I did an interview for an entrepreneurial blog, and though they haven’t published it yet, I wanted to share what I had to say about the story of Jhey Photo!
My business, Jhey Photo LLC, was created when I didn’t even know I was creating a business. I was in high school and friends were needing senior photos and didn’t want to pay the big bucks. It was an easy and stress-free way for me to get my footing and make a little extra cash, not knowing it would turn into my career one day. I was solving a problem that my friends brought to me (because I was the creative friend). I then continued to solve that problem for friends throughout college and when I was working a fulltime job. Then it grew to solving it for mild acquaintances to complete strangers and people started thinking I was worth more than just some extra cash. It wasn’t until about eight years into my “business” that I started seeing it for what it was, a business. At that point, I put an emphasis on creating processes, growing my clientele, and putting my energy into it going full time someday, which I finally did in January of 2021. Though it seems like this growth was all organic and easy, there were plenty of learning curves along the way. I was putting in a lot of hours outside of my full time job (and not getting paid for it). Lots of sleepless nights, long weekends missing out on social activities and a masters degree all led me to a successful, thriving business, but it wasn’t easy. All of this brought me to a place where I get to wake up every morning and do what I love. At Jhey Photo, I’m able to be a part of these amazing moments in people’s lives, and capture it while making it feel natural and easy.
