Meet Don Mamone: Business Owner, Strategist, Coach and Catalyst

We had the good fortune of connecting with Don Mamone and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Don, as a parent, what have you done for you children that you feel has had the most significant impact?
I’m a hospitality veteran, artist and entrepreneur but, most importantly, I am a father. One of the many reasons I love being a business owner is the ability to work when I can be the most productive so that I can be present in my daughter’s life. Proactively choosing to spend quality time with her during her formative years is one of the most impactful decisions I have made to show her how important she is to me and how much I love her. 

What should our readers know about your business?
Way back in the late 90s when the internet wasn’t quite a thing, six Friends in New York City’s Greenwich village were still just acquaintances and wedding guests were packing the dance floor for the Macarena, I got my first job in the hospitality industry. (yeah, I’m that old…no wait, that experienced) I was hired as a Conference Service Manager at a gorgeous seaside resort in the quaint town of Santa Barbara, California. I worked at a 24 acre 360 room resort with panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean…yeah, life was good. After seven years, two promotions and one Director of the Year Award, I was recruited to take over as the Director of Events at the world renowned Beverly Hilton. It was there that the course of my life took a DRAMATIC turn. See, after just about a year, as my thirtieth birthday approached, I was ABSOLUTELY miserable. I mean MISERABLE with a capital M. But I couldn’t quite figure out why? It’s not like I wasn’t used to the hard work, responsibility and long hours. As you would expect from hospitality professionals, most of the hotel staff and team were awesome. I soon discovered it seemed as though my priorities, core values and moral compass did not align well with those of my current business environment. Let’s just say People First Then Profit did not resonate. During one of many challenging conferences that required exceedingly long days for the better part of a week, I watched the sun rise over the hotel’s iconic pool AGAIN and realized that, for my own wellbeing, I NEEDED to get out. Just a few weeks later I accepted a job at the corporate office, packed up and was headed to Dallas, TX. Having reclaimed my nights and weekends, I decided to dust off my camera. My passion for photography was reignited! Two short years later, when Hilton was acquired and the project I was working on was abruptly cancelled the idea of returning to a hotel was not at all appealing. Together, as in all things, Emily and I decided to make a go of it as professional photographers. It started as a side hustle in 2007. We were doing pretty well and we were encouraged and excited about the future. Then the Great Recession of 2008 hit…hard. Clients were harder to find, budgets were down and competition in the marketplace was OFF THE CHARTS. Nevertheless we persisted! In an effort to differentiate ourselves from our competition and gain ownership of the market, we were determined to build a brand that people love. But, how? Well, first we used our rallying cry of People First Then Profit as our foundation. We applied this principle to all aspects of our business hoping we would create what we now call the Maya Anjelou effect. See, she is noted for saying, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” THAT is how you create a brand that people love. You work tirelessly to ensure that EVERYONE (not just clients) have a deep emotional connection to you and your business. We successfully rebranded to The Mamones in 2012, formed an LLC and opened a brick and mortar studio in 2013 and added three associate photographers to our team. Thirteen years, numerous events and countless projects later our photography studio is respected by professional partners and trusted by a curated list of distinguished clients. With the live events industry decimated by the recent COVID-19 pandemic I wanted to do everything I could to support and encourage our industry associates and professional partners by organizing a digital community and creating content intended to inspire, motivate and educate. From this unexpected and tragic disruption has emerged a brand dedicated to helping professionals not just survive but thrive!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Admittedly this is a really challenging question given the current state of the nation. The Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex is a tremendous area that offers a wide variety of food & beverage, entertainment and cultural options to residents and visitors alike. Although I spend most of my time on the Dallas side, I would want to ensure they experience the rustic feel of Fort Worth. We would visit the stock yards, west 7th, Sundance Square and the Modern Museum of Art. Before heading back to Dallas we would stop by Funkytown Donuts for a sweet treat. Once back in Dallas we would visit Klyde Warren Park and the arts district. The Nasher, Dallas Museum of Art are both amazing and performances of the Dallas Symphony and at the Winspear Opera House would be on the list. Being a devout lover of Jazz, we would certainly visit Deep Ellum for live music and local fare. Although not our best moment as a city, no trip to Dallas would be complete without a historical tour of the Sixth Floor Museum and the site of the Kennedy assassination.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My shoutout goes to my wife and business partner Emily Mamone.

Website: https://donmamone.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/donmamone
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donmamone/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/donmamone
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/donmamoneHQ
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoNsw3S6yc8Q4WSsrZb_U_Q

Image Credits
The Mamones LLC Simon Luna Photography