Today we’d like to introduce you to Marko Buenrostro.
Marko, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Being the youngest out of three in a Mexican family of migrant workers was not easy. Growing up in a household with a more traditional mentality of working for someone else was pretty much the only option I knew. I try not to express much about this topic because I don’t want it to define me. However, when you grow up seeing your family work for someone else who has an entirely different living standard, it encourages you to want to accomplish the same. Therefore I always envisioned myself being an entrepreneur and it wasn’t until my late 20s when I realized I needed to do something for myself and start my own business.
At first, I was not clear on what type of business I wanted to start until I came across an article with the top 10 businesses under $10k as a startup. I have always been outgoing and social so starting a photo booth business, which was one of the top choices, was a perfect fit since it involved going to events and meeting new people. What started as a side gig eventually became a passion. In 2015 MBP Photo Booth was born, and this is where the story begins!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. When I first started, I applied for a business loan and was denied so my only other choice was to max out all my credit cards to get the equipment and resources that I needed. I had faith that it was going to work but it was scary to go all-in on a side hustle.
Going into this new adventure not having a business background meant learning everything from scratch. This was not just a gig where I would take pictures at weddings or social events. I had to learn how to do my own marketing, sales, work the actual events, accounting, graphic design, etc. I honestly think it’s the best experience you can have to run your own business because you see every aspect of how everything works.
When I started, the booth was part-time. Having a full-time job at a law firm took a lot of my time so I never slept. I worked 8 AM-5 PM at the law firm and worked on photo booth stuff the rest of the time while I also did events on weekends. I wanted to develop an expensive brand so I needed to have expensive items to offer so I kept spending on all the extra stuff like nice business cards, backdrops, and props. I was all about buying nice things to match the brand. I wanted the best experience for the client.
It took me about eight months to realize that things were looking good and I decided to grow the business. It eventually got so busy and it had to become a full-time job, which was a challenge but definitely the best thing that could’ve happened. The business was booming until COIVD-19 turned everything upside down. 2020 was going to be a major year in the events industry, my calendar was completely booked and all of a sudden most of it was canceled or postponed.
MBP Photo Booth – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
MBP Photo Booth is all about delivering the kind of experience that I would want to have. That’s a big reason people come to us. They know, absolutely and completely, that we’re going to deliver a fantastic experience at any event, whether it’d be a wedding, a mixer, corporate event, gala or even a 20 person micro wedding in the age of COVID, we’re going to pull out all the stops to make sure everyone has fun!
We are very well known for always bringing the newest trends in the market. We’re not a traditional photo booth company that only offers prints and silly props. We provide an experience! We love to implement technology, studio lighting, confetti, etc. We even create custom sets for our setups.
Some of the services we provide include the traditional booth with printouts, digital photo booths, roaming photo booths, 360 slow-motion video booths, headshot stations, and two of our newest features include a virtual photo booth and a hands-free photo station to accommodate the safety of our customers during this pandemic. The quality of our work speaks for itself. We don’t just bring a photo booth to an event, we entertain with style and this is something that for sure sets MBP apart from other companies.
One of the things that I am most proud of is that people recognize our work. They know that I pay attention to the smallest detail to make sure their event is perfect. I am very active on social media and people notice it. I have been invited to showcase my work on local TV shows, podcasts and several publications. MBP has won multiple local awards and has been nominated at a national level. One of the most recent accomplishments was speaking at a Virtual Photo Booth Summit for Event Industry Professionals, Business Owners and anyone interested in the Photo Booth Industry. I joined a panel of Photo Booth owners from Canada, Australia, and all over the US to talk about how the industry has changed and how to keep pace with these ever-changing times.
I cannot take credit for all of it myself. I need to share the love for my friends and family who all helped me get started and were always there to support me. I have a fabulous team behind me that help me represent MBP at all of our events. I couldn’t do it without them! It’s also really important to shout out the colleagues that I’ve met at all the photo booth conferences that I have attended. With a lot of them, it was a sharing of ideas at first, but we have so much in common. Now I go on vacation with some of them, one sends me baby pictures all the time, and all of them are really more friends than just colleagues. The best things in life are the people you love, the places you’ve been, and the memories you’ve made along the way. There’s no other industry where you can have such rich business friendships!
What were you like growing up?
I was born in a small border town in Mexico, where there was not much going on. I remember always watching TV and listening to the radio, telling myself that one day I wanted to do the same. My personality has always been outgoing, loud, and full of smiles and really bad, singing! I moved to the US when I was ten, not knowing one word of English, but it didn’t stop me from being myself. When I was 17, I joined the talent of a radio station and my dream finally came true! I was an on-air personality for a few years and I absolutely loved it.
Pricing:
- Digital Photo Booths – Starting at $650
- Printing Photo Booths – Starting at $750
- 360 Slow Motion Booths – Starting at $3500
- Virtual Photo Booths – Starting at $350
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mbpphotoboothco.com
- Phone: 210-307-6111
- Email: info@mbpphotoboothco.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mbpphotobooth/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MBPPhotoboothCo
Image Credit:
Jersson Luna Photography
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