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

Giovanni, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

The way I came up with the name of my company is a unique story. In my opinion, the naming of my company is a classic story of triumph out of tragedy. To begin, I must first tell you the name of my company. My company is called SiskoJoe Media LLC. My company’s journey began at the tail end of a tragedy. It was back in Nov. 2020 that I discovered that my father was in stage 4 lung cancer and was inoperable. We would talk often but most of our conversation was centered around the illness. I was obsessed with finding someone who could help. I knew he was an avid photographer…so I went to Target one day and bout a DSLR camera kit for $500. I figured we could talk about photography, and he could give me some pointers. That way we didn’t always have to talk about the cancer. A few weeks later he died, and I was left with a camera that I didn’t know how to use. I then made it my mission to learn how to use it and take great pictures as a way to honor him and feel closer to him after his passing. Fast forward to 2022…I have come to realize that I also have a gift for photography. My photos have garnered me enough attention to warrant creating an LLC to accommodate the business that I am getting on a regular basis. I knew immediately that I would name my company after my father’s email handle (SiskoJoe). That was how SiskoJoe Media was born. I now proudly do business knowing that my pop is in everything that I do!

Giovanni, 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?

My Name is Giovanni Joseph. I am a Haitian immigrant. I first came to the U.S. as a child…around the age of 6. I landed in the Burrough of Brooklyn in Flatbush. I grew up with my aunts and uncles in NY and would go back to Haiti to spend time with my parents on summer vacation. I graduated high school on Long Island N.Y. and eventually enlisted into the U.S. Air Force. I served for 20 years and retired in 2016 in Illinois. I migrated to St. Louis in 2017 and worked a few jobs until I decided to start my own company in 2022. I started with providing photography services for families as well as doing event photography for businesses. I have been the official IHeart Radio photographer for the annual Sista Strut cancer walk event for 2 years now. I have done concerts, parades, weddings, fundraisers and many more events. I love wildlife photography and I am very active on social media, posting new pictures almost every day. There are many photographers out there, but I feel that my specific brand is to bring out the emotion and humanity in everything that I photograph. I want people to look at my images and feel something every time. Up to this point, I am most proud of owing a business. I never imagined in a million years that I would start my own business. It is by far the scariest most exciting thing I have ever done.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I have had to pivot many times in my life. Transitioning from a 20-year military career back in 2016 was a huge challenge. The military does things a certain way and it took some time to adjust to a civilian lifestyle. After the military I immediately jumped into a job that was great as a means for me to transition from military to civilian life…but was ultimately unsatisfying and unfulfilling. It took great resolve and courage to walk off the ledge and step away from a guaranteed paycheck to pursue a dream of starting my own business. Now as a business owner, I am constantly learning and improving myself and my business. It is so gratifying to work hard as something and to know that ultimately you are responsible for your own failure or success. I wouldn’t have it any other way!

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the biggest lessons I had to unlearn was that security meant happiness. Starting my own business is one of the most radical things that I have ever done, but before I could ever get to this point, I had to first unlearn something that I had been told my whole life. That is that the sure thing is always the best thing. My military career allowed me to travel the world and have a lot of unique and memorable experiences. One of the best things it provided me with though was financial security. I knew that on the 1st and 15th of every month, I was getting a paycheck. When I was ready to retire after 20 yrs of service, I had a job lined up 3 months before my final day so that there would not be a gap in pay. Security was everything. Three years after retirement, I realized that job was not for me. I was tired of the cubicles and trips to the printers. I was bored of the team meetings and endless stacks of paper that greeted me every morning. I took a chance and walked away from a sure thing. I could have continued to cash those checks, collect my retirement and disability payments and lived more than comfortably well into my 60s. Instead, I took a chance on myself, and I haven’t looked back since.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.siskojoemedia.net/
• Instagram: https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Finvites%2Fcontact%2F%3Fi%3D148wnw3fpn7if%26utm_content%3Dlxfr2ak&data=05%7C01%7C%7C33497778d655478a633408daa56d290d%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638004185494784855%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=SkQ1fXI%2B2Pe9kV6HG9hJZ4JRwo0aujIAGo2h45k5NEs%3D&reserved=0
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamwhatithinkiam
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwQEoPkvVQsAvDh3_wMpcHg

Image Credits
Photos are my own. Credit to SiskoJoe Media