We were lucky to catch up with Matt Marshall recently and have shared our conversation below.

Matt, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you tell us about an important lesson you learned while working at a prior job?

In 2002 my wife and I purchased a restaurant. I went from being an employee to a business owner overnight, and it was literally a trial by fire (pun intended)! I truly believe to this day, that there’s no tougher business to operate and succeed in. Fortunately for us, my wife had worked at the restaurant for many years before we decided to purchase it, so we had a built-in clientele from day one. However, neither of us had ever owned a business, and we surely hadn’t been a boss to 15+ employees overnight, so needless to say it was steep learning curve.

After selling the restaurant in 2014, I went back to being an employee for another business owner, but never lost the urge to own a business of my own again (but definitely not another restaurant)! It was through a fellow co-worker (and now friend), at my new job that I discovered photography, and decided that this is what I wanted to make my business. So, in 2015 I once again became a business owner, and was able to make the jump to a full-time business owner in August of 2022.

Matt, 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?

I specialize in providing media for real estate agents you hire me when they have a listing (house) that they have been hired to sell. I provide photos, aerial photography, 3D tours, floor plans, a full marketing suite, and more. Most recently I’ve partnered with another local San Diego business (Stowe Home Design & Staging). This was an idea that bene floating around in my head for quite some time, I just needed to meet a fellow business owner that I trusted and admired.

My main focus in my day-to-day operations, is exceptional client service. I don’t claim to be the best photographer out there, there are plenty of excellent photographer who provide great work as well, but I’ve always believed that in addition to providing a great product, service is what can really make you stand out. Being a solo operator has its limitations when compared to some larger real estate media providers, but it also allows me to be extremely flexible and accommodating to my clients needs, which I believe outweighs most cons of being a small business.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

My story is likely a familiar one to most, if not all business owners. I’ve been in business for nine years now, and I still have trouble remember all of the long hours, late nights, and lack of sleep that it took to, first learn my craft, and then get out there and hustle to find clients who would give me the opportunity to show them what I offered. I can’t recall how many free jobs I did, early one just to be able to get inside a house (besides my own), and take photos. Note, that during this time I was also working a full time 40+ hour a week job for someone else, which allowed me to offer free shoots. I look back on those times now and it’s hard to imagine how I did it. It would have been extremely easy to quit and just stay at the job I was employed at, but I never wavered from my desire to be self-employed again.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

Fortunately, getting started in real estate photography doesn’t take a large sum of money and resources. Some may disagree with me, but after coming from owning a restaurant, the numbers seem minuscule to me, but it’s all a matter of perspective. I had enough money saved over time to fund the gear, insurance, website, etc. that was needed to get started.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mattmarshallphotography.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattmarshallphotography1/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mattphotosocal/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/