We recently connected with Jen Watkins and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Jen, thanks for joining us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.
A key aspect of being a small business is the unique ability to connect one-on-one with people through the initial point of contact, as well as through the product or service that is being purchased. As we continue to grow, it’s important for us to keep that small business hospitality. We want our clients to feel that not only did they receive the attention-to-detail from the beginning with regard to personalizing their photo booth experience, but also that the attendant for their event was warm, accommodating, and helpful to our clients’ guests. A bonus is that they get to leave an event not only feeling good about the overall experience, but also receiving a beautiful printed (and digital) takeaway that they can look back on to reflect on the memories from the event.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Nashville Smile Bar builds and distributes photo booths to people and brands both locally and throughout the United States. This isn’t an industry I had expected for myself, but I’m thankful for everything its brought my way over the last 9 years!
In 2012, I took a job in the hospitality industry, becoming the marketing director at a fast-growing restaurant group. My time there was truly eye-opening, quickly shaping my passion for the guest experience – a key component of Smile Bar.
In 2016, I saw the need for a more hospitality-focused photo booth company, which led to the creation of Nashville Smile Bar. My husband, Ryan, and I combined his skills (photography and woodworking) with mine (branding and customer service) leading us to step outside our comfort zone and do something that not only earns a living, but also, for lack of better words, makes people happy.
We always say “you can’t be unhappy in a photo booth,” and it really is true!
As someone who grew up in Nashville, I’ve had the privilege of watching its progression, as well as benefitting from its growth through Smile Bar.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
The quality of both our photo booths and the photos they take, as well as our team of friendly attendants.
Our booths are personally handcrafted by us, so no two booths are exactly the same. We love their vintage vibe and “southern charm”, which has been a hit among those wanting to capture more of a “Nashville” feel for their photo booth. A goal of ours was to have the photo booth fit beautifully within an event rather than be an eye-sore. They’re sleek and timeless.
My favorite part of getting to see people use the booth is hearing “oh my gosh, how do I look so good?!” It’s not that it makes people look better, but it highlights your best features! Our built-in umbrella lighting and DSLR camera produce super high-quality photos, and it really makes a whole world of difference.
But I have to give the most credit to our lovely team of attendants, who are an extension of our Smile Bar brand. They are the real MVPs!
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
In the beginning stage of our business, we spent less time on paid advertisements and more time on getting our booths directly in front of as many people as we could. Although we were selective about the types of brands and organizations we aligned ourselves with, we regularly sponsored events to increase our exposure. We also often donated a photo booth rental for auction items and giveaways for non-profit events. We still do believe in both of these initiatives today, but we now have the luxury of being a little more selective with those we do collaborate with.
Additionally, we’ve had the opportunity to partner with different venues and planners in the city whose preferred vendor lists we’re honored to be a part of. Many of those partnerships originated from us providing a complimentary photo booth rental to show them what we can do.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://nashvillesmilebar.com
- Instagram: @nashvillesmilebar
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/nashvillesmilebar
Image Credits
Jen headshot – Tausha Dickinson