Proposal Planning Photography: Ash Fox's Story

[00:00:00] Sanjay Parekh: Welcome to The Side Hustle to Small Business Podcast, powered by Hiscox. I'm your host, Sanjay Parekh. Throughout my career, I've had side hustles, some of which have turned into real businesses, but first and foremost, I'm a serial technology entrepreneur. In the creator space, we hear plenty of advice on how to hustle harder and why you can sleep when you're dead.

[00:00:22] On this show, we ask new questions in hopes of getting new answers. Questions like, how can small businesses work smarter? How do you achieve balance between work and family? How can we redefine success in our businesses so that we don't burn out after year three? Every week I sit down with business founders at various stages of their side hustle to small business journey.

[00:00:43] These entrepreneurs are pushing the envelope while keeping their values. Keep listening for conversation, context, and camaraderie. Today's guest is Ash Fox, a marriage proposal planner, advisor, and photographer based in New York City. Ash, welcome to the show.

[00:01:06] Ash Fox: Thank you, Sanjay. It's an honor to be here.

[00:01:08] Sanjay Parekh: So I'm excited to have you on because proposal photography has like, become a whole thing. Fortunately it did not exist when I got married because it probably would've been a disaster. So good for me doing it before it was a thing. But give us a little bit about your background before we start talking about all that. Give us a little bit about your background and what got you to where you're today.

[00:01:31] Ash Fox: Yeah, I'm happy to do that, Sanjay. So, my background, I was always an artistic person and really my goal for my career one day, the only thing that I set in my mind, I never thought I would be a proposal planner.

[00:01:45] Like I didn't even know that wasn't even, that didn't even exist as a profession. But I also didn't think I'd be in the wedding industry. I thought that I just set a goal. I'm like, please allow me to make a living where I can use my hands and use my artistic spirit to, you know, have a career. So that was the only thing that I set out to do. And I studied, I was a, I studied fine art, so I was on this like fine art track to be like a. Showing artists around the world, that kind of thing. I was in this program and when I graduated from that program and throughout that program, I had this real like, clash with my professors because I was doing all this commercial work on the side, and they were like, don't do commercial work.

[00:02:28] That's not what this is about here. You know? And I'm like, yeah, but I'm hustling. I'm trying to make a, I'm trying to make money. You know, like, isn't that important to do? And they're like, yeah, but you're never going to want to make your actual art if you're doing all these other side hustles, you know, name of your podcast. And what ended up happening was. I, when I graduated, I just, I followed sort of all the little breadcrumbs that I got along the way that told me like, you're on the right track, you're on the right path, and this is what you should be doing. And so I ended up getting, doing in all the random creative, odd jobs I was doing, like graphic design, styling all kinds of things that I was doing.

[00:03:12] I can't even remember them all. I was doing editing videos, editing all kinds of stuff. A friend came to me and he bought a fancy camera and he was like, you know, let's do this together. because he needed pictures of himself, because he was a musician. And I was like, yeah, let's figure this out. So I would help him and shoot his pictures and eventually I ended up going on tour with him being like his personal photographer. At the same time, I got another wild. Offer where a friend of mine who was a big DJ in New York, like rock and roll, DJ hired me to be the photographer for this really cool like New York rock and roll party that was happening every week. And so I never had any training in photography. I never had my own camera.

[00:03:58] I literally just got hired to do two jobs with other people's cameras and had to learn as I go. But it was so incredible because it was like. For the first time, I felt like, okay, I have a path now, because people were giving me really great feedback. They're like, wow, that's the best picture I ever had of myself. I started to win awards, like I won, like best nightlife photographer in New York City and things like that, and so I was like, okay, I think we're on. I think we're on, we're onto something here. And so I just again, kept following this path. I can go on more dj, but I don't want to go on a is that, do I keep going?

[00:04:34] Sanjay Parekh: Yeah, no, yeah. No, that's good. That's super interesting. So completely accidental falling into this career. Was this, okay, so starting this, was this the first time you'd done anything entrepreneurial like this? Or had you done entrepreneurial stuff as a kid or anything like that? Any entrepreneurs in the family?

[00:04:53] Ash Fox: You could say, I was a kid. You could say I was a kid because .. yeah, I was always doing entrepreneurial pursuits, like at least when I was in, I'm trying to even think if it was in high school, no more so college, all through college, like I basically, I started a t-shirt business in college which were these like sexy rock and roll t-shirts and I started with a friend and then I started, I was actually, it's, yeah, the story goes even further back to what ended up happening to even get me to the rock and roll photography path because I started this rock and roll.

[00:05:26] Fashion blog and it was early days of fashion blogging and the fashion blog was like showing me and like the t-shirts and like really modeling what I was selling while also doing like posts on like what to wear a rock concert, you know, all these fun articles. And that is actually how I met the rock and roll DJ who hired me for this because I started getting known as like, this is like a rock and roll fashion blog. Now I kill, I kick myself for having like deleted it. It would've like everyone who started those blogs early, blew up on Instagram really early on. But yeah, anyway, deleted the blog, but that, that was again, like, just following the breadcrumbs led me to the photography. And then once I had the photography, no idea that I would stumble into be. because now I have a business where I am a marriage propo proposal planner, advisor, and I have photographers who are trained by me in my method. And so it's like, it's kind of wild. Like it's not even just about me shooting anymore. It's bigger than that.

[00:06:26] Sanjay Parekh: Right. But yeah, what ended up happening.

[00:06:29] Ash Fox: And how I ended up getting into this wild little niche was, I got burned out on the nightlife scene. I was in this night world, and I was like, I want a regular life, you know? And so my dad, I kinda was like, dad, what am I going to do? And he is like, you need to do bar mitzvah's, baptisms, weddings. And I'm just like, I don't, I'm not a sellout, I'm not going to do that.

[00:06:52] I'm like a cool rock and roll photographer. I'm going to work for Rolling Stone, you know. And so, but I got to a point of desperation where I was like, I need to change my life. And so I ended up doing exactly that, just taking these random like family oriented photography jobs. And one day I got asked to do a proposal, and this is before like anybody was taking pictures of their proposals. And so that was really what started the whole, that snowballed from there.

[00:07:23] Sanjay Parekh: What's funny is like you say like, oh, I don't want to be a sellout, but your professors before. We're kind of calling you a sellout for doing the side hustling thing. Yeah. And you're like, no, I'm not. I'm just hustling.

[00:07:35] And then this thing, I mean, essentially became like the new hustle for you, even though it felt like, you know, you were selling out because you were so embedded in the rock and roll stuff. So true. So interesting. So, okay, let me ask you that very first proposal. Sorry, like before this was even a thing, did they know, did both of the participants know that you were taking pictures? Did one only know? Was it like a secret thing that you were like hiding somewhere? Like how did that one go?

[00:08:03] Ash Fox: So, so to first tell you, they're all a secret. They're all a surprise. All the proposals we do to this day, and we've done 3000 proposals.

[00:08:12] Sanjay Parekh: Oh wow.

[00:08:13] Ash Fox: All a surprise. Of course one person and the couple, the person who's being proposed to generally doesn't. They know it's coming at some point, they just don't know when. And so our goal is to help them with decoys and plan, so that like, just leading up to that moment, they're not, they don't like necessarily see it coming right then.

[00:08:32] Sanjay Parekh: Right. Still a surprise. Yay.

[00:08:34] Ash Fox: But anyway, that first proposal, oh my gosh.

[00:08:36] Going back in those early days when you, when I, it was the first proposal I ever did. Obviously I had zero experience. It was the first proposal I ever shot, so I did not know. I could not advise the guy in any way the way that I do now. So he led the way. So he's like, I'm going to be proposing on a boat in the lake, in Central Park.

[00:08:57] Okay. And so going to, wearing a green shirt, she's wearing a blue shirt, that's it. He's like, just show up and shoot it. And so I'm like, okay, well first of all, I need to be on ground. Like I can't be in the water, right? Like on, on another rowboat. So I was in this little spot with this long lens and I'm waiting for the couple to come, and all of a sudden he start, I see him and he is rowing. And he, at the moment, he was proposing turns in the wrong direction and so now you can't see her face and he takes out the ring box and so it's just the back of her head. And I'm like, oh no. You know, I don't know, but there's nothing I can do because I'm just in the hu I can't like swim into the water. It was so funny.

[00:09:34] And anyway, he comes out and they were so, so happy still because they're just like, they were so grateful to just have this moment captured. And it was so cool Sunday because when I got asked to do this job. Like many people, and people still to this day, they're still like naysayers. Like, why do people do this? Why do people get photo photography done? Why do they plan proposals? There's people, there's those naysayers out there. And the thing is that I, in the early days too, I was like, why would you want this moment photograph? Isn't it private moment? Isn't it like something just between the two of you and, when I did it, I was like, no, actually this is really special. To have something that captures this milestone. It's like a big part in your love story and journey. And then what ended up happening was Instagram started really blowing up. And so I think that this industry really came out of Instagram in a big way of people wanting to share, you know, share their big moment and share with their friends and celebrate.

[00:10:30] And so, yeah, it just kind of spiraled from there. So anyway, I'll tell you one more story before I stop talking because this was really the moment that let me know that I was on the right path. Like I told you, get those signs from the, from universe or whatever you want to call it. Or just from the market you could call it signs from the market that it's working, right?

[00:10:49] If you don't want to say something more spiritual. But basically, I, the next, the second proposal I ever had, it was the next week, a woman contacted me. It turns out she was the she's like the Julia Child of Indian cooking, okay? And she contacted me and she is like, my son is proposing on the lake in Central Park. I need you to shoot him. And I'm like, wait a minute. I know exactly what he needs to do and what not to do and how to turn the boat in the right direction. And I helped them. And when it was all done, she was like, Ash, you don't understand what this meant to our family. You don't understand how much you helped us.

[00:11:26] She's like, this is your calling. This is what you're meant to do. She's like, you're meant to help you with their proposals. And I'm just thinking again, like, oh, she, I don't know. Like that was just, you know, I'm one of many things I do, but she was right and that became my whole my whole world and work.

[00:11:42] Sanjay Parekh: So I gotta ask the second time around, were you out there in scuba gear? Is that what made sure that you capture it the right way?

[00:11:51] Ash Fox: Oh my God, no. But the man did pause to make sure he could kind of see me in view before he proposed because I'm like, make sure you see me. Don't just, you know, go on a whim and so funny.

[00:12:06] Sanjay Parekh: So yeah. Yeah, I imagine so. Okay, so I gotta ask then, so 3000 proposals, is that the number You said you've done over 2000? Yeah, that's a lot.

[00:12:15] Ash Fox: And counting. 

[00:12:16] Sanjay Parekh: Yeah. Okay. So give us some tips here. Like what goes horribly wrong, like things to avoid and what goes really right every single time. Like what are some tips there?

[00:12:28] Ash Fox: Okay. Some. Two big tips. I can tell you right off. Well, three things off the bat, I can tell you. Number one, I'm kind of closing my eyes to just channel this so I make sure I remember number one because there's just so many things I can tell you. But number one is like you don't wing it. Okay? Like winging it is not the way, and it's funny because a lot of people are like, I just was feeling it in the moment.

[00:12:49] It felt right and I hear you that feels that. That might feel really good to you. But I can speak for the men out there. Who are being proposed to, but I know at least every woman that I've spoken to, they really appreciate that their partner put some effort and thought into the proposal. And so and you don't even understand like how attractive it is and how sexy it is and how special it is to see that your partner not only how to plan took their time, stuck to their plan, had a speech. And put a little effort and thought to make sure that this would be really special. And so when you just wing it, you've kind of lost that opportunity for all those brownie points that kind of come doing this, because this is a story that you're going to be telling for like the rest of your marriage, like the rest of your life, like how you got engaged. And so don't wing it when you ring it. Okay? That's number one.

[00:13:46] Sanjay Parekh: Good tip.

[00:13:47] Ash Fox: Two. Be very wary of involving friends and family in your proposal and who you tell, because these people, while they love you so much and while they want the best for you, it's, you can get into a situation of too many cooks in the kitchen and you can really lose track and sight of like you guys as a couple and what's. Right for the two of you.

[00:14:11] Sanjay Parekh: Yeah. 

[00:14:12] Ash Fox: And so I've seen proposals go awry because of this. I've seen people put their input in, or I've seen people accidentally spoil the whole surprise many times because certain friends and family were included in the whole plan. And so you can ask the parents for their permission. You can have a party with the friends after, but don't have them involved in the actual. Planning of the proposal is just how I feel. And then the third tip, this is really, you know, this might seem obvious, okay? But it's not obvious to everyone. You want to get down on your knee when you propose.

[00:14:45] It's just, it's, so again, it like, it might seem overly traditional to some people, but I think it's a really important to me it's important. I think it's about showing that vulnerability, showing that little bit of honoring and like, it's like the nights got down to show. It's more than even respect. It's like reverence for each other. It's not even just for the person you're proposing to, but it's like kind of humbling yourself being like, you know, I want to do this with you and will you do this with me? And so also on camera it just looks way better than two people standing talking to like, but you're on your knee. And so yeah, I'm a big fan of getting down on your knee. So those are my three top tips.

[00:15:24] Sanjay Parekh: Yeah. Yeah. I love it. Okay, so by the way, I thought one of yours was definitely going to be. Don't include animals in this because you never know what they're going to do. But I, maybe that goes. Okay. I don't know. Let's talk about winging it. So was there anything that made you nervous about launching this as a business? I mean, you were moving from a completely different knit, I mean, it was still photography, but a totally different niche into kind of this proposal things. Was there anything that made you nervous about making this leap?

[00:15:56] Ash Fox: To be honest with you. No, because I haven't the, like I said, the real, and if I could like, help anybody out there with what to look for when you're trying to find, like, because you know, they say like, like do your, what is it like if you. Do your dream or what is it? Follow your dreams and then everything will work out kind of thing.

[00:16:21] Right. That's not necessarily true as we know from American Idol. Right. We learned kind of that like so many people have a dream of being a singer, but not everybody maybe has the chops to do it. Right. Right. So really what I would advise people and what happened for me was. Again, I followed the signs and whether they were they, and the signs were really feedback from the market, even though it wasn't like in the beginning, I didn't see the people.

[00:16:46] I was shooting at the rock and roll party as my market, but actually they were, because what happened was I was taking pictures of everyone every night, and then the next day on Facebook, everyone was changing their profile picture to a picture I took. So right now, if somebody puts their profile pictures, a picture you took, you know that they really like it. And so I was learning like, oh, people like my photography, you know? So it kind of helped me know that was good. And then, like I said, with the proposals, even that woman, even though it was my second time, her grabbing me and being like, Ashley, you don't know what this meant to us and how much you helped us.

[00:17:15] Like, I got the sign that, hey, this is actually impacting people. This is actually working. And so that. I think if I took a different path, like the path that I wasn't getting signs from, right, like then I would've been more scared. But like every time I got that positive reinforcement, it helped me know I was right, the right path.

[00:17:33] Adam Walker: Support for this podcast comes from Hiscox committed to helping small businesses protect their dreams since 1901. Quotes and information on customized insurance for specific risks are available at Hiscox.com. Hiscox, business insurance experts.

[00:17:54] Sanjay Parekh: How did you how did you, so okay, the first one came out of nowhere, the second one just kind of showed up. How did you then start thinking about this in terms of marketing yourself and branding yourself on just proposals?

[00:18:07] Ash Fox: Okay, so again, this happened randomly. I didn't do it on purpose. Isn't this crazy?

[00:18:13] I didn't do on purpose. Again, it was feedback from the, from universe or market, whatever you want to call it. It's both right. What ended up happening to me was Was again, doing so many different kinds of photography jobs, just whatever I could do. And I ended up getting a little assistant who was helping me, and I knew that I do, did know I was listening to like, podcast not podcasts.

[00:18:34] They didn't have them then Really, I was listening to like YouTube clips on like whether you want to be a signature brand photographer or a freelance photographer, and I made the decision, I want to be a signature brand. So what I did was, but I didn't know what my niche was at all. So anyway, so, took my assistant. I'm like, hey, let's make just like a little intro video for my website where I'm like, hi, I'm Ash. I'm a photographer. And I didn't have a script. I did not, I was not.

[00:18:59] Sanjay Parekh: So you were just going to completely wing it. The thing that you just told people not to do, you're wing it. Oh my God.

[00:19:04] Ash Fox: I winged this video, Sanjay. I wing this video. So I just was like, here I am, you know, in New York City. I'm a photographer. And then I was like, I said to Chris, I'm like, Chris, like, just cut it. Let me just. Right now I'm not flowing with this. Let me just make a quick little video just about proposals. It'll be like part of my website. You know, I'll only just give a couple tips on proposing and I make this video and I'm just like talking about marriage proposals and I had it and I'm like, oh, damn it I wasted the day today of shooting. Like I, I didn't make my intro video. All I have is this stupid video that I made about my proposal tips.

[00:19:38] So I'm like, alright. As I showed it to someone, they're like, put that on YouTube. You never know. So I put it up. And next thing you know, Sanjay, I'm getting calls from men being like, wow, you really know what you're talking about? I need to hire you for my proposal. And I became like more than a photographer. Like that's when it was like I was kind of their coach. I was their advisor, I was really helping them with ideas, strategy, decoys, all these things. Yeah. So anyway, that is actually how it began. From there. And then from there, it's wild. Like people, someone saw that video randomly. And then the Daily News called me the New York Daily News and they're like, we want to do a story on you, like the New York, the proposal photographer of New York City and then a Lead daily called and they're like, we want to make a video shadowing you and showing your life. And that went to like 12 million views. And so just things kept on, snowballing, I suppose. Yeah. You almost sound like with all of that like hitch you know, from that movie, like the guy that's like the matchmaker or whatever, but you're on the proposal side. It sounds like a lot of fun.

[00:20:40] Sanjay Parekh: So, okay, so you've got to a certain point now where you've got a team that's doing all the photography stuff and now you're just doing what it sounds like to me is the fun stuff of just all of the planning. So like, when did that transition happen for you of like. Okay. I don't want to do the photography anymore. I just want to do the planning and advising part.

[00:20:58] Ash Fox: Well, I'm going to tell you what, Sanjay, I did want to do the photography I wanted to do, and I still want to do every damn thing in my whole business. That's what I want to do. But what I was cool.

[00:21:07] Sanjay Parekh: That's like every entrepreneur out there we're all the same about that.

[00:21:10] Ash Fox: Oh, I want to do it all. And I, what happened was it didn't, I couldn't, it wasn't sustainable to do everything anymore. Yeah. That's actually what ended up happening. So I do photography for. The vi like some VIP clients and things like that. I had one of the players on the Rams flew me out last year to do his proposal in LA and so I still do onsite with special clients. You know, all my clients are special, but like clients who want to make that extra move to have me physically there. But I three, it was about three and a half years ago, I made a decision where I really started I hit burnout and it was where it wasn't that I was burned out when I'm. What I was doing. Because I loved what I was doing, but I reached capacity for what I was able to do on my own because I literally was wearing every hat in my business and I didn't have support. And so I really at that time, like sought out advisory from other actually female entrepreneurs. And and I had also like a, another advisor helping me.

[00:22:09] And I just was like, what am I going to do? And I was so scared. And you asked me before about like. Was it scary to start this business? No, it wasn't scary to start my business. It was scary when I had to then delegate and start really getting my team on the same pa, like building a team and hiring and being like, no, I really trust these wonderful people to share my vision and go out there and make quality work to the level that I, that expect this to my standard and to the level that I was doing on my own. So that has absolutely been the hardest part, but it's also been so rewarding and really wonderful because now I'm like, it's like, yeah, like my, it's my little business baby where I'm like, oh my gosh, it's growing and we have it's amazing when you get to a point where, like my photographers Yeah, you just see them just nail it.

[00:22:56] You're like, it's exactly. I feel like I was there. Like I, it, I can feel myself there. Yeah. So anyway, I don't know if that answered your question, but Yeah.

[00:23:04] Sanjay Parekh: No, absolutely. So, so let's talk about like the stress and the burnout and all of those things. So, what do you do now to kind of keep yourself sane, right? So building those boundaries between life and personal and work and all of those things. Like how do you do that for yourself now?

[00:23:24] Ash Fox: Oh gosh. I have many different practices that I do. I mean, Some might sound cliche. I definitely meditate every morning and sometimes twice a day too, just because I need to recenter myself. Because things get kind of wild. I keep my phone in black and white, which is one of my tricks. You can't really see it, but it's a black and white. That's one of my tricks, so that it's less stimulating to me because it just adds more noise, right. To have. And I keep my phone kind of silent too.

[00:23:54] So those are two things that I do. Another thing, I mean, I exercise every day. That's really important as well. And go for long walks. And I talk to my team on my walks, like I'm on voice note. And so if I have ideas, like I'll talk to them, but it's a nice way to like. Kind of keep my energy moving. Those are the main ways. Sometimes there's things though that, like, I'm still working on it, where I love my, I love what I do so much. I'm committed to excellence. I'm committed to quality. I'm committed to creating amazing experiences for people. I want to make people happy. And so, yeah, there's, there could always be, there's times where sometimes things out of your control happen and it's so, you like, you're like, ah, like I don't want to upset, you know?

[00:24:38] You don't it still affects me so much. Yeah. And I wish I could be less affected, but I can't be because I care. So, yeah.

[00:24:46] Sanjay Parekh: Yeah. So I've gotta ask you I mean, walking around New York City. You probably have stumbled upon proposals randomly, you know, ones that you're not involved with. Has that happened? Have you seen like other people and do you feel like you just want to get involved and be like, oh, you're doing it wrong and you should have done it this way or anything? Do you have to hold yourself back?

[00:25:10] Ash Fox: That's so funny that you say that. I'm trying to honestly remember how many I've actually stumbled upon.

[00:25:15] I haven't Crazy enough. I feel like I'm so laser focused that I don't know.

[00:25:21] Sanjay Parekh: I would think like walking around Central Park or something that, like on any given day, there's probably somebody proposing there, right?

[00:25:26] Ash Fox: I mean, probably. Right. I feel like there have been moments where I've sensed someone, you know what? There's been there. I did a proposal once I do remember this. I was photographing, I was doing a proposal. We planned a proposal, photographed a proposal at the skating rink in Rockefeller Center. Where they clear the ice. It's like an incredible romantic proposal. Like we do these they're amazing and they clear the whole ice.

[00:25:48] They're in the center with a Christmas tree. It's like out of a movie. But while the general public was skating around, I just sensed it. I'm like, this guy's going to propose right now. And a guy proposed. And so I just photographed it for him. I just like photographed it right there. because I was like, you know what? Like I, it's just like my gift to this random person. It's not going to look nearly as beautiful as the other guy's proposal. Right, right. Ice is cleared, but but yeah, but no, I don't, I, it's funny, I don I don't know what it is. It's probably because we're doing so many and we're the ones doing them that we don't see other people.

[00:26:26] Sanjay Parekh: You don't see it. But that's funny that there was one happening before the one that you planned to have happen. Yeah. And may, maybe that helped to make it more of a surprise because, I mean, you know the partner there would've been like, well, clearly I'm not going to do it. Now there's another one happening already.

[00:26:41] So there you go. So that's that's super interesting. Okay let's talk about kind of, you know this journey and kind of thinking about the things that you've been through in building this up. Like now that you know what, you know, is there anything like looking back that you'd say, oh, if I could do this over again now knowing what I know, I would do this over again and this is how I do it instead.

[00:27:09] Ash Fox: One thing I mentioned this earlier, one thing I would've done is not deleted my original blog, truly, because you just never know. It's good to keep things open, like, not to just feel it's really normal. I think as you're growing and evolving and having new versions of yourself, you know, like becoming a new version that you're like, I'm going to throw the whole old version in the trash right now so I can start the new version of myself.

[00:27:32] And I think part of me honestly felt like, oh, this rock and roll version is not going to be congruent with my. Version of me now that's like going for all this like wholesome, you know, nice family events and things. Right? I was concerned about that dichotomy. But I think I think it is important to keep things alive and brewing on the side. Because you just never, you never really know. So that's one thing I would've done differently. Another thing is I would've had not been as much of a lone wolf. I would've found like a mastermind or some kind of. Guidance earlier on, which I did not do. I literally did everything completely on my own with, other than like the guidance of like, I would talk to my dad because my dad did have an experience in business and I would talk to him and he was an amazing mentor for all the years that I was so lucky to have him in that role.

[00:28:25] But it got to a point where you can kind of a little bit outgrow that advice too. And you're like, wait I need other input from like, what's going on now in, in these times. But you know what? I mean, you could say coulda, would've, shoulda have, but I guess things have worked out as they were supposed to, like better late than never that I did find a little bit more of that guidance. Three and a half years ago. Yeah, four years ago.

[00:28:48] Sanjay Parekh: What's interesting with your kind of, you know, looking back regret there of getting rid of the rock and roll stuff. So, so many entrepreneurs talk about like, you know, burning the boats and kind of fully committing to the new thing. And I do kind of like your approach of like, well. Maybe keep it open because you never know what could happen. Do you still have like the photography from back then? You deleted the site and everything, but do you have the assets?

[00:29:16] Ash Fox: I still, I think I do. I think I have a lot of it. I don't know where it is. I it's in certain, it's in different places.

[00:29:23] I have photography from the rock and roll parties and things like that. I've got all of that. I just don't have all like the original blog photos and blog articles that I was writing. But that's okay. It's just, yeah. No, it's just because you never, like I said, like sometimes like actually a couple months ago I went out with someone and we were talking about like rock and roll. And I had kind of forgotten about like my love for rock and roll and I just like ended up going home and putting on all these songs and like dancing around and I was like, oh my God. Like I was really connecting to that old part of myself. And I'm like, and those old dreams and like all that, I made so many cool things happen for myself.

[00:29:59] Then with like press passes and things, I never, it reminded me of like what I'm capable of too. That like you can make your dreams come true. Pretty cool.

[00:30:08] Sanjay Parekh: Yeah, I love it. I love it. Okay, Ash, last question for you. If you were talking to somebody who's thinking about taking the leap like you did and launching a business, what advice would you give to them?

[00:30:20] Ash Fox: I've said it throughout this conversation, but really look for the signs and confirmation, breadcrumbs, pings, whatever you want to call it, that this is, there is a path here. Whether that's feedback from the market, whether that's just like, yes, some, someone telling you, wow, oh my gosh. Like enthusiasm from other people. And I know like people a lot of times will say, don't listen to the people who are saying it's not a good idea. That's true. Don't listen to them. But when you have people giving you positive feedback, listen to the positive feedback and when there's no positive feedback. I do think sometimes that's a sign that it's not going to be as easy of a path and it maybe, it still could be a path, but I think if no one else is excited about this idea, it might be, and it might be just you, it might just all have to come from you then.

[00:31:14] But Yeah I would really look for those signs that this is working and keep going. Okay.

[00:31:22] Sanjay Parekh: Yeah. Great advice. Ash, this has been fantastic. Where can our listeners find and connect with you online?

[00:31:29] Ash Fox: Oh, well, I would love to connect with anyone out there who's. Whether you're looking for a proposal, inspiration, entrepreneurship, inspiration or you're actually looking to propose yourself and could use an advisor, use some help.

[00:31:42] If you're based in New York area, my whole team can help you with beautiful. We do everything from photography, videography, gorgeous decor, private locations, everything full service proposal planning. So anyway, you can find [email protected]. It redirects to ashfoxphotography.com. That also works, and then you can find me on Instagram, Ash Fox Proposals.

[00:32:04] Sanjay Parekh: I love it. Thanks so much for being on today.

[00:32:06] Ash Fox: Thank you, Sanjay. This is great.

[00:32:11] Sanjay Parekh: Thanks for listening to this week's episode of the Side Hustle to Small Business podcast, powered by Hiscox. To learn more about how Hiscox can help protect your small business through intelligent insurance solutions, visit Hiscox.com. And to hear more Side Hustle to Small Business stories, or share your own story, please visit Hiscox.com/side-hustle-to-small-business. I'm your host, Sanjay Parekh. You can find out more about me at my website, SanjayParekh.com.