Sharing in the excitement of our students' success is such a privilege for our team at the Speaker Lab! Our Director of Student Success, Maryalice Goldsmith, is taking the mic for our Student Highlight series so you can hear directly from our students about their experiences and what they want you to know about growing your speaking business.
Shawn Singleton is a highly accomplished individual who credits his success to a deep desire to “stop the cycle” of bad habits and take a deeper dive into the concept of “life culture.” His mission to be the best version of himself and help others do the same is at the core of his work. During this conversation, he shares some of his “ah-ha” moments as one of our Elite students and how he built a firm foundation of fundamentals by working through each module.
Shawn is a champion for transforming mindset and changing the narrative. He started with small speaking gigs as he built his content, but he quickly realized the principles he was sharing were ready for a larger audience. He consistently works to meet leaders where they are and show them how they can build sustainable and successful businesses.
He'd be the first to tell you that his time at The Speaker Lab helped him to narrow his topic, build confidence, and establish a skill set that will serve him as his speaking business continues to grow. Shawn is awesome and has a great story to share!
He’s a favorite among the TSL family and he knows what it takes to strategically build and sustain a successful business. On pace to double his income in 2022, Erick Rheam has navigated the ups and downs of the past few years with grit and grace.
While there are many crucial resources needed in the process of building a speaking business, this episode highlights one very important yet simple piece you must add to your repertoire.
The abstract.
The abstract is made up of seven parts, fits on one page, and is meant to help you get one step closer to booking that next gig. Erick walks through each of the seven components including a professional headshot, contact information, title and premise of your talk, identifying the problem you solve, testimonials, learning objectives, and references. He’ll also explain why you don’t lead with an abstract, when you should share this resource, and why you never list your speaking fee! Whether you’re a seasoned speaker, or just getting started, there’s always time to create or update your abstract to help achieve the goals of your business! During this episode, Erick will equip and encourage those who are ready to take the next step and make their abstract work for them!
In addition to writing his second book, Sustain Your Game, Alan created a course and added a coaching piece to his business to continue fulfilling his mission of filling others’ buckets and equipping thriving leaders. During this episode, Alan explains why it’s important to be a low-maintenance speaker, how to show gratitude, and why these two priorities have made such a difference in his success.
In addition to his time on the stage, Alan has authored and leveraged his books to help connect others with his message. As his business continues to grow, he is committed to turning adversity into opportunity --- even amidst a global pandemic --- and gearing up for the next play when the playbook becomes outdated. He’s intentional, inspiring, and building on a strong foundation of timeless pillars of success!
What started as making playbooks for coaches and lesson plans for teachers soon turned into a full-blown education company as Shane claimed the title of “online entrepreneur.” Soon after, he and his wife realized they could share their resources and entrepreneurial gifts to help other families take control of their income, gain freedom, and create a future. After selling his education company, Shane stepped into a new venture to help others monetize their knowledge, wisdom, and passion through membership sites.
It might surprise you to learn that Shane only started speaking two years ago! Shane had been podcasting for several years but hadn’t taken the stage. However, he knew that in order to grow his platform, he would need to begin speaking. Together, he and his family decided to go “all in” and give it a try. During the pandemic, Shane received a surprising offer that he simply couldn’t refuse, and the rest is history! Now, he’s speaking to thousands of people on stages larger than he ever could have imagined.
Shane learned to embrace everything about himself and what he could bring to his audience. He would say it took a lot of “reps” to get it right, but his intentional preparation allowed him to be ready for whatever came his way.