Career Options
Cashing in on memoriesThey say memories are precious, so it's not surprising that people are willing to spend a few dollars to preserve them. ROGER PIERCE |
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 [ 2006-02-22 ] |
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Entrepreneur Grant Thompson restores cherished images using digital technology.
Thompson's company Still-Life-In-Motion (www.still-life-in-motion.com) digitizes people's old photographs, slides or family videos and produces a professional-looking multimedia show that plays on DVD. Clients also get to choose background music and on-screen text.
"Most people have shoeboxes full of old photographs and slides," Thompson says. "With a little help from modern technology, we bring new life to those precious images."
Thompson can also restore, enhance or repair individual photographs. His talents are sought by photograph buffs, novice historians reconstructing their family tree and folks who want a special video tribute to a loved one for a memorial service.
Thompson, who used to work in the high-tech field, says he became an entrepreneur by necessity. "I'm a person with visible Parkinson's Disease, so continuing to work in my high-stress job wasn't for me," he says. Turning his challenge into opportunity, Still-Life-In-Motion was launched in 2005.
As his own boss, Thompson says he's learned several lessons including the importance of self-discipline.
"You've got to set regular working hours and stick to them," he says. "Otherwise, you'll be tempted to run a load of laundry or pop out to do some grocery shopping."
He's also learned the value of customer service. "There are other image restoration services that ask you to send in your pictures," he says. "In my experience, people don't like to just mail their family photographs away. I focus my services on the Halton Region so I can come to a client's home to scan their photos if they prefer."
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