"I remember you kind of making this decision to turn The Speaker Lab into what it is today. You wanted to scale it, you wanted to grow it, make a bigger impact on people, and you really did, man." - Shane Sams Today we’re celebrating a massive milestone on The Speaker Lab Podcast, so, here’s the deal! We invited Grant's good friend Shane Sams to interview Grant about his speaking journey, how The Speaker Lab came into existence, and what it’s been like to podcast for oh, you know, almost a decad...
May 28, 2024•43 min•Ep. 500
We're just one episode away from the big one — #500! As we wrap up this series, we're bringing in the best speakers we know to share their #1 piece of advice for speakers who want to get to the next level. These speakers are the best of the best — combined, they've booked thousands of gigs and made tens of millions of dollars in speaking fees. If you're serious about growing your speaking business, this is an episode you don't want to miss. In just 25 minutes, you'll learn: How to serve the peop...
May 21, 2024•25 min•Ep. 499
This week on the podcast, we’re excited to share our best tips, tricks, and amazing speaking advice from our coaching/support team and our resident speakers here at The Speaker Lab. Our team has decades of combined experience both as speakers themselves and as coaches helping other speakers like you take things to the next level. This episode is full of quick, practical advice that you can apply in your speaking business RIGHT NOW and start finding more paid gigs and growing your business. As we...
May 14, 2024•38 min•Ep. 498
We’re back and one episode closer to 500! This week, we brought in the Leadership Team here at the Speaker Lab to help us learn about managing a speaking business from their areas of expertise. It's a shorter episode than usual, but it's full of tips and practical advice to help you level up your speaking business right now. Through this episode, you’ll learn: How to avoid the most common pitfalls for speakers Where to position your sales and marketing efforts How to build confidence on a sales ...
May 07, 2024•22 min•Ep. 497
We are just a few episodes away from 500, and we wanted to make our countdown to this celebration something special! Today, you’ll be hearing from not one, not two, but SEVEN amazing women in speaking. They are sharing their tips, tricks, and advice to help you launch a speaking career. Throughout this episode, you’ll learn about how to show up on stage, why you need strong processes for success, and what it means to stick to the process when the going gets tough. Let’s get into it! In this epis...
Apr 30, 2024•27 min•Ep. 496
“We can serve everybody, but that's being selfish, because it is impossible to give deep impactful, valuable change in a certain demographic if you are serving everyone in the world." This week, Brittany Richmond and Erin Pompa sat down to talk about all things speaking. Erin’s been a youth speaker for years and has had just about every experience you can have while building a speaking career. In this episode, Brittany and Erin get into the good, the bad, and the ugly as you balance your impact ...
Apr 23, 2024•33 min•Ep. 495
"And what I found out, Grant, that I was building a level of success financially, but I was doing it from a huge relationship deficit. And I didn't know my daughters like I should, and I didn't know my wife like I should." This week, Grant sat down with Aaron Walker, aka Big A, to talk about how to build a life of significance outside of what you do. Grant often says, “who you are is more important than what you do,” and this episode really hits on that. As driven people, it’s easy to get caught...
Apr 16, 2024•38 min•Ep. 494
"I've always, always had the mentality, that I'm going to out-prepare and outperform you. I just want the audience to leave, thinking "Yeah, we had that person who was an Olympic athlete or a pro athlete, but this guy over here who was like, working at a gas station selling t-shirts, that guy put on a show. And so I've always had the mentality to let the experience outweigh some of the credentials backing it up with statistics and data and things like that." This week, Grant sat down with Jake T...
Apr 09, 2024•38 min•Ep. 493
“I think the potential disadvantage with the bureau is you might have this idea, like, if I'm on a bureau's website and they booked me once, that could really turn into something big. And that's really not the reality." Grant sat down with Brandon Edmondson, VP of Sales at Premiere Speaker Bureau, to dig into the current state of the speaking industry, things to think about as you price yourself, and if you need a speakers bureau to be successful. "We know we probably represent less than 10% of ...
Apr 02, 2024•41 min•Ep. 492
"The goal is to look at the science because there is a step by step metric to keep tabs on your career so that you know without a doubt, is this or is this not the right time to go full time?" This week, Maryalice Goldsmith is joined on the podcast by Jeremy Rochford to talk about when it’s time to go full-time with your speaking. Jeremy has a 7-step framework to make sure your transition from part-time to full-time speaker is seamless. If you’re on the fence or wondering when is the right time,...
Mar 26, 2024•32 min•Ep. 491
"I did not see this being a full time gig at the time. I just thought I was going to be speaking, like, at churches or something, right? So I thought I was speaking at women events, women's conferences and things like that while doing my nine to five, maybe on the weekends." This week, Grant Baldwin sat down with former TSL Student, Amy Pechacek, to dig into her speaking journey, how she’s “planned to win”, what her business looks like today, and the advice she would give other speakers looking ...
Mar 19, 2024•36 min•Ep. 490
"And what better way than to expand your reach than to do workshops where you can really make an impact?" This week, TSL Facilator and full-time speaker, Erick Rheam is on the podcast talking about how he’s personal scaled his business through workshops. Erick has a 4 step system for breaking into the workshop world to help unlock your income and your impact as a speaker. "And so that's what I did, is I started thinking, okay, this is my keynote. Now, if I were to actually go to an organization ...
Mar 12, 2024•53 min•Ep. 489
"It's really about differentiating between the reality and the necessity. How much do I need to make? How much will the market bear? And can I find that in between space where it actually makes sense?" This week, Maryalice Goldsmith sat down with Angie Besignano to chat about how to charge your worth as a speaker just getting started. If you’re new to speaking and looking to break into the industry, this is how to think about initial pricing, when to give yourself a raise, and how to go about fi...
Mar 05, 2024•35 min•Ep. 488
“If you tell a story, it should evoke an emotion, and then that emotion can lead to a thought which shifts somebody's perspective." If you want to learn how to tell better stories, this week's podcast episode is a must-listen! Ravi Rajani joined Grant on the podcast this week to dig into all things storytelling. Ravi’s a TSL facilitator and also a professional speaker who teaches B2B sales teams to embrace storytelling and stories in their work so they can sell better. "What emotion am I trying ...
Feb 27, 2024•44 min•Ep. 487
"If you have diluted focus, you get diluted results." When it comes to building your brand, Rory Vaden is the expert you want in your corner. He’s committed to helping others identify the problem they solve and build a strategy for lasting success. "You're most specifically equipped to help someone get through a problem that you have already walked past. That's the greatest shortcut." Rory has a unique story of how he came to be an entrepreneur, found his place on the stage, and embraced the wis...
Feb 20, 2024•42 min•Ep. 486
“Think about: Who is the person that I want to impact? Not so much how many people do I want to impact? Or what area of my area of expertise do I want to impact? But who is the exact person that I want to leave my message with and know that they're going to go and step out and make an impact with it?" This week, Maryalice Goldsmith and Eve Gilmore are on the podcast talking about how to find better leads! Sure, Rick’s episode from a couple of weeks ago was great, but you can’t work leads well if...
Feb 13, 2024•34 min•Ep. 485
“I spoke in a literal barn last year…So for all the speakers listening, you're never too big time. You're never on a big enough stage to go speak at a barn. It kind of humbles you a little.” In this week's episode, Brittany Richmond sits down with the CEO of Streamline Books, Alex Demczak, to chat about his speaking career and how Streamline Books is helping speakers level up their businesses. "When you make a jump of any kind in your career, imagine it like this. You're in one boat, right, and ...
Feb 06, 2024•32 min•Ep. 484
“Be the steakhouse, not the buffet.” “Have a take.” “View it as a business not a hobby.” We asked the TSL team to tell us their #1 piece of advice for speakers, and they delivered. This episode contains hot takes, practical advice, and key speaking tips from industry experts and leaders. If you want to go from casual speaker to pro in 2024, this episode will help you find a few focus areas, give you some inspiration, and help you take action to create your dreams. The team covers: Advice on nich...
Jan 30, 2024•18 min•Ep. 483
“Look for inspiration, not comparison.” Brittany Richmond sat down with Dean Heffta today to talk about his speaking journey, the National Speaker Association, and how he built a business to get him booked and paid consistently. Get back to the basics. Keep it simple. And remember, you don't have to build somebody else's business; you have to build YOUR own business. In this episode, Brittany and Dean talk through: Dean’s experience getting starting as a speaker When to donate your time and othe...
Jan 23, 2024•47 min•Ep. 482
"Just because you get a speaking gig doesn't mean, oh, cool, I got the deposit check. Let's go spend it. You don't actually "realize" that entire piece of income until you walk off that stage and it's done. But if you're listening to how I'm talking about this, this is how a business owner thinks. This is not how a hobbyist thinks." We’re back with another edition of our Coaches Corner series! This week, Maryalice Goldsmith sat down with Rick Clemons to dig into Lead Management and how to think ...
Jan 16, 2024•49 min•Ep. 481
"I want to get in the heads and the hearts of the people in the room. If I'm not in their heads and hearts, I don't know how I can connect." This week, Molly Fletcher joined Grant to discuss her experience transitioning from a sports agent into a speaker. For Molly, becoming a speaker was less about a dream to be on stage and more about a logistically practical way to share the knowledge she was giving out 1-on-1 to people she was mentoring. When Molly started speaking, she focused on industries...
Jan 09, 2024•35 min•Ep. 480
"We're more willing to be our genuine organic selves, which is going to attract other like minded people, that we can find our group, find our people, and take over the world in a positive way." Today, Brittany Richmond sat down on the podcast with her speaker friends Matt Matkovich and Phil Januszewski to talk about what it’s like being a speaking duo! Matt and Phil have been speaking together for over a decade now, and they joined us to share more about what it’s like sharing the stage and wha...
Jan 02, 2024•46 min•Ep. 479
"Just because you land a gig, it doesn't stop there. How can you parlay that into more gigs?" Erick Rheam is back on the podcast today to educate us on the power of geographical prospecting. If you’ve listened to the podcast for any time, you’ve heard us talk about daily prospecting and the growth that goes into building momentum for your speaking business. Today, we will dig into what it looks like to take that effort and work smarter, not harder. "You got to look at this as opportunities to cr...
Dec 26, 2023•30 min•Ep. 478
"The two most important qualities to come across as a speaker probably, and it's on podcast as well, is to get across a sense of warmth and competence and if you can be in that energy, you can be more trusted as a voice." We're back with another edition of our Coaches Corner series. This week, Maryalice is joined by John Ball, TSL coach and a veteran Podcaster, to investigate whether podcasting is a channel worth pursuing as you build your speaking business. "If you're in your earlier stages of ...
Dec 19, 2023•42 min•Ep. 477
"If we can remind ourselves that we're in service of our audience, we have value to bring as a professional speaker, somebody determined that you have something of value to say to this audience, and if you remind yourself of that, it will turn down all of that negative self talk and really help you focus in the moment." Matt Abrahams has made a life teaching people how to become great communicators, and today, he's sharing his expertise with us. Grant and Matt sit down to dig into what Matt teac...
Dec 12, 2023•40 min•Ep. 476
"You need to believe in yourself and you need to understand that you are validated in what you're wanting to charge." In this edition of our Student Highlight series, Brittany Richmond sat down with TedX speaker and education thought leader Dr. India White to talk about what it takes to build a speaking business and the tangible, practical things Dr. White did to take hers to the next level. "Work with them through that process until they say, okay, now let's get the contract going. Are you goin...
Dec 05, 2023•40 min•Ep. 475
“If something scares you, you should probably do it." Grant sits down with Dave Allred to talk about how speaking can help you expand your comfort zone, create opportunities, and unlock potential in your life to achieve your goals. If you have thought about using speaking as a means to magnify and expand the impact of your legacy, this episode is for you. “My primary goal, Grant, when I get on stage, I always try to ask myself this question over and over as I'm preparing as well as when I walk o...
Nov 28, 2023•36 min•Ep. 474
"I think it's important for speakers to be aware of it, to understand it, not be the type of speaker who's yelling at clouds like, no, I'm going to avoid this. When used in appropriate context, it can make so many things so much easier. But the challenge, like with any new technology, is really understanding what appropriate means and really understanding the boundaries of how it can help you, but then also being self aware enough to go, maybe this is where it doesn't help me." In this edition o...
Nov 21, 2023•37 min•Ep. 473
"Speaking is a platform to share a message and a story that could transform somebody's life." This week, Grant is joined by Dan Martell to talk about how to create a nontraditional speaking career. For Dan, speaking isn’t about the money. It’s a way to spread his message and impact lives. Want to leverage your speaking to create long-term value and develop strong relationships? This is the episode for you. "If you ever have the opportunity to get on a stage to communicate to other people, you be...
Nov 14, 2023•38 min•Ep. 472
“So I just cracked six figures in seven months? In seven months.” Grant is joined on the podcast this week by Dr Reggie Wright to talk about how he scaled his speaking business in 7 months. Reggie shares his background and his story, but more important digs into what really allowed him to step into this calling as a speaker with confidence. “Preparation breeds confidence. I just want to be prepared. And I just thought about it, like, as an athlete, right. I just want to go into the game being pr...
Nov 07, 2023•38 min•Ep. 471
