We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Madison Lindsey. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Madison below.

Madison, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Along with taking care of clients, taking care of our team is one of the most important things we can do as leaders. Looking back on your journey, did you have a boss that was really great? Maybe you can tell us about that boss and what made them a wonderful person to work for?

After being let go time after time from start-up companies and freelance opportunities, I decided to step away from the broadcast television route and take a step into marketing – which is how I ended up as the Marketing Coordinator for a home inspection company, working in a tiny closet shared with two other employees. My boss, Michael, started his inspection company on his own a few years ago, and was ready growth. Michael gave me the most unique opportunity that no one else starting in their careers were doing – essentially helping grow a company and oversee ALL aspects of the business from the ground floor.

What made Michael a great boss was that he was incredibly self-aware of his strengths, weaknesses, and how to inspire his employees. He was one of the first to create a strong work/life balance as well as instill employees with a sense of ownership in the company. He gave an immense amount of trust in the work we provided, and encouraged everyone along the way it’s ok to make mistakes, and how we can learn from them moving forward. In my time with his company, I was able to help Michael amplify profits, grow our team of 5 employees to 25, launch 3 other companies from scratch in which I created the branding, logos, marketing materials, websites, and more. I saw the sacrifices my boss had to make as an entrepreneur, but I also saw the rewards! The amount of responsibility and opportunities my boss gave me, his one on one coaching sessions, and our candid brainstorming sessions is what really gave me the confidence and experience to officially start my photo booth business.

Madison, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I was at a wedding expo, planning my own wedding when one of the vendors I saw had built a photo booth inside an old VW bus. I had never seen something so retro and cool, but totally repurposed as a fun experience for wedding guests! My wheels started turning as soon as I saw that photo bus. I couldn’t stop thinking about it! To me, it was the perfect combination of photography and marketing, my two passions combined into one. I also wanted a job that made others happy, and people enjoy creating memories and photos with friends and family to commemorate the fun event they’re celebrating!

While I don’t have the vintage bus, (yet!) I now have two modern photo booths that provide instant digital captures including photos, GIFs, and boomerangs! Our company Blue Jae Booth is the modern twist on that retro photo booth experience! Printed photo booth strips, while nostalgic, often get tossed in a junk drawer or left behind discarded at the event. Everyone consumes digital content online, which is exactly how you should receive your photo booth captures! What sets us apart from our competitors is our key attention to details. With our professional graphic design experience, we create unique and custom photo templates that match down to the detail of the flowers in your wedding bouquets, or the font and colors that make up your company’s logo. From our experience in television, we know how important lighting is to create crisp, well-lit photos in dark venue spaces. Most importantly, our staff is friendly and personable, making the guests feel comfortable and relaxed when taking silly photos with their friends and family.

As a business owner, nothing makes me happier than seeing reviews or getting emails from clients saying “my guests can’t stop talking about how much fun the photo booth was at my event!” That’s how I know we provided the best possible overall experience for both the client and their guests as our photo booth played a small part in making their event a huge success for them!

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

I remember when I first started my business – we had done maybe 2 wedding events at this point, when a really well-known, expensive restaurant with a huge following reached out to us inquiring about the biggest job we’ve done to this day! A 3 day photo booth installation at their restaurant celebrating Valentine’s weekend with their new special menu. On the call I was so nervous, knowing fully this was an event we’d never done, didn’t know what to expect, and was obviously worried about them laughing at our pricing – we were a new business with little experience after all! I met with the owner and listened to their needs, reflected on how we could provide solutions, and went for the pitch. Even though I had never worked a corporate client before, I knew exactly how my business and services would serve that client and meet their goal of brand awareness, more Google Reviews for them, and create an overall memorable experience for their guests – and that’s exactly what I told him. By being honest with him about myself and our company created a strong relationship from the beginning, and I feel that served me well as he paid exactly what I asked and I delivered on the promises I made him! While the odds were stacked against me as a brand new business, I knew our worth, I valued honesty, and built a relationship with a client who I work with regularly!

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

“Company of One” by Paul Jarvis is a book I recommend everyone read who is starting out in business! The narrative pushed by so many entrepreneurs is that you must make as much money as you can, work your butt off to achieve your goals, and growth indicates success – this book disproves all those notions! The company of one mindset teaches entrepreneurs all about building the life you’ve always dreamed about, and not the company you won’t stop working for. A big lesson I learned from this was “more is not always the solution.” More money, more resources, more equipment, more people can drown you – it’s best to work with the resources you currently have and work on maximizing those before reaching the level of growth you need to live your life the way you want. I have taken away so much of that book’s philosophies that have kept me from scaling too big too quickly and maximizing my profits while minimizing my time spent.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bluejaebooth.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/bluejaebooth
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/bluejaebooth
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/madisonjaelindsey