Today we’d like to introduce you to Artak Movsesyan
Hi Artak, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
It all started with a very big interest in drones. I began researching heavily about how to fly drones as a job for contractors or public agencies. I had already invested in a drone before knowing much about what it requires to operate one commercially. Before I knew it, I was knee deep in studying for the FAA part 107 remote operator’s license, which I had no idea about it being a legal requirement to operate commercially.
Getting my drone operator’s license was probably the very beginning of my business. However, it was not immediately apparent to me that drone services would not be completely sustainable as a business without a tremendous financial investment. I then started to research more about photography as a way to fund my business to get it on its feet. I needed a source of income to actually operate a business that involved drone operations.
Slowly but surely, I got fully invested in photography, learning everything and anything that encompasses it. I quickly realized how vast the field of photography is, but probably the most drone-oriented photography business is real estate photography.
At this point, I began to purchase all sorts of photography gear while working side-gigs to fund my up and coming venture. There were a lot of points during this journey where imposter syndrome was constantly at the back of my mind. I never envisioned myself as a photographer, I really just wanted to fly drones, everyday if I could help it. Ultimately, I discovered a field so remarkable that it has made an impact on nearly every business and industry imaginable.
I realized that I needed to specialize and focus on a niche that I would enjoy day to day, and my respect for architecture gave me a big nudge towards real estate photography. After all, the main reason I wanted to fly drones was to conduct surveys for architectural firms and the like.
Two and a half years later, my business has come very far, I have become practically an expert at using a professional mirrorless camera to capture homes as well as folks. The best part of it all, now I fly a drone multiple times a day and get a true bird’s eye view of pure Michigan and it’s beautiful landscape carved by all of the residential and commercial real estate.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The biggest struggles I faced, as with most businesses, was marketing and building up the clientele. I immediately realized that if people do not know about you, and can’t easily find you there is little to no chance of clients actually choosing you as a photographer out of the blue.
I decided not to leave anything to chance, I invested in education and coaching to strengthen lead-gen strategies and reach my target consumer fully intentionally. Having a MBA I did not shy away from taking the plunge and starting the business, making it up to code legally. Also, having opened a restaurant in the past with my mother (still operating to this day – Lavash Grill in Southfield & 12 mile), I had the well rounded know how on how to run a business. I knew I needed help on the marketing side of things though.
The financial investment into education and coaching proved to be very impactful, because in the past year and a half my business has grown so much that it is incomparable with the first year in business. Not even in the same league.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Restaurant owner?
There is a lot I can talk about the restaurant I started with my mother, I just don’t have the kind of time to go through the entire story. I started Lavash Grill with my mother right as I was finishing my B.A. in Entrepreneurship. My mother having operated a restaurant for a decade before that wanted to branch out and create something she could call her own. I still remember the day we talked about her goals and vision as if it were yesterday!
She worked her entire life to support my sister and I, and I fully wanted to pay her back in some way, shape or form. We picked a location close to our home (barely five minutes) and began the long process of renovation to make the space our own. My mother and I were the only two people running the whole show for over two years until we thought about hiring another cook. We cooked, we served, cleaned, and everything in between all ourselves. We take pride in offering the freshest locally sourced ingredients to create dishes for people made to order.
Some time later I stepped away from the business once I realized my mother had people by her side to be able to run everything on her own. Now I solely run my photography business.
I am most proud of the quality of my work and my customer service over everything else. I truly believe that the real estate photography business is a people business, as in customer service comes before anything else. Sure, the quality of the media is very important, but at the end of the day if you are able to make the person’s life easier they will remember that over all else! In the realm of photography I offer everything that encompasses real estate photography. Whether it be photography, videography, aerial photo or video, 3D virtual tours, virtual staging, I do it all.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I think first and foremost my family, wife, mother, sister, father, uncle and everybody else have been my biggest supporters and cheerleaders especially on my hardest days.
I owe a big thanks to Real Estate Photographer Pro for mentoring me nearly a year now on how to properly run a photography business. It is thanks to them I have grown so dramatically in the past year.
Last, certainly not least, he is the first I would say above all else, I owe a big thanks to my lil man Alexander, my son. He is the reason I do it all, strive for more in life. I do it so I can buy back my time to spend it with him and my wife.
Pricing:
- Artful Spotlight Package – 195 (includes 25-30 photos, 6-12 drone photos, 2D floor plan with room measurements and total sq ft, also a property website with a market suite)
- Artful Highlight package – 375 (our most popular package, includes 35-40 photos, up to 15 drone photos, 3D zillow virtual tour, 2D floor plan with room measurements and total sq ft, virtual twilight photos, also a property website with a market suite)
- Artful Showcase Package – 700 (Anything a listing would need, includes 45-50 photos, 60 second property video/walkthrough reel, Matterport 3D virtual tour, up to 15 drone photos, 2D floor plan with room measurements and total sq ft, a colorized/enhanced 3D floor plan, & virtual twilight photos, also a property website with a market suite)
- Artful 20 Photos (includes 15-20 photos, 2D floor plan, also a property website with a market suite) Photography doesn’t have to be expensive, anybody could take advantage of professional photography!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.artful-photography.
com - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artful_photography_llc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artfulphotographyllc
