Why TSL?
I felt that I sort of had one foot in the boat and one foot on dry land. I was getting an occasional speaking gig for a little bit of money, not a lot of money, and not frequently. It was a nice supplement to my income… kind of found money. But it’s through a series of COVID, the financial system, and all these changes going on in the world that I realized I needed to up my income. So, I was faced with a choice – go find a day job or increase my occasional speaking to a legit career. I felt like working with The Speaker Lab could be what I need to get the other foot off dry land.
My mission is to help people climb mountains and move obstacles so that they can live more purposefully. I started a non-profit to raise money for MS and breast cancer research. I learned so many lessons in that “mountain” and I came down from that “climb” and created a startup that became the 5th fastest growing organic and natural brand in 2017.
Today, I speak to people about how I was able to achieve that entrepreneurial success with the lessons that I learned.
What were some a-ha’s and takeaways?
Uh, lots of a-ha’s and takeaways.
At first, I was skeptical.
I thought could it really be that good?
Do I really get all that?
But it’s true you get all that and so much more.
To start I got an awesome website where people go “WOW! that’s really good”. That was included. I got a killer demo video that helps me market myself as a professional speaker. I look like I’ve been professionally speaking for years.
Plus all the little things that add up. However, the biggest a-ha happened to be the work from Erick Rheam. His, Master Your Speaking Pipeline course, a bonus I received with my purchase, was full of big a-ha’s around the system of getting booked and paid to speak. It was so helpful and so valuable.
Now, you have to do the work. I kept hearing that over and over, just put the work in. However, I was putting in the work and not getting gigs. The coaches, Erick, Grant they all say the same thing, “Follow the system” So I did. The next thing, wouldn’t you know, bing, bing, bing, they just started landing. So the biggest aha was the system works!
What’s your new normal as a professional speaker?
I’m a rockstar signing autographs! But seriously, at this point, it’s two to three gigs per month on a consistent basis. Plus all the prep that needs to go into those gigs like booking flights, hotels, the rental car, and all the logistics.
I don’t have an assistant yet so all that work that goes into getting the contract out, the follow-ups, and the planning is all on me right now. On top of all that I’m also working on the talks, right? Each one is slightly different so there’s a bit of customization that happens before each event. I want to make sure that I’m adding value and not just talking to a group. I’m also doing a TEDx event so I need to re-work my talk to fit that format.
I also put a lot of time in on the sales front. Everything from looking for new leads, working them, reaching out, making sure that it’s always in my CRM system, and that I am spending time each day working my pipeline in order to grow the business. Working the pipeline is the gamechanger!
This is not a hobby so putting in the work and having a mindset of owning a speaking business has really helped me. It’s really about seeing yourself as a professional speaker and stepping into that next level.
Who would you recommend to The Speaker Lab?
You know, I hate to sound cliche, but anybody looking to make a career change. Sometimes we have to unlearn and relearn things and I believe we all should be constantly learning. That’s what I love about The Speaker Lab, there’s so much information about growing as a speaker as well as a speaker business owner.
So, I encourage anyone who wants a new career to seriously consider speaking. The Speaker Lab will give you the materials to learn, the business systems to implement, and the support from the coaches you need to be successful. That’s what I love about TSL, it gives you everything you need.