MASON CITY — What began as a way to capture family memories has grown into a successful Northern Iowa photography and video business for Mason City entrepreneur Eric Burt.
The NIACC John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center and North Iowa Area Small Business Development Center have named Burt, owner of EB Edits, as their July 2026 Entrepreneur of the Month.
EB Edits provides photography and videography services for sporting events, athletic teams, businesses, concerts, livestock shows, FFA events, races, organizations and community gatherings.
“I do a wide variety of video and photo projects,” Burt said. “Initially I got started doing sports photography, videography and that moved to team photography, including work with content creation like athlete college signings, posters, banners, team senior banners.”
Sports remain the foundation of the business, but each new project has helped Burt expand his skills and add services.
Burt first became interested in photography after his son was born. He wanted a quality camera to document family memories, but soon realized the equipment could also be used to photograph local sporting events.
As a high school coach, Burt already had relationships with coaches, athletes and parents who were interested in action photos. He began photographing games and reinvested every dollar he earned into better equipment.
“I’ve always had a little bit of a side hustle,” Burt said. “I like to make extra money.”
One of his earliest business breakthroughs came when he recognized a gap in the local sports market.
School teams and recreation leagues commonly offered team photography, but many travel sports organizations did not. Burt began providing those services, giving families keepsakes they otherwise may not have received while creating a dependable source of business.
As EB Edits continued to grow, Burt decided he needed to strengthen the business side of the operation.
After encouraging many of his own students to participate in entrepreneurship programs offered through the NIACC Pappajohn Center, Burt realized it was time to follow his own advice.
“I kind of did a little self-reflection and thought, maybe you should practice what you preach,” he said.
Burt (pictured at top, via NIACC) enrolled in the spring 2024 Venture School cohort, a statewide University of Iowa entrepreneurship program offered locally through the NIACC Pappajohn Center.
The program provided him with practical guidance on pricing, equipment value, time management and the financial side of operating a business.
“One of the bigger things was getting pricing figured out, not just coming up with numbers out of thin air,” Burt said. “It gave me a ballpark and a way to figure out what my time is worth, what my equipment is worth.”
Venture School also connected Burt with entrepreneurs, mentors and business leaders who continue to serve as valuable resources.
“It pushed me out of my comfort zone,” Burt said. “The networking and the people I met in the program has led to so many different jobs.”
He said having trusted people available to answer questions helped him become more confident as a business owner.
“It was also really nice to have a group of people that I could ask questions to who I knew had my back,” Burt said. “To have those people in my corner really built confidence and helped me out big time.”
For Burt, entrepreneurship is about more than earning money or building a client list. His work allows people to preserve important moments and revisit them for years.
“There’s nothing better than having somebody watch a video I made and say, ‘You captured what I was hoping it would’ or ‘It exceeded expectations,’” he said.
“To be able to do that and then provide that to them and know that it’s something they can reflect back on is something I definitely take pride in.”
Burt encourages others considering entrepreneurship to start pursuing their ideas, ask questions and use the support systems available throughout Northern Iowa.
“Just go for it,” Burt said. “It takes work. But when you’re doing something that you enjoy it literally doesn’t seem like work.”
He also urged new business owners not to assume they have to tackle every challenge alone.
“When you’re starting something new, you think that kind of you’re on your own,” Burt said. “But when the class ended, those relationships don’t end. You can still go back and ask questions, and you realize that you’re not alone.”
The NIACC John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center works with the North Iowa Area SBDC to support new and existing businesses through counseling, education, training and access to entrepreneurial resources.
The organizations also promote entrepreneurship through programs for grade school students, college students, community members and established business owners.