We were lucky to catch up with Kendal Paley recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kendal, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you share an important lesson you learned in a prior job that’s helped you in your career afterwards?

I think the best experiences I’ve had at past jobs are all related to the worst bosses I’ve had! Strange, I know. Those are the experiences that have taught me the most about the type of person I want to be. How I want to treat others. What values are important to me. How to lead with kindness and respect. I’ve learned so much of what I DON’T want to do/be from the horrible people I’ve worked with and for in the past.

Kendal, 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’m a mom, photographer and photo booth rental owner! My photo booth company is called Ad Astra Photo Booths and we offer an open air, modern photo booth service to our clients. Our typical clients are booking us for weddings, fundraisers, galas, etc. We’re all about fun, capturing silly memories of your guests, and celebrating our clients. I work hard to keep my processes as stress free as possible for my clients. We’re a fun addition to the event you’re planning – it shouldn’t be stressful to have us there!

We offer booths that have printed photos in 2×3 or 4×6 sizes and booths that provide a digital delivery of your photos via text immediately. I love being able to customize photo booth props, screens, and photo templates for our customers. It’s so fun to be able to hear about your event and the design and to be able to incorporate those things into your photo booth. I think my favorite events to do are weddings. The bride and groom are always so busy on their wedding day, it’s nice for them to be able to go back after the big day to see how much fun their guests were having at the party they planned for so long and invested so much into! It’s also a great favor to provide your guests. What woman out there doesn’t want a high-quality photo of themselves when they’re dressed up? I love the fact that we’re able to get photographic memories of people who are important to you, but might not be the main players, on your big day.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

I don’t currently manage a team, but in my past career this was a huge part of my job. I think it all comes down to treating people with kindness, being honest + real with people, and giving acknowledgement and recognition – frequently. Life is hard. Most people don’t get paid enough and are tasked with doing more than what they signed up for at their job. You have to be able to treat people with respect and be real with them. You have to acknowledge what others are dealing with and how that might be hard for them. You also have to set clear expectations, give folks the tools they need to be successful, and provide feedback regularly.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I don’t know that it pertains to my journey as a creative but it definitely pertains to my journey as a creative launching a business. The Small Business Development Center has been a massive resource to me. They have helped me with business planning, accounting, taxes, finding out about grants and loan opportunities and more. AND they have done it all for free. Seriously – if you run a small business in Kansas and haven’t reached out to them you’re missing a huge opportunity for help and support. It’s so helpful to be able to run things by someone else who has experience in small business and really validating to have someone say, “yes – you’re on the right track” or “no – you need to pivot”.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://adastraphotobooths.com
• Instagram: @adastraphotobooths

Image Credits

Headshot: Madi B. Photo
Others; Ad Astra Photo Booths