Without a reason you don't have a brand. A fancy-pants logo and snazzy new blogsite means nothing if your core message sucks.

We equip you with the branding knowledge and business know-how to take your photography business to the next level. We make sure you own who you are, find your voice, attract the right clients, and create a surefire plan to get you where you want to go.

We want you to take control of your business before it takes control of you.

For most of us, it starts by reacquainting ourselves with our own story, not a replica of someone else's in the industry. That's why we start with brand therapy. We'll reveal the good and the bad about your photography business and begin creating a unique strategy to move your business in the right direction. Now that we’ve identified your core message we can start to communicate that visually with a logo, website, and marketing strategy.

We start with a step we call "brand therapy." We'll assess the current state of your brand, dive into your personal strengths and start dreaming about where you'd like to be.
Once you have a firm grip on reality and are clear about where you want your business to be, it's time to create a strategy. Think of this step as a blue print for how we'll lay the foundation for your dream business.
Once we solidify who you are and what makes your brand unique, it’s time for us to give your core message a visual identity - think logo, color scheme, typeface, print materials, packaging and a strong (meaningful) online presence.
This is when your strategy and design come to life. Your brand suddenly becomes tangible and interactive. Your hard work has paid off and now you have a platform where you and your ideal client can interact.
The strategy doesn't end just because you're ready to tell the world about who your are. In this final step, we develop long and short term strategies for sustaining a strong web presence and building lasting relationships with your clients.

What brought us together is our collective passion for working with photographers and developing messages that are unique to who they are.

We walk next to them, hash out the messy details and get crazy excited when they realize that who they are is just who the world needs. We live for this stuff and are excited to bring you into our crazy little family.

  • Gary grew up living all over the nation and traveled the globe in search of purpose, meaning, beauty and adventure. He found all of it in the form of a pretty girl he met while living in Hawaii. Five years and two kids later, he’s living the dream in a small beach town north of San Diego where he and his wife, Courtney, run a destination wedding photography studio and a super ‘B!G DEAL’ branding company.

    His background: Graphic designer, entrepreneur, nonprofit co-founder, traveler and story teller.

    His qualifications: Undergrad degree in Graphic Arts. Designed for such companies as Comedy Central, Wall Street Journal, Mars Candy Company, The Economist, CNN, etc...

    His Passion: Helping people live a fulfilled life where their business goals and personal dreams meet, coexist and live together in unity. Passionate about working to live (not living to work), Gary loves to inspire and challenge every artist he meets to use his/her unique talents to give back to their local and global communities. He believes that you have the power to change the world.

    •Read Gary’s interview on our blog    •Twitter: @GARYandCourtney

  • Krysta hails from the great state of Kansas. When she moved to L.A. 5 years ago, she only dreamed of working exclusively with creatives in developing better business strategies.

    Her background: Major ass kicking in the private and public sectors by way of branding and organizational development.

    Her qualifications: Undergrad degree in Integrated Marketing and Communications. Masters in Organizational Leadership.

    Her Passion: Working with insanely talented artists in developing their message, discovering what makes them unique and teaching them how to OWN it! She also loves international travel, has a mild obsession with desserts and believes that who you are is exactly who the world needs.



    •Read Krysta’s interview on our blog    •Twitter: @krysta_masciale

  • Courtney was born and raised in San Diego. After college in LA she moved to Maui where she met and fell in love with a super hot surfer/graphic-design-genius named Gary. He asked, she said yes and now five years and two babies later they are back in San Diego. Courtney loves traveling (mostly as an excuse to get to know interesting people), getting crap done, and playing play-dough with her two little girls.

    Her background: Organizational development of small businesses and non-profits, from the marketing research to the creation of vision documents and specific timelines for marketing and business strategies.

    Her Qualifications: Bachelor's degree in Marketing with an emphasis in Marketing Research. An intangible and unquantifiable like-ability.

    Her Passion: She loves the relational aspects of marketing and market research (the personal interactions and the opportunity to learn about the things that make people tick) and then using that information to facilitate the creation of "big-picture" strategies and overarching personal and business goals. Courtney also has a deep passion for social justice and humanitarian efforts around the globe.
    •Read Courtney’s interview on our blog    •Twitter: @COURTNEYandGary

  • Aaron originates from Southern California. The Inland Empire has always served as “home sweet home” despite a few sporadic moves to Washington, Africa, Florida, and Canada. He and his wife, Jen, served as missionaries for a few years before they started their awesome photography business and his wife’s blog, which is dedicated to encouraging other wives. Childless ( at least for now) these entrepreneurs love to travel, shoot, and eat good food.

    His background: Crafting ingenious design into functionality through back-end portals with savvy and stealth as a web developer, but also dabbles in graphic design, and photography.

    His Qualifications: Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design and Web Development, gifted in CSS, HTML, and JavaScript

    His Passion: Unwilling to settle for anything less than an extraordinary life, Aaron believes that everyone is capable of achieving awesomeness. He loves learning and expanding his knowledge of this crazy-fast growing world of web and technologies. His greatest sense of satisfaction comes from teaching and helping others gain understanding. He and his wife are passionate advocates for healthy marriages and he is a lover of all things Apple!

    •Read Aaron's interview on our blog

We've created tools, TH!NK TANKs (workshops) and mentoring sessions that boast a loooong list of tangible deliverables that will undoubtedly move your photography business forward. Combine that with our design and development services and we're a one-stop-shop for all things ‘brand’ when it comes to running a succesful photography business.



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How will B!G DEAL BRANDING help my business?
We give you and your photography business direction and focus. We ask the tough questions you've been running from and won’t move on until they’re answered. We work with you to find your unique voice that speaks directly to your ideal client (who happens to pay you what you're worth).
What is/isn’t branding?
Branding is not Design. ‘Branding’ is about your core message, unique voice & focus, and the client experience that only you can offer. ‘Design’ is how those things look & feel. It’s not a designer’s job to brand you. A designer translates your unique core message (your brand) into a visual identity (the look & feel). Branding is a living and breathing thing, it’s authentic to your voice and your values. Therefore, it needs a unique strategy.
Why does branding matter? Why is it worth investing in?
We believe everyone has a unique perspective. Our goal is to help you actualize yours and own it. That's why branding matters. Because we need more people to own who they are and rock it ... not just copy some B!G DEAL photographer in the industry. It’s worth investing in because you wanna build a business that has purpose, depth, meaning and longevity.
Do you design logos and create websites/blogs?
We do! But not until you've gone through our ‘Therapy’ and ‘Strategy’ phases (typically through a TH!NK TANK workshop or 1-on-1). After we figure out your core message and business strategy we’ll give you all the info you will need to know regarding prices and deliverables for our logo, print and website products. If you think you already have a killer strategy/message but just need to spruce up your design, let us know and we'll talk about your options.
What exactly are TH!NK TANKs? What do I get? How does it work?
TH!NK TANKs are an opportunity for you to work in an intimate small group setting to define your core message, identify your ideal clients and develop a strategy for executing your brand in the coming months. TH!NK TANKs are 8hrs long, results driven, and loads of fun! We’ll provided all the essentials for the day including snacks, lunch, beverages, fun little surprises, and an optional dinner (after the 8th hour) to unwind and hangout. They typically take place in a neutral environment - like a beach house or mountain cabin. We take nice little breaks (pool, hot tub, beach, hiking, etc), switch up the scenery, share delicious food and beverages, and are all about getting to know each other. We invest in relationships and treat you like a human being. We believe in who you are and want to be an encouragement to you and your business. Our goal is to be authentic, helpful and approachable. Who knows, you may meet your new BFF at one of our TH!NK TANKs!
Will you open up more seating in your workshops?
Negatory. We believe in the power of small group conversations. They create a safe place for people to be vulnerable and ask questions plaguing them as business owners. Our TH!NK TANKs aren't crowded rooms of people to hide behind. Our TH!NK TANKs get even smaller when we break into sub-groups and attack our to-do lists! We believe there is power in 1-on-1, or at the most a 2-to-1 ratio.
I don't live in SoCal, what are my options?
We would love to bring a TH!NK TANK to your city! There are a few options: you can host a TH!NK TANK or keep an eye out for dates we may already be in your area. You could purchase a 1-on-1 TH!NK TANK with our team or pay for hourly Skype coaching. Contact us for details via the contact form on this site.
What is a 1-on-1 TH!NK TANK?
This is for people who want our undivided attention. We are all yours for a full day of developing your brand and tackling your business questions. We’ll walk through our curriculum at your pace and be as helpful as humanly possible with any questions or concerns you may have.
I can’t afford you (I’m saving up), but in the meantime, do you have free pointers or other ways to help me with my branding problems?
We do! If you Sign Up to be on our mailing list, we’ll keep you informed on our latest speaking engagements and provide helpful tips (via our newsletter) to take your brand to the next level. Don’t worry, we’re not about spamming you with junk, and you can easily unsubscribe with the click of a button. We also offer a FREE “How to attract your ideal client” video and e-book. Visit our Marketplace to get ya’ some.
What back-end do you use?
We prefer Wordpress backends because they are simple to use, powerful and mobile device friendly. But we’re not limited to only Wordpress. Whatever backend you want to use is completely fine – we have experience with all the major photography backend companies (Blu Domain, ProPhoto, BigFolio, Showit, etc) we want you to use what you feel comfortable with. We just want whatever is most reliable and what you’re most comfortable using to execute and maintain your online visual identity.
I HATE my current brand with a deep dark passion, can you just redo EVERYTHING?
Absolutely. This is our favorite thing to do. At the end of our ‘B!G DEAL INC. REBRAND’ you will have absolutely everything in place to start rocking your photography business. We’ll give you everything from your core message, to a strong identity package (logo, website, blog, packaging, etc), to a 6-12 month roadmap to guide you as you launch and market your new brand. This process typically takes 6-10 weeks to execute, and starts at $10,000… we only have 8 spots available a year for the ‘B!G DEAL INC. REBRAND’, so schedule yours ASAP.
Do you offer financing plans?
Yes we do. Please contact us for specific details.

     
   

 
 
 
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