Pixavida Strives to Make London a "No Selfie Stick" Zone

PixaVida is travel start-up based in London that connects travellers with local photographers to capture beautiful vacation memories. Apart from the typical tourist attractions in London, the local photographer can also help travellers discover hidden gems from fragrant markets to vibrant street art. PixaVida has received the UCL Bright Ideas Award and the London Business School’s Most Viable Startup Award. We sat down with the Founder of PixaVida, Bao Tieu, to dive into starting a business in London.  

How did you come up with the idea for Pixavida?

I went on holiday with my ex-girlfriend in Santorini. As an amateur photographer, I took loads and loads of photos of our trip and of her. And then at the end of the holiday, I showed her the pictures and she loved them, but there were no pictures of us together. She always complained that we didn’t get enough photos together.  I knew she was right. We tried to ask people to take our photos, but they weren’t very good. We tried selfies but they weren’t really good either. Then, I started to think, “Why can’t I hire someone like myself to take photos of our trip?”

What made you decide to start your business in London?

It’s the condition of the investment money. So you had to register your company in the UK. The reason why I started to go ahead with it is because through research, I found that London is the number one visited city in the world. My initial thought was Paris because many romantic couples visit Paris, but actually, I’d have to move to Paris to set it up there. Not knowing the language would be an extra barrier to starting a business there. Here in London, it was much easier to set up and it’s a viable city to work in.

What are somethings about running a start-up that you wish you had known before starting?

I initially had a team, but it’s not as easy as that. It’s about forming the right team of passionate and committed people. These guys on paper were very good and credible, but I don’t think they were really passionate about the idea. When it came time to execute, they didn’t really deliver so we ended up going separate ways. The team is so important. Another point is that bootstrapping is really difficult and I ended up taking on a part-time job. Having other stresses can make your work even more difficult. If you can, have enough money to run full time because you will need that time to commit to your business. I also probably over analyse stuff when all you need to do is just to go out there, try it, and execute.

What are some highlights of your start-up journey so far and how long have you been running for?

I won the investment money in September, 2014. The highlight is doing something that you want to do and having the freedom of choosing what you want to do. Learning what works and what doesn’t are all value lessons that will help you in the future. I stopped teaching this May and have been running full time for about 2-3 months now.

Have you received bookings and positive feedbacks from your clients?

For the paid bookings that we have had, people love the photos and feedbacks have generally been positive. What we have learned is that people are very subjective and there is no real correlation yet in the feedback. For example, some people love posed photos, some love candid ones. We are still figuring out how to make everyone happy.

What’s next for Pixavida?

We are trying to find this problem-solution fit. At the moment, we think we are on to something but we need to get enough initial traction to build up. So that’s the plan.

Do you have any plans to expand outside of London?

Yes. Through learning about what works, we can then develop a model to be able to do that. But it’s always going to be about keeping yourself focused in your defined vertical or niche, learn from that, so when you do expand, you know what to do.

Working in the travel tech space, what are some of your favourite travel tech tools?

One I use regularly is Citymapper, but that’s because I’ve been so busy that I haven’t had time lately to go out travelling! Maybe it’s time for a trip!

I know that entrepreneurs are super stress, but I want to end the interview on a high note. So, what is making you happy today?

What’s been good today is actually the interaction. I met up with a few people this afternoon. Generally being a start-up founder can be quite a lonely thing. I am happy to just be out and interacting with people. Most of the time, you are in your own little world and it’s difficult to actually get out and meet other people because you are so focused.

To learn more about PixaVida, visit their website or follow them on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram @pixavida