The Photobooth Podcast

Photobooth Supply Co

Ever wonder how the top photo booth businesses got there? On The Photobooth Podcast, we talk with booth owners and industry pros about the wins, the flops, and everything in between. You'll hear how they book more events, price with confidence, and grow a business they actually enjoy running. New guest, new story, every episode.

Episodes

  1. Sep 30

    $400K With Zero Marketing: Ryan Murphy on Answering the Phone, the KY Derby, and Going Full-Time

    He does zero marketing, advertises nowhere, and still can't cover all his bookings. In just over four years Ryan Murphy has pulled more than $400,000 out of a photo booth business built on one habit almost nobody sticks to. What is he actually doing differently? In this Six-Figure Club episode of the Photobooth Podcast, Amber talks with Ryan Murphy of Next Event Photobooth in Louisville, Kentucky, home of the Kentucky Derby. A drummer who worked corporate events and galas for years, Ryan bought his first booth in 2021 and went full-time in January. Ryan talks about watching a competitor's Windows-based booth crash at the Derby and choosing an iPad-based system that hasn't failed him across 24 activations in four days. He also explains how he built a family-run operation with his wife and 17-year-old son. For three years running, he's been Ford's photo and video activation team at the Derby. He also shares the anti-marketing playbook behind his 20 to 40% yearly growth: no ads, no Wedding Pro, just a solid website, a Google Business listing, and the discipline to call people right back. He covers his phone-first sales process, the gala gift-card strategy, and why $1 million might be closer than he thinks. If you want to scale or go full-time, this one's for you. We Break Down: Working the Kentucky Derby as Ford's activation team: 24 activations in four daysWhy Ryan bet on photo booths in 2021 after a record band year vanished in 48 hoursHow SBA relief money funded the first boothWhy he chose an iPad-based booth after watching a Windows-based 360 crash at the DerbyHow his wife and 17-year-old son run the glam bot for Ford execsThe zero-marketing formula: an on-point website and a Google Business listingThe one habit that beats every marketing spend: answer the phone and call back fastThe Friday-Monday cold outreach routine that lands him in a client's inbox twiceThe BMW call that changed everything and why corporate content compoundsBecoming a vendor for your local public school systemRyan's phone-first sales process that closes 99.9% of the timeWhy "checking in" reeks of desperation, and the automated follow-up that replaces itThe gala gift-card strategy: donate a digital booth, write it off, and upsellExpanding to four Guac and Chips booths in 2026 and white labelingThe road to $1 millionChapters: 00:00 - Episode Begins 00:38 - Meet Ryan Murphy & the Kentucky Derby 02:10 - The Six-Figure Club: Over $400K in Cumulative Revenue 03:00 - Take Me Back: Betting on the Photo Booth Business in 2021 05:41 - Full-Time or Side Hustle? 05:58 - Why He Chose Photo Booth Supply Co. 09:15 - What He Does Differently: The Zero-Marketing Formula 14:50 - The One Event That Shifted Everything: The BMW Call 19:52 - The Sales Process: How Ryan Secures Bookings 23:35 - Following Up Without Chasing: Automated Outreach 26:13 - Expanding to Four Booths in 2026 28:11 - Doing Well in Louisville & Advice for Smaller Markets 33:17 - The Road to the Millionaires Club Resources: Next Event Photobooth: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nexteventphotobooth/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nexteventphotobooth/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nexteventphoto Ryan Murphy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-murphy-267b9563/ Photo Booth Supply Co. https://photoboothsupplyco.com/

About

Ever wonder how the top photo booth businesses got there? On The Photobooth Podcast, we talk with booth owners and industry pros about the wins, the flops, and everything in between. You'll hear how they book more events, price with confidence, and grow a business they actually enjoy running. New guest, new story, every episode.