Hello everyone! Our fireside chats are back and today, we're chatting it up with the founder of PB Backdrops, Brian Ginsberg.
Hi Brian! So I finally caved in and became your client when I bought one of your awesome Super Duper deals you offered recently during #VendorThursdays. I don’t like it at all though…. I love it!
Did you really think I was going to say anything bad about your product? LOL! I seriously don’t think anyone has never heard of you before but in case they haven’t, Brian is the brains (and brawn) behind Photobooth Backdrops and today, we’ll get to know him just a little bit more.
SOMETHING ABOUT YOU:
Where are you from?
I was born in Van Nuys, CA and have lived most of my life near or by the beach in Orange County and I just recently relocated to Arizona.
Can you tell us a little about yourself? Married? Dogs? Cats? A fish perhaps?
I am married with one lovely wife and 4 beautiful children ages 19,15, 5 and almost 1. Yes I am crazy and started all over again with the new baby. No dogs, no cats... just kids.
What is your occupation?
I have a few different businesses. My main business before getting in the photo booth world was Merchant Credit Card Processing. I have been doing this since 1989 and owned and operated my own office since 2000. Ecxoc.com. About five and a half years ago I had a friend introduce me to the photo booth world and we started ctm-photobooth.com and now, being in Arizona, we also started ctmaz.com.
From there I also launched pbbackdrops.com where we now supply other boothers and event companies with products to enhance their businesses.
Have you seen Infinity War? What did you think? Are you as devastated as I am? LOL!
I have not see Infinity Wars.
<Oh boo! You gotta go check it out! >
What’s your favorite caffeine fix?
Well my go to for some time was Diet Coke but I stopped that about 2 years ago. Then I went to Red Bull which was just as bad or maybe worse. Since then, I have found a new drink from Amway of all places that has no garbage in it and packed with B12. That is now my drink of choice to make it through the day.
What is your one guilty pleasure?
Junk food.
<Mmmmmm donuts for me!>
Any favorite foods? What’s the one thing you can’t live without?
I would say a good steak is my fave food. At least once a week I need my steak fix.
If I ask you what’s on your Spotify playlist right now, what would it be?
LOL this is funny because its all Kids Bop stuff that my lil ones listen to.
Do you have your own website? Can I share it with everyone here?
I have a few. Pbbackdrops.com, ctm-photobooth.com, ctmaz.com and ecxoc.com, picboxcompany.com
SOMETHING ABOUT WHAT YOU DO:
Can you tell us a little about how you came to be where you are? What was the very first backdrop you sold?
My first backdrop I ever sold is my staple backdrop - the rosettes. That was the first product as well that helped launch pbbackdrops.com four years ago.
I'm a big Super Boothers fan and I heard your podcast episode and it was pretty cool hearing how you got started with company. For those who haven’t heard the podcast, can you share a little about how you got started?
Like I said I came from the merchant credit card processing world and after 25+ years of doing that the boredom set in. I was introduced by a good friend who started a company with 1 booth and 6 months later he had 4. He was rocking and I thought if he could do it so could I so I set off on the journey to find my 1st booth. 6 months of research and searching for the best fit for me and bugging the heck out of my wife every night to look at stuff till 2am. I finally made my 1st purchase. 5 plus years later we now have 8+ booths and working on our 4th permanent install of coin operated booths while still running our rental biz.
Are you solely selling backdrops and props these days or are you still actively pursuing photo booth events?
Pbbackdrops.com has become the staple biz as of late however we just relaunched in our new location in Arizona for rentals.
Thanks Brian Ginsberg for these awesome backdrops!!! These will be sure to kick start my rental business in the right direction. (Thomas Siegel)
So what’s your secret to your success?
Work hard and treat your customers like they are #1. I learned at an early age in my sales career that there are 3 things people look for in a company. Quality, Service and Price. I was always taught that you can't give a customer all three and that one would be sacrificed. However with Pbbackdrops.com I have learned to combine all three together. It’s definitely more time consuming but definitely worth the reward.
If you could change one thing about the business, what would it be?
Hmm that’s a tough one. I don’t think I would change a thing. I am super happy with the way things are going at this point.
WALKING IN LIPTON'S SHOES:
I’ve always been a great fan of James Lipton’s show Inside the Actor’s Studio and I love his questions. Do you think I can ask you the same questions?
What turns you off?
Fake people.
What is your favorite curse word?
Ooo ooo!!! The F word for sure. I say that quite often especially when trying to build stuff. LOL!
What sound or noise do you love?
The ocean.
What sound or noise do you hate?
Open mouth food crunching. Ugh!
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Would love to be a pro surfer and travel the globe.
If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
Okay fine. I will let you in.
FINAL QUESTION:
If you can give one piece of advice to a novice who wants to break into the business, what would it be?
Work hard, work smart and don’t give up.
Any final thoughts? A shout out perhaps?
I would like to thank my friend James Brent for getting me into the photo booth biz 5+ years ago. Ryan Salinas for continuing to inspire me and to my wife for putting up with me.
This is so awesome! Thank you so much for taking the time to sit down with me and share a little bit of insight about yourself. This is so cool! I definitely enjoyed this and hopefully others will too! I'm hoping I could make it to PBX one of these days so we can all finally meet up!
Be sure to check out Brian's Instagram feed and check out his site for even more promos and all cool things backdrops!
I have to do a little plug and no, I didn't get a discount from Brian to write this. As I mentioned at the start, I became a client when I bought one of his specials which I thought was the ultimate deal!
Imagine, 6 pillow case style backdrops, double sided, with two over-sized backdrop stands and bases for $1000 with free shipping! I placed my order and in less than a week, I received the goods.
My client was very specific with the type of backdrop they wanted and Brian definitely delivered. The over-sized bases were incredibly sturdy and puts my other backdrop stands to shame. I have to admit that it's the best one I've owned to date.
While the pillowcase style backdrops fits nice and snug in the stands, make sure to bring along a portable steamer just to take those pesky wrinkles out. Check out some of the images below and on our other blog entry.
And as always, if you have any comments, thoughts, if you would care to like and/or share, please feel free to do so.
Happy boothing! Goodnight! – Rikki