Entrepreneurial You

CHAPTER 5

Build a Speaking Practice

I knew I needed to grow my consulting business, and speaking seemed like a great way to do it. I was comfortable onstage and enjoyed interacting with audiences. So early on in my career, I’d volunteer to speak for free to almost any group that would have me. I had “stretch goals,” of course—like one regional Chamber of Commerce that held regular breakfast events attended by hundreds of business leaders. If I could only get in front of this group, I thought. So I prepared a handsome packet of information—a folder with my bio, information about my talks, and a DVD I’d paid well over $1,000 to have a professional ...