Exciting news for professional photographers in Canada! There's a new program that the Canadian Federal Government has just announced. It provides $2400 for Canadian businesses to take advantage of e-commerce opportunities.
Canadian photographers are eligible for the program which will cover expenses such as a new website, improving website SEO or adopting a new online booking or CRM system!
Eligible costs for Canadian Photographers include, but are not limited to, the following:
The assessment tool asks 4 questions:
It will confirm your eligibility for the "Grow Your Business Online" grant. From there you can click on the "Start your application Now" link and contact the appropriate provincial organization handling the program.
Canada Digital Adoption Program "Grow Your Business Online" Grant Eligible
In anticipation of this fantastic program Focal wants to offer photographers a turnkey solution for taking advantage of the new Canada Digital Adoption Program "Grow Your Business Online" grant. You get a complete e-commerce solution for your photography business, set up completely for you. The process is typically under 3 weeks and at the end you’ll have a website, packages, bookings, contracts & payments, all-in-one simple and easy to use platform.
Includes:
Website Full Service Set Up - We build your site completely for you and get you set up (reg. $1895)
2 Years Website Hosting + Booking System Subscription - Packages, Contracts & Payments (reg. $600 annual plan
Mini Branding Package - Custom Logo, Font and Color Palette in a Simple Style Guide (reg. $250)
Designed for the Canada Digital Adoption Program "Grow Your Business Online" grant by meeting the following eligible program costs:
No Risk. If for some reason you are unable to claim the Canada Digital Adoption Program "Grow Your Business Online" grant, we will provide a 100% money-back guarantee.
We take the time to understand your vision and build you a website that truly feels yours.
We send you screenshots every day to show you progress and hear your feedback.
You get to see a functioning first draft of your site via live preview link with fully functioning packages, galleries and blog.
We help you transfer your domain to your new site as well as configure everything you need for SEO.
Full Website Setup + Hosting
Our team will setup your brand new website all for you. Complete with a fully featured blog and portfolio galleries. Plus all that stuff you know you need like SEO, internal linking, sitemap, google search console and more! When we're done you get access to a simple easy-to-use editor where you can add blog posts and galleries without ever worrying about breaking your website
Investment Guide + Packages
Our team will create rich packages for you that will have clients falling in love right on your website. Photographers that use Focal find that they spend 90% less time emailing with clients because they already know which package they want!
Calendar Booking System + Contracts + Payments
You'll get access to Focal's full suite of business tools so you can run your business seamlessly. Clients can see your live availability and making booking requests for times your free. Easily send bookings, contracts and payment links to clients all from one dashboard!
The design languages of Focal sites are simplicity and functionality. Our sites are built to deliver a seamless client experience and provide a canvas for your photos and personality to shine.
BookFocal built my website exactly how I wanted it, based on the awesome templates that they provide. They had amazing customer service and a high quality ongoing product that is ever improving. I would highly recommend them for photographers or videographers who are looking for a more simplistic design and aren’t in need of full customization on their website but value simplicity over all else. Lachlan and his team are sure to make you happy with your site guaranteed!
From start to finished product, Lachlan and his team were attentive to who I am as a business owner and how I love to treat my clients. My brand is reflective of that and so is my new Focal website. They're fast to respond and eager to help which is rare these days.
I absolutely recommend team Focal.
They rebuilt my website with my personality and image in mind! They are so good the first draft was the final product!! My last website I'd been building for about 3 years, well they built a better one in a week. Lachlan and his team did an amazing job and I'm so happy I went with these guys!
It has been an absolute joy working with Focal as they built me a new website. The team at Focal listened to all my needs for my website and responded within minutes every time I had a question. I couldn't be more happier with the results! My website is phenomenal now, and because of all the extras they implemented onto it I can now do away with some of the third party applications that I was using. Everything is built right into my website which has greatly increased my CRM as well as my SEO. Anyone looking to have their website built should look no further than this company. From the CEO that I spoke with to the people working directly on my website have been amazing. Usually I have a few cons when I write a review but I couldn't find anything I didn't like about the entire process. Will be doing business with Focal from hence forth.
I love working with Focal!! Their excellent customer service and commitment to creating a platform that works for photographers is admirable and I have already seen the difference it has made in my business. I discovered them after listening to a podcast and I am SO GLAD that I did!! It’s amazing to have backend help through not only their free accelerator program, but also through their personalized advice, and knowing that they are doing the SEO work behind the scenes to make sure my packages are being seen by the right people!! I can’t thank them enough and I can’t wait to continue working with them :)
Wow! I seriously cannot say enough good about Focal! As a photographer, I have definitely hit some bumps in the road when it comes to the business side of things. Whether that means trouble marketing, putting myself out there, or finding my ideal clients, there is always something to improve. When I started working with Focal, I knew it would be a game changer for my business. Everyone is so nice and genuinely wants to see me succeed. I cannot thank Lachlan and Martin enough for helping me become the business owner I am today. If you have any doubt about working with Focal, Im here telling you to DO IT! You wont regret it.
The team at Focal has been a huge help to my photography business, always treating me well and not just as "another photographer". I love using the booking system to keep track of my clients, payments and packages all in one place! It keeps everything so organized. The marketplace feature brings in new clients that I never would have had. I've been on other photography directories, but none compare even remotely to the value I've gotten from Focal. Truly grateful to be part of this initiative!
I can't even begin to describe how amazing Focal has been and the impact they have had on my business! Their customer service is beyond amazing. They really care about your success in the industry as a photographer, but also care equally about the clients who are booking to ensure they have the best experience, start to finish... it's such a win win when you feel like you have a team behind you that aligns with your values!Their marketplace has been incredible for bringing in bookings, and their booking system has really improved how I go about scheduling clients. Focal changed the way I go about my business for all of the best reasons! Cannot recommend them enough! Lachlan and the whole team are just wonderful, and truly care in your success.
Focal is a turn-key solution to take your business to the next level
Nikki Elizabeth Photography - East Tennessee, USA
Hannah T Photography - Vancouver, CA
Christin Carruthers - Victoria, CA
Hank Miller Productions - New Hampshire, USA
William Bichara - Dallas, USA
Click the above links to see their Focal websites
Marlboro Wang - Victoria, CA
Melissa Whittington - Maui, USA
Taylor Jackson - Waterloo, CA
Brenton Cox Photography - Orange NSW, AUD
Gary Huynh Photography - Rochester, USA
Click the above links to view their websites
Unlike self-serve website builders, Focal builds your website completely for you . We work with you collaboratively to understand you and build a website that truly feels like yours. Focal sites come completely built with built-in SEO, blog and portfolio galleries functionality. Easily make changes, add galleries or write blog posts through our simple editor. Plus, you get access to our professional booking system which includes: packages, bookings, contracts and payments. All in one place. You also get listed on the Focal Marketplace.
Yes, Focal websites are designed to be easy to maintain and update! You can easily add new blog posts, new galleries and packages.
That in mind, we always let photographers know that if they looking for a website where they can drag around and re-arrange their layout or adjust every little bit of padding. Focal is not for them! Focal sites are designed to be like a sandbox where you can't break anything.
It's simple to change out photos, text and add new content and you'll never break anything!
We always want to make it clear that a Focal site will not magically launch you to page one of google. However, a Focal site comes with the infrastructure and ease to get you there! With a Focal site, it's easy to publish new galleries and blog posts with correctly structured SEO to help you rank.
Focal is backed by Stripe's connect payment structure. Payments through Stripe incur a standard 2.9% + $30 cent fee per transaction. Focal does not take any additional fees above Stripe's mandated transaction fee.
Clients can pay by credit card, google pay, apple pay or even outside the platform.
If you're looking for a professional, extremely easy to use, all-in one system for your website, contracts, booking and payments - yes!
If you want a website where you can customize every font size, every bit of padding or you want to build brand new page layouts - Focal is not for you!
If your goal is to focus on your photography while Focal does the work for you, book a consult!
Not yet, but we are working on releasing a gallery delivery feature soon!