We recently connected with Amanda Maria Delgado Gonzales and have shared our conversation below.
Amanda Maria, appreciate you joining us today. Getting that first client is always an exciting milestone. Can you talk to us about how you got your first customer who wasn’t a friend, family, or acquaintance?
I remember getting my first wedding client! I had never taken photos for a wedding, but I had a friend refer me to their family for a wedding. I was thankful my clients were easy to work with! It turned out really great!
Amanda Maria, 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?
I bought my very first camera from a rent-a-center in 2015. I started modeling in my hometown and loved the way I felt after my photoshoot! I wanted to bring this feeling to other people, but how? I put out an ad for a photographer and planned dates with themes for our group shoots! Our first session was booked and the theme was cowgirls! The day came and our photographer backed out! I was upset and had to find a new photographer the same day! We made it and the photos came out wonderful! It was a great time taking pictures and spending time with these seven women! We continued to take photos as a group and build each other’s confidence! One session didn’t go as planned and I was disappointed at what the photographer said and did. I decided that I wanted to make others feel confident and empower them through photos instead what this previous photographer did. I wanted to make people feel beautiful. I drove an hour away and made it to a pawn shop! They had so many cameras and I was overwhelmed! I found a DSLR camera with two lenses for a great deal! I was so excited! I went from a cheaper point-and-shoot camera to a DSLR camera! I had to learn how this worked! My husband and I are a team he started researching how to use our new camera. We asked our friends and family to let us practice our services on them for free! Slowly we started getting better and better at our craft! We decided to apply for an LLC and business license. Slowly we started to take off! Getting job after job and gig after gig! We bought two mirrorless cameras, flashes and so much more! We recently added a 360 video booth to our services! We went from playing around with cameras to owning a full LLC! Being apart of my client’s special day is so meaningful! We are truly thankful for everything!
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
Finding the money to start a business is a little hard! We did everything possible to start a business without a loan! I sold two of my cars, and started driving Uber Eats with a car, a friend gifted to us! There were days when I would work for free and make no money! But I made a connection with a new client for the future! Every dollar I make has a purpose and place in our business. We have to be smart about saving for our taxes, supplies, inventory, and more!
Have you ever had to pivot?
We started our business with Decals for T-shirts, cars, and more. We had our biggest sale with over two hundred shirts and items! We spent a full year focusing on the decals, and put photography on the back end! We had to pull the cover over our faces and realize we couldn’t focus on a part of our business that wasn’t making money! The amount of work to create, print, and press items were very time consuming! We put a lot of money into our equipment, but we knew it wasn’t making the money we wanted to see! We decided to stop offering these services and offer them to our photobooth for custom backdrops!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://landofphotograhy.zenfoliosite.com/
- Instagram: land of decals and photography LLC
Image Credits
land of decals and photography LLC
Amanda Maria D. Gonzales