Did you know you can make $1 million a year by owning six photo booths?
We’ll show you how to start a photobooth business with expert advice from Josh Pather, the owner of Photo Booth International.
He started his photo booth rental business in 2012. It grew so big that he started manufacturing photo booths and offering turnkey photo booth rental businesses to other entrepreneurs. Today, he’s making over $6 million annually.
We’ll provide the information you need to understand the photo booth industry and tips on how to market a photo booth rental company. We’ll even explain how to make your own photo booth.
You can either keep reading or click on any of the links below to jump to that section.
Get ready to learn about starting a photo booth business!
Case Study: Photo Booth International
Josh Pather moved to the United States in 2001. He didn’t know anyone, so he had to rely on himself. He took a bunch of side gigs and eventually became a DJ. While he was spinning a wedding in 2012, he saw a photo booth and loved the idea.
He set out creating his first photo booth and started Photo Booth International. Since he already had some business contacts, Josh rented his photo booth as an add-on to his DJ packages.
His business quickly grew to the point that he was booking 800 gigs a year. That’s when Josh switched from focusing mostly on rentals to becoming a manufacturer and offering assistance for turnkey business startups.
Watch his interview to find out how he went from operating out of a spare bedroom to being one of the largest photo booth companies in the world:
Would you like to start a photobooth business? Check out the UpFlip special offer below!
Start Your Own Photo Booth Business
Photo Booth International normally charges $19K for a full package that includes the following:
- Photo booth
- Backdrop and props
- Limited liability company
- Logo
- Accounting support
- Business templates
- Bank account
- Marketing support
- Access to a private facebook group
- Lifetime tech support
They’re providing Upflip viewers with the same package for just $12.5K. With that discount, you’ll save 33.8 percent on your own turnkey business.
Learn more about UpFlip’s exclusive photo booth offer.
Photo Booth Industry FAQ
Before you decide to buy a photobooth, you’ll want to research the photo booth industry. Some of the major considerations when starting a photobooth business include:
- How much is a photo booth?
- How much is a photo booth rental?
- How profitable is a photo booth business business?
- Are photo booths a good investment?
- What equipment do you need to start a photo booth business?
Let’s answer each of these questions to make sure you have a strong understanding of the industry.
How much is a photo booth?
Buying a photo booth costs $150 to $10K depending on the type of photo booth and special features. This is the cost you’ll pay just to buy the photo booth itself.
You’ll also have other costs for props and backdrops when you start a photo booth rental company.
How much is a photo booth rental?
According to Bark, photo booth rental businesses normally charge between $100 and $400 per hour. The price you charge to rent photo booths will depend on the location, photo booth services, and other factors.
A photo booth business may charge a minimum of two to four hours to cover the costs of doing business. Besides time spent at the event, you’ll also need to pay for travel and employees. Some states also have minimum shift lengths for employees.
How profitable is a photo booth business?
A photo booth business can rake in huge profits. At Josh’s rate of $250 per hour, you would make back your initial investment after 50 billable hours. You can also add in bundled services to make more from a single event.
Your profit will depend on your overhead and whether you’re operating out of your home. In general, profit margins can get as high as 80%.
Are photobooths a good investment?
Yes! Photo booths are phenomenal investments. They have all the makings of a profitable business:
- Low startup costs
- Low overhead
- High profit margins
- Easy-to-learn skills
Josh told us sometimes you just have to:
What equipment do you need to start a photobooth business?
At a minimum, you’ll need a camera, a printer, and a website. To make better profit margins, you’ll also want a variety of props and a backdrop.
Next, let’s look at how to start a photo booth business.
How to Start a Photobooth Business
The steps for starting a photo booth business include:
- Create a photo booth business plan.
- Define your brand.
- Purchase equipment.
- Choose a structure.
- Get licenses and permits.
- Set up operations.
- Market your business.
- Identify customers.
- Monitor your progress.
Get ready to learn how to start a photo booth rental business.
Step #1. Create a Photo Booth Business Plan
You’ll want to conduct in-depth market research before you start a photo booth business. We already gave you a head start in the previous sections.
From there, you’ll need to create a photo booth business plan. Your business plan should include:
- Vision and goals: Start off by describing what you hope to achieve.
- Photo booth services: You can make your photography services more appealing by adding props and backdrops. Josh even bought a ball pit!
- Target market: Identify your ideal customers. They might be corporations, event planners, parents, or wedding venues.
- Photo booth software: In addition to the physical components of a photo booth, you’ll also need photo booth software. This allows people to view their photos, print copies, or share them to social media.
- Marketing strategies: Explain your market research. This section should include your planned marketing strategy or current marketing efforts as well as your anticipated marketing costs. Most people starting a photobooth business will be focused on renting a photobooth for events and weddings.
- Budget: Document the amount of money you’ll need and how you’ll use it to support your business.
Check out our blog about how to write a business plan.
Step #2. Define Your Brand
As you’re researching how to get a photo booth, you’ll need to establish a brand for your photo booth business. Consider your target market.
Wedding photo booths will need different branding than a photo booth machine in a permanent location. Meanwhile, corporations that hire photo booth companies will have other needs.
You’ll need to decide on a business name and logo for your photo booth business. You should also think about how you’ll communicate with customers and stand out from the other photo booth businesses in the area.
Step #3. Choose Equipment
The next step is to select your photo booth equipment based on the needs of your business. Josh explained:
Types of photo booths include:
- iPad based photo booths: You might consider iPad photo booths because they’re lightweight and portable. In general, most people are also familiar with how to use an iPad. They can take the iPad photo and send it directly to their phone without a printer.
- DSLR photo booth: This photobooth works with a digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera to take photos of people. The DSLR camera settings will need to be adjusted to provide high-quality photos.
- Green screen photo booth: This type of photo booth uses similar technology to movies. This allows you to provide a variety of backgrounds for photos without changing physical backdrops.
- GIF photo booth: You can offer a virtual photo booth that allows event attendees to create animated images.
- Mirror photo booth: A mirror photo booth incorporates a full-length mirror. This setup allows guests to use a tall reflective touchscreen to capture and customize full-length photos.
- Glam photo booth: This modern style of photo booth adds a skin-smoothing filter and dramatic effect to your photos
- DIY photo booth: A DIY booth is a dedicated and decorated space with a camera. Guests can take their own pictures without requiring an employee.
- Instabooth: This type of premium photo booth takes professional images upon request. They can be set up to only activate after receiving a payment.
- Hashtag photo booth: A hashtag photo booth asks guests to take photos themselves and add hashtags. An event hashtag makes it easier to share photos on social media.
- 360° photo booth: A 360° photo booth business puts a literal spin on the standard photo booth. Users stand on a platform and a camera spins around them to get video from all angles.
It’s often best to start with a single type of photo booth and then add more options as you grow.
Step #4. Establish a Legal Structure
You’ll want to create a structure for your photobooth business. A business structure makes it possible for you to operate under a separate business name. The three most common structures are:
- Sole proprietorship: This business formation requires you to get a “doing business as” name, which allows you to operate your photo booth rental business without using your personal name. With this business structure, you will be personally liable if the equipment hurts someone.
- Limited liability company (LLC): An LLC separates your business operations from personal assets. This formation is best for photo booth businesses that don’t aspire to offer franchises or sell stock.
- Corporation: A corporation allows your photobooth business to raise funds by selling bonds and stock. It requires the most compliance but works well for photo booth manufacturers, franchises, and other businesses that intend to go public.
You’ll also need to get an employer identification number from the IRS to do business with banks, suppliers, and other companies.
Learn how to register a business.
Step #5. Get Licenses and Permits
In most cases, you’ll need to get a sales tax permit and a business license. Contact your local government business offices to find out what a photo booth business needs in your area.
Once you have a business license, you can open a business bank account.
Step #6. Set Up Operations
Setting up a photo booth rental business requires some preparation and planning. You’ll need at least the following:
- Business insurance
- Business website
- Google Business Profile
- Social media accounts
- Customer relationship management (CRM) software
- Payroll capabilities (if you have employees)
- Lighting
Business Insurance
Business insurance is essential. Most of the locations that rent your photo booths will require coverage.
A photo booth business will normally need a general liability insurance policy that covers at least $1M per occurrence and $2M lifetime. Make sure to check with each business about their specific requirements.
You can find the best rates from multiple insurance companies at once through Simply Business.
Website
Building a website that showcases your services, reviews, and how to book your photo booth business is crucial to starting a successful photo booth business. Make sure to answer common questions and let potential customers know what you offer as a brand.
Josh told us:
In addition, Photo Booth International’s website also has a page of photo booths for sale.
Google Maps
You’ll want to sign up for a Google Business Profile. It will get you listed on Google Maps and help you share information about your company and services directly on Google.
Social Media Accounts
A photo booth business should share content about their photo booths on social media. That means you’ll need to set up social media accounts for every channel you want to use to share information about your photo booth rental business.
For Josh, YouTube brought in the most deals.
Learn how to start a YouTube channel.
Customer Relationship Management
Your photo booth business will need software to manage customer communication, payments, and employees. Businesses commonly use CRM or business management software to achieve these tasks.
Payroll Capabilities
You might decide to hire photo booth employees to help you manage multiple events in a single day. If so, you’ll need an HR system with payroll capabilities. The system can be as simple as just payroll, or it can help you manage benefits and other human resources tasks as well.
You’ll want to consider the type of employees you need for each event. For instance, you might hire people with different personalities to work a wedding and a college party. Josh explained his philosophy:
Learn more about how to hire photo booth employees.
Lighting
As a photo booth business owner, you’ll need to think about lighting. Here are some common issues you might encounter while setting up your photo booth:
- Grainy photos: This issue is normally caused by low light. You’ll need a way to add more light to the photo area.
- Blown-out photos: A blown-out photo is overexposed. This can be dealt with by reducing the amount of light, lowering the ISO, making the shutter speed faster, or increasing the f-stop.
- Blurry photos: You can decrease blurriness by increasing the f-stop or using a faster shutter speed, but every camera has its limits for how fast it can take pictures.
- Shadows in images: You may need to play with the positioning of lighting to avoid creating shadows in weird places.
Taking a lighting course can really help photo booth rental companies master the art of lighting. Most community colleges will have lighting courses, but you can also try online to see what’s available.
Step #7. Market Your Photo Booth Business
Use a combination of traditional and digital marketing tactics to inform your target audience about your new photo booth business. Josh was really open about the strategies that photo booth companies should use to market their photo booth startup.
He uses a combination of the following:
- Referral partnerships
- Content marketing
- Paid ads
Let’s look at each of these to understand how to improve your success while starting a photo booth business.
Referral Partnerships
A new photo booth company should partner with venues and other vendors to provide portable photo booths at their events.
You might want to talk to:
- Event planners
- Wedding venues
- Conference centers
- DJs
- Videographers and photographers
- Catering companies
- Prop designers
All of these make great potential clients and referrals for photo booth rentals.
Content Marketing
Content marketing is another great tool for starting a photo booth rentals company. Josh told us:
Then they share the videos on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook. He went on to explain the biggest benefit of Photo Booth International:
Content marketing includes search engine optimization and sharing on social media. Both are crucial aspects of starting a photo booth business.
People often start looking for a photo booth to hire by using a search engine. Then they’ll check out different web pages.
With a tracking pixel, you can identify people who visited your website and then retarget them on social media. This brings us to our next section.
Paid Ads
Online advertising is a great way to drive new business in your local market. You’ll need to create a Google Business Profile and get reviews. The next step is to set up Google Analytics and any other tracking cookies you need to advertise your business.
We asked Josh how he markets his photobooth company. Here’s what he had to say about cost:
That’s roughly a 4% marketing budget. Most small businesses spend less than $1K per month on marketing, so you’ll be well on your way to becoming a successful business if you budget for $10K a year.
Step #8. Identify Customers
You’ll want to make it easy for clients to book you, but be careful about your scheduling. Keep track of how many bookings you can take each day. This will be limited by the number of employees and photo booths you have.
Josh told us:
Create a contact form on your platform so that customers can reach out to you. Josh warned that some people make better or worse customers:
In other words, promotional events are good, while it’s best to avoid rowdy community events.
Step #9. Monitor Progress
You’ll need to monitor your progress and make adjustments. Josh started with a slow printer and a canopy tent that was made from PVC and curtains. He gradually improved his business over time.
Then it got so busy that he decided to start selling photo booths. Josh created Photo Booth University to teach other business owners how to start a photo booth business.
Now, he’s working on figuring out how to create AI photo booths. Throughout it all, he had to measure where he was and where he was going. You’ll need to do the same with financial analytics and customer relationship management software.
How to Make a Photo Booth
Depending on your business strategy, you may want to create your own photo booth. Business owners who choose this approach will need to get:
- Camera or iPad
- Photo booth software
- Printer
- WiFi router
- Stands
- Lighting
- Connection cables
- Other accessories
Camera or iPad
There are different types of cameras you can use, including:
- DSLR cameras: These are the classic cameras that professional and amateur photographers use. You’ll need a digital version because you don’t have time to convert film to images.
- Mirrorless cameras: These cameras are similar in quality and price to a DSLR, but they’re lighter in weight and don’t have the mirror and shutter that’s used in DSLR cameras. In other words, it removes the primary point of failure.
- iPad: Many photo booths use iPads because of their low cost, high quality, and user friendliness.
- Polaroid or photo-strip cameras: These cameras have a built-in printer that quickly produces pictures or photo strips. They aren’t the highest quality, but many people love watching the photo appear before their eyes.
Your choice of camera will impact every other decision you make when you create your own photobooth.
Photobooth Software
There are a variety of photo booth software options:
- Photoboof: Users can create printed layouts using dynamic text, photo codes, and QR codes.
- dslrBooth: Create an automated workflow with green screen capability and more. This software works with Canon or Nikon DSLR cameras.
- Breeze: Create GIFs, videos, slow-motion clips, and print photos with your logo on them using Breeze.
- Snappic: Create awesome photo and video effects with Snappic. Plus, you can offer custom surveys and interactive competitions to your customers. Don’t forget to check out their analytics to better understand how customers use your photo booth.
- Simple Booth HALO: This hardware and software package comes with an iPad, lighting, and software. You’ll pay a one-time cost for the hardware and annual costs for the software. Learn more about Simple Booth HALO.
Check out other software options for a photo booth business.
Who are the major photo booth manufacturers?
In addition to Photo Booth International, there are other photo booth machine manufacturers:
- Apple Industries: As the largest photo booth manufacturer, Apple Industries provides booths for Disney, Major League Baseball, and Regal Cinemas.
- OrcaVue: This U.S. manufacturer provides automated 360° photo booths.
- ATA Photobooths: ATA Photobooths makes custom photo booths for engagement parties, weddings, and other events.
- RBA Photo Booths: You can get a portable photo booth and accessories from RBA.
Each picture booth manufacturer will have different products. Consider the image quality, digital props, and start up costs before you decide to purchase equipment.
The functionality will impact your unique selling proposition, ongoing expenses, and customer satisfaction. Make sure you get a booth that will help capture people’s most precious memories.
Photo Booth International Special Offer
Photo Booth International is offering UpFlip 33.8% off their turnkey photo booth businesses. For just $12.5K, you’ll get everything on this list and more:
- Photo booth
- Backdrop and props
- Limited liability company
- Logo
- Accounting support
- Business templates
- Bank account
- Marketing support
- Access to a private facebook group
- Lifetime tech support
Their photo booth setup normally costs $19K. That’s a savings of $6,500!
Order your photo booth and start your business today.
Conclusion
Starting a photo booth business is an exciting journey to wealth and financial independence. We shared the story of how Josh Pather started with wedding rentals before expanding his photo booth company into a multi-million-dollar business. He now helps people duplicate his achievements to build a thriving business of their own.
We also discussed the nuances of the photo booth industry, including the cost of equipment and profitability, to help you decide if a photo booth purchase is right for you. You learned how referrals, partnerships, content marketing, and paid ads can help you reach your target audience effectively.
Next, we explained the importance of monitoring your progress and adapting your growth strategies over time. With dedication and a commitment to excellence, you can turn your photo booth business into a lucrative venture that exceeds your wildest expectations. Get ready to dive in, embrace the challenges, and capture memories as a photo booth entrepreneur.
What target market will you choose, and how will you provide photo booth services that stand out from the competition?
