We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Miguel Jacquez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Miguel , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Taking care of customers isn’t just good business – it is often one of the main reasons folks went into business in the first place. So, we’d love to get a conversation going around how to best help clients feel appreciated – maybe you can share something you’ve done or seen someone do that’s been really effective at helping a customer feel valued?
I like to have an “Appreciation Session” that I do for no cost to the consumer. I talk to my previous consumers and have them nominate individuals for a free photo session. I have a setup criteria as this free session is a way for me to give back to the community for someone deserving. The following are my Criteria: I only do one per year, The Free Session must go to a graduating High School or College Graduate, Come from an indigent family, and they must also tell me their story.
This year I selected an amazing girl that is a DACA recipient. She graduated Valedictorian from her High School. She is an undocumented individual that earned a full-ride scholarship to Duke University.
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
My Name is Miguel Jacquez and I am a photographer. I love to shoot Portrait photos and have conversations with my consumers. My Brand is Mi Estylo, which means My Style. IT’s a combination of the spelling from the Spanish and English lanuage.
I have a full-time job working in the Health care industry but a few years ago I was struggling to make ends meet. and growing up I had always found comfort in taking photos. Some people probably even thought I was annoying since I always had a camera in my hands. However, now those people are always asking me about photos back in the day. ja ja ja. so I guess not so annoying anymore. Then I took a few classes in college to help satisfy some of my fine arts credits needed to graduate. I took a break from photography for a while and continued with it as a hobby on and off throughout the years but then back in 2017 I Was struggling financially to make my student loan payments, so I knew I needed to do something. That’s how I started Mi Estylo and moved forward with Photography. That has helped me alleviate some of my financial obligations. That Darn Student loan. ja ja ja
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect for me is being able to connect with people by having great conversations and getting to know each other as you would meeting new friends. and I believe that as a creative, it’s always about how you make a person feel that keeps them connected to you as a business person, as a Social Media content creator, as a photographer, and as new friends.
oh and the obvious rewarding part is watching that Student loan balance dropdown. oh, Lordt!
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
Photography equipment and supplies are expensive. and at the time I was working on building my credit score. and when I was falling behind on my financial obligations (My Student Loan). I had to get creative on how to get myself a decent camera to help start off my photography side hustle. Luckily for me, I figured it out. I applied to gain credit with a company called Fingerhut. They sell merchandise and then you can pay them back in payments. When I got approved I ordered myself a Nikon 3400. Not the camera I wanted but it ended up being one of the best cameras I have ever had. I was able to pay back my Fingerhut account in payments at the same time this account helped boost my credit score.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @MiEstyloPhotography
- Facebook: @MiEstyloPhotography
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/Xicano1987
Image Credits
Miguel Jacquez