Picture This! uses TWU microgrant to make an impact on local communities

With more than 500 completed events and 100,000-plus photos, the photo booth rental business has taken Tawny Laney, owner of Picture This!, all over the DFW metroplex to meet new people and help create long-lasting memories. What started as a single photo booth operation in 2013 has now grown to five units, including a vintage trailer with a photo booth inside, named the BOHO Glamper, which Laney purchased with the assistance of a $5,000 microgrant from the TWU Center for Women in Business.

For the last five years, Picture This! has been crowned the winner of Best of Denton County for Best Photo Booth Rental, but Laney wanted to expand and offer an additional style of rental to grow her business even further.

“I decided to invest in a vintage ‘glamper’ trailer configured with a photo booth to offer a more unique product to our line up,” she says. “I believed this offering would satisfy rentals in outdoor areas such as parks, festivals, schools and community events. Since the mobile photo booth is self-sufficient and contained within a structure, I can now service locations without standard power capabilities and those susceptible to the outdoor elements.”

Laney also realized that this concept would appeal to clients looking for a rental that is different from the current market availability. Currently, there are only two companies based in Dallas that offer a mobile-style photo booth to service a metroplex of nearly 7.1 million people. Laney’s BOHO Glamper is a vintage 1962 Mobile Scout trailer with a Bohemian Shabby Chic flair, which offers a one-of-a-kind photo booth experience.

Expanding Picture This! also is positively impacting Texas communities in several ways.

“From a local standpoint, small business owners are a vital component to community involvement and giving back to the communities they service,” says Laney. “For me, this includes continued and expanded sponsorships to various school programs and non-profits while individually contributing through volunteerism and serving on local boards or committees.”

Laney’s long-term goal is to expand Picture This! into other metropolitan areas within Texas and provide the opportunity for other small business owners to become financially independent, contribute to their local economies and offer additional job opportunities across the state.

Laney also was the May speaker for the Center for Women in Business’ WomenRISE monthly small business training and networking series. She spoke about starting and growing her business, the importance of creating and maintaining a business plan and balancing work and family life.

About the Microgrant Program

The TWU Center for Women in Business’ Women’s Enterprise Training and Microgrant Program, now in its third year, helps women business owners—current or aspiring—to undertake new and innovative projects with a $5,000 grant. The grants are awarded once per year. For more information on the program, visit https://twu.edu/center-women-entrepreneurs/