The 'Trigger Happy' siblings

MANILA, Philippines - They say a picture is worth a thousand words and Filipinos definitely know this considering they love to take photos. Thanks to the wonders of technology, photography has become more sophisticated, affordable and personal. Photo booths have recently sprung up and one of those currently making waves is Trigger Happy.

Founded by siblings Denise and Carlos Congco in August 2009, the idea according to Dens came about “for love of photos and love of attending events.”

“We want to be the siblings who provide services for events and parties,” says Denise who handles the marketing of the business. Carlos on the other hand handles the technical aspect of the business since he is a photographer.

In naming their business, branding is a must according to Denise. “We were brainstorming for names and since he wants to take the pictures and I want to be in the pictures, we kinda said let name it Trigger Happy. It was easily associated with the business and its fun and playful.”

In starting the Trigger Happy photo booth, the siblings were able to convince their father to lend them a capital which they thought was enough. “Our initial capital was P100,000 and we did our research. We encourage our dad to give us capital until we found out it was more than what we thought!”

Since their launch last year, the siblings have been getting lots of inquiries as well as bookings. Carlos says that they get about four to six events in a month with weddings and parties as their main market. While didn’t have a big budget to market the photo booth, it was by word of mouth that they started getting clients. Since they are the ones running, they have three part-time assistants who help them manned the booth.

With all the photo booths out in the market, what makes them different? “We did our research and we found out that there were only a few established and others fly by night. We felt that since we have the capital, a different kind of positioning, we can go head to head with those established in the industry,” Denise says. 

Although the siblings have been reaping the fruits of their labor, Denise said she was hesitant at first to join. “I wasn’t use to working with a family,” she said. Carlos on the other hand was concerned about the budget. “There were many instances we had to spend from our pockets,” he recalled.

Like any other entrepreneur, they were not also spared from the initial glitches. “When we started, we encountered problems and we’ve learned from them. So we changed our printers and improved our booth,” Denise says.

Currently, they have one booth which they carry with them during the events they are booked in. Asked about expanding their business, Denise says they have lots of options. “We would like to franchise but it’s difficult so instead of franchising, we would like to double the booths.” They have also been approached by a mall chain to put up their business which they are currently studying. They are also open to those interested in putting up booths in the Visayas and Mindanao area and have partnered up with a videographer for their future projects.

And for those who would like to get into any business, here are some tips from Denise; “Think long term. You may be spending more but the quality is better. Do research first on any business you are getting into. Find your passion and make sure you stick with it because there will be pain. Also, have the humility to accept opinions especially when working with your family and be thick skinned about the criticisms.”

(For more information, you may log on to http://wearetriggerhappy.-multiply.com/)