Hey Greenblasters!!

Next month, I’m traveling to Victoria BC to speak at a leadership retreat.

Sounds pretty sweet, right?

Except I’m paying almost 10 grand out of pocket for the pleasure of doing so.

One of the biggest things I hear from people in my conversations is:

“When it comes to the speaking industry, I don’t even know what I don’t know!”

I wanted to walk you through my decision so you have a better understanding of how the industry works, and so you can make an informed decision if something similar comes up for you!

What the deal is

I agreed to sponsor this retreat of the Entrepreneur’s Organization (EO), by paying a fee of $5K USD (plus covering my own travel and accomodation), in return for the promotion of my brand online and internally through this association, but more importantly:

The opportunity to speak at this retreat, where I’m going to deliver my 90-minute “Story First” workshop.

Now:

If you’ve been reading this newsletter, or follow me on LinkedIn, you know I have MIXED feelings about PAYING to speak.

PRO’s:

• if you’re starting out, it can be a good way to access stages you otherwise couldn’t

• if it’s the right people, you could walk away with way more $ in new business than you spent (I had a client who would spend $15K to speak at and travel to a conference in Las Vegas every year, but would always get $60K back in clients)

• and if you’re looking for more speaking opportunities the old industry adage is:

“The best way to speak onstage, is to speak onstage.”

However, the CON’s:

• speaking is fucking hard, and takes years to get good at. That should be compensated for, apart from the time onstage

• a good workshop or talk from a professional can fetch between $5K - $40K for non-celebs. You should know the value in the marketplace

• AND getting creatives & performers to work for “the exposure” is one of the oldest scams in the book, which I have a big problem with ethically

So:

Why am I doing it this time?

My answer is based on a mixture of the PRO’s above:

• the right ppl in the room

• and the opportunities for more speaking

This is about this particular association (EO) and why I think this will be a good bet:

1. An association can allow you to get on a “speaker’s circuit”

If you speak to a global association chapter in Toronto, and do a great job, some of the audience members will either be the heads of other chapters in Chicago or Tokyo, OR they know them, and will recommend you. This way, one gig can turn into many!

2. I’ve been on EO’s speaker circuit in the past

And it was awesome. I spoke for them over 10 times between 2017-2019, in places like:

• DC

• Philly

• Mexico

• And even Shanghai

3. For some reason, even reaching out to my old contacts, I can’t seem to break back in by myself

This one is harder to figure out why, except that it seems they’re prioritizing paying their own members to speak, rather than bringing in outsiders

By the numbers:

Sponsorship fee: $5K USD ($6,9450.05 CAD)

Flight: $753.88

Accomodation: $1,017.00

With meals and Ubers, this might get close to $10K.

So what’s the ROI (return on investment)?

I charge between $5K-$10K for a workshop.

If I can get 2, that pays for itself right there. As I said, I’m attempting to get back on their speaker’s circuit, so I’m hoping for much more than 2 at various EO chapters.

I also have a B2B coaching package worth $25K, and I’m testing out a quarterly 3-hour workshop agreement worth $40K with some companies.

Obviously, if any of those larger programs happen as a result of this retreat, then this will all have ben worth it.

But I have to do a great fucking job in Victoria, or this will all be a big waste of time and money.

I hope this was helpful in breaking down some of the strategy of the speaking industry, and obviously, I will keep you all updated on if this bet pays off!

Please REPLY “HUMAN” to this email if you read this far. It lets me know I’m not alone out here in cyberspace, and helps Gmail know I’m not a spammy asshole.

That’s it for this week! Greenblast… out 🚀

P.S. When you’re ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:

1. Get onstage with a Speaking Strategy call

2. Join my community Speaking Heroes for 2 hrs/week of coaching and a support group to accelerate your speaking career

3. Or book an availability call for me to speak at your company