A picture tells a thousand words – the story of Tini Media
Tini Media provides any manner of photography services to local clients in Tonga but also international clients who seek Tini’s videography and documentary services. Anaseini and Robati Iotebatu discovered their love of all things photographic when Ropati did a course in photography at university.
Tini – a melding of the last letters in each of their first names – began from this passion in 2016 as a way to earn some extra money alongside full-time employment, then began in earnest on their return to Tonga in 2022.
Starting with a fabulous new website – https://www.tinimedia.com/ – showcasing all their many photographic products, Anaseini and Robati were doing extremely well in the festive season with weddings and events, but business was very slow outside of that period.
Brainstorming ideas for expanding their business to cover the off-peak times, Tini came up with several great ideas. These were extending services to videography and having an indoor studio space. The videography opened the business up to international customers; and the studio is marketed to corporate customers, not just individuals and families. The corporate market includes portrait photography for websites, and Tini can travel to conferences to capture highlights which can be used for promotion.
A further great idea to expand services was to purchase a photo booth, but these are rather expensive. While attending an incubator event, Anaseini met up with the staff from the Tonga Chamber of Commerce, Business Link Pacific’s partner in Tonga. They could see the value in Anaseini’s photo booth idea and encouraged her to apply to BLP for a Business Support Grant.
Anaseini worked through the application one section at a time – “it seemed a huge challenge and quite complicated but became much more manageable when I broke it down and focused on one aspect at a time”. One aspect of the application is a business plan to demonstrate the impact of the new equipment on Tini Media’s business.
“It opened my eyes to business aspects I hadn’t considered. It made me look at it with a ‘blue sky’ lens and to take into account future competition, business continuity plans, and other components I had not thought of before. It helped me to see my own business more clearly.”
The Chamber supported Anaseini through the process and Tini Media eventually received a grant to purchase a photo booth. Anaseini and Robati were right – this was a great idea. “The photo booth was a new thing in Tonga and Tini offers a package for events which includes videography, and the booth is the entertainment. Customers love it.” You can see for yourself just how much people love it on Tini Media’s website!
“Expanding our services in this way has brought about a huge change in how we do business. We can now offer extra services, and we put ourselves out there to promote what we do. When we are approached to cover a party, we can suggest adding on the photo booth; when we are asked to do corporate portraits, we can suggest adding on videography. Purchasing the booth with BLP’s help has been a real game-changer for Tini Media.”
Anaseini and Robati are busier than they ever imagined, and it just doesn’t stop. “We are exhausted, but it’s the good kind of exhaustion!”
BLP facilitates access to business advisory services and financial support. To start your journey with BLP, you can self-assess your needs by using the free online tools available to help small and medium-sized businesses diagnose areas in their businesses that an advisor could improve.
The first step can be the online Business Health Check. You can also check your business’s resilience to respond to crises or climate change challenges on the Business Continuity Planner and the Climate Action Sensor. If you prefer to meet a local BLP representative in person to discuss your business, get in touch with our local partners to arrange a face-to-face Diagnostic.