We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shaysa Lewis. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shaysa below.

Shaysa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Going back to the beginning – how did you come up with the idea in the first place?

During the COVID-19 pandemic when I spent so much time sitting at home, I had a lot of time to reflect on the past 3-4 years of my life. Those years consisted of so many different life changes for me… graduating college, losing a brother to suicide, starting graduate school, dropping out of graduate school, and starting back over to still graduation on time with my master’s degree, trying to keep up with life, moving back home to be closer to my family, and the pandemic happening shortly after. Whew, that was a lot!

During the pandemic years, I continued working my job as a College Recruiter, but many of my thoughts at the time consisted of figuring out if I was happy doing that, what I wanted next, and since there was no promise to what the future would be like when it came to jobs, what I could do for myself to make sure I set myself up, but making sure I was very happy doing it.

I knew a photobooth business would be a worthwhile endeavor because of the love I have for creating memories and making sure clients would have a great time making memories with their family & friends as well. Everywhere I go, especially if I am meeting up with friends or family that I haven’t seen in a while, I am always the one making sure we get a picture before we leave. That is something I grew up with. My mom literally has so many pictures of any and everything all saved in plastic containers to make sure memories are preserved overtime because ultimately, those are the best things you can use to reflect on some of the best times of your life.

Losing a sibling was harder than I could have ever imagined but having all of our pictures and videos throughout our life bring nothing but great joy to refer back to! That is a big reason as to why I do what I do, and I want to help create those memories for other families as well!

Shaysa, 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?

My name is Shaysa Lewis and I am a daughter, sister, friend, and mom of 3 fur babies! I am a Human Resources Professional and a Creative who values the genuine connections that are created through each of my events with clients and their loved ones. While doing so, I love inspiring others to be their best selves and live their most authentic lives.

I got into the photo booth industry based on my passion for having a great time and preserving memories that last a lifetime. Laughs & Lenses offers a Mirror Photo Booth which is an interactive, ​full-length mirror that ​combines stunning visuals with ​touch-screen technology, along with printed pictures. We also offer a touch screen Selfie Photo Booth that allows you & your guests to take pictures, videos, gifs, and boomerangs. This option comes with instant sharing options and an online gallery of all captures taken at your event.

We are our own worst critics, so at every event, there’s always a couple of people who say they don’t want their pictures taken because of “enter any excuse here”, so my team and I are there to reassure you that you are BEAUTIFUL and look amazing just as you are! We want you to have fun with your friends & family and not worry about anything else. Grab a prop, strike your pose, and we’ll handle the rest! My love for fun times, happiness, and making sure every person at every event gets a picture, is what sets us apart from others. We don’t just stand at the photobooth waiting for you to come see us because at some point, we’re probably walking around the room to make sure you are creating memories with each other.

I am most proud of seeing all of the planning and stressing behind my initial plans actually coming to fruition better than I could have imagined! I want potential clients to know that you are in great hands with the Laughs & Lenses team, and we make sure you are satisfied before and after your event. I do typically create all designs for the pictures, so I value your input on your vision of how you may want everything to look. For those who leave the creativity to me, I value that as well! Just tell me the words you want, and I create the rest. Many of our clients appreciate the easy process of booking, the effective communication, and great customer service we provide as well.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Resources that I wish I knew sooner in my creative journey was the access to small grants and funding for small business owners starting out. It is something I started hearing and learning about after I fully funded my business with my own savings that could have helped me with other business expenses down the line. I wish I would have taken a little more time in looking for other business owners in my area to give me feedback on the pros and cons of starting their businesses and asking what resources they wish they would have known about as well. I believe this type of communication and collaboration not only benefits the business owners, but the community as well who are getting to receive these services being provided.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

I love reading books! There are two books that I’ve read that I believe significantly impacts my management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy and those are Atomic Habits by James Clear and The Mountain is You by Brianna West. As an overthinker, both of these books remind me that everything I want for myself can happen just how I imagine it, but it won’t happen just by talking about it. The plans you set in place and the discipline it takes to be consistent on a daily basis is what it takes to get there. These books remind me that I already possess the traits to accomplish my goals, I just need to stay focused on the goals and not to self-sabotage all of the hard work that has already been completed in order to continue accomplishing my goals in the future.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://laughsandlenses.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_laughsandlenses/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Laughs-Lenses/100070056968813/