One Way to Get Paid More as a Public Speaker

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I can clearly remember the thrill of getting my first check from speaking at a conference. The check wasn’t much, but I LOVED being paid to travel and speak. I wasn’t very good during that first talk, but it sparked a desire to travel and speak on topics that I was passionate about.

I’ve come a long way since that first check. In 2012, I spoke 36 times and all over the world. I made $22,000 (roughly) in speaking income. In 2013, I spoke 12 times but made more income. In 2014, I didn’t speak at all because we moved from Wisconsin to Maui, Hawaii. In 2015, I spoke 16 times but made more money than all the other years combined.

2015 was a breakthrough year in my business and an epiphany in my speaking career. Most of the speaking I did in 2015 is an opportunity that too many speakers either don’t know about or neglect to try. What changed in 2015, and an opportunity for you to make more money as a speaker, is paid consulting at companies.

What is Paid Consulting?

Business Insider estimates that companies paid outside consultants $39.3 billion dollars in 2014. I don’t know what the figures are for conferences, but that’s a lot of money. Paid consulting isn’t as glamorous as speaking to 1,000 people at a conference, but you can get more in-depth and make a couple of bucks.

Paid consulting is where you train at a company on a topic you have some knowledge of. You don’t have to be some kind of “established” expert to get booked at a company. You have to identify a problem within a company that you can solve. I have coaching clients that consult companies on mindset training for their employees, engineering, sales, social media, marketing, leadership and more. These companies range from being a single owner to large corporations.

The Difference

There are many conferences happening all over the world every day. Some of these conferences pay speakers—a lot of them do not (maybe the keynoters). Not every company brings in outside consultants to train, but more than you think can and will. These companies have budgets within a certain department, or as a company, to pay for training. There is more money to be made at companies versus conferences.

Now, please don’t misunderstand what I’m saying. This isn’t all about money. I know there are many people reading this who would gladly speak for free because you love it. But, if you have a family to support, or a business you’re building, you should be thinking about the money somewhat.

As you may know, I signed a large consulting contract this year. I’m writing this post from Medellin, Colombia. This is the home of a large consulting and marketing company that I consult for here and in Panama. I generally go into the offices once a week and train on digital marketing. I am paid well for what I do. Consulting for companies has helped me pivot in my speaking career and speak in a way I’m more comfortable with as an introvert.

You Can Do This

I’ve written a bunch about how you can book your first consulting contract. I had a series on my blog right here. Also, when you sign up for my email list (sign up is above), you get a free PDF that walks you through it.

If you want more specific help, check out a new class I’m offering (registration opens tomorrow) called Booking Paid Consulting 101. The class is three weeks, costs $197 and is live. Check out the details here.

Is paid consulting something you want to add to your lifestyle business?

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Photo: Flickr/ Pembina Institute