Born in Sudbury Ontario, Canada, I was the "oops"  7th child that my parents didn't know they were going to have. 

A Canadian by birth who has called Australia home since 2008, Marc Charette brought an extensive and varied career background to his current role as a Google Trusted commercial photographer. Specialising in 360-degree virtual tours, Marc describes himself as a version of “the little orange pegman on Google Street View, but inside your business”. Marc’s skill behind the camera, creativity and eye for detail coupled with his practical business approach and marketing expertise result in images and virtual tours that help potential customers understand who you are, what you do and why you do it. As Marc emphasises, while the technology may be cutting edge, the way you present your business to your target market should not be over-complicated. It is for this reason that Marc always pares things back to one simple yet powerful question – what do you want people to see?

Possessing an entrepreneurial spirit combined with a passion for all things relating to technology from a very young age, Marc started a mobile entertainment company before he had completed high school. At the age of 19, he became the youngest manager in a major electronics retail chain and continued to pursue electronic retail management for a number of years before gaining experience in numerous other industries, including financial services, insurance, training, advertising and tourism.

Marc’s first job on arrival in Australia was with Yellow Pages advertising. This career decision proved to be invaluable for a newcomer to the country who was scoping the business landscape. It introduced him to a wide variety of businesses and required him to gain an understanding of local business psychology within various geographical locations in order to achieve sales targets. Marc reflects, “It was the best education I could have had as it taught me what it was like to run a business in Australia and highlighted where the gaps were that aligned with my expertise.”

After a stint back in retail followed by an operations management job for a high-end corporate AV installation company, Marc and his wife moved to the Central Coast where he had accepted an advertising sales role with a tourism marketing firm. As a self-taught photography hobbyist Marc was in his element. He combined his photography skills with his sales and marketing expertise and received an increasing number of requests from tourism operators to purchase his photos. It was around this time that photos and virtual tours for Google My Business were capturing the attention of a growing number of savvy business owners wanting to leverage the power of the world’s largest search engine. Marc saw this as an opportunity and applied to be accepted as a Google Trusted photographer. After being accepted into the Google Street View Trusted program, Marc hasn’t looked back since.

Marc founded Work Pics in April 2015 and his business is growing steadily, primarily through referral. He focuses on taking insightful photographs of workplaces, people at work and the products and services they provide. In addition, Marc’s services help potential customers find his clients since photos are now part of local SEO (search engine optimisation) and can directly impact search results on Google search.  His photos can also be seen on his clients’ websites and social media feeds such as Facebook where 360° photos and virtual tours of businesses provide the sense that they are on the premises. Marc’s ability to capture the essence of a business and tell its unique story as opposed to simply showcasing a series of beautiful images has quickly earned him a reputation of being a cut above the competition. His firsthand experience in so many industries gives him an insight into his clients’ businesses. He just ‘gets it’, and it shows in his work. Furthermore his passion for what he does is infectious. Marc’s desire to make a difference prompted him to start a second business in March 2017, Get Great Reviews. In this business, he helps clients attract more customers by harnessing the unmatched pulling power of customer feedback on over 50 social media and review sites.

Well before Marc started running his own business, he was a keen networker, which is how he has formed valuable professional connections over the years. With that in mind, when he was introduced to Wild Fig Service Alliance by one of its members, he knew this would be a great way to gain a better understanding of local businesses. According to Marc, “Being a member of Wild Fig is like having access to a team of local business professionals who are there to share insights into what works well in our local market. There’s really nothing quite like it on the Central Coast.”