Written by: Moira Ní Ghallachóir, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Success is getting started before you’re ready, Marie Forleo says, but I’d take that a step further and start speaking on stages long before you think you’re ready if you want success fast.
Are you an entrepreneur who knows she needs to get on stage, but you’re spending all your time getting everything in place before you actually get started?
I work with entrepreneurs who want to use speaking to find their ideal clients and create the globetrotting lifestyle they dream of.
But I’ve found that too often many people are waiting for exactly the right time or to have the exactly right talk, right offer, right website, right lead magnet before getting in front of people that need you the most.
They’re waiting for everything to be in place when really you have to put things in place as you go.
And the surprising reality is that it is much simpler to do this than many people think.
It may seem obvious, but the easiest way to get yourself ‘ready to speak’ is to have an event to get ready to speak at.
And the easiest way to get a speaking gig is to simply ask for one. I bet there’s a speaking opportunity right under your nose right now that you could be booking but you’re not asking, so they don’t know you want the opportunity.
There are some key ways to get booked for the kind of speaking gigs you want.
The most obvious one is to start attending the events you would like to speak at. Treat them not just as a learning opportunity, but as a networking opportunity and build relationships with the event organisers as well as the attendees.
Find out about the audience's problems. Then approach the organiser and tell them you've been getting to know their people and you know they are struggling with XYZ. And then ask ‘would you like me to do a free presentation to solve that problem for them’?
I bet you’ll be booked on the spot if you try this.
There are few tools more useful than a network you can rely on when building your business, but you have to start engaging with events, the organisers, and the attendees to build that network, right now.
Through the networks and reputation I’ve built over these last years I now get invited to speak on live and virtual stages all over the world, but most of the speaking gigs I’ve gotten have come from putting myself in the right place at the right time.
Some of those stages have had an audience of hundreds of people, and some were much smaller. But know that even a small audience can bring a great return.
I find if you’re really inspired by a plan that you want to make happen, nothing stands in your way. I was really inspired to have a globetrotting lifestyle when I started as an entrepreneur and speaker.
This might sound like a dream, but maybe think of it this way: Is there a place in the world where you would particularly like to travel?
If you have that place in mind, do some research on upcoming events there. You will probably be amazed at what comes up once you start putting out feelers and asking.
Build your trip around those events. Get in touch with the hosts of events you would like to speak at and see what happens. By sending a few emails, you could end up with the chance to speak on a stage in a city or country you have always wanted to visit.
And of course, this works for virtual stages as well.
During a recent chat on Instagram live I was doing, a woman mentioned a city she had always wanted to visit and I was able to offer her organisations based there that would benefit from her speaking.
She was blown away and had never thought about doing that. And I knew about those organisations from the networking I have done for my own business.
In that way, every trip you take can be an opportunity to reach a new audience. And by building speaking opportunities around your travel, you can not only have your trip paid for, but you can live in that city for a while and rely on the speaking opportunity to bring you the clients you want as well. That’s a win-win-win, right?
I’ve been asked to speak at an event in Spain next month, but I’m also looking at other events I can speak at while I’m there. And I get to live in Spain for a while. Ibiza here I come.
So, it’s this: Attend the events you want to address and familiarize yourself with what they are looking for. Find cities or countries in the world and make contact and build relationships with people involved in those events. Ask for the opportunity to speak at their next event.
You’re ready. Now start.
Moira Ní Ghallachóir, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Moira shows entrepreneurs how to build a top-tier income as well as a globetrotting lifestyle from speaking live and virtually. She left her 9-5 job at a nonprofit in London to follow her dream of starting her own business. She first built a travel business to serve her local community in Donegal and, from there, built a mentoring and speaking business from zero to multiple 6 figures in less than 2 years. It is her mission to help more and more entrepreneurs take the stage with a powerful message and story, so they too can have the impact they want and make the money they want to live the life they want. She’s also the founder of Secret Suppers Worldwide™. An exclusive, one-of-a-kind, supper-style gathering where you can connect with other dynamic business owners up to big things in the world. Moira is also three times best-selling co-author, award-winning mentor, and her motto is "do it like you mean it or don't do it all."
