Speaking

5 Things All Speakers Need

January 1, 2021

Hey Friend,

Getting started is the hardest part but it’s not as hard as you think. With these 5 things, you can be on your way to speaking.

  1. 1. Professional Headshot—everyone should have a professional headshot. This can be done with good lighting and an iphone, hiring a photographer or doing a TFP with a photographer. TFP stands for Trade for Print meaning the photographer will take the picture for you for free, or cheap, as long as she/he/they can use the photo in their portfolio. Some photographers even have headshot studios, headshot happy hours and free headshot events. So make sure you do your research and use all of your resources. 

  1. 2. Landing Page or Website–every speaker needs a landing page or website and please…do not use the free version. I’m not going to mention any tools because they are not paying me to say them but I repeat…do not use the free version friend. Having a website builder’s name on your website can make it seem as though you are not taking your speaking career seriously. So take it seriously and pay the subscription fee.

  1. 3. Business Formation, an EIN and a W9— there are many different ways you can form your speaking business. You can go the sole proprietor way, the corporation way, the limited liability way or the nonprofit way amongst other things. Me, I am an LLC, and I’m an LLC because this type of company formation made sense for me. But I see myself moving to a corporation eventually. What about you? What formation makes sense for you? I advise you to do your research and talk to an accountant before you choose.

  1. 4. Payment Tool/Tools—there’s nothing worse than someone having a business and making it hard for their customers to pay them. Some customers want to pay via credit card and others via check and maybe even cash but I haven’t personally been paid that way yet. With that said, you should be prepared. You should have a payment option on your website, you should have a payment app, a credit card reader, a way to get and accept checks and every other major payment tool one can have including an invoicing system and a company bank account. The goal is to stay ready so you don’t have to get ready.

  1. 5. Speaker reel, one-pager, client list, testimonies and contract—when I first started speaking, I realized quickly that I needed a speaker reel, a one-pager, a client list and few testimonies. Before booking, clients usually want to know what you speak about, who you have spoken for, examples of you speaking and feedback from attendees. So??? How can you get all of these things??? You can do 2-3 free speaking engagements in exchange for testimonies, pictures and videos of you speaking, and that’s exactly what I did in the beginning. I also used these same things to create my reel, my website and my social media sites. Last but not least, you will need a contract and can learn more about creating one with my free download that’s coming soon to an inbox near you. Just sign up for my newsletter my homepage to be the first to know about the drop date.

Well friend…we have come to the end. But don’t forget…it takes 21 days to form a habit and speaking is no different. So start your speaking biz today and be on your way to getting paid.