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Before I had officially started my business, I had a j-o-b that, on the surface was a “good job” (you know the kind, a salary just big enough for me to feel respectable, but that was keeping me trapped).
I felt as if my spirit, my soul, was suffocating, and I knew in my heart there HAD to be more to life than working so hard for someone else’s profits.
Not knowing anything about starting or running a business, I took a training course to learn how to bring personal development to others.
Graduating from the course, I was on fire, inspired and ready to change the world. I intuitively knew I had to get in front of people so I had the brilliant idea of giving a presentation at my job, for my department. Now, keep in mind, these were people who reported to me so they were more “hostages” than willing volunteers (LOL).
There was just one small glitch in my plan: I was terrified.
I mean, really, really terrified. I had arranged for my first little presentation to be held in the conference room, with all 5 of the people reporting to me in attendance.
Incredibly nervous and awkward, I somehow managed to stumble my way through my carefully scripted speech. I remember croaking out my words and praying I wouldn’t forget one of my “lines”, hoping no one would notice the sweat stains under my arms.
It was an awful experience…and I was truly awful as a presenter. My staff were so kind, mumbling whatever words of encouragement they could find without outright lying!
But here is where it gets better…Fast forward to today, where I regularly lead workshops attended by hundreds of participants, I confidently make offers from the stage, love delivering awesome content and am widely talked about as being one of the top, inspiring women to hear speak about women, money and successful entrepreneurship.
So how did I get from being a nervous wreck to now being a confident, inspiring, top-notch workshop leader?
How did I go from that incredibly embarrassing beginning to now being someone who has often been invited to share the stage with many of our industry’s top leaders?
How did I transform speaking from something I was terrified of, to now being one of the most lucrative, exciting and fun ways of growing my business into a multi million dollar company?
I got STARTED! Which is why I’m sharing with you exactly how you can wisely use speaking to systematically generate income at EVERY stage of your business.
If You’re At The “Getting Started” Phase Of Your Business
This is the perfect time to use speaking to:
- Practice your marketing message
- Begin building your list (with the right system you can consistently add 80-90% of your speaking audience to your list, every time)
- Practice making free offers from the stage, even for groups as small as 5-8 people
- Develop and become confident with your unique presenting style and presence
At this stage of your business you can expect to generate enough income from prospective clients generated via speaking to cover all of your basic business expenses, including adding team and writing yourself a monthly entrepreneurial paycheck.
If You’re At The “Building Momentum” Phase Of Your Business
This is the perfect time to use speaking to:
- Rapidly build your list, with the goal of doubling it within 6 months if you’re under 1,000 people, or doubling it within 1 year if you’re over 1,000 people
- Confidently engage your audience with stories, insights and practical advice that leads them to wanting YOU
- Practice creating a “table rush” for your free offer from the stage
- Begin being invited to speak at other events, workshops and conferences
- Perfect your system for transforming leads into new, paying clients, every time you speak
- Host your own small-to-midsize event and make a paid offer from the stage
At this stage of your business you can expect to generate between $20,000 – $80,000 from hosting your own small-to-midsize live event. Plus, you can be generating enough income from leads attained via speaking to launch you comfortably into 6-figures.
If You’re At The “Creating Leverage” Phase Of Your Business
This is the perfect time to use speaking to:
- Aim to increase your list by 5-10% every 90 days.
- Attract the attention of industry leaders, who will then invite you to speak to their audiences
- Begin creating a “table rush” for paid offers made at other peoples’ events
- Up-level the size of events you host on your own, making one or more paid offers from the stage
At this stage of your business you can expect to generate between $80,000 – $500,000 from hosting your own live events. Plus, the income you generate from leads via speaking should easily and continuously fund the growth of your business.
By learning how to systemize your speaking activities, you’ll create a steady stream of new leads, new clients, recognition and fabulous opportunities.
For me, long gone is that scared, nervous young woman (I have compassion for her but I’m glad I have moved ON!)
Today, speaking is the backbone of my multi 7-figure business. And while I still might feel a bit of butterflies the moment just before taking the stage, what I really tap into is my passionate connection to my big why…which is how much I LOVE teaching women entrepreneurs my secrets on creating a financially and spiritually rich business!
