Scaling Out Loud

Catalina Bloch
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Scaling Out Loud The Photo Booth Business Podcast for 6-Figure Founders Ready to Break the 7-Figure Ceiling If you’re a 6-figure photo booth business owner stuck in the "Chief Everything Officer" role, juggling bookings, managing tech headaches, and feeling crushed under your own success, this podcast is for you. Hosted by Catalina Bloch, founder of MDRN Activations, MDRN Photobooth Co., and creator of Photo Booth Mastery, Scaling Out Loud pulls back the curtain on what it actually takes to grow from six to seven figures without burning out in the process. Catalina’s not just talking theory. She’s actively running a 7-figure booth brand while helping hundreds of founders do the same. Each episode is packed with strategy, real-world insights, and unfiltered lessons that speak directly to photo booth entrepreneurs. Inside, you’ll learn how to: • Systemize your business and step out of the weeds • Attract and close high-ticket corporate and wedding clients • Raise your prices confidently and profitably • Build a team you can actually trust • Turn hustle into strategy without losing your edge No recycled advice from other industries. No vague "just work harder" mindset. Just real talk from someone who's built what you’re building and isn’t afraid to say what needs to be said. If you're ready to trade chaos for clarity and bookings for bigger opportunities, hit subscribe and follow Catalina on Instagram @photoboothmastery. Your next level doesn’t start with more work. It starts with listening.

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    How Free Events Can Grow Your Photo Booth Business Fast

    You've been thinking about free events all wrong. What if I told you that one single free event,  one where you spent maybe $500-$1500 on setup and staff, could bring you millions of dollars in revenue over the next decade? Because that's exactly what happened to me. If you're stuck on marketing, struggling to find consistent leads, trying to raise your prices, or desperately wanting to break into corporate but have no idea where to start, this episode is going to flip the script on everything you think you know about "working for free." This episode is a recording of a live keynote talk I gave at at PBX (Photo Booth Expo), where I walked attendees through my entire Photo Booth Lead Generation Blueprint framework, the same strategy my team has used for 10 years across both of my brands, MDRN Activations and MDRN Photobooth Co. Spoiler: it's not about giving your services away. It's about paying your best marketer, yourself, to get in front of exactly the right people, at exactly the right events. The first event I ever did using this method was a local networking lunch called Ladies Who Lunch. One booth. One afternoon. And from that single event, we landed two of our biggest corporate clients. Clients who have collectively brought us millions of dollars in revenue over 10 years. And we still work with them today. That's the power of this system when you do it right.   What you'll learn in this episode: Why "free events" aren't really free, and the exact mindset shift that changes everything How to define your target market so specifically that your marketing basically writes itself The key questions I ask before agreeing to sponsor ANY event Why ticket price is one of the most important filters when evaluating an event, and the number I never go below The difference between targeting wedding planners, venues, and direct couples, and why the sales conversation is completely different for each How to structure your offer so it feels mutually beneficial but clearly positions YOUR value Why showing up with your B-game to a free event is worse than not showing up at all The art of the follow-up, and why most people quit way too early The "three choices" psychology trick that increases your booking rate What I'd do differently if I were just starting out today   Mentioned Resources: Photobooth Supply Co. NACE (National Association for Catering and Events)  Meeting Professionals International   Your Next Steps: Work with Me: https://bit.ly/POD-Site2 Join Photo Booth Mastery Hub: https://bit.ly/POD-Hub Connect on Social: https://www.instagram.com/photoboothmastery

    29 min

  2. 16 APR

    Your Prices Aren’t the Problem. Your Money Blocks Are

    I'm going to tell you something I've never said quite this directly before. I didn't think a photo booth business could make a million dollars. Not mine. Not anyone's. I thought there was a ceiling on this industry, that you could do well, make decent money, have a good little business. But seven figures? From photo booths? That felt like it was reserved for other kinds of businesses. More "legitimate" ones. That belief was quietly running everything. My pricing. My vision. The size of the goals I let myself set. Because why build something big if you don't actually believe big is on the table? And then I found today's guest. I was pacing back and forth in my backyard, earbuds in, listening to her audiobook, and something cracked open in me that I didn't know was closed. I made a decision right there on that grass: this business could be a million dollar business. I was going to move into my dream house. I was going to stop letting a belief I'd never even examined out loud put a cap on what I was building. I'm recording this from that dream house. I've since built multiple 7-figure brands in this industry. The one I once thought had a ceiling. That's why this episode is personal. Today I'm sitting down with Denise Duffield-Thomas, Hay House author, money mindset coach, and the woman behind two books that are now permanently on my recommendation list: Get Rich, Lucky Bitch and Chill and Prosper. She's helped over 10,000 entrepreneurs through her Money Bootcamp, and she has a way of holding up a mirror that makes you go... oh. That's what I've been believing. We get into the money blocks that are specific to service businesses like ours. The ones that don't look like money blocks. The ones that feel like logic, like humility, like just being realistic. We talk about pricing paralysis, the myth of the critic-proof price, the "keyless life" framework for building a business that stops draining you, and the real reason so many photo booth founders stay stuck, even when their business is technically working. And the part where Denise talks about the value of what you're actually creating for your clients? I wasn't expecting it to land the way it did. What you'll learn in this episode: Why crowdsourcing your pricing is one of the most dangerous things you can do, and why everyone else's price is just as made-up as yours What "money blocks" actually are, how they form, and why they're affecting your pricing confidence right now (even if you don't realize it) The truth about "critic-proof pricing" (spoiler: it doesn't exist, and chasing it is keeping you stuck) Why there's no such thing as a price that works for everyone, and why trying to please all clients is actually hurting your business How price perception IS part of your marketing, and what that means for photo booth companies targeting premium clients The "keyless life" framework from Denise's book and how to apply it to your booking process, follow-up systems, and day-to-day operations Why the hustle mentality is officially over, and what "chill and prosper" actually means for your business model Real talk on website friction: Are you making it hard for clients to give you money without realizing it? How Denise has personally hired photo booth companies (including for her mum's 60th and her annual Oscars party), and what she says photo booth owners should be communicating to potential clients about the VALUE of what they do Resources Mentioned: Denise Duffield-Thomas Website: https://www.denisedt.com Get Rich, Lucky Bitch by Denise Duffield-Thomas. Available wherever books are sold Chill and Prosper by Denise Duffield-Thomas. Available wherever books are sold Denise's Podcast, Chill and Prosper. Available on all major podcast platforms Denise on Instagram: @denisedt Money Archetypes Quiz by Kendall Summerhawk (mentioned in episode) Your Next Steps: Work with Me: https://bit.ly/POD-Site2 Join Photo Booth Mastery Hub - https://bit.ly/POD-Hub Connect on Social: https://www.instagram.com/photoboothmastery

    47 min

  3. 9 APR

    Your Creativity Needs to Eat. Stop Starving It.

    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 episode is really about. Because that idea didn't come from studying the photo booth industry. It didn't come from a vendor catalog or a trade show floor. It came from watching art.   And that's the conversation we're having today.   Where does your creativity actually come from? Not the version you perform for clients. The real raw material. The fuel. The stuff that makes you look at a blank canvas and see something instead of nothing.   I've been thinking about this a lot. And the more I think about it, the more I believe creativity is one of the most underrated and misunderstood assets in this industry. We talk systems, pricing, team building, corporate clients. All of it matters. But none of it is what makes your work unforgettable. What makes your work unforgettable is you. Your particular lens. Your specific obsessions. That weird, unrepeatable combination of things only you love.   And here's the thing: it doesn't come from inside the photo booth world. It never did.   There's a book I keep returning to called The Art of You. The premise is simple but it will stop you in your tracks. Your creative identity, the thing that makes your work distinctly yours, is built from your experiences. Everything you've ever seen, heard, felt, explored. The places you've been. The films that kept you up thinking. The art that made you feel something you couldn't name. All of it goes in. All of it comes out in your work.   And that means the question isn't just what do you do. It's who are you? What have you lived? What are you made of?   What You'll Learn in This Episode:  Why your most powerful creative asset has nothing to do with photo booths How Catalina's obsession with film, travel, and art directly shaped the experiences she builds What The Art of You teaches us about building a creative identity no one can copy Why Paris, modern art museums, and immersive pop-ups matter more than your competitor's Instagram The real reason so many founders feel creatively flat (and it's not what you think) Why consuming only industry content is a trap that makes everyone's work look the same The actual homework you need this week (no spreadsheets, no audits, we promise)   Resources Mentioned:  The Art of You (book referenced in the episode) Kendrick Lamar's Humble music video   Your Next Steps: Work with Me: https://bit.ly/POD-Site2 Join Photo Booth Mastery Hub: https://bit.ly/POD-Hub Connect on Social: https://www.instagram.com/photoboothmastery

    13 min
  4. Stop Calling It An Activation

    2 APR

    Stop Calling It An Activation

    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.   And today we need to talk about it. Because the language you use in your business is not just marketing copy. It is a signal. It tells every person who lands on your page exactly who you are, who you work with, and whether or not you actually know what you are doing. And right now, a lot of us are sending the wrong signal.   Let's get real: language either attracts your ideal client or repels them, before you ever get on a call. In this episode, I am breaking down what a brand activation actually is, why using it incorrectly is quietly killing your credibility with the exact clients you are trying to attract, and what words you should be using instead depending on who you are actually selling to.   This is a loving call-out. But it is still a call-out.   What You'll Learn:  What a brand activation actually is (and what it absolutely is not) Why misusing industry language signals to corporate clients that you do not understand their world The real reason so many photo booth founders borrow vocabulary they cannot back up How the wrong language on your website is costing you inquiries you will never even know you lost What language to use if you are targeting corporate and experiential clients What language to use if your ideal client is a couple planning a luxury wedding The three questions to ask yourself when auditing your website and Instagram right now Why language alignment is not a cosmetic fix, it is a positioning strategy    Your Next Steps: Work with Me: https://bit.ly/POD-Site2 Join Photo Booth Mastery Hub: https://bit.ly/POD-Hub Connect on Social: https://www.instagram.com/photoboothmastery

    15 min

  5. 26 MAR

    You're Not Unfocused. You're Addicted to the Wrong Kind of Busy

    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 look like chaos. It looks like hustle. It looks like a founder who genuinely cares, genuinely works hard, and is genuinely getting nowhere.   In this episode, I'm going deep on the most expensive version of shiny object syndrome in this industry. Not the one where you buy a booth you didn't plan to. The one where you're in constant motion but the business looks the same six months from now as it does today. That's avoidance dressed up as productivity. And it's costing you more than you know.   I also get into why your brain is literally working against you here, why Facebook groups can become a trap if you're not careful, and the one question you need to ask to figure out exactly where your focus should go for the next ninety days.   What You'll Learn:  Why the most expensive version of shiny object syndrome looks like constant productivity, not distraction How dopamine and novelty-seeking are literally making you feel busy while keeping you stuck The difference between motion and direction, and why hardworking founders confuse the two Why crowdsourcing your strategy in a Facebook group is keeping you spinning How to audit your own business to find the one thing that's actually holding you back What it really means to build a lean, scalable equipment lineup What ninety days of real focus actually looks like, and what to do with every idea that tries to derail it Why the founders I've watched go from stuck to scaling all had one thing in common: they got bored for a while   Mentioned in This Episode: Scale: Catalina's coaching program for 6 and 7-figure photo booth founders. DM the word SCALE to @photoboothmastery on Instagram to learn more.   Your Next Steps: Work with Me: https://bit.ly/POD-Site2 Join Photo Booth Mastery Hub: https://bit.ly/POD-Hub Connect on Social: https://www.instagram.com/photoboothmastery

    17 min

  6. 19 MAR

    He hit seven figures and didn't love it.

    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 scaling always means going bigger. Because Aldo is proof that sometimes the most powerful move is getting really, really clear about what you actually want and building toward that instead.   I sat down with Aldo at PBX and we got into all of it. His journey from wedding videographer to seven-figure corporate experiential operator. The moment he realized he had to choose between weddings and corporate (and why he chose corporate, hard). The philosophy behind why he calls his setup "controlled chaos." The hiring struggles he still hasn't fully solved. And why he hit a million dollars and then... didn't love it.   This is one of those conversations where every answer gives you something to think about. Aldo doesn't run his business the way you'd expect. He doesn't have a fancy website driving his leads. He doesn't automate much because every single project he does is custom-built from scratch. He travels 80% of the time. He flies first class because a one-day project is actually a three-day project when you account for travel, and he prices accordingly. He is, by every measure, doing this his own way.   And it's working. What You'll Learn: Why Aldo chose to go all-in on corporate and completely dropped wedding videography (and why he thinks trying to do both splits your resources and your identity) How he thinks about pricing for travel, custom builds, and one-of-a-kind activations that no one else can replicate or price-match The "inspire, don't sell" philosophy he uses on sales calls and why it turns his clients into advocates who sell him to their bosses What happened when he hit seven figures and why he scaled back the year after Why he believes relationship-building is the entire foundation of a corporate business and what that actually looks like in practice His honest take on the hiring struggle, letting people go, and what he wishes he could learn right now The "lipstick on a pig" strategy he uses to elevate any activation and keep clients coming back What advice he'd give to wedding booth owners who want to move into corporate (and why he thinks if you can sell a $2,800 wedding booth, you can sell a $100K experiential) His one piece of advice for standing out in any market: offer something no one else has, and they can't price-match you   Your Next Steps: Work with Me:   BitPhoto Booth Mastery - Home   Join Photo Booth Mastery Hub:   BitPhoto Booth Mastery Hub   Connect on Social:   Instagraminstagram.com/photoboothmastery

    45 min

  7. 12 MAR

    Five Expensive Lessons I Learned the Hard Way

    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 promise that I would share the good and the bad. And today, I'm keeping that promise. I'm pulling back the curtain on the five most expensive mistakes I've made in this business. Not the "oops, I forgot to reply to an email" kind of mistakes. I'm talking about the ones that cost me real money, real sleep, and honestly, my confidence, for a while. The reason I'm sharing this? I didn't have a mentor when I made these mistakes. I was figuring it out completely on my own. If I can save you even one of these lessons, this episode is worth every uncomfortable minute it took me to record it. What you'll learn in this episode: Why the post-COVID booking explosion led to one of my most painful and expensive hiring mistakes and what I wish someone had told me before I filled those seats The "steal of a deal" warehouse lease that wasn't and all the hidden costs that came with 10,000 square feet of beautiful bad decisions Why your bank account balance is lying to you, and the financial habit that changed everything once I finally learned it The real cost of buying too many booths, and why fewer options actually helped us scale faster Why I waited until seven figures to invest in coaching and why that was the worst possible time to finally ask for help Your Next Steps: Work with Me: https://bit.ly/POD-Site2 Join Photo Booth Mastery Hub - https://bit.ly/POD-Hub Connect on Social: https://www.instagram.com/photoboothmastery

    16 min

  8. 5 MAR

    Solo Operator. Seven Figures. Here's How He Does It.

    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 experiential business while simultaneously stage managing one of the most recognizable morning shows in America, and his path looks nothing like mine. Different systems, different structure, different mindset. And that's exactly the point. Let's get real for a second: there is no single blueprint for building a successful photo booth business. Zach is proof that you can get there on your own terms. He started with a Groupon in 2012, grew into high-end corporate activations for brands like Disney Channel and the NBA, and now consistently lands five and six-figure event contracts. One client paid him $150,000 for four days of work. And he did it as a solo operator. This conversation gets honest about the real trade-offs of running a lean business, the stress of being the only person, the tech systems that make it possible, and the mindset shifts that changed everything. We also talk trends, gear, pricing, white labeling, and what Zach would tell his 2012 self if he could go back. What You'll Learn: How Zach built a seven-figure business while working full time on the Today Show and why he hasn't quit his day job (it's not what you think) The mindset shift that took him from a Groupon operator to landing $150,000 corporate contracts How he manages live events remotely from his phone, including monitoring printer status and accessing his booth computers without his staff even knowing Why being a solo operator has a ceiling, and what he wishes he had in place sooner The real talk on gear: why he lives by the "buy less, rent more" rule and what it cost him to learn it How white labeling and a trusted industry network allowed him to say yes to more without burning out The honest conversation about pricing and why raising your rates is one of the best decisions you'll ever make What it actually looks like to juggle Coachella, the NBA Draft, and the Boston Marathon in the same month as a one-man show The trend advice that will change how you think about gear investments (if you're seeing it on the PBX floor, you've already missed it) Why the cheaper the client, the harder they are, and how Zach learned to stop chasing the wrong ones Your Next Steps: Work with Me: https://bit.ly/POD-Site2 Join Photo Booth Mastery Hub: https://bit.ly/POD-Hub Connect on Social: https://www.instagram.com/photoboothmastery

    1hr 2min
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About

Scaling Out Loud The Photo Booth Business Podcast for 6-Figure Founders Ready to Break the 7-Figure Ceiling If you’re a 6-figure photo booth business owner stuck in the "Chief Everything Officer" role, juggling bookings, managing tech headaches, and feeling crushed under your own success, this podcast is for you. Hosted by Catalina Bloch, founder of MDRN Activations, MDRN Photobooth Co., and creator of Photo Booth Mastery, Scaling Out Loud pulls back the curtain on what it actually takes to grow from six to seven figures without burning out in the process. Catalina’s not just talking theory. She’s actively running a 7-figure booth brand while helping hundreds of founders do the same. Each episode is packed with strategy, real-world insights, and unfiltered lessons that speak directly to photo booth entrepreneurs. Inside, you’ll learn how to: • Systemize your business and step out of the weeds • Attract and close high-ticket corporate and wedding clients • Raise your prices confidently and profitably • Build a team you can actually trust • Turn hustle into strategy without losing your edge No recycled advice from other industries. No vague "just work harder" mindset. Just real talk from someone who's built what you’re building and isn’t afraid to say what needs to be said. If you're ready to trade chaos for clarity and bookings for bigger opportunities, hit subscribe and follow Catalina on Instagram @photoboothmastery. Your next level doesn’t start with more work. It starts with listening.

Information

  • Creator
    Catalina Bloch
  • Years Active
    2k
  • Episodes
    19
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 MDRN Creative Group Inc.
  • Show Website
    Scaling Out Loud

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