Episode #553

Turning Speaking Failures into Business Growth

With Daniel Harkavy

“If you impact one leader and that leader shows up better, then that leader engages better with his or her team. And then if that’s a good experience and it’s consistent, then those teammates do the same for their team. And all of a sudden you’re cascading down.”

One of the best things about being a speaker? You get to write your own story—and Daniel Harkavy’s is proof that the path isn’t always smooth, but it’s definitely worth it. In this episode, Daniel opens up about his rocky first speaking gig, however instead of quitting, he uses that failure as fuel. As a result, speaking became the key to growing his coaching business—not just for applause, but to make real connections and lasting impact.

Daniel reminds us that success on stage isn’t about being perfect, it’s about leaning into your strengths, learning from the mess-ups, and using your unique voice to serve others. Speaking doesn’t have to be your end game—sometimes it’s the launchpad for something even bigger. His big takeaway is to embrace what makes you different, seek out opportunities to serve, and don’t let imposter syndrome hold you back. There’s no single way to build a speaking business—so create one that excites you while opening doors for others, too.

You’ll learn:

  • Overcoming imposter syndrome in speaking
  • The role of speaking in business growth
  • Speaking as a lead generation tool
  • Balancing speaking and coaching
  • How to determine the “right audience”
  • Scaling a coaching/speaking business
  • Modernizing speaking business structures
  • And much, much more!

“Build a life plan and then a schedule that enables you to flourish and rejuvenate so that when you go out on the road, you are the best version of yourself.”

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 Daniel Harkavy

For over 35 years, Daniel Harkavy, CEO, Building Champions has been coaching business leaders, teams, entrepreneurs and organizations to peak levels of performance, efficacy, and fulfillment. Best-selling author and coach to global industry leaders, Daniel’s purpose-driven approach has helped thousands of leaders live and work with greater purpose and impact.

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