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What It's About
A couple starts a photo booth hustle to create memories and cash.
Business Model
Service
Skills Required
Research & Resourcefulness
Complexity
Medium
Profit Potential
Medium
Words of Wisdom
If you're thinking that this photo booth side hustle sounds "picture perfect" and you'd like to learn how to start something similar, Chris recommends researching the photo booth market in your area to start. Check to see if there are other companies offering this service, and see if there are ways that you could enter the market with a unique or better offering.
Fun Fact
Paramount Photo Booths are elegant and will look the part at most luxurious events, which means that Chris and his wife have done weddings at private estates. They have also worked a few gigs for celebrities who live in the area but said they won’t "kiss and tell."
Notes from Chris
Episode 426
Today’s story comes from Chris Politylo from New York. By day, he’s an investigator for the state government as well as an assistant pastor. His side hustle is Paramount Photo Booths, a photo booth rental company he runs with his wife. They got the idea after attending a wedding with a photo booth and being unimpressed with the quality of both the booth and the photos. They thought there was an opportunity to provide something better. But they also wanted to make sure they weren’t just diving headfirst into a business they knew nothing about. So before dropping thousands of dollars on equipment, Chris spent a few months researching one that met his criteria. Before starting the business, Chris researched the market and saw that there was another photo booth rental company in his city, which showed him that there was demand in the area. He also saw that the photo booth companies in the area he was looking to serve weren’t using Adwords, and many weren’t listed in Google local or showing up in organic results. Some of the websites he saw looked outdated or unprofessional. This was another reason to start the project: they figured they could easily beat the competition in that area. They now rent photo booths to clients having all kinds of different events, mostly on the weekends. They provide not just the booth, but also fun props and a friendly attendant. They do a lot of weddings, but also Sweet 16s, proms, bar and bat mitzvahs, class reunions, fundraisers, holiday parties, school events, and corporate events. Good news if you’re interested in doing this: while they spent $8,000 in startup costs, Chris says that prices have come down significantly and that people could get started now for around $3,000. More good news: Paramount Photo Booths was profitable right away. They made about $11,5000 in net profit in 2014, which rose to $18,000 in 2015 and $21,000 in 2016 and 2017. Since every event they bring the photo booth to is a celebration, everyone is usually really happy. It creates a great working environment. And for Chris and his family, it was love at first click.MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
- Paramount Photo Booths: Looking to make some memories? Take a picture—it will last longer! Learn more about Chris and his wife's side hustle over on their website
- PhotoBoothTraining.com: If you'd like to start up a photo booth rental side hustle yourself, Chris has a lot of great info readily available on this website
- Squarespace: The website building platform that Chris and his wife used to create their website for Paramount Booths
- “Cosplay” Photographer Earns $47,000 from Epic Star Wars Portraits: After saving money on their wedding, a couple gets paid to help others plan theirs—focusing on the social media trend of geofilters
- Vintage Pinup Photography Turns Graphic Designer Into High-Earner: A love of 1920s-style photography allows a Texas woman to leave her day job and bring in multiple six-figures with classic “recreations” of a faraway time
- The Craigslist Wedding Photographer: A California government employee becomes a part-time wedding photographer by posting an ad on Craigslist
Quote of the Day
"Reviewing the photos after an event can definitely be interesting! Alcohol is served at many events we work so that becomes a factor. Some guests become very uninhibited and want to show off some skin or perhaps kiss a friend that they usually wouldn't."
—Chris Politylo #SideHustleSchool
