Flytographer - The Power of Saying Yes to Your Idea

The Story of a Brand

Ramon Vela

Business, Entrepreneurship

5 • 145 Ratings

🗓️ 18 June 2025

⏱️ 61 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

I always say some of the most innovative ideas come from personal experiences, and Nicole Smith’s story is proof. What started as a meaningful moment in Paris with her best friend evolved into Flytographer, a global platform that helps people capture unforgettable travel memories through professional photography. Nicole didn’t just build a business; she created a movement rooted in human connection, storytelling, and joy.

In this episode, Founder & CEO Nicole Smith shares her journey from a corporate career at Microsoft to launching a two-sided marketplace with no startup experience—all while raising two young kids.

We discuss the ups and downs and how conscious leadership and resilience enabled her to lead with clarity, even during the pandemic. If you’ve ever had a spark of an idea and wondered, “Could this be something?”—this episode is for you.

Here are a few highlights from our conversation:

* How a trip to Paris inspired the creation of Flytographer

* The moment Nicole decided to leave corporate life and go all in on her vision

* Navigating a global shutdown and rebuilding with profitability and purpose

* Why community, trust, and storytelling are at the heart of the Flytographer model

* Nicole’s personal mission to get moms (and all caregivers) back into the photo

Join me, Ramon Vela, as we listen to the episode and hear how Nicole turned a simple idea into a global celebration of memory, connection, and reinvention.

For more on Flytographer, visit: https://www.flytographer.com/

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Transcript

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0:00.0	I think that if you are passionate about an idea and you have this vision and you want to bring it into the world, that you can, you know, if you have that passion for it, it doesn't seem like work in some ways, if that makes sense.
0:14.5	So I've been working at this for over 12 years now and it's had a lot of ups, a lot of dark days, a lot of great joys. But I think that
0:22.5	kind of through line of it all is that I really love that I get the opportunity to do this work.
0:27.7	And I get to work with amazing photographers all over the world who, you know, like Roberta in Rome
0:34.6	and like Ku in Tokyo and Emily in London and Crystal in Paris and
0:39.5	you know every time I travel I get to hang out with them it's for it just reminds me of like
0:44.2	again like what a beautiful place the world really is and the fact that we get to capture
0:49.3	people's stories and preserve them for future generations it's just like it's a deep honor. And so on those days,
0:56.1	we're in, you know, the lowest of the lows and the pits of the pits, it just reminds me,
1:01.5	you know what? It's a gift to be able to do what you get to do. And so you'll figure it out. You know,
1:08.0	you'll get through it. You always do. This is temporary. And you kind of navigate through these things. But if you are working as a founder or a startup on an idea, I think one of the most important things in what really serves being resilient is that you really love what you're doing and you think it's making a difference in the world. Because I think that can change everything and that can
1:27.6	really get your team to come along on that mission with you as well. Hey everyone, this is Ramon Bella, and this is another episode of the story of a brand.
1:46.9	Like always, we have an amazing guest and brand that we're going to feature on today's show.
1:51.2	But before we do, scaling an e-com brand is brutal, especially when you're doing it alone.
1:58.7	While you're stuck figuring out your next move, other brands are sharing
2:02.5	what works and hitting milestones. Workspace 6 is a private community where over 950 of 7, 8, and 9
2:12.8	figure brand operators trade insights, solve problems, and shortcut growth. It's the anti-fluff
2:20.2	operators room and for your first dirty days it's just one dollar. That's it. Join
2:28.0	the dark horses of ecom at workspace6.io, get real answers and skip the trial and error. Welcome back, everyone. We have a great show.
2:39.4	I have an amazing founder today, so let's get started. I have Nicole Smith, who is founder and CEO of
2:46.6	Flightographer. Welcome to the show. Hello, Robone. Thanks for having me.
2:52.3	Well, I appreciate you making time for me. You're running a company, and so I know you're very
	...

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