Today we’d like to introduce you to Evan Roberts.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started Visually Sold because I believe anyone selling or renting a home deserves excellent visual marketing for the most valuable asset in their lives. Visually Sold’s story starts when I was managing a small pizza store in Cumming, GA. While searching for homes online during lunch breaks in an empty store, I noticed a few of the houses had professional photos, and some did not. This puzzled me, as I found myself instantly attracted to the former and figured other people would be as well. I soon found that there was a market for photography in real estate. I began researching techniques, equipment, and pricing. I was familiar with photography through my experience as a portrait and live music photographer, and I already had the correct camera needed for home photography.
After teaching myself the basics and practicing in my kitchen at home, I began the process of building my client base. As business picked up, I decided I could not continue alone, and I needed help, especially with editing. I hired my best friend Will and trained him to edit real estate photos in my bedroom. Eventually, I was unable to handle the number of phone calls and emails I was receiving while driving to photoshoots, so I hired my sister, Caroline, to help with phones and scheduling. I bought a used iMac on eBay and got her set up in her dorm room at Kennesaw State. Now, three and a half years later, Caroline is our Head of Operations, Will is our Photo Tuning Admin, and we’re a team of 27. We cover all of Metro Atlanta, Charlotte/Raleigh, North Carolina, and Nashville, Tennessee. My mission has since become twofold: to create the simplest solution for real estate photography in the nation, and to cultivate a workplace culture that the team loves being a part of, and looks forward to coming to every day.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The path that I have chosen is filled with obstacles. I knew this going in, and have accepted it as a part of the path to growth and improvement. In the past, we struggled with optimizing our photography and editing process to reach our goals of consistency, speed, and simplicity. It took years of testing and learning, but we have developed the process that defines the standard of excellence our clients know today.
On a more personal note, I have struggled with my fair share of the dreaded “Imposter Syndrome.” It is easy to compare myself to other entrepreneurs and think “Why me? Can I REALLY do this? Who am I to think I’m cut out to be a leader?”. However, after a considerable amount of research and self-reflection, I have found that this is a common thought process for many new entrepreneurs and that we are all capable of overcoming it.
The key to obstacles is to understand their importance and to use them as an opportunity to learn. In fact, our first core value is The Obstacle Is The Way, named after the book by Ryan Holiday. I am extremely blessed to have such an incredible team of individuals surrounding me on this journey, and that has made every bump in the road that much easier.
Please tell us about Visually Sold.
Visually Sold is the best solution for real estate photography in Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Our primary mission is to deliver high-quality photos at an affordable rate and an extremely simple user experience. What separates Visually Sold in the industry is our dedication to quality, our team, our clients, and the photoshoot experience as a whole. We strive to embody excellence in every aspect of our operations. I’m most proud of the culture we have created, and support we have for each other as a team.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I spent a lot of time outside as a kid. My favorite memory is kick-starting my dirt bike and tearing through the woods with a couple of labradors trailing close behind for hours on end. As a close second: There was a 12-foot waterfall in the woods behind our house that was created by overflow from the nearby lake. I built ladders and bridges from tree branches and scrap wood planks to cross the small stream and climb the waterfall walls. From sunrise to sunset, hammers in hand, my friends and I spent days digging out the rocks on the sides of the waterfall assuming it was quartz. In our minds, we were digging for gold.
Contact Info:
- Address: 319 N Main St, Alpharetta, GA 30009
- Website: https://www.visuallysold.com
- Phone: 678-948-5388
- Email: contact@visuallysold.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/visuallysold
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/visuallysold
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