We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Olisa Obiefuna a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Olisa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?

I hope my legacy is that I always put my best foot forward and genuinely cared about the people I served. I want to be remembered as someone who consistently delivered an incredible experience—one where clients felt seen, valued, and celebrated. My goal has always been to put people first and trust that the business will follow.I also want my legacy to reflect accessibility. While many photo booth companies focus solely on the luxury space—which I love and proudly serve—I’ve always aimed to create a brand that’s approachable for more people. I want families, couples, and companies to have access to high-quality, beautifully captured memories without feeling priced out. At the end of the day, I hope my legacy is that I helped people capture beautiful, meaningful moments with their loved ones—and made that experience feel magical, yet attainable.

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?

I’m Olisa Obiefuna, a 31-year-old entrepreneur based in Charlotte, NC. I was born in Enugu State, Nigeria, and moved to the U.S. when I was 11. I’m married to my incredible wife, Nya, and we recently welcomed our baby boy, Arinze—who we call Ari.

I’m the owner of CLTphotoboothMagik, where we provide luxury photo booth experiences—selfie booths, 360 booths, flower and grass walls—for weddings, birthdays, corporate events, and everything in between. What makes us different is our focus on delivering top-tier service and beautiful experiences at an accessible price point

I’ve always had an interest in business—it just felt natural to me. Growing up in Saugus a small town outside Boston, I started shoveling snow for elderly neighbors. I’d knock on their doors, offer to clear their steps and driveways, and they’d usually pay me $30–$40. Sure, I loved making money, but what stuck with me was the feeling I got from helping people who really needed it. Eventually, word spread, and I had a mini business going every winter—and lawn care in the summer (raking leaves in the fall, not my favorite 😅). That experience taught me that doing good work at a fair price goes a long way, and that people-first mindset is still the heart of my business today.

The idea for CLTphotoboothMagik came after I experienced a photo booth at a friend’s wedding in 2018. I thought it was such a cool concept, but I didn’t act on it right away. Fast forward to 2021—my wife and I were planning our wedding and ended up hiring a booth last minute. The experience was… okay. There weren’t many options for personalization, they charged extra for props, and the attendant didn’t really interact with guests. Still, for the few people who used it—especially my family—it created some amazing memories. That was the first time in years we’d all taken a photo together, and it felt special. I knew I wanted to give that same feeling to other people. That was the spark.

I told my best friend and former college roommate, Brian (a photographer and videographer) about the idea, and he immediately said, “Let’s do it.” He helped me pick out the best equipment and even lent me some of his own gear to get started. With his background in photography and marketing, he helped us set a strong foundation. He’s been in the trenches with me since day 1 . That support made all the difference.

What I’m most proud of now is the 100+ five-star reviews we’ve earned across platforms like Google and The Knot, and the community we’ve built around CLTphotopoothMagik.They remind us that what we’re doing matters, and that our clients truly value the experience we bring to their events. We have the privilege of showing up for some of the most important moments in people’s lives and helping them capture those memories in a way that’s fun, authentic, and lasting.There’s something really special about giving people the ability to relive those moments over and over again, and to see the faces of their favorite people. That’s what keeps us going, and that’s what we’re most proud of.

Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?

One of my favorite early wins was when our fourth-ever paid event ended up being with the Hallmark Channel. I had just started CLTphotoboothMagik, and up to that point, we had mostly done free events for friends and family just to get some experience and content. So when I got a call from someone saying they were with Hallmark and needed a photo booth for their Countdown to Christmas event—for two full days—I honestly thought it was a prank. I held it together on the call, but the moment I hung up, I sprinted to my wife to tell her the news. I was in total shock.That was the moment I realized this “little” business could actually turn into something real. Looking back, it felt like luck—but we’d laid the groundwork. We treated every free event like a paid one, we captured professional content, we asked for reviews and made sure our website looked legit. That booking showed me that we were on to something, and that putting in the work behind the scenes is what creates those “lucky” breaks

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I think what really helped build our reputation is our people-first approach and our commitment to affordability without cutting corners. Most of our clients come from referrals—either from past customers or vendors—and I believe that’s because we consistently over-deliver on the experience.

While other companies charge extra for every little thing, we try to include as much as possible in our standard package. Right now, our only paid add-ons are our flower walls, but every selfie booth rental comes with 15 backdrop options, customized overlay graphics to match your event theme, event-specific props, and early setup at no extra cost.

Our team also goes above and beyond during events—our attendants make sure everyone gets a photo, even if it takes a little encouragement, we’re known for hyping up our guests when they are taking their photos or videos, we genuinely want guests to have fun, and we know that energy makes a diffrence. All of this—quality service, attention to detail, and fair pricing—has helped us grow into a trusted and reliable brand in the Charlotte event space.

Contact Info:

• Website: Cltphotoboothmagik.com
• Instagram: @cltphotoboothmagik
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@cltphotoboothmagik?si=W5g6o7XTv1Ubamib

Image Credits
Brian Anesu Instagram: @Sue_fotoz