“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.”
–Henry David Thoreau
Name: Lauren Skidmore
Age: 23
What do you do for a living?
I am the owner of Photo Stasher, LLC, a professional photo printing company that prints Facebook photos as well as any other digital photos. We also offer our customers a variety of photo products and gifts. PhotoStasher is unique because we enhance photos through our Facebook App so that customers can order prints larger than 4×6’s or 5×7’s. You can check us out at http://www.photostasher.com.
What state do you represent?
The beautiful state of North Carolina.
Did you go to college? Where?
I attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Go Tarheels!
What did you study there?
I earned a B.A. in Chemistry and took courses on the Pre-Med track.
Why on earth did you choose this career path and how did you get involved in it?
I don’t think I did, I think it chose me. Going into college and even long before, I had always wanted to be a doctor and never really considered another profession. During college, I wanted to print a Facebook photo and frame it, but I didn’t know how to do it or if it was even possible. The concept of printing Facebook photos kept nagging me and I finally decided to start a business that did just that.
What are your future plans for your career?
I plan to continue to work hard on growing my business. Throughout the next few months, I will be collaborating with a development company to make the PhotoStasher Facebook App more user-friendly by adding new features to make ordering photos easier, and more fun and exciting for my customers. I will also be working with them to make the ordering process more seamless. I expect PhotoStasher to continue to expand and develop in ways that will benefit my customers. I cannot wait to see what the future will hold!
What are you in love with about this profession? What are you not so in love with?
I absolutely love getting to know my customers personally. I always try to friend them on Facebook so that I can keep up with their lives, and most importantly never forget that they are actual people and not order numbers. I also enjoy hearing how much they love their order or sample print; it really makes my efforts worthwhile. I’m not so in love with trying to figure out how to convince people to just give PhotoStasher a chance. It can be quite frustrating when I feel that I’m coming across as someone who is just trying to pitch my business rather than someone who is passionate about the importance of printing high quality, professional photos. I’m trying to convey my confidence that potential customers will love our quality as well as convince them to give us a shot by offering free sample prints, free shipping for orders over $15, and a money back guarantee if they aren’t completely satisfied.
Give us an example of a day in the life of you doing what you do.
From 8:00-9:00 every morning I eat breakfast while reading emails that I’ve received since the previous evening as well as catch up on social media and industry news from social media sites, HARO, PMA Newsline, and other sources. Depending on the day of the week and what I currently have on my to-do list, I work on a number of items for the rest of the day including writing my blog post, updating Facebook and Twitter, submitting articles to article directories, working on the latest PhotoStasher promotion, sending out emails, emailing my list of customers, communicating with the lab and my software developer, assisting customers, etc. My official business hours are from 8:00 AM-5:00 PM EST, but I often work longer than that or will do work at different times during the evening. I try to take time for myself each day to read and workout.
What steps do you recommend to someone who is planning to pursue this career?
For anyone wanting to start their own business, the first step I would recommend is speaking with a business attorney, especially if your idea could potentially involve patents or intellectual property issues. Attorneys are great for making sure you are going in the right direction, and they also let you know if they think your idea could be viable before taking you on as a client. They will help you establish an LLC or anything else that you need. The second step is to assess what you need to get started, prioritize those needs, then act on them. For me, my biggest priorities were finding a web hosting company and someone to print the photos.
What is the single most important piece of advice you can offer a person pursuing this career?
Be persistent and persevere! This is good advice for anyone starting a business. I know “never give up” sounds very cliche, but persistence and dedication are the key to becoming successful. There are many times when you feel you can’t take another disappointment, but just around the corner is the solution to your problem. This has happened to me many times. Just as important is keeping a positive attitude and focusing on what you HAVE accomplished so far rather than what you haven’t.
What is the best piece of advice you have received?
Try to step back and view your business from an outside perspective to determine what you need to do differently. Do what you love and the money will follow.
What can we look forward to seeing from you next?
I will be continuing to improve PhotoStasher in every way possible. In the next few months, you will see an improved Facebook App that makes it fun and easy to order photos from Facebook. I want to continue to grow PhotoStasher and make it a well-known company that people trust for all of their photo printing needs.
What professional or community volunteer organizations are you currently a member of?
Alpha Delta Pi, recently volunteered at the local Community Care Clinic, plan to become a member of PMA in the near future
What’s a funny or significant memory from your college or high school days?
During spring break of my sophomore year of college, some friends and I decided to go to the beach several hours away. Before we left, we noticed the car was making a weird noise, but we ignored it assuming we would make it to the beach with no problems. We drove several hours, then when we were about 15 minutes away smoke started pouring out from under the hood and it made an awful noise. We pulled off the side of the road and called AAA to tow the car. Unfortunately, they weren’t going to be able to tow it that night so we had to have someone come pick us up. There were already people at the house where we were staying, but they didn’t come get us for an hour and half because they were busy. By the time they picked us up it was dark and we had been sitting on the side of the highway for two or three hours. Needless to say we were not very happy.
What book are you reading right now?
I’m actually between books. I just finished The Pact by Jodi Picoult. Next I’m going to read the Harry Potter series. I’ve seen all of the movies, but haven’t read the books.
What’s playing in your MP3 player right now?
Lady Gaga
Where can we stalk you online?
PhotoStasher Facebook Fan Page and PhotoStasher App Facebook Fan Page
Twitter: @PhotoStasher
Website: http://www.photostasher.com
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