Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Gina Palmeri. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Gina, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Talk to us about building your team? What was it like? What were some of the key challenges and what was your process like?

From the beginning it was just me running every aspect of my business. When you’re starting out and don’t have a lot of capital, you have to be every department and run everything. That can be especially difficult when you have to figure out how to do things you never learned, or don’t really like doing. You have to figure out the business set up side of things like becoming an LLC or doing taxes. You also have to learn marketing, customer service, advertising, etc. because you don’t have the means in a lot of ways to hire a team yet. When I hired my first assistant, it was really hard for me to let go of the control. I was so used to doing things on my own and I had a hard time trusting someone else with my business. I knew I could probably do it easier and faster, but I had to realize that having someone to help was the only way to grow…I only had so much capacity. When I met my business partner Christy, big things really started to happen. She helped me so much because we could delegate to each other and focus on our specific strengths. In the past year alone we’ve hired about 8 team members which has been a game changer for us. Now, we can focus on growth instead of the day to day tasks. For hiring, we focus on finding people that we can really vibe with our company culture. That includes finding people who truly care about the impact we’re making and who can roll with the craziness that the job entails. The interview process for us for photographer hosts is a little different because it includes looking at their portfolio of work and also seeing if they have the skillset to not just be a photographer but also a great tour guide. Our team members have to have a lot of different strengths, so it takes a special person to do the role.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a Nashville business owner and photographer. I co-own Photowalk Your Travel, which is a unique tour company offering ‘photowalk’ experiences. My family has always been in the tour business and I started my career managing tours on luxury river cruises. I moved to Nashville and also started a photography business where I was mostly focused on weddings and seniors. I realized that I could marry my two interests by offering ‘Photowalk Experiences’ taking guests on a tour and photoshoot to have photos of their trip for Instagram. I solved the problem of only having selfies from your vacation. I met my business partner Christy Hunter shortly after starting my business and she was doing something similar in another neighborhood. From there, we started helping each other out and decided in 2022 to officially partner to create our company Photowalk Your Travel. Below that we have the brands Photowalk Nashville, Nash Bash Experiences and now Photowalk Scottsdale.

We are so proud that we’ve been able to host thousands of guests from all around the world with hundreds and hundreds of 5 star reviews. The best compliment we receive is when our guests say our experience was the highlight of their trip. That is what we strive for- to make our guests feel confident in front of the camera and capturing their memories.

We have an incredible team of professional photographers who truly love connecting with our guests and creating the best experience possible. We bring the party, provide posing direction, and tell you where to eat and what to do when you’re in town. It’s a tour and photoshoot in one!

We offer experiences for everyone. Although one of our most popular experiences is for bachelorette parties, we also love hosting couples, families, and corporate groups too. We have something for everyone to make and capture your memories of your trip. You can find us @photowalknashville @nashbashexperiences @photowalkscottsdale @ginacophotography

How’d you meet your business partner?

My business partner, Christy Hunter, and I met through an Airbnb Experience event in early 2020. We were both doing very similar Photowalk experiences at the time, just in different neighborhoods. We both were getting busy enough to need some help and realized that it was better to help each other- talk about community over competition! Soon enough we realized we each had strengths to compliment each other and started working very closely together daily. We decided to officially partner up and created our new company together, Photowalk Your Travel in the beginning of 2022. I couldn’t imagine having a better partner – we have grown so much and I could have never made it this far without her!

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

One thing that has been integral to our business is doing mindset work. It can sound a little ‘woo woo’, but the truth is no management book or strategy will work unless your mindset is right.

This means setting goals and then making your mindset match to the level you’re trying to get to. Mindset work can also help overcome imposter syndrome and boost your confidence. I recommend either the Boss Babe Societe or the Female Entrepreneurship Association who both have mindset courses that have been incredibly helpful for me. Anything is possible and believing that will help you succeed in business.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.photowalkyourtravel.com
• Instagram: @photowalknashville @nashbashexperiences @photowalkscottsdale @ginacophotography
• Facebook: @photowalknashville @photowalkscottsdale @ginacophotography

Image Credits
@photowalknashville @christytheconnector