We were lucky to catch up with Zackery Willis recently and have shared our conversation below.
Zackery, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?
As a business owner, I am definitely happier. I often think about my life before I was a business owner, how close I was to working a desk job and limiting myself. In previous jobs, I hated the feeling in the corporate world of being easily replaced. I remember being fired as a Photojournalist and later laid off as a Digital Marketing Specialist for a different company and asking myself “If I were to get the next job, what would stop the same results from happening?” I found myself putting 110% into these companies only to receive little to no recognition. If there was recognition, as the creator, I didn’t get the credit for it. I remember almost landing a high paying job at a bank after four rounds of interviews and I was not chosen for the role. Had I got the job, I never would have put all of my eggs into the one basket that was XXV Business. Not getting the job motivated me to start my business so that I can take credit for the work I do and I got to see the fruits of my own labor. When I first put together the website and really got serious about starting my business, I got little to no support which is common for most entrepreneurs at a young age because society tells us we’re supposed to be working a stable desk job. Despite that, I knew I had something I needed to fulfill for myself that no corporate job was going to do, and that was financial and creative freedom.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’m originally from Arlington, Texas and I moved to Wichita, Kansas to play football at Friends University. I Initially planned on getting my degree in Visual Communications but due to unforeseen circumstances, I ended up graduating with a Liberal Studies degree. While at Friends University I took a photography course which sparked an interest as a hobby. I started to get more involved in photography but I was already in college so figured entrepreneurship wasn’t the right path to follow at the time. There were many late college nights of me playing around in photoshop and learning the ins and outs of cameras and lenses. There were definitely times that I spent the last of my paycheck purchasing the best gear. Me and my now Fiance talked about creating a photography Instagram where we shared some of our work so we called it XXV Photography (it’s the day we started dating but added up together in Roman Numerals). In college, I had mostly honed my skills by shooting senior photos & portraits. I eventually started doing vlogs on campus and that really shaped my video editing skills. I did all of these things with no intention to ever make a career out of it but life has its ways. During the pandemic, I worked as a dietary aide at an assisted living for a little over a year and I also decided to join Kansas Big Brothers Big Sisters as a Big Brother. I’d say this is what started to build character in my life and I knew at that moment I wanted to do something where I was going to serve others. I learned many great lessons and countless experiences that molded me into the man who prioritizes the client experience and excellence. After graduating college I decided to take XXV Photography more seriously even though it was still a side hobby. I renamed the XXV Photography to XXV Business because I wanted to stand out and be taken more seriously than a part time photographer. To my surprise more people did take XXV Business more seriously and it encouraged me to push the envelope in my business to hold us at a very high standard. We dressed up professionally at every shoot and consultation, we send contracts & agreements to all of our clients, and we made communication & transparency a priority. That is what separates us, we are true business people who take photography and videography seriously and focus heavily on the client experience. The fact that my clients choose me and trust me with capturing the biggest days of their life and knowing that branding/identity is what gives me all the motivation to go all out and leave no energy left on the table. Even If it means late nights and long hours, because I always think back to there being a time where I was doing the exact same thing with no one believing in me and for little to no pay. Once I put a website together for XXV Business, I got to see my business change for the better exponentially. People started to book us for weddings, corporate events, senior photos, interviews, and much more. We are most proud to say we’ve worked with companies like Cargill, USGLC, and government officials such as Governor Kelly and the US House of Representatives.
We’d love to hear about you met your business partner.
I met my fiance/business partner Vandana back in high school with no intention of starting a business together. Trust went a long way with both of us; we have always been there for each other through thick & thin. No relationship is perfect and I’d argue the hard times are what made us stronger. From the jump, Vandana has always been there to help whether it was physically there at the shoot or working on the back end. I also want to point out that Vandana knew absolutely nothing about photography & videography which by the way are two completely different skills! She listened and learned from mistakes which if you don’t know accountability makes for the best business partners! It’s important to be able to take criticism and have civil discourse, it’s how we get better as creatives. Most people who are in business alone don’t have very many people to hold them accountable so I’m blessed to have a partner that I can hold accountable and can hold me accountable as well.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Simply put, just being able to have fun. Although we have the word ‘business’ in our name, we do take our job seriously but we also have loads of fun being able to do our jobs. I get to travel, celebrate, and create art. My favorite thing to do at the end of wedding nights is put down my camera and party with the bride and groom. I get to make amazing motivational & timeless videos. Even in the editing room, I get hyped when I make a beautiful wedding film or reminisce on how good a project went. It’s all fun and It’s difficult to take the joy out of a career that’s different day to day because I am constantly reminded that I have not seen it all and I love that! I recently stumbled upon an old video of the early days of my business, and it was me dancing to a video I had made at the time. I thought to myself I had absolutely no reason to dance at that time. I was broke, just got laid off, barely had any clients, and looked crazy trying to go full-time as a 22-year-old photographer/videographer. But I danced. I danced because I knew what I genuinely wanted to do in my life, and old me really believed he’d be where he’s at today.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://xxvbusiness.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xxvbusiness/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/xxvbusiness
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zackery-willis-9227971bb/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGnakLDZ_QJRTW8N1HJpGPw
Image Credits
Credits: @the.nacera.project