Ben Lee has made his living in the high-tech world working for companies like IBM and Microsoft, but now he’s focused on being his own boss. The Bellevue man is one of two franchisees in King County for TapSnap, offering clients an interactive photo booth for their social events.

Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, TapSnap allows users to pose for photos using an interactive kiosk where they can edit pictures and upload them directly to social media accounts or print-outs.

“I reached a point where I wanted to do something different with my family,” said Lee. “Hopefully, through this we can build a thriving business.”

Lee has brought on his wife, June, and 22-year-old daughter, Samantha, to help with the business. June said she likes shopping around for physical props, such as funny hats and glasses, but TapSnap allows users to also digitally add effects. For an additional fee, Lee said he has a green screen that allows users to put themselves in interesting backdrops, such as Mount Everest or in front of the New York City skyline. His friends have had a lot of fun helping him grow his portfolio of TapSnap photos.

Using his Bellevue home as a start-up office, Lee held an open house on Feb. 15 and is already adding clients. This weekend he’ll bring his TapSnap kiosk to a 65th birthday party and is scheduled for another party in March. He said TapSnap is great for weddings, corporate events, nonprofits and bar mitzvahs. Lee invested in three kiosks, but hopes to expand as word spreads.

“I think what I find is there’s a degree of freedom, as well as agility that you have with your own business,” Lee said.

Clients don’t need to worry about mastering the kiosks, he said, because he’s there to help along the way. Being able to send out photos from an event using Twitter and Facebook directly through the kiosk allows clients to generate buzz about their events and the people and businesses behind them. Photos can also be generated throughout an event and emailed through the kiosk to a number of clients and participants.

To learn more about TapSnap, go to www.tapsnap.net or 1-877-729-2715 or at benl@tapsnap.net.