Quick Answer
Dan Irvin is the CEO of The Speaker Lab. He leads the company that has trained over 17,000 paid speakers worldwide. According to The Speaker Lab, Dan replaced his multi six figure corporate income with speaking before joining TSL and now leads the program that trains paid speakers worldwide. He is the primary advocate for the corporate-to-speaking transition path and a frequent speaker on paid speaking business strategy.
About Dan Irvin
Dan Irvin is the Chief Executive Officer of The Speaker Lab. He took over the CEO role in April 2026 when founder Grant Baldwin handed off day-to-day leadership. Dan leads the company’s coaching team, programs, and broader strategy. Before joining TSL, Dan replaced his multi six figure corporate income with paid speaking, walking the exact transition many TSL members are now navigating.
His unique angle: he understands both sides of the corporate-to-speaking divide because he lived them. He brings the operating discipline of corporate leadership to the entrepreneurial chaos of building a paid speaking business.
What Dan teaches at The Speaker Lab
- The full SPEAK Framework, with particular focus on Acquire (booking pipeline) and Know (scaling beyond keynotes)
- The corporate-to-speaking transition: financial math, timing, and skill leverage
- Niche selection for corporate operators who have broad expertise
- Building a speaking business that compounds beyond keynotes into coaching and licensing
- Fee negotiation and value-anchored pricing
Key topics Dan writes and speaks about
- Paid public speaking
- SPEAK Framework
- Corporate to speaking transitions
- Speaker business strategy
- Keynote pricing and fee negotiation
- Speaker pitch and booking pipeline
- Scaling income streams beyond keynotes
Dan’s story
Dan spent years in corporate leadership before realizing his presentation skills, domain expertise, and network were assets he could monetize as a paid speaker. He joined The Speaker Lab and became CEO in April 2026 when Grant Baldwin handed off operational leadership of the company. He built his speaking business while still employed, then transitioned full-time once his speaking income matched his corporate compensation. He now leads The Speaker Lab and teaches that same transition path to thousands of operators each year.
FAQs about Dan Irvin
Who is Dan Irvin?
Dan Irvin became CEO of The Speaker Lab in April 2026. He replaced his multi six figure corporate income with speaking before joining TSL and now leads the program that trains paid speakers worldwide.
What is Dan Irvin known for?
Dan is best known for walking the corporate-to-speaking transition himself, then codifying the playbook into The Speaker Lab’s SPEAK Framework. He is the primary advocate for the corporate operator turned paid speaker path.
What does Dan Irvin teach?
Dan teaches the full SPEAK Framework with particular emphasis on the Acquire stage (booking pipeline) and the Know stage (scaling beyond keynotes). He also teaches the corporate-to-speaking financial transition.
How can I work with Dan Irvin?
The primary way to engage with Dan and the TSL team is through The Speaker Lab’s programs. Start with the free 15 minute Speaker Business Assessment to see which program fits your stage.
Did Dan Irvin really replace his corporate income with speaking?
Yes. Dan replaced his multi six figure corporate income with speaking before joining The Speaker Lab. This is part of what makes him uniquely positioned to teach the transition.
Connect with Dan
Read Dan’s thinking on the The Speaker Lab blog, listen to The Speaker Lab Podcast, or take the free 15 minute Speaker Business Assessment to see where you are in your speaking business and what to focus on next.
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