A few words come to mind when I think about Julia Martinez, mum, entrepreneur, grafter, prop queen but, I will sum it up with ‘Gal Boss’. Julia is the female founder of Strong Women Photo Booth Owners Facebook Group and champion of every woman in the photo booth industry.

In addition to having her own businesses to run, she takes the baton every year to curate and deliver the Strong Women’s conference at PBX; a not for profit event, which offers female owners an array of networking and top class training opportunities during PBX.

 Julia took the time out of her very busy life to give me an insight into her career and tips for anyone embarking on their journey in the photo booth industry.

Name: Julia Martinez
Business Name: YoProps
How long have you been in business: 6.5 years.

Favorite Software: Aura and Minbooth
Favorite Hardware: Aura and Minbooth

My most memorable event was my first 5 figure event for a billion-dollar software company. They were the lead sponsor for the 3-day ITA Master’s tennis tournament.  We had multiple booths, sharing stations and ipad booths, red carpet, velvet ropes and stanchions, the whole nine yards. We had backup attendants, backup gear, backup everything! We were overprepared. 

The event was flawless and only 100 sessions….in 3 days! That was the event that taught me about corporate events. I learned about communication with event planners, being flexible, and problem solving on my feet.  After this event, I’ve continued to work with the same planner for multiple events, and pushed into the world of event activations; They’re my favorite!

Julia’s 3 Tips for success in the photo booth industry:

Don’t try to do everything.

If you’re not good at it, leave it to the ones who are, and pay them to do it for you.

Your reputation is EVERYTHING.

I believe everything will come back to you eventually (good or bad). Do what is right and moral. Always practice good customer service. Go above and beyond for your clients.

Realize your worth and charge accordingly.

This includes your time, your product, your equipment wear & tear, your insurance, and your EXPERTISE! YOU are the professional. Your worth is well beyond the hours you spend at the event.