Episode #479

Overcoming Failure & Laughing About it Later

With Matt Matkovich & Phil Januszewski

“We’re more willing to be our genuine organic selves, which is going to attract other like minded people, that we can find our group, find our people, and take over the world in a positive way.”

Today, Brittany Richmond sat down on the podcast with her speaker friends Matt Matkovich and Phil Januszewski to talk about what it’s like being a speaking duo! Matt and Phil have been speaking together for over a decade now, and they joined us to share more about what it’s like sharing the stage and what they have learned over the past 10 years.

“We are two ordinary guys who turned out doing extraordinary things to audiences around the country. And we’re living proof to people that if you stick with something, if you’re natural, genuine, and organic about your message, the sky is the limit, and you could turn an ordinary idea into something truly extraordinary.”

In this episode, Matt, Phil, and Brittany cover: 

  • What it’s like being a speaking duo
  • The importance of honoring your niche
  • How to get over failure as a speaker
  • The balancing act of having full-time jobs and speaking 20-30 gigs a year
  • What they think are the most important traits for speakers to embody
  • Funny speaking stories and memories
  • How to partner with AV to overcome tech issues

“We didn’t want to leave the education profession. We appreciated and enjoyed it too much, so we knew that as part of our speaking plan, that. All right, well, that’s it then. We just have to accept the fact that we’ll be limited to the amount of gigs we can take.”

Episode Chapters:

  • 05:19 Who are you guys and what do you speak on?
  • 08:57 How did we get connected and start speaking together?
  • 12:46 Why does your message resonate with you guys?
  • 15:50 We focus on chasing our why nots in life and that’s what we push from the stage.
  • 20:24 With limited time, how does your schedule work?
  • 22:08 What’s your process when people want to book you?
  • 26:30 How do you make it easier on the decision maker to work with you?
  • 28:42 Why we priortize being easy to work with.
  • 32:18 Tell us about a time when you guys had a gig go wrong
  • 37:13 How do you react when tech issues come up?
  • 39:03 Tech ideas to help you recover from issues and adlib if you have to!
  • 42:23 Why it’s important to stay audience focused

Ready to build a real speaking business?

Take the free Speaker Business Assessment to see exactly where you are and what to do next. 17,000+ speakers have built paid speaking careers with SPEAK in the Age of AI.

About Matt Matkovich & Phil Januszewski

Matt and Phil of M&P Presentations LLC are a nationally known motivational speaking duo who are high-energy experts in cultivating confidence and promoting positivity. Their mission is to further develop self-confidence in others, model a healthy lifestyle, and consistently promote positivity through high energy presentations, social media, and their #TrainofPositivity short films.

Matt is an ultra-marathon running, College Board recognized school counselor with a master’s degree in school guidance and counseling.

Phil is a tattooed covered, Netflix baking-show flopping, high school chemistry and physics teacher with a master’s degree in teaching leadership and positive education certification.

Episode Resources

Share This Episode 

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Email
Reddit

Explore Recent Episodes

#595: The Truth About Speaker Bureaus: 3 Things You Need to Hear
“I finally realized I was not paying for a service. I was paying for hope. And hope is not a business strategy.” Welcome back to The Speaker Lab Podcast! Fair warning — host Dan Irvin is ruffling...
#594: Which Type of Stuck Speaker Are You?
“Preparation feels like progress. It’s not.” Welcome back to The Speaker Lab Podcast! After thousands of calls with speakers at every stage, host Dan Irvin has noticed something: it stops...
#593: Why Your Follower Count Isn't Filling Your Calendar
“A speaker with 200 followers and 30 conversations a month is going to out-earn a creator with tens of thousands of followers and zero conversations. Every single time.” Welcome back to The...