Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
This is the
Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast
, the place where localbusinesses and neighbors come
together.
Here's your host, Dori Stewart.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Welcome back to
another episode of the FXBG
Neighbors Podcast, where weshare the stories of our
favorite local brands.
I'm excited to introduce you tomy guest.
Today we have Marcus Tolerjoining us with Big Day
Productions.
Marcus, welcome to the podcast.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
Well, thanks for
having me, dori.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Well, I'm excited to
dive in and learn more about you
and your business.
So let's start there.
Share with us a little bitabout Big Day Productions.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Yeah, so Big Day
Productions is a wedding and
event company.
We bring energy with DJs, photobooths, unique events.
The goal is to make every eventunforgettable.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Nice.
So tell us about your journey.
How did you get into this?
Speaker 3 (01:01):
Well.
So it's funny I always telleverybody back in 2005 in my 20s
, like when I was partying andyou know, going out and stuff, I
woke up one morning I was likeman, I want to throw parties and
just be a DJ, like that lookslike a lot of fun.
And I'm just one of thosepeople like when I come up with
something like, alright, let'sjust do it, let's figure it out.
So started DJing around youknow da bars around
(01:24):
Fridaysidaysburg, like I didn'teven care about the money.
Back then it's like, can youget a couple beers, a couple
dollars?
Um, you know it grew.
And then I was 2005, 2006.
I launched the beer poem company, um, with some merry wash kids
well, not with them, but theybrought the idea to me and I
kind of capitalized on it, didthat all the way up till COVID
(01:47):
and along the way I had a localmentor that was in the event
space and she was like you know,you got this high energy,
you're younger, we need this inthe wedding space, we need this,
like in you know, the corporateand all that.
And I was like man, I don'tknow.
And then she told me how muchthe money difference was and I
was like man I don't know, andthen she told me how much the
money difference was and I waslike you know what I think I do
(02:07):
need to jump into this, you know.
So there we go, and then weshift the gears, started
building up big day productions.
Here we are.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Nice, nice.
So do you find that there areany misconceptions when it comes
to either your business or theindustry?
Speaker 3 (02:27):
Yeah, definitely, you
know, I get the people will
make comments.
Like you know, like sometimesyou'll do an event where the
people are just not a livelybunch.
They don't dance or dry weddingsare always the ones where
everybody just kind of hangs outbecause there's no alcohol to
let them get them, to let themget them, let loose.
And you know people will belike where are you getting paid
(02:50):
regardless?
So you're good, right, I'm likeit's not about the money, it's
about I'm there for the fun too.
Like I joke with people all thetime.
I'm like the crowd entertainsme just as much as I entertain
them.
Um, so you know, uh, it's notjust about the music.
I'll jump on calls with peoplethat are trying to save money
and cut corners on weddingsespecially, and I'm like well,
(03:12):
this, hopefully, this is theonly time you're ever getting
married.
Don't you want to make thisunforgettable?
It's like it's more than justpress and play, like a good DJ
will sit down with the clientand really figure out what they
want, what kind of music theylike you know, and just have it
all together walking into theroom and I imagine along the way
you have learned tips andtricks of how to get the fun.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
Get the fun going, oh
yeah, for sure, for sure.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
I mean you know your
line dances and all these things
are always going to do it.
There's like those go-to things, go to music.
That just works every time.
And it's funny because a lot ofDJs get in their head and
they're like man, I want to playthe same stuff all the time.
I'm so sick of hearing theCupid shuffle and I'm like you
know, I remind, like my youngerDJs, like I've mentored a lot of
(04:00):
guys coming up in the game andI'm like look guys, it's not
about us.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
We're not here for us
, we're here for someone's
special day.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
So you know, I just
try to make it all about this,
yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
So speaking of fun
when you're not working, because
I know you work hard, what areyou doing for fun?
Speaker 3 (04:26):
I do, I do, I mean,
music's still fun for me.
Like, as I'm getting gettingolder, I've really started like
taking time out to go toconcerts and see, like those old
school groups, the people thatwe grew up on, um, like I just
know nelly and ja rule a coupleweeks ago and like you know
stuff that I didn't get to dowhen I was younger.
I'm like all right, let me gosee some of these people because
they're all like on reuniontours and stuff um festivals.
you know, exploring, exploringNorthern Virginia DC.
You know, I'm a country boygrew up in West Virginia, so
(04:48):
there's so much out here that Ihaven't seen yet.
You know, and I tell everybody,like being an entrepreneur is
fun to me, Like I really enjoybeing an entrepreneur.
I'm a marketing company.
I just started my nonprofit, solike people are like man, you
work a lot.
And I'm like it goes back to theold saying like when you're
having fun it doesn't feel likework, and you know, I'm sure you
(05:09):
can relate, you've been anentrepreneur for a while.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, you
kind of have to figure out how
to make your work fun, yeah, andmaking the best out of it and
creating that environment foryourself.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
Yeah, for sure.
I mean for me it's like if it'snot fun, I might as well just
go get a job.
You know what I mean?
It's like what's the point ofbeing an entrepreneur if you're
not?
Speaker 2 (05:31):
going to enjoy it.
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
Can you describe a challenge ora hardship that you have been
through and now that you're onthe other side of it, you can
say you're stronger because ofit?
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Yeah, um, I think for
me it kind of started.
I got my daughter in eighthwhen she was in eighth grade,
full-time, seeing my dad, and atthis time my beer pong company
was booming.
I mean, we had events fromFredericksburg to DC, to
Northern Virginia, to Maryland.
I had, you know, five, six DJs.
Like I was DJing five, sixnights a week.
(06:07):
And it was one of those thingswhere I was like, all right, I
got an eighth grade daughter.
I can't leave her home.
I got to be here and be a dad.
So I had to start pulling backall that stuff, which you know,
obviously affected money.
And I had to lean into themarketing side of things and
luckily, a lot of my venuesalready trusted me because I'd
(06:30):
already done so much.
I started doubling down into amarketing company and invested
in a coach I always telleverybody it seems expensive but
it's worth it Learned how to doCRMs and automations and just
really rebuilt everything.
But yeah, it was definitelyhard because COVID just
(06:51):
everybody knows with that.
But the good thing about COVIDin the digital space, I think it
helped a lot.
I think it helped us grow inthe digital space.
I remember days where, if Iwould have said meet me on Zoom,
people would have been like no,you're going to come see me Now
people are if I say, hey, youwant to meet, and they're like
well, yeah, we can meet on Zoomright Versus having to drive to
(07:14):
Northern Virginia fromFredericksburg to waste half of
my day for a 30 minuteconversation.
Now, we could have just jumpedon video and did so, you know,
but yeah, so you mentioned thatadvice that you give is to hire
a business coach orentrepreneurship coach.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
So what other?
Advice would you give a newentrepreneur?
Speaker 3 (07:38):
I mean definitely
focus on what you're really good
at and try to find people tohelp you with the things you're
not.
Um, you know and I know that'shard we all struggle with that.
Like the money side of it,because hiring people to do
things are not cheap um, you getwhat you pay for.
It's always been that.
But really double down onlearning for people in your
(08:01):
industry.
I see a lot of times like weall feel like we're in
competition with each other andwe're really not, because
everybody's got different skillsets, everybody's got different
goals.
You know, really take time to goout and build relationships
with people in your industrydoesn't necessarily have to like
in the event space.
I don't necessarily have to gobuild a relationship with
(08:21):
another dj, it could be aphotographer, it could be an
event venue, anybody justbuilding relationships with
people that do similar thingsand learn from them.
Like, hey, what are you doing?
It's working and what are youseeing that's?
You know it could be better,things like that.
But yeah, just learn and adaptand build.
And now, with all this ai stuff, it's like a game changer.
A lot of people are strugglingwith that too, because they're
(08:43):
like they're in their head aboutthe whole ai thing.
I don't want to give my myinformation to ai and all the
things and I'm like dude.
The first time we got asmartphone, we gave up all of
our info.
We're as the say, we're cooked,we're done, our info's out
there, so just lean into it,lean into it.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Yeah, yeah, really
good advice and really leaning
on relationships.
Not everybody is for you, likeyou said.
Everybody has a different skillset and you're going to be a
better business owner for it,because you're going to be able
to refer out good people thatyou trust for things that maybe
(09:23):
you don't have the capacity toserve.
Speaker 3 (09:27):
So you said that.
Well, you know, in talkingabout referrals, like I'm
learning that like we all getcalled up in a me me, me, me me
phase where it's like what canyou do for me, what can you do
for me?
But I've learned, as you know,I've got deeper into networking
and stuff like that, like I'mtrying to like take myself out
of the equation now, and I'mlike well, what about you?
(09:48):
Tell me about you, what can I dofor you?
Because there's always someonein my circle that I can refer
somewhere else, that I can refersomewhere else.
And I think if we start withwhat can I do for the other
person first mentality, thenthey're going to remember that
First time they hear somebodythat wants a DJ they're going to
be like hey, I sat down at anetworking event today.
(10:09):
Somebody I've known for like 10years never sent me a referral
or nothing.
And she's like hey, me and myhusband are having this really
cool um anniversary party andyou have to be the one to come
and do the whole thing.
I'm like awesome, you know,never got a referral from her.
She was an artist, um so youjust never know, but just being
on top of people's mind, like,oh, they do this, they do that.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
So the service first
mentality.
I love it, that's right.
Speaker 3 (10:36):
That's right.
Well, and you know, I thinkthat it goes for everything.
That's my thing was.
Starting the nonprofit is likewhat can I do to give back and
help grow the community?
You know, because I'm one ofthose people where it's like the
more good I do, the more I'mgoing to give back.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
Absolutely,
absolutely.
I love that.
So what is something that youwish the listeners knew about?
Big Day Productions.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
So we're more than
just DJs and photo booths.
Like I am that guy, you get onthe phone with me, I'm going to,
you know, help you figure outeverything.
People will be like well, doyou know who does tables and
chairs and cloths?
I'm like, yeah, Um, I was like,why don't you just be the
planner?
And I'm like the DJ is kind ofthe event planner.
(11:23):
I come, you know, and I, youknow.
Brides are always like well,how do we figure this out?
I'm like I got this really coolworksheet.
I'm going to give it to you.
It's going to walk you throughyour whole day.
(11:45):
It ends up being the mastertimeline.
A lot of times the photographerwill be like oh yeah, let me
just get a copy of yours becauseyours is better than mine.
Um, you know.
And again it goes back to thelike the dj sets the whole tone
for your wedding or your event.
Um, you need it, you know whatI mean.
And sometimes like even thesecorporate events where anybody
dancing or nothing mean.
And sometimes, like even atthese corporate events where
anybody dancing or nothing, uh,you know, I do the realtor expo
every year here infredericksburg and it's really
boring, um, but I still playhigh energy music at a really
(12:06):
low volume and the realtorswould come up to me all the time
and they're like, oh my god,you played the best music.
I'm like you could hear it.
Just you know what I mean.
Like those little things,because we're there for like
eight hours and they're thankfulthat there was some good music
playing in the background yeah,nice.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
So if the listeners
want to connect with you or hire
you, where can they find you?
Speaker 3 (12:30):
so bigdayproductions.
biz not.
com, because here's anothertrick for entrepreneurs Check
for URLs before you start.
I did not when I was young, soanyway, big day productions.
biz.
You can email me at info at bigday productions.
biz or you can just look me uppersonally on Facebook.
(12:50):
Marcus Toler amazing Marcus.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
Thank you so much for
joining me today on the podcast
.
Speaker 3 (12:57):
Well, thanks for
having me.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
Thank you for
listening to the Fredericksburg
Neighbors Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go tofxbgneighborspodcast.
com.