought I would never learn English. But I learned English.
I would also tell her to go for it and to stop underestimating herself. When you’re 20, you feel embarrassed to charge a certain amount because you don’t know what your value is and you’re new to the industry. Every day do something. Build your portfolio. Take pictures. Do an interview. Do something. The more you do, the more you’ll grow.
V: I really love that advice Laura, and I think it’s so true. We often waste time by thinking of what we should be doing instead of actually doing it. If you are unsure about whether you should take a certain step in life, this is your sign that you should take the risk. Thank you so much Laura for your incredible story and great advice- I know I was inspired and I hope all the readers were too (and thank you for being so patient with me during this process).
If you liked Laura’s story and want to read more like it, make sure to follow our Instagram and Facebook to stay updated on new stories coming out! Stay safe 💛 XOXO, V