Today we’d like to introduce you to Ling Wang.
Ling, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
The path to entrepreneurship is rarely a straight one. I grew up working at my parent’s Chinese restaurant, and from senior year of HS until I started my first successful business, I have worked as a bridal stylist, managed delivery and marketing for a college storage company, wrote quizzes for Academic Decathlon test prep, and worked as a graphic designer for a church. For the university, I studied music production and voice, so I have also produced albums for artists and taught voice lessons after college.
None of that has anything to do with photography, but every job I’ve ever held has taught me invaluable lessons. My primary business for the past seven years has been Ling Wang Photography. It is the premier senior portrait studio in Houston with multiple awards and publications under its belt. Last year, I started Saltflat – an online women’s clothing company with my partner, Kailey Nouis, who is a Houston blogger and makeup artist.
This summer, we just launched Musee Studios – the first photo agency in Houston, which will be a collaborative studio of photographers that specialize in impactful imagery and digital content for brands in beauty, food, fashion, and lifestyle. We shoot images for campaigns, lookbooks, e-commerce images, social media content, and corporate events.
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?
Currently, I’m running three businesses, but before all of that, I also had two other businesses. One never took off, and another one I phased out to work on Ling Wang Photography. Failure is never easy, but it’s something I’ve learned to take on with an open mind. I try to think of mistakes and failures as growing pains so that I can be at peace with it. My faith has taught me that freedom comes from trusting in God.
Ultimately, everything is going to be okay, so no matter what, I am never a failure in the sight of God.
Ling Wang Photography, Saltflat, Musee Studios – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
All three companies, Ling Wang Photography, Saltflat, and Musee Studios, are people driven. I am most proud of my team because they are doing incredible work. I believe that a healthy company starts from within, that if the people working in its love and enjoy what they do, the customers and clients will follow. Our best marketing strategy has always been word-of-mouth. Our clients refer us to their friends time and time again because they know that we care about them, and we will bend over backwards to do a great job for them.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
It’s a proud moment every time I get a personalized thank you message from a client.
While I am always excited to see my work in publications, my proudest moments usually stem from times when I know I’ve served my clients well.
Contact Info:
- Website: lingwangphotography.com , shopsaltflat.com, museestudios.com
- Instagram: lingwangphoto
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