Paid to Speak

The #1 question I am being asked during the COVID-19 crisis is: what are you doing RIGHT NOW to build your speaking business?

The truth is, even in times like this when we are facing the coronavirus pandemic, there are steps you can take to build your speaking business.

In fact, as the world slows down, a great question to ask yourself is: what does this make possible? You might discover you've been given a gift—the gift of time to build your speaking business.

In this episode, I share how to build a speaking business RIGHT NOW.

1) Build your speaker website

• Home page
• About page
• Speaking page
• Resource page
• Contact page
• Resource: Wordpress Theme I use to build ALL my websites

2) Build your contact list

• Find decision-makers
• Search other speakers' websites for clues
• Resource: First Paid Speech Online Course

3) Work on your presentation

• Resource: 5 Keys to Creating a Speech That Pays
• Resource: Killer Keynote Conference

1) Post brand-specific ideas and tips on social media

2) Provide high-value solutions for clients and prospects, but keep things simple and avoid asking for business

3) If decision-makers want more, offer virtual training options, but do not give your services away for free

• 9 Ways to Get Paid as a Speaker
• 5 Keys to Creating a Speech That Pays
• First Paid Speech Online Course
• Killer Keynote Conference

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating and review on iTunes. Also, share it by using the social media buttons at the top or bottom of this post.

Until next time, continue to move from #DREAMtoDO as a speaker.

Speaking engagements get canceled. When it happens, the difference between getting paid to speak or not often comes down to what is written in your speaker agreement.

In Episode 9, I continue to share how the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic is impacting my speaking business and the speaking industry. Whether you're a brand new speaker or you've been speaking for a while, I encourage you to listen to the previous two episodes. They are filled with raw truth as well as practical steps you can take in your business to navigate tough times.

• Episode 7: You ARE Still in Charge
• Episode 8: Meeting Canceled — Now What Do I Do?

In this episode, I share how my business was hurt years ago by an unclear cancelation clause in my speaker agreement. Listen in to make sure you don't make the same mistake.

In Episode 8, we looked at the customer-service side of dealing with a speaking engagement that gets canceled. In this episode, we look at the speaker-contract side of dealing with cancelations.

1) Bonus: A positive question you can ask yourself during difficult times

• Question: What does this make possible?
• Action: Download 5 Keys to Creating a Speech That Pays

2) Keep your speaker agreement as simple as possible

• Be clear, but keep it simple
• Don't add unnecessary clauses

3) Changes/Cancelation Clause

• Why your cancelation clause is so important — a real-life example from Kent's speaking business
• Craft a cancelation clause that is a win-win for both the organization you are serving and your business
• Be clear about what happens with the deposit and the timing for rescheduling the event

4) Act of God Clause

• An Act of God clause describes what happens when circumstances outside of human control occur (usually a natural disaster such as a flood, hurricane, earthquake, pandemic, etc.)

• 9 Ways to Get Paid as a Speaker
• 5 Keys to Creating a Speech That Pays

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating and review on iTunes. Also, share it by using the social media buttons at the top or bottom of this post.

Until next time, continue to move from #DREAMtoDO as a speaker.

When you hear the words meeting canceled as a speaker (and you will from time to time), you have the opportunity to set yourself apart in a positive way.

In Episode 8, I continue to share how the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic is impacting my speaking business. As of this recording, I have heard the words meeting canceled for 10 speaking engagements so far. Additionally, I expect more cancelations in the weeks and months to come.

The temptation for all of us in tough times is to check out and whine. But remember, you are still in charge of your life and business. A better approach to dealing with canceled speaking engagements is to SHOW UP and SHINE for the decision-makers and meeting professionals who originally booked you.

SPECIAL WEBPAGE AND VIDEO mentioned in this episode to help you build resiliency and courage.

Any speaker can SHOW UP and SHINE when business is strong, but only the true professionals serve well in difficult circumstances. One difficult circumstance speakers face is hearing a decision-maker say the words meeting canceled.

When speaking engagements are canceled (and this will happen from time to time), it's best to focus on serving your clients exceptionally well. Here's are 4 customer service tips that will help SHOW UP and SHINE when speaking engagements are canceled:

1) Be Proactive

• Don't wait for decision-makers and meeting professionals to reach out to you
• Remember, when an event is canceled, decision-makers have 1,001 other details to handle

2) Be Positive

• Speaking is a relationship business, so take the opportunity of canceled speaking engagements as a chance to build stronger relationships with meeting planners
• Never forget, decision-makers do business with people they know, like, and trust

3) Be Different

• Set yourself apart by how you communicate with decision-makers and meeting professionals
• Give decision-makers options for how to move forward such as virtual summits and rescheduling
• Be a resource and solution-provider for decision-makers

4) Be Service-Oriented

• Remember, as a speaker, you are there to serve your client, not to have your client serve you
• The more you serve, the more decision-makers and meeting professionals will know, like, and trust you

• 9 Ways to Get Paid as a Speaker
• 5 Keys to Create a Speech That Pays
• SPECIAL WEBPAGE AND VIDEO mentioned in this episode

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating and review on iTunes. Also, share it by using the social media buttons at the top or bottom of this post.

Until next time, continue to move from #DREAMtoDO as a speaker.

If you're a speaker, you will face challenges. Challenges in marketing your speaking services. AV challenges in the middle of your presentation. Even unexpected challenges in the world like coronavirus. And we all know, the more difficult the challenge, the more stress, anxiety, and fear it can create.

How can you build the courage and resiliency you need as a speaker to effectively face your most difficult challenges?

In this special episode, I share from my heart how to best deal with the challenges you are facing in your speaking business.

SPECIAL WEBPAGE AND VIDEO mentioned in this episode to help you build resiliency and courage.

1) I share how the coronavirus pandemic is impacting my personal speaking business as well as the speaking industry as a whole

• Speaking engagements being postponed
• Speaking engagements being canceled
• The impact goes far beyond our speaking businesses

2) How to build your resiliency and courage as a speaker

• Deemphasize what you cannot control (see #3 below)
• Focus on what you can control (see #4 below)

3) Deemphasize what you CANNOT control — the UN's

• UNcontrollable Circumstances
• UNexplainable Problems
• UNchangeable Situations
• SPECIAL WEBPAGE AND VIDEO mentioned in this episode

4) Focus on what you CAN control — E+R=O

• E=O mindset leads to being a victim and guarantees failure
• E+R=O mindset leads to being response-ABLE

• 9 Ways to Get Paid as a Speaker
• 5 Keys to Create a Speech That Pays
• SPECIAL WEBPAGE AND VIDEO mentioned in this episode

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating and review on iTunes. Also, share it by using the social media buttons at the top or bottom of this post.

Until next time, continue to move from #DREAMtoDO as a speaker!

Most speakers start speaking as a side hustle. As any speaker will tell you, speaking as a side hustle isn't easy (what side hustle is?). But it can be done. In this episode, Kent shares 3 steps you can take to make speaking as a side hustle work for you.

1) Episode 4: Why Speaking is a Better Side Hustle than Coaching 2) Episode 5: 5 More Reasons to Love Speaking as a Side Hustle 3) Episode 6: 3 Steps You Can Take to Makes Speaking a Side Hustle that Works for You

1) Treat speaking like a job

• 15 hours a week
• Schedule your 15 hours
• Practice the Closed Door strategy

2) Make your first hire immediately

• Hire Pareto
• 80/20 Rule

3) Practice the Reverse Pareto Principle

• Focus 80% of your time and energy on the 20% activities that produce 80% of your results

• 9 Ways to Get Paid as a Speaker
• Paid to Speak Podcast Launch Contest (Ends March 11, 2020)
• Got questions? Submit them here
• Hey Mic — the Bluetooth microphone specifically designed for smartphone videos
• Paid to Speak Conference and Killer Keynote Conference

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating and review on iTunes. Also, share it by using the social media buttons at the top or bottom of this post. Until next time, continue to move from #DREAMtoDO as a speaker!

If you want to be a speaker, you'll probably start speaking as a side hustle.

What is a side hustle? It's any kind of work you do in addition to your full-time job. It's more than a hobby because a hobby is primarily done for enjoyment. The purpose of a side hustle, in large part, is to create an additional stream of revenue.

In this episode, Kent shares 5 reasons you will love speaking as a side hustle.

1) Episode 4: Why Speaking is a Better Side Hustle than Coaching

2) Episode 5: 5 More Reasons to Love Speaking as a Side Hustle

3) Episode 6: 3 Steps You Can Take to Makes Speaking a Side Hustle that Works for You

In Episode 4, Kent shared 5 reasons to love speaking as a side hustle. Each of the reasons in Episode 4 revolved around the Business of Speaking and was specifically about marketing. In this episode, Kent shares 5 reasons to love speaking as a side hustle that are more personal to him.

1) Bigger paychecks from the start

2) Travel

• Variety of travel — both cool and not so cool places are fun to visit
• Short travel — most trips are 24 to 36 hours
• Discover fun places to visit again later with family

3) Develop content that impacts people immediately

• Through marketing, you proactively share your content with decision-makers instead of wondering if anyone has seen your content
• The content you develop can eventually turn into new programs, courses, and even books

4) Grow your tribe, followers, and raving fans

• Speaking is one of the best ways to build an email list

5) Stick-to-it-tiveness is your greatest competitive advantage

• 9 Ways to Get Paid as a Speaker
• Paid to Speak Podcast Launch Contest (Ends March 11, 2020)
• Got questions? Submit them here
• Hey Mic — the Bluetooth microphone specifically designed for smartphone videos
• Paid to Speak Conference and Killer Keynote Conference

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating and review on iTunes. Also, share it by using the social media buttons at the top or bottom of this post.

Finally, don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Spotify, or Android to get automatic updates.

Until next time, continue to move from #DREAMtoDO as a speaker!

A side hustle is any kind of work you do in addition to your full-time job. It's more than a hobby because a hobby is primarily done for enjoyment. The purpose of a side hustle, in large part, is to create an additional stream of revenue.

There are two primary types of side hustles:

Permanent Side Hustle: Many people who start a side hustle are perfectly content with keeping it a side hustle. These folks are not looking to move on from their full-time employment. Instead, they see their side hustle as a way to make extra money, do something they are passionate about, learn a new skill, or all of the above.

More than a Side Hustle: Other people start a side hustle for a reason beyond the ones listed above. These individuals want to replace their current employment with their side hustle.

Clearly both speaking and coaching can be excellent side hustles, whether you want to continue it as a side hustle or eventually have it replace your current job. However, Kent Julian believes speaking is the better side hustle opportunity because of the marketing advantages it provides. In this episode, Kent shares 5 reasons why speaking is a better side hustle than coaching.

1) Episode 4: Why Speaking is a Better Side Hustle than Coaching

2) Episode 5: 5 More Reasons to Love Speaking as a Side Hustle

3) Episode 6: Steps You Can Take to Makes Speaking a Side Hustle that Works for You

1) Speaking requires less complicated marketing

• What you do NOT have to do to market your speaking services vs. what you HAVE to do to market your coaching services

2) Speaking requires B2B marketing instead of B2C marketing

• Speaking is Business-to-Business marketing
• Coaching is Business-to-Consumer marketing

3) Speaking allows you to market to decision-makers with money already budgeted for your speaking services

• Speaking deals with decision-makers who have already budget money for speaking
• Coaching deals with decision-makers who are still trying to decide if they want to budget money for coaching

4) Speaking requires 1 sale instead of 2 sales

• Speaking deals with decision-makers who have already budget money for speaking, so you only have to sell them on you as the speaker they should hire
• Coaching deals with decision-makers who are still trying to decide if they want to budget money for coaching, so you must first sell them on the idea of coaching and then on you as the coach they should hire

5) Speaking allows you to market One-to-Many instead of just One-to-One

• When you speak, you can market your services to your entire audience
• When you coach, you only have one audience member—your coaching client

• 9 Ways to Get Paid as a Speaker
• Paid to Speak Podcast Launch Contest
• Got questions? Submit them here
• Hey Mic — the Bluetooth microphone specifically designed for smartphone videos
• Paid to Speak Conference and Killer Keynote Conference

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating and review on iTunes. Also, share it by using the social media buttons at the top or bottom of this post.

Finally, don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Spotify, or Android to get automatic updates.

Until next time, continue to move from #DREAMtoDO as a speaker!

1) Purpose — the opportunity to live out your purpose in a meaningful way

2) Impact people — Kent shares how a speaker positively impacted his life

3) Passion — strong enthusiasm or desire; compelled to action

4) Credibility — as a presenter and thought-leader

5) Professional development — you must be continually learning and growing if you want to stay credible as a speaker

6) Personal development — stories from two Executive Directors

7) Networking — you will meet so many great people through speaking

• 9 Ways to Get Paid as a Speaker
• Paid to Speak Podcast Launch Contest
• Got questions? Submit them here
• Hey Mic — the Bluetooth microphone specifically designed for smartphone videos
• Paid to Speak Conference

1) Overview of Kent's current speaking business

2) Kent's story — early life

• At-risk child
• Positive impact of hearing a speaker in high school
• Positive impact of educators
• College Success

3) Kent's first career track

• Working with youth via non-profit organizations and coaching
• Eventually, Kent became the Executive Director of a national youth association
• Opportunities to speak "on the side" continued to grow

4) Two insights from first career track

• Speaking opportunity grew only because Kent had a PLATFORM — he had no clue how to market his speaking business
• Part of his job as an Executive Director was to hire speakers — this gave Kent a front-row seat to what worked and DID NOT work when it comes to booking paid speaking engagements

5) Kent's speaking track

• 2005 — launched a career coaching business as a side hustle
•  2008 — transitioned to being employed very PT and primarily working on his career coaching business
• 2009 — full-time business owner and speaking was added to the mix of the services Kent provided
• Insight: Kent spent the four years from 2005 to 2009 learning how to market his speaking services

• 9 Ways to Get Paid as a Speaker
• Paid to Speak Podcast Launch Contest
• Got questions? Submit them here
• Hey Mic — the Bluetooth microphone specifically designed for smartphone videos
• Kent's speaker website
• Paid to Speak Conference

Welcome to the first episode of the Paid to Speak Podcast!

Many people DREAM about getting paid to speak, but few see their dreams become reality because they simply don't know what to DO.

The Paid to Speak Podcast will help you grow in both the art and business of speaking. You'll discover how to become a great presenter, how to find paid speaking engagements, how to connect with the decision-makers who book speakers, and best of all... how to get paid to speak. Whether you're starting from scratch or you've been at it for a while, you'll find value in every episode.

1) A look at Kent's current speaking business

2) Description of the show and what you can expect

3) 3 key topics regularly covered on the show:

• Art of Speaking
• Building Your Brand
• Business of Speaking

4) Format of the show:

• Training from Kent
• Answering your questions (submit a question here)
• Interviews with speakers and experts
• Success stories

• 9 Ways to Get Paid as a Speaker
• Paid to Speak Podcast Launch Contest
• Got questions? Submit them here
• Hey Mic — the Bluetooth microphone specifically designed for smartphone videos
• Kent's speaker website
• Paid to Speak Conference