During the Notting Hill Carnival, a Battersea lady struck gold when she sold Polaroid images and earned about £1,000 (nearly $1,200). Amma Antwi took to the streets throughout the August bank holiday weekend, shooting candid photographs of carnival-goers and charged £5 per photo. She now hopes to extend her Polaroid photo business on a global scale, inspired by her local success.
The 32-year-old entrepreneur from South London also offered bundle discounts to attendees, selling three Polaroid photos taken with her Instax Mini 11 camera for £10.
Antwi captured nearly 200 quick photos in total, giving in a £573 profit after setup costs. According to the Daily Mail, she was inspired by her trade abilities and stated that she hopes to extend her photography business in the next round of carnival now that she has a full camera set for future events.
Antwi, better known as BSG, compared her experience selling Polaroid images at the Notting Hill Carnival to a contestant on the TV show The Apprentice, describing rejection as a redirection.
Despite some rejection, the freelance photographer discovered that most carnival goers loved her business proposal. She saw this venture as a chance to improve her photography talents, network, and contact with people she wouldn’t normally deal with in her daily life.
She added that the rejection she faced during her expedition increased her desire to sell. Her usage of a Polaroid camera for her photo-selling enterprise worked well for her. The pressure of using a Polaroid camera to capture memories in real time during her photo-selling venture created its own set of obstacles, according to Antwi.
According to her, the sequence of rejections she received encouraged her to adapt and enhance her sales strategies. In order to appeal to a wider spectrum of potential purchasers, she offered both cash and card payment alternatives at the carnival.
Antwi revealed that she used unique marketing methods such as walking billboard style by wearing white tops from Primark with iron-on letters indicating her prices to advertise the Polaroid photo company at the carnival. She also utilized a massive megaphone to promote her business.
These efforts drew widespread praise, with over 95 percent of individuals praising her entrepreneurial abilities and encouraging her to continue selling whether or not they made a purchase.