FXBG Neighbors Podcast
Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast
FXBG Neighbors Podcast
EP #62 Beyond the Playlist: A DJ's Service-First Philosophy
What happens when passion for music meets entrepreneurial spirit? Marcus Toler's journey from bar DJ to wedding specialist reveals how following your heart can lead to unexpected business success.
Marcus founded Big Day Productions with a simple goal – making every event truly unforgettable. On this episode, he shares how a love for "throwing parties" in 2005 evolved into a comprehensive wedding and event company. With infectious enthusiasm, Marcus reveals the behind-the-scenes magic that transforms ordinary gatherings into extraordinary experiences.
The conversation explores pivotal moments in his entrepreneurial journey, including the mentorship that convinced him to enter the wedding industry and the personal challenge of restructuring his booming business when he gained full custody of his daughter. Marcus candidly discusses how these obstacles ultimately strengthened his approach to business.
Beyond technical expertise, Marcus emphasizes the philosophy that has driven his success – a service-first mentality that prioritizes relationships over transactions. "What can I do for you?" becomes more powerful than "What can you do for me?" This approach has built a loyal client base and a strong referral network across the Fredericksburg area.
For aspiring entrepreneurs, Marcus offers practical wisdom: focus on your strengths, build industry relationships, embrace new technologies, and most importantly – make sure you're having fun. As he puts it, "If it's not fun, I might as well just go get a job... what's the point of being an entrepreneur if you're not going to enjoy it?"
Ready to make your next event truly memorable? Connect with Marcus at bigdayproductions.biz and discover how the right DJ can transform your special day from ordinary to extraordinary.
Marcus Toler
Big Day Productions
info@bigdayproductions.biz
+1 540-302-5541
618 Kenmore Ave Suite 2c, Fredericksburg, VA, United States, Virginia
This is the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Dori Stewart.
Speaker 2:Welcome back to another episode of the FXBG Neighbors Podcast, where we share the stories of our favorite local brands. I'm excited to introduce you to my guest. Today we have Marcus Toler joining us with Big Day Productions. Marcus, welcome to the podcast.
Speaker 3:Well, thanks for having me, dori.
Speaker 2: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 bit about Big Day Productions.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so Big Day Productions is a wedding and event company. We bring energy with DJs, photo booths, unique events. The goal is to make every event unforgettable.
Speaker 2:Nice. So tell us about your journey. How did you get into this?
Speaker 3:Well. So it's funny I always tell everybody back in 2005 in my 20s, like when I was partying and you know, going out and stuff, I woke up one morning I was like man, I want to throw parties and just be a DJ, like that looks like a lot of fun. And I'm just one of those people like when I come up with something like, alright, let's just do it, let's figure it out. So started DJing around you know da bars around Fridaysidaysburg, like I didn't even care about the money. Back then it's like, can you get a couple beers, a couple dollars? Um, you know it grew. And then I was 2005, 2006.
Speaker 3:I launched the beer poem company, um, with some merry wash kids well, not with them, but they brought the idea to me and I kind of capitalized on it, did that all the way up till COVID and along the way I had a local mentor that was in the event space and she was like you know, you got this high energy, you're younger, we need this in the wedding space, we need this, like in you know, the corporate and all that. And I was like man, I don't know. And then she told me how much the money difference was and I was like man I don't know, and then she told me how much the money difference was and I was like you know what I think I do need to jump into this, you know.
Speaker 3:So there we go, and then we shift the gears, started building up big day productions. Here we are.
Speaker 2:Nice, nice. So do you find that there are any misconceptions when it comes to either your business or the industry?
Speaker 3:Yeah, definitely, you know, I get the people will make comments. Like you know, like sometimes you'll do an event where the people are just not a lively bunch.
Speaker 3:They don't dance or dry weddings are always the ones where everybody just kind of hangs out because there's no alcohol to let them get them, to let them get them, let loose. And you know people will be like where are you getting paid regardless? So you're good, right, I'm like it's not about the money, it's about I'm there for the fun too. Like I joke with people all the time. I'm like the crowd entertains me just as much as I entertain them. Um, so you know, uh, it's not just about the music. I'll jump on calls with people that are trying to save money and cut corners on weddings especially, and I'm like well, this, hopefully, this is the only time you're ever getting married. Don't you want to make this unforgettable? It's like it's more than just press and play, like a good DJ will sit down with the client and really figure out what they want, what kind of music they like you know, and just have it all together walking into the room and I imagine along the way you have learned tips and tricks of how to get the fun.
Speaker 2:Get the fun going, oh yeah, for sure, for sure.
Speaker 3: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 of DJs get in their head and they're like man, I want to play the same stuff all the time. I'm so sick of hearing the Cupid shuffle and I'm like you know, I remind, like my younger DJs, like I've mentored a lot of guys coming up in the game and I'm like look guys, it's not about us.
Speaker 2:We're not here for us, we're here for someone's special day.
Speaker 3:So you know, I just try to make it all about this, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:So speaking of fun when you're not working, because I know you work hard, what are you doing for fun?
Speaker 3:I do, I do, I mean, music's still fun for me. Like, as I'm getting getting older, I've really started like taking time out to go to concerts and see, like those old school groups, the people that we grew up on, um, like I just know nelly and ja rule a couple weeks ago and like you know stuff that I didn't get to do when I was younger. I'm like all right, let me go see some of these people because they're all like on reunion tours and stuff um festivals.
Speaker 3:you know, exploring, exploring Northern Virginia DC. You know, I'm a country boy grew up in West Virginia, so there's so much out here that I haven't seen yet. You know, and I tell everybody, like being an entrepreneur is fun to me, Like I really enjoy being an entrepreneur. I'm a marketing company. I just started my nonprofit, so like people are like man, you work a lot.
Speaker 3:And I'm like it goes back to the old saying like when you're having fun it doesn't feel like work, and you know, I'm sure you can relate, you've been an entrepreneur for a while.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, you kind of have to figure out how to make your work fun, yeah, and making the best out of it and creating that environment for yourself.
Speaker 3:Yeah, for sure. I mean for me it's like if it's not fun, I might as well just go get a job. You know what I mean? It's like what's the point of being an entrepreneur if you're not?
Speaker 2:going to enjoy it. Yeah, yeah, exactly. Can you describe a challenge or a hardship that you have been through and now that you're on the other side of it, you can say you're stronger because of it?
Speaker 3:Yeah, um, I think for me it kind of started. I got my daughter in eighth when she was in eighth grade, full-time, seeing my dad, and at this time my beer pong company was booming. I mean, we had events from Fredericksburg to DC, to Northern Virginia, to Maryland. I had, you know, five, six DJs. Like I was DJing five, six nights a week. And it was one of those things where 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.
Speaker 3:So I had to start pulling back all that stuff, which you know, obviously affected money. And I had to lean into the marketing side of things and luckily, a lot of my venues already trusted me because I'd already done so much. I started doubling down into a marketing company and invested in a coach I always tell everybody it seems expensive but it's worth it Learned how to do CRMs and automations and just really rebuilt everything. But yeah, it was definitely hard because COVID just everybody knows with that. But the good thing about COVID in the digital space, I think it helped a lot. I think it helped us grow in the digital space.
Speaker 3:I remember days where, if I would 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, you want to meet, and they're like well, yeah, we can meet on Zoom right Versus having to drive to Northern Virginia from Fredericksburg to waste half of my day for a 30 minute conversation. Now, we could have just jumped on video and did so, you know, but yeah, so you mentioned that advice that you give is to hire a business coach or entrepreneurship coach.
Speaker 2:So what other? Advice would you give a new entrepreneur?
Speaker 3:I mean definitely focus on what you're really good at and try to find people to help you with the things you're not. Um, you know and I know that's hard we all struggle with that. Like the money side of it, because hiring people to do things are not cheap um, you get what you pay for. It's always been that. But really double down on learning for people in your industry. I see a lot of times like we all feel like we're in competition with each other and we're really not, because everybody's got different skill sets, everybody's got different goals.
Speaker 3:You know, really take time to go out and build relationships with people in your industry doesn't necessarily have to like in the event space. I don't necessarily have to go build a relationship with another dj, it could be a photographer, it could be an event venue, anybody just building relationships with people that do similar things and learn from them. Like, hey, what are you doing? It's working and what are you seeing that's? You know it could be better, things like that. But yeah, just learn and adapt and build. And now, with all this ai stuff, it's like a game changer. A lot of people are struggling with that too, because they're like they're in their head about the whole ai thing. I don't want to give my my information to ai and all the things and I'm like dude. The first time we got a smartphone, 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:Yeah, yeah, really good advice and really leaning on relationships. Not everybody is for you, like you said. Everybody has a different skill set and you're going to be a better business owner for it, because you're going to be able to refer out good people that you trust for things that maybe you don't have the capacity to serve.
Speaker 3:So you said that. Well, you know, in talking about referrals, like I'm learning that like we all get called up in a me me, me, me me phase where it's like what can you 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'm trying to like take myself out of the equation now, and I'm like well, what about you?
Speaker 3:Tell me about you, what can I do for you? Because there's always someone in my circle that I can refer somewhere else, that I can refer somewhere else. And I think if we start with what can I do for the other person first mentality, then they're going to remember that First time they hear somebody that wants a DJ they're going to be like hey, I sat down at a networking event today. Somebody I've known for like 10 years never sent me a referral or nothing. And she's like hey, me and my husband are having this really cool um anniversary party and you have to be the one to come and do the whole thing. I'm like awesome, you know, never got a referral from her.
Speaker 3:She was an artist, um so you just never know, but just being on top of people's mind, like, oh, they do this, they do that.
Speaker 2:So the service first mentality. I love it, that's right.
Speaker 3:That's right. Well, and you know, I think that it goes for everything. That's my thing was. Starting the nonprofit is like what can I do to give back and help grow the community? You know, because I'm one of those people where it's like the more good I do, the more I'm going to give back.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, absolutely. I love that. So what is something that you wish the listeners knew about? Big Day Productions.
Speaker 3:So we're more than just DJs and photo booths. Like I am that guy, you get on the phone with me, I'm going to, you know, help you figure out everything. People will be like well, do you 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 of the event planner. I come, you know, and I, you know. Brides are always like well, how do we figure this out? I'm like I got this really cool worksheet. I'm going to give it to you. It's going to walk you through your whole day. It ends up being the master timeline. A lot of times the photographer will be like oh yeah, let me just get a copy of yours because yours is better than mine. Um, you know.
Speaker 3:And again it goes back to the like the dj sets the whole tone for your wedding or your event. Um, you need it, you know what I mean. And sometimes like even these corporate events where anybody dancing or nothing mean.
Speaker 3:And sometimes, like even at these corporate events where anybody dancing or nothing, uh, you know, I do the realtor expo every year here in fredericksburg and it's really boring, um, but I still play high energy music at a really low volume and the realtors would 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 thankful that there was some good music playing in the background yeah, nice.
Speaker 2:So if the listeners want to connect with you or hire you, where can they find you?
Speaker 3:so bigdayproductions. biz not. com, because here's another trick for entrepreneurs Check for URLs before you start. I did not when I was young, so anyway, big day productions. biz. You can email me at info at big day productions. biz or you can just look me up personally on Facebook. Marcus Toler amazing Marcus.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much for joining me today on the podcast.
Speaker 3:Well, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to fxbgneighborspodcast. com.