Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Gaultney.
Hi Lauren, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
How did we get here? Whew! Honest answer, Covid! It made me really think and reflect, as a child I loved starting businesses in my basement with my friends, LOL. I went to college for healthcare and business administration, found myself working in sales outside of college, I was good at it, but what I loved the most while doing it was event planning and designing. I loved getting to put on events for clients and doing the behind the scenes work. Finally, when covid came to be my brain started to go back into kiddo Lauren, thinking and daydreaming about starting my own business in the event world and getting to design events and use my creativity in my day to day. It got to the point where it was all I could think about and fortunately with the covid era, we had Fridays off work where I could really focus my thoughts on this “daydream” finally I knew it was time to get serious! And that’s when Glow Booth really came to be, 2021! Flash forward to today and we are doing around 300 events a year where I get to help my clients curate the perfect photobooth experience, whether that be a corporate branded activation to help promote their business or event or a timeless wedding keepsake! And most importantly I’m living and working in my creative element which fills my soul <3
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Smooth is a tough word to use, it’s been a beautiful road and one that I feel incredibly grateful for, but there’s absolutely been bumps. Financial concerns come into play when you let go of your security blanket (corporate life), you have to be rooted in knowing that your financial success is solely on you and how you are managing your business, there is no guaranteed paycheck coming.
Coming from the corporate world you go from managing one aspect of a business to taking on every roll in the business! This is still a challenge every day, learning what to outsource, what to save money on, what drains you (aka things to outsource) and what roles energize you to maximize my output and grow the business.
Running your own business is a constant back and forth battle in your own mind with no manager to consult or tell you what to do!
Then becoming a mom, this changed everything, priorities suddenly become very different. The hardest part of this stage of life I’m currently in with the business is dividing and managing my time, every week is different in the event world and being a present mom is so very important to me, so making sure that I prioritize family above all else is my biggest “struggle” and also my biggest blessing. <3
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Glow Booth is primarily a photobooth company, and we specialize in creating timeless branded memories and activations for your event. This could be a wedding, and you want your guests to leave with a branded memory of your special day or a corporate launch party where each and every capture taken is a marketing opportunity that we specially curated to ensure that guests are branding your business in every shared post!
We go above and beyond the image and curate custom activations for your event. The introduction of AI has taken our photobooth capabilities above and beyond for branded content. We are very well known for our classic timeless GLAM booths, Spotlight photobooths are taking steam in 2026, and custom guest takeaways such as branded photo keychains or magnets are such a unique way to brand your event! As a brand we are so proud to be a company that prioritizes your image, our priority is to capture your unique vision and bring it to life! Explain your vision and goals to us, and we can curate some really unique experiences that will leave your guests saying WOW!
Who else deserves credit in your story?
My parents have run a small business my whole life, and I have learned so much entrepreneurial from them and from watching them as I grew up. My husband has been so supportive at helping get me out of my head and just do it! My team, every single person that has been a part of our business has taught me something and I’m constantly learning from each and every one of them, better management skills, organization, time management, etc! Everyone has different perspectives and observations and I’m so incredibly grateful for each and every team member! Podcast mentors, we watch a lot of podcasts, from woman business owners to specific photobooth industry focused podcasts, all of these people have been incredibly detrimental to our success, Learning & expanding our knowledge from individuals who have mastered skills is one of the most important parts of our week so that we can always continue to grow and be better!
Pricing:
- $297-$10k
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.glowbooths.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glowboothstl/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/glowboothstl/
