Michael Vayner
Who are you, where are you based, and what do you love to do?
Hello, I am Michael Vayner and I am located in Houston, Texas. Besides my glorious love for making TikToks, I enjoy spending as much time as I can with my 2 daughters Leora and Eliana. They are my everything and being a divorced father I cherish the moment with them more than anything. It’s even better when my daughters ask me the create TikToks with them.
How did you get here? What experiences have led you to this point in your life?
I’m originally from Chicago and when I got married and just turned 30 years old, I decided to move my wife and newborn to Texas, to seek a better life for us. I have had an extensive background in the Taxi/Limousine Industry. By age 18 I owned 5 of my own taxis, and then by age 23 I was a partner in a limo company. Which I flipped and then left for a while then came back and bought into that same company again and then again sold it by age 29. When I moved to Texas I jumped into the Limo industry again as the manager of Operations for a fairly large company. After a year of that I moved into a completely new industry, The Funeral Industry as a sales professional. I worked there for 3 plus years becoming one of the top sales managers in the company nationwide. I decided to leave for personal reasons. The next year was probably the most difficult time I’ve ever dealt with. Not only was I trying to find a new career path where I would be happy, but I was also dealing with deciding to separate from my wife. I drove for various car services as well as had my own clients but was never happy. Then an opportunity came knocking. Something I am passionate about and that was becoming a GM for new type of transportation service. I spent 18 months there when a week before Hurricane Harvey hit Texas I was laid off due to budget cuts. Now I knew this was coming about 3 months prior so I needed to find something quick. What did I find you ask? FotoMaster and the MirrorMe Photo Booth. So I jumped in and purchased my first booth. Fast Forward to when Hurricane Harvey hit Houston, I was devastated because I lost everything I owned except my Photo Booth. I did everything I could to make sure it was safe so I picked it up as water started to rush in and I placed it on top of my bed. I knew that if this would fail, I don’t know if I would make it through this. I’ve stuck with it, through many ups and downs these past 3 years and I know I made the right choice to stick with it.
When did you start working with BoothBook, and what do you do to help push the business forward?
When I started the business, I knew right away that I needed a program to help me with bookings. Being in the Transportation industry for so many years, Ive dealt with so many types of programs and thought there has to be one our there for this industry. I was introduced to a few that were recommended but the only one that was not recommended was BoothBook. I don’t know why but Chris Collins saw my post on the MirrorMe FB group and asked if I could spend a few moments on the phone with him to see what I was looking for and if it was a good fit. He didn’t try to blow smoke up my ass, he was genuine and understanding of what I was looking for. The other 4 systems I was looking at, only replied with generic emails. I didn’t care if BB was still growing, the fact that Chris reached out personally and had a two hour conversation with me, meant more to me than any discount given to me to choose a certain service. I’m loyal to a fault, but if I’m treated with that kind of respect, you will get my business. I have grown together with BB both as an owner of a photo booth company and a user of BB. Being the first US user was an honor. BB was built from an owner, for owners. He understands what it takes to do what we do. I think I bug Chris too much with ideas on when he is going to add cool new stuff on our 100km list we have put together. I spread the word about BB so other owners know that this is the best product out there for you.
When was the first time you used a photobooth? Why did you use it? Who were you with? What was the experience like?
The first time I ever used a photo booth was probably in a mall in Chicago. I was with friends and paid like $7 for a 3 pic strip. It was fun at the time.
What is the coolest / most fun / most amazing photobooth experience you have seen? Why did you like it so much?
For me, the one that I have seen that has impressed me the most, has been the Bullet Array system. I think it is a really neat concept being able to have a 3D picture taken of you suspended in the air. Really cool, and looking to add to my business sometime down the road.
What is a particular skill that you have that you think would help small business owners improve their lives?
Empathy. I truly believe that more than 70% of the people in our industry, don’t have empathy as part of their business model. Empathy needs to be a part of your daily life, both professionally and personally. It will do wonders for you and your business.
Which BoothBook feature do you think is most likely to dramatically improve someone’s business?
The feature that best will improve anyone’s business is the Proposal Software. Its an amazing tool for those who need a little extra help in providing a professional looking proposal.
Which BoothBook feature do you think is the coolest / most fun / most impressive?
The automated booking by far is the best. I’ve lost count with the amount of times I’ve woken up to a new booking and never ever speaking with the client at all. By far the coolest!
Why should people use BoothBook in their business?
I’ve said this since day one, having BB as a part of your business is like having a personal assistant, without paying for the personal assistant. I could go on and on with all the amazing features BB provides, the best feature, is the unlimited free trial that allows you to take your time, set up your system and find out what options work best for you.
