Do you want to hire a virtual assistant (VA), but don't know where to start? Or have you been disappointed when you tried to get further in your speaking career with virtual support? In either scenario, Trivinia Barber is here to help on episode 148 of The Speaker Lab. Trivinia is the founder of Priority VA, a virtual staffing company that matches high-level entrepreneurs with talented virtual support. Prior to starting her firm, she worked as a VA for entrepreneurs like Michael Hyatt and Amy Po...
Aug 29, 2017•39 min•Ep. 148
Learn how to scale your business, pitch and validate your ideas without losing time or money getting to the next level. Fast-track your success now. Jill Christensen, Human Resources professional, and repeat guest on The Speaker Lab podcast, helps senior executives re-engage their workforce. She had so many great insights during our first chat that we ran out of time. Today, we expand on more ways to scale and grow your business, how to create and validate your ideas before investing time, money...
Aug 22, 2017•48 min•Ep. 147
If you're struggling to gain traction or just get started speaking today's guest is here to help. Dr. Sue Ettinger is a veterinarian who joined one of our programs about a year ago because she wanted to book more speaking gigs. She has been rocking it ever since! Today we talk about how she finds gigs, why she's still nervous to quote fees, and how The Speaker Lab podcast and our program, Booked and Paid to Speak, have both helped her. We wrap up the show with a valuable teaching/coaching lesson...
Aug 15, 2017•39 min•Ep. 146
Whether you are a newcomer or a veteran listener, I'm glad you are here! Thanks for joining us on episode 145 of The Speaker Lab. Today we have THE go-to expert for memberships, Mr. Mike Morrison of The Membership Guys. As you might imagine, we'll be talking about memberships! We dive into what they are, why they matter and why you as a speaker should pay attention to them. We also cover what memberships should look like, and what tools and tricks of the trade to use when building membership com...
Aug 08, 2017•39 min•Ep. 145
Can you imagine how you'd feel if your first speaking gig was in front of 6,000 people, and Dr. Phil was speaking at the same event? You'll hear how today's guest on The Speaker Lab felt because that's exactly what happened the first time he took the stage as a speaker! Mitch Joel is an international speaker, author and CEO who works with major companies like Wal-Mart, Google and Starbucks. He joins us for this show to walk us through his early career days, including whether or not he rocked his...
Aug 01, 2017•44 min•Ep. 144
If you like to record video content but you know your audience is on Facebook, what should you do? Here to answer that question, and so much more about content creation for speakers is our very own Maggie Rowe! Maggie is a friend of mine and is also a member of the support team at The Speaker Lab. Behind the scenes she's been helping us create our content, including our blog posts, emails and other projects. She's an expert at writing for speakers, and content creation in general. On this editio...
Jul 25, 2017•25 min•Ep. 143
If negotiating your fees has ever been difficult for you our guest will solve that problem today! Liz Saunders is an expert on booking speaking gigs, including how and when to negotiate your fees. On episode 142 of The Speaker Lab, Liz shares her background as an event coordinator and road manager, and how she created The Tivich Group, an independent booking agency for speakers. She even walks us through a typical sales call for one of her clients, including the all-important fee discussion. Liz...
Jul 18, 2017•39 min•Ep. 142
If you've ever worried that narrowing your audience and your target market will hurt your speaking business, you'll want to listen to today's guest. Jill Christensen has grown her speaking business by leaps and bounds simply by focusing on one type of audience. On today's edition of The Speaker Lab, Jill shares how being a member of Booked And Paid To Speak has helped her narrow her target market, why doing so has been tremendously successful for her and her advice for creating that same level o...
Jul 11, 2017•37 min•Ep. 141
Could public relations (PR) help you get more speaking gigs? This isn't an area I've paid much attention to but our guest for episode 140 changed my tune. Janet Murray is an author, speaker and PR wizard with 16 years of experience working with publications like The Guardian , The Telegraph and Huffington Post . On today's edition of The Speaker Lab, Janet joins us to talk about why PR will help you grow your personal brand, your audience and get you more speaking gigs. She also shares her thoug...
Jul 04, 2017•38 min•Ep. 140
Have you ever considered running ads on Facebook, YouTube or Google to get more speaking gigs? If not then you'll reconsider after hearing today's guest, Rick Mulready. Rick is an expert who has been in this world since the days of AOL and dial-up! He's worked with companies like AOL, Yahoo, and Funny or Die. Today on The Speaker Lab he talks about how this whole online advertising thing works. You'll come away with an understanding of the basics of each online platform, and which is the easiest...
Jun 27, 2017•35 min•Ep. 139
When you think of improv do you think of sketch comedy, Saturday Night Live or do you think of becoming a better speaker? It can be all of the above! So says our guest for episode 138 of The Speaker Lab, Mike Ganino. Mike is a former self-proclaimed restaurant guy with an intereste in theatre and in improv. After leaving the restaurant biz he became a consultant and learned to use his improv skills to help his clients become leaders. Soon he found his niche speaking about building organizations ...
Jun 20, 2017•36 min•Ep. 138
Many of you have been asking about the mastermind I'm in and how to start and run a mastermind of your own. To fill you in on all the details I've gathered the other three members for episode 137 of The Speaker Lab. On today's show you'll hear from me, Jeff Rose, Bryan Harris and Joe Michael. The four of us will chat about how we got started, what our format is and how we run the group - including our inside jokes! You'll also hear how the group has evolved and changed over the years, what advic...
Jun 13, 2017•40 min•Ep. 137
A lot of speakers want to write books and be recognized as best-selling authors - but not many speakers call themselves a writer who happens to speak. But our guest for episode 136 of The Speaker Lab does! Scott Berkun, author of Confessions of a Public Speaker and his latest book, The Dance of The Possible , joins us to talk about why his books drive his speaking career, how his career has evolved over the years, and how he chooses his book topics. Scott has authored 7 books in the last 12 year...
Jun 06, 2017•36 min•Ep. 136
Have you ever listened to someone's speech and immediately taken action as a result? It's rare for a speaker to do this for their audience, and yet it's critical to making a lasting impact. One of the best in the world at this is Noah Kagan. He's here on episode 135 of The Speaker Lab to share how he crafts his speeches so his audience has results during his talk. If you've lived in a cave and don't know Noah, he is the creator of AppSumo and SumoMe. AppSumo is Groupon for geeks and SumoMe is an...
May 30, 2017•39 min•Ep. 135
Do you think creative types must be starving artists with no hope of real income? Our guest for today's episode of The Speaker Lab is going to change that mindset if you do! Jeff Goins is a published author with five books under his belt, as well as a highly-respected international speaker. And at his core Jeff is an artist. On this show he tells us why it's okay to profit as an artist, and how to overcome the mental barriers of getting paid well for our craft. You'll hear Jeff share his back st...
May 23, 2017•34 min•Ep. 134
If there's one thing nearly all entrepreneurs and business owners have in common it is the desire to live a life of significance. We want to do something that matters, something that makes a positive impact in the world. A great example of this is our guest on today's episode of The Speaker Lab, Mr. Aaron Walker. Aaron has been self-employed and owned a business of some variety since the age of 18; he hasn't worked for anyone else in 38 years! In all of those years he has experienced the full sp...
May 16, 2017•30 min•Ep. 133
It isn't often we have guests come back for a second visit but today's guest is a special one! Tamsen Webster is here for her second conversation on The Speaker Lab. If you missed her first appearance on the show check out episode 118 where we talk all about Ted and TedX Talks. And if you didn't hear that show you probably don't know that Tamsen is the Executive Director of TedX Cambridge, and is also the CEO and Founder of her company, Strategic Speaking. On this edition of The Speaker Lab we'r...
May 09, 2017•40 min•Ep. 132
What if you'd like speaking to be a complement to other aspects of your business, like consulting? Should you approach speaking differently if so? Today's guest has your answers! Joe Sanok is the founder of Practice of the Practice, a speaking and consulting business that helps counselors in private practice to start, grow and scale their practices. Joe speaks selectively as a keynote and does so in a way that generates consulting leads. On this episode he shares how he generates potential consu...
May 02, 2017•37 min•Ep. 131
Have you ever found yourself tongue-tied when a potential client has asked about your speaking fees? If you have today's guest will help you solve that problem in the future! Joy Groblebe is an entrepreneur who helps speakers and other entrepreneurs overcome the chaos of their busy minds, busy businesses and busy lives. On this episode of The Speaker Lab, Joy talks about her switch from working for KMOX in St. Louis to becoming an entrepreneur after the birth of her first son. She shares the jou...
Apr 25, 2017•34 min•Ep. 130
Ready for another one?! Today on The Speaker Lab we have two more questions from listeners just like you. Stephanie sent a voicemail asking about the proper strategy for thanking clients after a speaking gig. She wondered if it's okay to send gifts, or what other approaches are acceptable to say thank you to a client. We have a second and equally interesting question from John. He is getting into speaking and starting to build his platform. He has written a book and intends to write more, and he...
Apr 18, 2017•16 min•Ep. 129
Welcome back to The Speaker Lab! This week we've got another episode of listener Q&As. We have one question from Cathy about the absolute essentials to pitching yourself. We also have a question from Greg who asks about using past media appearances that are notable but not related to his current line of work. Can he do it and if so, how should he do it? Tune in to hear the answers. And if you'd like to ask a question of your own go to the Ask Grant section here and ask away! A big thank you ...
Apr 11, 2017•18 min•Ep. 128
Have you ever wanted a guide or a road map to help you along your speaking journey? Today I'm giving you exactly that! On this listener Q&A show, Clayton Watson called in to ask what his next steps are to get bookings. Clayton is from Calgary in Alberta, Canada and runs a site called Coaching Caregiver. He also has written a book, and is now wondering what to do next to land paid speaking engagements. When you listen to this episode, you'll hear my answer to Clayton's question as I lay out t...
Apr 04, 2017•16 min•Ep. 127
Today we've got an extra special guest for you: Erick Rheam. Erick is a student of our Booked and Paid to Speak program, and he has been wildly successful in his speaking career since signing up for the course. He joined us in December of 2015 and in the 15 months between then and our recording of this episode, he has made over $80,000 in speaking gigs! On this episode of The Speaker Lab, Erick joins us to talk about his success and how he decided who to speak to and what to speak about, why it'...
Mar 28, 2017•34 min•Ep. 126
As a speaker or an aspiring speaker you know the importance of a demo video. But what about other forms of video content like a YouTube channel or Facebook Live? Could those help you build your speaking career? Absolutely says our guest for this episode! Josh Drean is here to tell us how. Josh's primary gig is as a youth motivational speaker but he's also a father and a part-time student at Harvard University in Boston where he is studying business management. As if that wasn't enough, he is als...
Mar 21, 2017•32 min•Ep. 125
Have you ever considered that how to set yourself apart as a speaker may be to embrace what is uniquely you? Maybe it's an accent you have or your above-average height, whatever it is it may be the key to standing out in our crowded speaking marketplace. On today's edition of The Speaker Lab, I've got a guest who has used her unique voice and stature to create a thriving speaking career. Neen James stands a petite 4'10 (and 1/2!) and hails from Australia. With her tiny height and self-professed ...
Mar 14, 2017•42 min•Ep. 124
Episode 123 of The Speaker Lab is unlike any other episode we've done before! In essence today's show is a one-on-one coaching call I had with a listener who emailed me. I wanted to share our conversation with you because his story is common: he has done a number of free speaking gigs but wasn't sure about how to move into the paid realm. He also wasn't sure how to narrow down his list of potential audiences and topics. On today's edition of The Speaker Lab, Chris Field joins me to gain clarity ...
Mar 13, 2017•39 min•Ep. 123
Buckle up buttercups! We've got our sassy friend back in the saddle with us today: Ms. Carrie Wilkerson and she is in rare form on episode 122 of the Speaker Lab. If you missed her previous visit to the show you can listen in here . I wanted Carrie to return to the show because she's proven how to turn one speaking gig into many, and I wanted her to share that with you. Specifically on this show she will explain how she creates and structures valuable long-term offerings for her clients, and how...
Feb 28, 2017•38 min•Ep. 122
Would you struggle for five years as a speaker if you knew it was going to pay off? Would you be willing to travel 220 days a year if that's what it took to one day share the stage with Simon Sinek and Gary Vaynerchuk? That's exactly what our guest for episode 121 of The Speaker Lab has done and continues to do presently. John Spence spends anywhere from 170 to 220 days a year giving speeches around the world. He speaks on leadership, high performance teams, culture, strategy, strategic thinking...
Feb 21, 2017•39 min•Ep. 121
What makes a speech a memorable one? Our guest for today knows! He says there are 5 keys you must include to make your speech memorable. Joining us for episode 120 is our repeat visitor and friend, Hugh Culver. He was previously here for episode 10, which feels like an eternity ago! If you missed his first visit, Hugh is an adventurer turned speaker. He started out in the adventure travel industry and later became a speaker. For the last dozen years or so, he's been speaking to corporate audienc...
Feb 14, 2017•35 min•Ep. 120
If you built several successful businesses and sold them, what would you do next? Would you write books and become a speaker? That's what our guest for today's episode of The Speaker Lab has done! Mike Michalowicz (listen in and he'll help you pronounce his name) is a well-known international speaker and best-selling author who made a lot of money in previous endeavors, and started over as a speaker and author. On episode 119 of The Speaker Lab, he shares why he has gone down this particular roa...
Feb 07, 2017•37 min•Ep. 119
