Greg Cushman of Smile Lounge Interactive (Auburn, NY) has built a photo booth company that covers everything from upstate New York to New York City, Boston, and Montreal — doing 200+ events a year with a team that's nearly flipped the script from 60% weddings to 60% corporate. In this episode, Greg pulls back the curtain on the two growth levers he credits most: strategic networking and client retention.

Greg shares how he quietly acquired a competing photo booth business already doing $250K/year, kept the original brand intact, and scaled it from there. He also breaks down exactly how his team turns a single event booking into a long-term client relationship — and why 30–40% of Smile Lounge's annual revenue is now predictable, recurring income.

In this episode:

• How Greg acquired a photo booth business (equipment, brand, and client list) and scaled it without alienating existing customers

• The difference between networking and client retention — and why you need both

• Which networking circles matter most: chambers of commerce, tourism bureaus, vendor networks, and venue relationships

• Why the guest experience at the event is your best retention tool

• His exact CRM follow-up cadence (post-event, 2 months out, 6 months out)

• How to rebook holiday party clients before they even think about shopping competitors

• Building vendor partnerships with DJs and photographers who now refer clients to Smile Lounge directly

• Why weddings aren't "one and done" — and how to turn wedding guests into corporate clients

• Greg's goal for 2026: expanding from 5 installs on a Saturday night to 7

If you’d like to start your own photo booth business, check out our free Quickstart Program: https://pages.photoboothsupplyco.com/quick-start-program

If you’d like to speak with someone from our team about starting a photo booth business, book a free strategy call here: https://photoboothsupplyco.com/pages/book-a-call

For all other interest, check out our website: https://photoboothsupplyco.com/