BigSpeak, Inc. is a professional speakers bureau located in Santa Barbara, CA. The bureau was founded in 1995 by Jonathan Wygant and initially named Consciouscness Unlimited, with the goal of providing Mind/Body/Spirit experts for personal growth conferences. 

Before founding BigSpeak, Wygant was the CEO and Co-Founder of Iris Arc Crystal, a Fortune 500 international giftware company (similar to Swarovski). After selling the company, Wygant was inspired to found a speakers bureau while attending a workshop at Esalen led by Dr. Joan Borysenko. Wygant’s goal was to help people better themselves.   

Beginning as a small boutique speakers bureau, Consciousness Unlimited initially worked out of Wygant’s house in Santa Barbara. Over the years, the company grew in size and vision. From a speakers bureau focused solely on personal growth keynote speakers, the company broadened its roster to include keynote speakers to help businesses become better, focusing on topics such as leadership, teamwork, and motivation.

In 2000, the company officially changed its name to BigSpeak. In 2014, Wygant took a step back from daily operations, after which Barrett Cordero took over as President. Under the leadership of Cordero, the company initiated a revolutionary cobrokering arrangement for sharing exclusive speakers in the speakers bureau industry. This arrangement allowed competitors the right to market BigSpeak exclusive speakers and provided competitors with the majority of the booking commission. This revenue-sharing agreement helped spur the growth of BigSpeak and inspired rival companies to follow a similar arrangement with their exclusive speakers.

In 2018, Cordero’s efforts landed him on the Pacific Coast Business Times 40 under 40 list, which recognizes the region’s top up-and-coming professionals under the age of 40. Some of his efforts included new ways of working and investing in employee development. Before the pandemic made work-from-home a standard, BigSpeak had allowed over 30% of its staff to work remotely. The company also emphasized employee quality of life, by giving all employees half-day Fridays. Furthermore, the company invested in employees by giving each full-time employee a wellness and personal development fund.

From a spiritual-growth boutique speakers bureau, BigSpeak tripled in size, growing into one of the most successful business-focused speaking bureaus in the country. For six years in a row, between 2015-2020, BigSpeak was recognized by Inc. magazine as among the 5000 fastest-growing private companies in the United States. In 2020, BigSpeak also attained the California regional rank of 203, as recognized by Inc. magazine.

Today, BigSpeak Speakers Bureau serves 72% of Fortune 1000, has arranged more than 9,500 in-person and virtual speaking events, and more than six million business people have attended events. To learn more about the history of BigSpeak, see some of the stories below.

For more on BigSpeak Speakers Bureau:

The Birth of BigSpeak From Founder Jonathan Wygant

BigSpeak’s 20th Anniversary

2021: BigSpeak Year in Review

BigSpeak Earns Inc.’s Fastest Growing Companies of 2020 Award for the 6th Consecutive Year

Work With — Not Against — Your Industry Rivals

Beyond Benefits: Why We Love Working for BigSpeak Speakers Bureau