Photo booths have changed and looks like they now have a bigger and better feel to them. This time they are more sophisticated than the old snap shot ones for just your passport pictures. photo booths can now be found at many events: weddings, birthday parties, charities, corporate events and frankly any event can fit a photo booth. People love photos and there is an event happening at every hour of the day. This makes photo booths a very good start-up business with potential average revenue of between £40 - £100k. The returns can be good but like every business, it is a competitive market and customers will not come running to you.
Consider these 5 things which are vital and that I found out after starting my photo booth business over 2 years ago.
1. Getting Started
As I always say, every idea is a good idea but what is important is the person championing the idea. You have to know that the success of your photo booth business depends on you. Some are happy with two events a week (Saturday, Sunday), others will want three and so on. What I am trying to say is that, you will get how much you put in. It is true there are at least 10 - 20 Weddings near you each weekend, there are several parties, there are awards ceremonies, corporate/charity events, college/university open days, product launches and much more. The possibilities are limitless but you need to know that bookings and events will not come crawling to you.
2. Get the Right Booth
Starting a photo booth business is not cheap. Don't get me wrong there are some really cheap booths out there but what is the longevity of your business? I recommend personally visiting the warehouses or production unit of the company selling the booth if possible. See at least two so that you can compare. If not then do your research as some booths have been known to break after 10 events. That means disappointed customers. Most events as it gets to the late evenings will have a few drunk guests so you will need a booth that is sturdy and can stand any bumps. Again the booth should be easy to set up and pack up. Try and go for one that can be flat packed and can easily fit into your current car and there are booths like that.
3. Getting Customers
This is the tricky bit. Frankly, this third point could have easily been the first. It is amazing how many people start a business, spend thousands on adverts and websites but fail to find out their customer demographics. After getting a working website, business cards and some flyers together, the number one way to get customers is word-of-mouth. Someone you know knows someone having an event. Social media is also powerful as it allows targeting either those celebrating birthdays or engaged to be married. Call wedding planners and hotel venues, register with wedding package websites, business directories, local newspapers and anywhere you can think about. Secret to success in this business is to be in the face of your customers. Register for fairs, seminars, entrepreneurial groups and tell everyone who wants to listen. It will be slow at the start, you will get some rejection but you need a tough skin as an entrepreneur and very soon bookings will flow in.
4. Pricing and Running Costs
Don't price your service lower than it should be for fear of not getting customers. Reason being, you will risk running a business that is "marking-time". Your customers will consider price but most importantly the value you will give them that they can't get from anywhere else. You should factor into your turnover, buying or hiring a car (if you don't already have one), fuel cost, ink and paper replacement cost, extra accessories, props, public liability insurance (yes you definitely need one), staff cost (if you employ someone for an event), insurance, advertising, wedding fairs cost, networking costs just to name a few. You need money to make money and there would be these and more costs that you should plan for.
5. Provide a Great Service
Your customers and their events should be your pride. Right from when they contact you through the event day to the day after the event, you should make them feel you were the best company for their event. The events you will be covering will be very important to the one organising it. This can be their special wedding day, 18th, 30th, 50th birthday parties. Make sure you respond quickly to enquiries, on the day, arrive one time, make sure your camera is set right for great pictures and give the guests full attention (strictly no phones). Go the extra mile, it can be as simple as a wedding or birthday card or a free gift. You will get referral business this way.
These are the basics in running any business and for that matter a photo booth business. It can be a really profitable business if you are willing to put in the time and effort. Good luck and leave me some feedback or if you think I left something important out please let me know.