Scaling Out Loud

Catalina Bloch
  • 5.0 (7)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

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. 5d ago

    The Five Stages of Business

    There was a decade of my life where I didn't trust a single person to run one of my weddings. Now I try to avoid going to them. Same equipment. Same clients. Same standard I've always held myself to. Completely different relationship to the work. That shift didn't happen by accident, and it didn't happen fast. If you've ever caught yourself thinking "nobody can do this as well as I can" about your events, your sales calls, your marketing, or your team, this episode is for you. It's the same thought wearing a different outfit every time you climb a level in your business, and it's wrong every single time. It just takes proof to believe it. In this episode, I walk through the five stages of getting yourself out of the day-to-day of your own business, where most people get stuck inside each one, and the mindset wall I'm currently hitting on the other side of all of it. What You'll Learn: Why most founders think they've delegated their events when they've actually just built themselves a helper The real timeline behind offloading a corporate program you used to think only you could run Why sales is usually the highest-leverage hire you'll ever make, and what it actually takes off your plate What changes in your job description the moment you have three people on payroll instead of one Why marketing is almost always the last thing founders let go of, and what happens the day you finally hand it over The leadership skill nobody warns you about once your team grows past a few people What I'm personally struggling with now that I've reached the stage I spent over a decade building toward Mentioned in this episode: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/photoboothmastery Your Next Steps: Work with Me: https://bit.ly/POD-Site2 Join Photo Booth Mastery Hub: https://photoboothmastery.catalinabloch.com/Thrive Connect on Social: https://www.instagram.com/photoboothmastery

  2. Sep 3

    Five Ways I Use AI In My Business

    I spent two months boycotting AI in my business because it kept handing me copy that used the word "elevate" like a life insurance commercial. I decided it was overhyped. I decided my business was too weird for it to actually help. I decided I was right. I was completely wrong, and it was an expensive two months. This episode is not about AI photo booths. We already covered that and it's a totally different conversation. This is about the back office work, the stuff that eats your Sunday and never once shows up as revenue on a P&L. I walk through the five things AI actually does in my business every week right now, why it failed me the first ten times I tried it, and what actually changed that took me from garbage output to work that's ready to send with barely an edit. What You'll Learn: Why the AI output you're getting back is generic, and what that tells you about how you're using it How I turned email, the most neglected part of most photo booth businesses, into something I can hand straight to my team What AEO is, how it's different from SEO, and why almost nobody in this industry is positioned for it yet The zero-click search stat that should change how you think about where your buyers are finding vendors Why I stopped sending every contract redline straight to my lawyer, and what I do instead The one way to actually get useful feedback on your own proposals and pricing pages What actually changed for me, and why it wasn't a better prompt Mentioned in this episode: Illuminate applications: https://illuminatecreative.live Your Next Steps: Work with Me: https://bit.ly/POD-Site2 Join Photo Booth Mastery Hub - https://photoboothmastery.catalinabloch.com/Thrive Connect on Social: https://www.instagram.com/photoboothmastery

  3. Aug 27

    Corporate Wants Something New. Do You Have It?

    Three years ago I'd sit down with a corporate client and spend half the meeting explaining what a photo booth even was. What happens at the event. What the guest walks away with. Why it belongs at their conference at all. That meeting doesn't happen anymore. Now I sit down with a marketing manager who's already been to four events this year with something in the corner. They've seen the mirror booth. They've seen the 360. They've seen the AI booth. What they say to me now is some version of "what else do you have." They're not bored. They're being measured on whether this year's event felt different from last year's, and they're hoping I'm the one who solves that for them. So this episode is about what that shift means if you're trying to break into corporate, or grow the corporate side you already have, because it changes what you're actually selling. I walk through the data behind the shift (the exact searches spiking in our own numbers), why AI is now doing part of the buyer's research for them before they ever talk to a vendor, and the mindset trap that gets founders spending money on new gear when the real answer might already be sitting in their warehouse. I also talk about Illuminate, our October creative retreat in Miami, and the working activations we're building there specifically so founders can get hands-on with what's coming before it shows up anywhere else in the industry. What You'll Learn: Why corporate buyers no longer need you to explain what a photo booth is, and what that means for your pitch The real story behind why enclosed booths and scribble booths spiked in our own search and quote data How AI search results are already quoting photo booth companies, and why that raises the bar on what you show up with The two different (and both valid) ways to build your next offering without assuming you need to buy new gear Why most new product launches in this industry fail to get sold, and it's not the product's fault What's actually happening at Illuminate this October, and why the room is capped on purpose Mentioned in this episode: Illuminate Creative Retreat, Miami, October 11-14, 2026 - https://illuminatecreative.live Keynote speaker: Julius Solaris Your Next Steps: Work with Me: https://bit.ly/POD-Site2 Join Thrive: https://photoboothmastery.catalinabloch.com/Thrive Connect on Social: https://www.instagram.com/photoboothmastery

  4. Aug 20

    Weddings Fund It. Corporate Grows It.

    There's a version of this conversation I have on repeat. Someone tells me they had a great year. More weddings booked than the year before, prices finally went up, reviews are five stars across the board. Then they say the part that gives it away: the calendar is packed during wedding season, and then it just stops. If that's you, stick with me. I want to tell you why weddings can only take you so far, and why most of you are already doing the thing that fixes it and just haven't noticed. I built my company on weddings. I'm not talking down on the market, it's a real business and it can be a very good one. But it has a ceiling, and most photo booth owners hit it somewhere in the low six figures and spend a couple of years banging their head against it without knowing what they're hitting. Corporate is the other half most people never build. It runs on a completely different calendar, a completely different buyer, and it's the reason my own business survived two opposite disasters three years apart. I walk through exactly what changed when I stopped treating corporate as an accident and started treating it as a market. What You'll Learn: Why the wedding funnel has a hard ceiling no amount of marketing can fix The one scheduling fact about corporate that changes your entire capacity Why a single company isn't one client, it's a building with multiple doors What happened to my business in 2020, and again in 2023, and what saved it both times The corporate events you're already booking but not counting as corporate Where corporate buyers actually spend their time (it's not Instagram) The fastest way into a corporate room if you have zero connections right now The one number you need to pull from your own books before you do anything else   Mentioned in this episode: Thrive membership: https://photoboothmastery.catalinabloch.com/Thrive Your Next Steps: Work with Me: https://bit.ly/POD-Site2 Join Thrive: https://photoboothmastery.catalinabloch.com/Thrive Connect on Social: https://www.instagram.com/photoboothmastery

  5. Aug 14

    I tried the booth everyone’s asking about - Scribble Booth

    Ever wondered if that viral "scribble booth" trend is actually worth the investment, or if it's just another shiny object eating up your equipment budget? I put the Scribble Booth by BoothActive to the test so you don't have to guess. You've probably seen these popping up everywhere lately, ever since a videographer put a piece of plexiglass in front of a celebrity red carpet and had people sign their names on camera. It went viral, and now every booth company under the sun has their own version. I wanted to know if the portable, brandable version from BoothActive (aka the Neon Booth) actually holds up in a real event, so I got my hands on one, ran it through an actual live event, and I'm giving you the full unfiltered breakdown. I unboxed it, assembled it myself, ran into a few hiccups, worked out the kinks, and took it out into the field at a high-traffic, low-light event to really put it through the wringer. What You'll Learn: What's actually included when you order the full Scribble Booth kit (and what you'll need to buy separately) The real assembly experience, including one thing you need to check in your inbox before you even start Why the backdrop isn't optional if you actually want this thing to look good The lighting setup that took some trial and error to get right (and why your camera matters more than you think) Whether one attendant is enough, or if you need two to run it smoothly The honest pros and cons after running it at a real event Whether this is the right addition to your booth lineup, or if a solid-shell version makes more sense for you Mentioned Resources: BoothActive: Scribble Booth / Neon Booth (all-in-one kit, $3,500 USD) Replacement outer fabric cover: $647 (order directly from the manufacturer) Camera used: Canon R100 Video booth software: Snappic Your Next Steps: Work with Me: https://bit.ly/POD-Site2 Join Thrive: https://photoboothmastery.catalinabloch.com/Thrive Connect on Social: https://www.instagram.com/photoboothmastery

  6. Aug 6

    The $10K Quote I Almost Didn’t Send

    At PBX earlier this year, I sat down for an on-stage interview with Brandon CEO of PBSCO in front of a room full of photo booth owners. The questions went past pricing and talked about territory I don't usually cover here: the three plateaus that almost stalled this business, including the stretch where I took it from $500,000 to $1.5 million in eight months. I wanted to bring you this conversation straight from the stage because it's the plateau by plateau, mistake by mistake breakdown of how I went from building a business around a maternity leave check to crossing seven figures with MDRN Photobooth Co. and MDRN Activations.  Every founder hits a wall. Mine showed up three separate times, and each one forced me to change something I didn't want to change yet. This episode walks through all three, plus the mindset block that kept me stuck longer than it should have.  What You'll Learn: Why I built my entire first year around one number, $30,000, and what happened when I blew past it in a few months The corporate client that changed my whole strategy, and the $10,000 quote I almost didn't send because I thought it was too high The three plateaus that almost stalled my business, and what actually broke through each one Why I didn't hire a full-time employee for years, and what I looked for instead The mindset shift that changed everything, and why I kept calling a legitimate business a side hustle for way too long How getting specific about who I was targeting (not just "weddings") took my brand from six figures into seven Why I eventually split one brand into two, and what that protected The exact part of my sales process that runs without me touching it, and why I only talk to leads who are already sold  Mentioned in this episode: BoothBook (CRM) WPPI (wedding industry trade show) Cricut cutting machine MDRN Photobooth Co. and MDRN Activations Your Next Steps: Work with Me: https://bit.ly/POD-Site2 Join Photo Booth Mastery Hub - https://photoboothmastery.catalinabloch.com/Thrive Connect on Social: https://www.instagram.com/photoboothmastery

  7. Jul 30

    Is your business failing or evolving?

    I used to think my business was a photo booth company. Turns out it was never really about the booth at all. If you asked me twelve years ago what my business would look like today, I'd have told you we do weddings and we're a photo booth company. That's it. That's all I could see. Today we're an experiential marketing and brand activations company, and we're in the middle of pivoting again toward permanent installs. The name barely changed. Everything else did. I want to talk about this because I think a lot of you are sitting on a business you've already outgrown, and instead of calling that progress, you're calling it failure. You've got a version of the business memorized in your head, and you're so attached to it that you can't see what's actually trying to happen right in front of you. In this episode I walk you through every pivot my business has gone through, the ones I chose and the one that got forced on me, why splitting my brands was one of the smartest moves I made, and how to tell the difference between a real opportunity and just being bored. What You'll Learn: Why I split my wedding brand and my corporate brand, and what happened when I stopped trying to talk to both buyers in one place The exact three signals I use to tell if a new direction is a real opportunity or just me getting restless Why "maintenance mode" isn't the same as giving up on a revenue stream The famous companies that started as something completely different before finding what actually made them money A simple two-sentence exercise that will show you exactly where your business is already headed, whether you've decided that or not Mentioned in This Episode: Illuminate, Cat's application-only creative retreat for founders, happening in Miami this October: https://illuminatecreative.live Follow along and share your two sentences: instagram.com/photoboothmastery  Your Next Steps: Apply to join us at Illuminate: https://www.illuminatecreative.live/application-form Work with Me: https://bit.ly/POD-Site2 Follow along and share your two sentences: https://instagram.com/photoboothmastery

  8. Jul 23

    7 figure booth owner, manufacturer and software developer. Meet Steve

    If you've ever used a piece of software that's more powerful than it is intuitive, something that takes real time to learn but rewards you once you know it, you've probably used Breeze at some point. And today's guest is the reason it's gotten more accessible without losing that depth. Steve Bliesner is the founder of Hey Okay, formerly known as Photo Booth Guys in Australia and the UK, and he's been in this industry for over 16 years. He's built photo booths out of timber and aluminum, manufactured the gorgeous Art Series booth, launched an audio guestbook brand during COVID that became a seven figure business on its own, and eventually bought Breeze, the photo booth software he'd used and loved for over a decade. Steve gatekeeps nothing. If you've ever caught him speaking at Photo Booth Expo or BoothCon, you know he hands over the playbook every single time. This conversation goes deep into what it actually looks like to build a business for 16 years without ever really stopping to catch your breath. Steve talks about starting as a wedding photographer looking for an add-on service, the mistakes he made scaling into new cities, why he's never been a fan of white labeling, and the hard truth about why most photo booth businesses aren't worth much when it's time to sell. Then we get into the story behind buying Breeze, why the plan was never to make it "easy," and what's coming for Breeze users this year. What You'll Learn: Why Steve started as a wedding photographer and how that shaped the way he built his photo booth business The real story behind manufacturing the Art Series and why he eventually stopped making his own booths How his dad passing right as COVID lockdowns hit led to two separate seven figure product lines Why "if you saw it at the expo, you missed the window to make real money on it" The scaling mistake Steve says he'd change if he could do it again Why most photo booth businesses have almost no resale value, and what actually makes one sellable The story behind buying Breeze from its original founders, and why he never planned to make it the "easiest" software in the industry What's coming from Breeze at Illuminate in Miami this October Resources Mentioned: Breeze: https://www.breezesoftware.com/ Hey Okay: https://photobooth.co/ Illuminate Conference (Miami, October 11-14, 2026) https://www.illuminatecreative.live/ 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 Subscribe on Youtube

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5
out of 5
7 Ratings

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
    2026
  • Episodes
    39
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 MDRN Creative Group Inc.
  • Show Website
    Scaling Out Loud

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