Scaling Out Loud

There is a clip that lives in Catalina's head. She has never been able to shake it.   It's the music video for Humble by Kendrick Lamar. That moment where the camera doesn't just move, it dances. Every cut on the lyric. Every angle shift perfectly timed. It made something shift in her brain. And it planted an idea: what if a photo booth experience could feel like that?   That's what this...

You are losing clients before they ever contact you.   And most of you have no idea it's happening.   There is one word spreading through this industry like wildfire, on websites, in proposals, on Instagram captions, and it is being used completely wrong. Every single time I see it, I cringe. Because I know exactly what it's costing the person using it.   The word is activation. &nb...

You're working. You're learning. You're in the groups, you're researching, you're asking questions, you're staying current.   So why hasn't the revenue moved in two years?   That's the question nobody wants to sit with. And it's exactly what this episode is about.   Let's get real: there's a version of shiny object syndrome that doesn't look anything like impulse buying. It doesn't...

There's a version of success that looks great on paper and feels like a trap in real life. Aldo from I Touch XP has been in this industry for 16 years, worked the Super Bowl five times, activated for Beyonce's tour across 22 cities, landed Disney as a client after Coachella, and crossed seven figures in revenue. And then he scaled back. On purpose.   This episode is for the founder who thinks...

Let's get real for a second. Everyone in this industry is out here posting their wins. The bookings, the revenue milestones, the glam shots from their best corporate activations. Nobody is posting about their 2 a.m. regrets. This episode is the one I almost didn't record. Because talking about your biggest mistakes out loud is uncomfortable. But when I stepped into the coaching world, I made a pro...

What does a seven-figure photo booth business look like when it's built by one person who also works full time at NBC's Today Show? Spoiler: it looks a little chaotic, wildly impressive, and absolutely worth listening to. In this episode, I'm sitting down with my friend of ten years, Zach Shiffman, owner of Studio Z Photo Booth based in the New York metro area. Zach has built a seven-figure experi...

What happens when three industry veterans sit down in Vegas and realize the conference they keep coming back to no longer feeds them? They build something new. This episode is different. I'm sitting down with two people who have been shaping this industry for over 16 years, Meir and Lisa, the original founders of PBI (Photo Booth Professionals International), a conference that people in our indust...

Ever scrolled through Instagram and watched yourself go from "I'm doing great" to "I'm a complete failure" in under 30 seconds? Yeah. Same. In this episode, I'm getting real about something I still struggle with, even as a seven-figure photo booth business owner. Comparison. That sneaky, soul-sucking habit of looking at someone else's highlight reel and deciding that your behind-the-scenes isn't g...

What if you could attend your own funeral?  Not literally. But metaphorically—watching the version of yourself that built this business be laid to rest while you stand there, mourning and celebrating them at the same time. I know that sounds heavy. Maybe even a little dark. But stay with me, because this might be the most important conversation we have all year. That scrappy hustler who said...

  Photo Booth Expo Shopping? Ask These 5 Questions First. Photo Booth Expo is coming up, and if you're anything like me a few years ago, you're already mentally spending money on that shiny new booth in Aisle 3. The demos look incredible. The sales reps are convincing. Everyone around you is talking about what they're going to buy. And that voice in your head starts whispering: "This is the b...

If you've ever wondered why your wedding inquiries aren't converting, this episode is your answer. Here's the truth: saying you "do weddings" tells potential clients absolutely nothing. It's like running a restaurant and saying you serve "food." Cool. So does everyone else. The wedding industry isn't one big market. It's a hierarchy of five completely different tiers, each with their own clients,...

You've been pricing wrong this whole time. And I'm not talking about mindset, I'm talking about actual math. Let's get real. When you started your photo booth business, nobody handed you a pricing playbook. So you did what everyone does, you googled it at 2 AM, copied what other companies were charging, and hoped for the best. You looked at your costs, added a little on top, and crossed your finge...

If you're still manually chasing leads at 11 PM, copying and pasting the same email for the fifteenth time this week, or worse, forgetting to send invoices because you're just too busy, this episode might be worth half a million dollars to you. No exaggeration. Catalina gets brutally honest about the single system that saved her over $500,000 in staffing costs over the past decade. And it's not se...

If you've ever felt confused by conflicting business advice, or worse, followed guidance from someone who's never actually done what you're trying to do, this episode is your wake-up call. Catalina gets brutally honest about one of the biggest mistakes photo booth founders make: taking advice from people who haven't earned the right to give it. Whether it's the hobbyist in your local online commun...

Everyone's losing their minds trying to figure out what's next for 2026. Which booth to buy, which trend to chase, which shiny new thing will make them relevant. And if you're honest, you've probably felt the FOMO creeping in too. Here's the truth: most of what you're seeing hyped up right now is noise. Pure noise. And if you're not careful, you're about to drop serious money chasing trends that d...

You're undercharging. And no, it's not because you lack confidence or don't "know your worth." That's what everyone tells you, right? Just charge more. Believe in yourself. Fake it till you make it. But here's the truth: undercharging isn't a mindset problem. It's a systems problem. In this episode, I'm breaking down the real reasons photo booth owners leave thousands of dollars on the table—and s...

If you're running a six or multi-six-figure photo booth business but still doing everything yourself—from packing gear and chasing down staff to answering every client email—this episode is your wake-up call. You're not the CEO. Not yet. You're the Chief Everything Officer. And that title comes with stress, resentment, and a ceiling you can't scale past. I know this one stings a little. But I say...