Published:
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Enthusiasm develops successful photo business
By John Wolcott
HBJ Freelance Writer
MARYSVILLE — Daniel Jolly’s dream of a photography career materialized through the purchase of the Clear Image photo business in Marysville early in 2009.
“I’d worked for Joe Gogal, who started Clear Image in 1988 and built it into a multiple-location photo finishing business. I learned photography in college and working with Joe, including managing his Lynnwood store and doing darkroom work,” he said.
When home printers and digital cameras virtually shut down photo finishers like Clear Image, Gogal — now an Edward Jones financial adviser in south Everett — sold the business at the end of 2008.
Jolly, 31, saw a chance to reach his dream and bought Clear Image, which by then was just the single Marysville store where the business started.
“It was a really steep learning curve,” he said. “I was young, with a lot of passion for photography. I saw a great opportunity, but I was also buying a business with a declining market and an uncertain future. Also, I didn’t know much about all the challenges of running a business.”
Those challenges included creatively expanded his services to boost the revenues needed to cover employees’ salaries, the expensive, high-tech machines essential to his work and make a profit.
His hard work paid off. Clear Image is known for its business and real-estate photography; business card photos; “trading card” photos of sport teams and players; school graduations; corporate events; directory portraits; passport photos; family, children and pets studio pictures; and transferring prints and video tapes to DVD.
“One of my favorite services is restoring old photos that have faded, curled or suffered other damage,” he said. “One of our specialty photo projects was restoring 15 yellowed and water-stained photos and printing them on textured cotton paper for a sheet-metal union. We can even print photos on metal and other surfaces.”
Jolly also has targeted a niche market in the Olympic Peninsula city of Sequim, buying a local frame shop that brings new photo work opportunities.
“There are so many retirees from different industries and careers in Sequim, people with lots of slides and old negatives, historical photos and a love of history,” he said. “That matches well with our services.”
A sensitive photo service that Jolly excels in is capturing the glow of expectant mothers and newborns. “It’s something we handle extremely well,” he said, pointing to examples on the studio wall.
In less than four years, Jolly has become a successful, creative business owner, a creative photographer and a skilled marketer.
“Our motto has always been, ‘artists at heart, professional in action,’ ” he said.
Today, Jolly is well established in the world of full-service photography, a niche he achieved by savvy development of new market areas and delivering services that are professional in technical accomplishment as well as creatively satisfying to his wide variety of customers.
“Fortunately, my wife, Christi, likes the numbers stuff and jumped right into the business, while I get to work with technology, people and creative challenges every day. I love what I’m doing,” he said, adding that he still makes being home in the evenings with his wife and three children a priority.
Learn more
For more information, go to www.clearimagephoto.com, visit at 9023 State Ave., Marysville, or call 360-659-4933.
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