Picture this: Detroit's selfie museum captures memories and creates opportunities for young people

The Pose Experience is a mobile selfie boutique, also known as Detroit's first-ever "selfie museum." It's a self-contained, stylish studio housed in a large truck that has everything customers need to create photo mementos for birthday parties, weddings, proms, corporate meetings and other meaningful events. For company founder Danielle Hughes, the most meaning comes from helping young women in the Detroit area find successful careers and life paths.

"Helping young women is something that I take very seriously," Hughes says. "You can't be what you can't see, so I want to expose them to different ideas and help them think outside the box. If they put their minds to it, they could go into finance or real estate, or be an author, or anything they can dream."

The Pose Experience's truck is stocked with costumes, props and themed 3D backgrounds that groups use to create selfies during an event. The mobile boutique arrives on-site, then guests take selfies using the settings and props with the help of the company's "selfie agents."

The business is a winner of a 2025 Citizens Small Business Community Champion Award, which recognizes Citizens business account customers striving to improve their communities and provides them with a $10,000 award.

Hughes recently spoke about the importance of being willing to pivot, getting involved in your community and understanding all aspects of your business.

Tip: Be open to change.

The Pose Experience wasn't always mobile. It first opened on Valentine's Day weekend, 2021, in a retail storefront just outside Detroit in Southfield, Michigan. The concept was a partnership between Hughes and two friends, who wanted to create a hybrid selfie museum and photography studio.

The partners bootstrapped the startup financing and thought the venture might just be a three-month pop-up. It was so popular they decided to keep it going. To help fund the business, Hughes also invested capital from another successful business venture, Elite Global Vending, a vending machine servicing and consulting company.

Inspiration for putting the business on wheels came from the mobile tumble gyms and video game arcades that are popular for kids' birthday parties. They also thought a mobile business would be more resilient in the face of another pandemic shutdown or other unexpected circumstances.

"We wanted to be prepared to pivot, so we'd be able to make money to pay our bills and our staff regardless of what happened," Hughes says. With the help of a business loan, Hughes purchased a trailer and created a self-contained studio with a wide variety of photography sets, lighting options, signs and props. The truck has both air conditioning and heating and was built with accessibility in mind.

"We bring a photo studio experience right to your doorstep," says Hughes. "If you can think of it, we can help you experience it."

As the business has grown, the team has evolved. After the initial launch, Hughes bought out her original business partners and now runs the business with family. Her father has driven the truck since she first bought it, and she has been adding more family to enhance the experience for her customers and take advantage of her relatives' unique skills.

A recent addition is the Sweet Treat Bar, an add-on service managed by Hughes' mother, in which clients can order donuts, mocktails or cupcakes to enjoy in the truck while they are creating their mementos. Clients can also hire Hughes sister as a professional photographer to document their event.

Family involvement has contributed significantly to The Pose Experience so far and may even lay the groundwork for its future. Some business owners turn to family members when they are making a succession plan to ensure the smooth transition of a business from one owner to another.

Bottom line: Be open to changing business format, team and even offerings as the factors impacting your business evolve. Responding to change with creative solutions can support business viability today and position your business for future success. It can also help you develop a resilient business that you can hand off when the time comes.

Tip: Build on your passion.

Like the business itself, Hughes pivoted in her own career prior to starting The Pose Experience. After graduating from Georgia State University and working as a local news anchor, she took some time to plan what to do next. It was at that point that she recognized how important youth mentoring is to her.

"Helping young women is something that I take very seriously — I want them to be aware of all the possible opportunities that are open to them," she says. "I made a list of things that I would willingly do for free, without even earning $1, and wouldn't need an alarm clock to motivate myself to get out of bed for," says Hughes. "Youth development was at the top of the list."

She moved back to Detroit and, prior to starting The Pose Experience, she helped create a mentor-matching program. Her work with the organization led to her being honored as one of Forbes' 30 Under 30 in 2018 and served as the inspiration for her book, Always Make Your Bed: 7 Principles to Dream It, Do It, and Get What You Want Out of Life.

Today, she continues her mission of mentorship, taking on interns through Western Michigan University and administering a grant-backed high school entrepreneurship initiative through Detroit Public Schools Community District. In the program, young women learn about career opportunities, résumé building, self-care, financial literacy and other essential skills.

"I mentor them four days a week," Hughes says. "Some of them even work with me in the business. They're a super big help, and they get some real-life professional experience. It gives them a chance to see that they can even integrate things they enjoy, like social media, into their work."

Hughes also leans on her local business community for networking, education and support. A grant helped her get the selfie truck up and running, and she has worked with business accelerators such as ProsperUs Detroit. Networking with other business owners is important to Hughes, and she has many local business contacts, including Char Mills of Detroit's Modern Maison, herself a 2024 recipient of a Citizens Small Business Community Champion award.

"There's a great sense of community, and there are many ways that we as businesspeople can help one another," she says. As a Citizens Small Business Community Champion Award winner, Hughes will have access to a Luminary Fellowship, a women's professional education and networking organization that shares her mission of peer support. "Eventually, I'd love to franchise and help invest in the future of other women-owned businesses."

Bottom line: Help to make your dream company a thriving entity by staying close to the community. Community connections help you find other entrepreneurs for support and mentorship and secure resources to build your company. A close community connection also helps to identify ways in which you can make a meaningful community contribution.

Tip: Know all aspects of your business.

Like many entrepreneurs, Hughes wears a lot of hats. This means she needed to educate herself on everything from managing promotions to driving the truck that pulls The Pose Experience's mobile studio trailer.

"My dad typically drives the truck that pulls our 24-foot trailer, but he pointed out to me that I need to cover all my bases, and that means learning how to drive the huge truck in case no one else is available," she says. "It's a basic but key element — if we can't move the trailer, we can't get to events to serve our clients. Now I can drive it."

Hughes also manages marketing for the business. Not surprisingly for a venture based on selfies, social media — Instagram in particular — is its biggest form of marketing. Email and direct mail are another part of the mix, and word of mouth also drives considerable business. To help ramp up marketing and reduce creative expenses, Hughes is gearing up to take a graphic design course.

Being self-sufficient in many areas helps her keep overhead low in her slow times.

"During the summer months we might have 15 events, but I know it is going to be slower from November to February," she says, noting that repeat business from corporate clients like Wayne State University, Detroit Public Schools and Amazon help sustain the business year-round. "Keeping costs in check where we can helps us manage seasonal ups and downs."

Bottom line: While delegation is a key business success factor, being self-sufficient can reduce costs and provide financial flexibility, especially during seasonal fluctuations. Consider mastering essential skills, where feasible, to keep your business running and in the black.

Do you need guidance on your small business journey? Schedule an appointment with Citizens to receive personalized assistance for your business.

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