When Cédric Marveggio became Head of Marketing at a growing brick-and-mortar photography studio called CV Pics in 2022 he didn’t realize he was about to hop on one of the biggest tech waves of the 21st century.
After just one year of operations, AI-generated headshots burst onto the market, offering flexibility and affordability that traditional photography studios couldn’t match. Cédric pivoted quickly creating his own competitor, an AI portrait platform called Profile Bakery offering AI portraits alongside CV Pics’ traditional studio offerings.
While his move helped stabilize the company, a bigger threat soon arrived: multinational graphic design company Canva moved into the industry, tanking Cédric and many of his competitors’ businesses.
Cédric knew that having great AI headshots wouldn’t be enough on its own to compete with massive competitors like Canva (and any future competitors on the horizon). He leveraged knowledge from years of experience working with clients who were applying for jobs and offered a range of add-ons customers couldn’t find anywhere else.
Due to Cédric’s quick action, Profile Bakery not only survived but thrived in the tectonic photography industrial shift. Today, it serves thousands of customers around the world, offering automated tools for all stages of the job application process.
Read on to see how Cédric went from a marketing strategist to a visionary director, diversifying Profile Bakery’s services in a field that continues evolving at a breakneck pace.
No More Taking Orders
Cédric first became aware of entrepreneurial instincts while working at a 325-year-old winery – one of his earliest jobs after university. The winery had acquired a liquor store and Cédric was tasked with integrating the new business. He managed everything from updating product displays to coordinating email marketing.
“It clicked for me that I wanted to do the whole thing by myself,” Cédric says. “To really create, and not just to be somebody who executes what your boss tells you.”
After earning a Master’s degree in Business Innovation, Cédric briefly took a job at a corporate startup moving company, but his heart was still set on entrepreneurship. Not long afterward, his friend unexpectedly invited him to join his photography company, CV Pics.
Although he had never worked in photography before, Cédric quickly discovered that his marketing experience transferred smoothly to his new role as Managing Director.
“For me, marketing is marketing,” Cédric says. “Whether it’s a bottle of wine, a soft drink, or a car, it’s just about creating desire.”
Although Cédric adapted easily to his new role, it was less than a year before he noticed AI-generated headshots were gaining traction. Rather than paying a traditional photography studio like CV Pics, people could use virtual studios to get their shots done on their own time.
“One critical factor in studio photography is flexibility,” Cédric says. “People just want to do things when they have time to do it.”
Of course, AI also had an enormous cost advantage. While professional photography often ranges from $60 to $100, AI was a bargain—typically under $50. For Cédric, the writing was on the wall for traditional photography businesses.
Cédric knew he had to beat AI-based competitors to the punch. Since an independent AI studio risked taking clients away from CV Pics, they decided to launch Profile Bakery as a subsidiary, leveraging his and his cofounders’ knowledge of the photography industry.
Profile Bakery’s timing couldn’t have been better. As soon as they launched the website, it surged to the top of search engine rankings effortlessly attracting organic customers through Cédric’s SEO expertise alone.
The company faced only a few hurdles during that early period: customers would often upload poor-quality images that dragged down their AI model. The business also made some early hiring mistakes with incompatible employees. Yet these issues paled in comparison to the competitive battle they soon were to face.
Staring Off the Cliff of a Huge Drop in Revenue
Profile Bakery’s first major crisis hit when Canva entered the AI headshot market. The free AI headshot solution quickly rose to the top of Google search results and stole huge quantities of Profile Bakery’s revenue in weeks.
But Canva’s product wasn’t just inferior, it was prohibitively bad. Users disappointed by Canva’s low-quality output assumed all AI-generated headshots were equally flawed, driving down overall market trust.
“Their solution isn’t good because of the model they use, but they’re a super powerful website,” Cédric says. “A lot of people walk away thinking all AI headshot tools are bad.”
To niche down, Profile Bakery leaned heavily into its comprehensive customer service model. Rather than just offering AI-generated headshots, customers received free additional resources that addressed all aspects of the job application process.
“You get 30 pictures with us but you also get a simple CV template, cover letter generation, application assistant, job onboarding, a resume check, and LinkedIn profile analysis,” he says. “I think that’s what sets us apart.”
Recognizing that customers needed tailored headshots for specific careers, they developed a new tool allowing users to choose their facial expressions based on their professional goals. A lawyer’s headshot could convey confidence and determination, while a teacher’s might appear friendly and approachable.
By focusing on personalized, career-specific headshots and bundling value-added services, Profile Bakery regained traction. Profile Bakery has since recovered its numbers, and thanks to harsh lessons along the way, they’re more robust than ever.
Good Ideas Are a Dime a Dozen
One of the most common myths Cédric encounters among other founders is the idea that entrepreneurs quickly become wealthy, and work only when they feel like it. From Cédric’s experience, the reality is quite the opposite.
“People think you just chill and work whenever you like,” he says. “But those first years are a huge investment because you’re constantly working on new ideas and setting up processes. There are a lot of firsts, from your first landing page to your first time doing VAT in new countries.”
In casual settings—bars, cafés, or meetings with friends—it’s easy to plan out a product. But what truly separates successful entrepreneurs, Cédric says, is their dedication to acting on those plans.
“To execute it, to keep it going—to rank your page, to get your first customer—that’s the hard part—not just having a good idea,” he says.
Cédric also warns that entrepreneurship is, for the most part, unglamorous. Bookkeeping, taxes, and general administrative tasks, for instance, take up more time than any entrepreneur would like.
“You have to execute things you don’t like because sometimes they need to be done—like bookkeeping or VAT,” he says. “You learn to just do it even if you don’t like it.”
Cédric’s experience underscores that entrepreneurship isn’t quick wins or easy money—it’s about disciplined execution, adaptability, and embracing the dirty jobs that large business and idealistic entrepreneurs often overlook.
