May 8, 2017

Meet Joseph O’Connell of ClubPhotoBooth in Chicago Suburbs

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joseph O’Connell.

Joseph, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
In 2007 Jim Giusto (My now Husband) and I started talking about business ideas to bring additional money into our budget. We both enjoy taking photos and being around friends and family at events, so we decided to combine the two. Me being tech minded and him with a business background it was overnight before we had our first photo booth setup in our tiny living room and we started testing how to make something spectacular for events. We tried all sorts of things and knew that we had to stand out from the competition. We took the photo booth to the next level, and launched a website shortly after. We started with only $150.

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 not always been a smooth road. Competition started increasing, and customers didn’t know what a photo booth was or how much fun it could be for their guests! We had the job of educating the event industry, and proving that this is a must have at every event!

We’d love to hear more about your business.
ClubPhotoBooth specializes in Photo booths and event services- “Making it memorable”. We are known for our fun, high-tech photo booths and services that include Snapchat filters, instant text messaging of photos to guess, animated GIFS photos, and signature Event Apps! We are also known for our scalability from house parties, to our recent client the Chicago Autoshow where we were featured on ABC news. We are proud of being named Chicago’s Best Photo booth Company by ION TV and for our extensive list of repeat clients. Our clients come back to us for the extreme value they receive and the value & entertainment we provide their guests. What sets us apart is our extreme personal touch. We listen to our clients and find unique solutions that meet the needs of their events, regardless of size or budget. We provide 1:1 attention to every client and build relationships that are personal, not only business.

What were you like growing up?
I’ve always been a geek and entrepreneur. Playing on computers, video games, and other geeky stuff and always trying to find ways to make money. One time when I was 7 or 8 a friend and I collected a bunch of rocks, then smashed them with a hammer. We discovered that the inside of some rocks was shiny and pretty, so what did we do? We took our smashed rocks in a wagon door to door, and sold them for people to put in their gardens! From the age of 15-18 I owned 4-5 (the entire neighborhood) newspaper routes, where I took a personal approach to newspaper delivery. I surveyed my customers to discover where and how they all wanted their newspapers and made sure, I took the time to remember and provide the service they wanted, as well as make a personal connection with every customer. I knew their kids, grandkids, pets, and listened to them when they wanted to chat. I provided fun quotes in their newspaper bags, and dropped off little notes with Newspapers to make their day a little brighter. So even at a young age I was customer service oriented.

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