Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Randall and Lekisha Fulwood. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Randall and Lekisha, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So, let’s start with trends – what are some of the largest or more impactful trends you are seeing in the industry?
The biggest trend in the photo booth industry has been the rise in popularity of digital photo booths. By far, our most popular product is the 360 Photo Booth. Although generally referred to as a “photo booth”, it actually produces a short, celebrity-quality video, complete with music, slomo, and other special effects. Guests stand in place on the platform, while a 360 camera revolves around them, giving the appearance on the final video that the guest is actually spinning. The video can be instantly shared to the guest via text, email, or by scanning a QR code. Another popular product is the selfie booth, such as our iPad Selfie Station. Instead of the printed photo strips of yesteryear that will surely fade or get damaged or lost, this product provides the guest with instant digital downloads of photos, animated gifs, boomerangs, and videos to save to their devices and/or upload to social media. This booth can used as a stationary item where the customers come to the booth, or as a “roamer” option, where we walk around the event and capture footage. On the event equipment rental side, we have seen an upsurge of “tent events”. This is largely due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Once people began to gather again, social distancing was important, as well as being in well-ventilated places; plus people just wanted to be outside! Venues, restaurants, corporations, and everyday citizens began to host events under large tents. We offer a variety of tents in different sizes to accommodate those occasions as well. We also rent tables, chairs, and linens to complete the package.
Randall and Lekisha, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Randall and Lekisha were married in 2018, when they were a little more “seasoned” in life. They decided early on that they would rather spend more time with each other and their children, versus the demanding schedules they had at their traditional jobs. They purchased their first 360 booth in late 2019, but before they could even book their first event, all gatherings came to a screeching halt in early 2020. During the hiatus, they took the time to learn everything there was to know about the equipment to perfect their craft. It wasn’t until March 2021 that they actually serviced their first event, a wedding.
“We knew it was important to make a great first impression, as it is a lasting impression. Word-of-mouth advertising and a solid reputation is paramount in every business. We went all out with our set-up; it included a red carpet, stanchions, custom props, live-stream monitor, backdrop…the works! We made sure to present the highest level of professionalism, not only visually with our set up and uniformed attendants, but behind-the-scenes by establishing our LLC of Picture This 360 Photos & Party Rentals, and by assuring we are fully licensed and insured. From that first wedding, we booked another wedding and a prom, and business began to grow very quickly. We now have multiple 360 Photo Booths and selfie stations, and we recently added the equipment rental components to our business, such as tents, tables, chairs, etc, and our known for our luxury set-up and excellent customer service. We bring functionality and fun to your event!”
Since that first wedding, they have now serviced hundreds of gatherings of all types and sizes, specializing in corporate events and galas. The largest event that they have serviced was the University of South Carolina’s freshman welcome at the Columbia campus, with more than 6000 attendees. They have become corporate sponsors for The Therapy Place, a therapeutic school for children with special needs, as well as for Homeless No More, which works to support homeless and at-risk families with their services.
“Every single event, no matter how big or small, is handled with the same level of professionalism across the across the board. After all, people have invited us into the most important occasions of their lives, and are entrusting us with their precious memories.”
How did you build your audience on social media?
The internet is a huge part of most people’s lives, so it is extremely important to build a strong online presence. When thinking of how to brand Picture This 360 Photos & Party Rentals online, we thought about what we do personally when looking for a business or service. First, we depend on Google for so much. We established a Google business account and populated it with words and phrases that will link to our business on a Google search. We make sure we keep info, photos, and videos up-to-date and engaging so our Google ranking stays high, as people are generally only going to contact the first 3 businesses on the list. We are sure to ask our clients to leave reviews to share their experience with us, as we look for reviews and testimonials when we are personally shopping around. It is also imperative to maintain an active presence on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and TikTok. People will visit your social sites before they visit your website. Posting regular content, tagging clients and businesses, and using relevant hashtags has helped us get our followership up on these platforms. It’s also important to study algorithms and trends to know when and what to post to get the most engagement. Lastly, we developed a comprehensive website that is visually appealing and informative. Having a website just legitimizes your business even more and further builds the trust factor. Additionally, all of our platforms are interlinked; for example if you find us on Google, you can click a link to get to our website. If you’re on our website, you can find a link to our FB page, and so on. For those of us that are not savvy in the science of social media, it can definitely be daunting and time-consuming at first, but it becomes much easier after you get the hang of it!
We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.
Randall says “Lekisha and I grew up in the same hometown of Sumter, SC, went to the same high school, and had many of the same friends. However we didn’t begin dating until my freshman year in college and her senior year in high school. After high school, she decided to enlist in the United States Air Force. Shortly after boot camp, she got stationed in California, while I was still in college at South Carolina State University. Naturally, being so young, the distance took a toll on our relationship and we eventually went our separate ways. That didn’t deter me: I told her, “One day, you are going to be my wife.” Fast forward 26 years: Lekisha has now retired from the military and I had graduated from Morris College (to which I had transferred shortly after she left) and had been in the workforce for many years. After her service, Lekisha decided to move to Columbia, SC, where I happened to be residing also. We reconnected after all of those years, and the rest is history! Those words that I spoke to her all those many years ago finally came to fruition, and we are now life-partners and business partners.”
Contact Info:
- Website: www.picturethis360photos.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/picturethis360photos/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PictureThis360PhotoBooths
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/picture-this-360-photos-and-party-rentals/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@picturethis1
- Yelp: https://biz.yelp.com/home/FfqMgvWQ8Ij6BxNnLMcrSg/
Image Credits
Picture This 360 Photos & Party Rentals