Foundations

Are you a dynamic public speaker with a load of credentials and the will to travel? One of the most profitable businesses an entrepreneur can engage in is public speaking. Every day I receive brochures in the mail advertising lectures given around the world on various issues. The average cost to attend seems to be around $180 per person and the average tour is typically around a month with around ten cities hit. Now let’s do the math.

200 People at Each Venue x $180 x 10 Venues x .5 for Publicity, Travel and Venue = $180,000

 That’s amazing income for so little work. $180,000 a month! You could easily draw over $2 million a year if you chose to do this full time. Sounds simple enough, right? Well sorry, it’s not.

The biggest thing you need to make this dream come true are a few letters behind your name, MBA, CEO, MD, RN, DDS, any letters signifying that you are well educated will work. The idea here is that you need to establish your credibility. If you look like some average Joe off the street then no one will be willing to show up and hear what you have to say.

TIP: To gain credibility get nationally accredited and offer college credit. Professionals whose jobs require ongoing education credits will appreciate this and others will enjoy that the cost is tax deductable.   

The next important thing is that you need to have an interesting topic with wide reach and you must have an interesting presentation. Common topics covered are how to start a business, how to get published, grief counseling techniques, etc. All of these topics have wide reach. Everyone wants to start a business or get their book published. Topics like this are sure to draw people from all walks of life. Topics like grief counseling techniques have a wide reach within the professional community. Doctors, nurses, counselors, teachers and even people who are dealing with grief within their own families are likely to show up to hear a lecture on such topics. Just figure out an interesting topic in your area of expertise and then figure out how to make it interesting and informative.

TIP: Outsource the public speaking. Hire dynamic speakers to deliver their speeches and you reap the rewards. Make all their arrangements and pay them a percentage of the profits. You then make a profit from marketing and making travel arrangements. Not too shabby considering you can hire several speakers at one time. New graduates with no capital are often a good start.     

The last important thing to realize is that not everyone with expertise is cut out for this work. Public speaking does not come naturally to everyone and starting a public speaking business is not a great way to test your abilities as a public speaker. To ensure that you are a good public speaker, consider lecturing at local colleges first. Perform market research by surveying students who have watched your lecture and take their advice to heart. If you treat public speaking as a real business you can make real income.

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