“I Can’t Work for These Clowns Much Longer…🙈”

How a Zoom-inspired resignation led to a full-time speaking career as a keynote speaker

“I can’t work for these clowns much longer…🙈”

I mumbled these words to myself at 8:49 AM (CST) August 21, 2020.

I was trapped on a Zoom call, wearing a pair of oversized headphones and listening to someone drone on about things we had just discussed in a damn Slack channel.

That’s the day I decided I would convert my side hustle - keynote speaking - into my full-time job. I had been speaking for seven years, had relentlessly tracked my revenue and was ready to to take flight.

So, 19 months later…I left. ✌️

And in 2021, I doubled my day job income.

You heard me.

Double.

Let me be clear, I spent just under a decade laying the groundwork on this move (the payment from my first speech in 2013 was a Starbucks gift card 🤷🏾‍♂️….😂 ).

The beginning was tough…I did an Animal House Tour to get reps on stage.

No…not that Animal House.

And by Animal House Tour, I mean the Elks, Lions and any other four-legged vertebrate clubs I could find.

All of those talks came with a free meal and a pat on the back.

But more importantly, they gave me reps.

1. Why We’re Launching this Newsletter

First, there are so many insider tips and strategies that I wish someone would have shared with me as I was starting my career. I would have saved a lot of time and made a lot more money.

And that’s precisely why we (my co-founder Will Baggett) and I created MYM.

Between the two of us, we’ve delivered over 630 keynotes, written four books and been delayed on hundreds of flights. 😂

In all seriousness, both of us are full-time speakers. We pay our mortgages and fund our 401(k)’s through speaking.

We’re sharing weekly strategies for people who: a) want to launch a new speaking business or b) want to take an existing business to new revenue heights.

Daron - Left / Will - Right

2. What Can You Expect?

Every Tuesday, we’ll share a quick tip or strategy from our two decades of experience on stages.

Our newsletters will be short and actionable.

We promise that you won’t finish your latte before finishing each week’s edition. [And if you do finish your latte, you’re reading too slowly or drinking too fast.]

3. Let’s Do This

Here’s the first edition of MYM…👇

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Never Use the Word “FEE”; Say This Instead

Can you think of any good connotation of the word “fee”?

Yeah, neither can I.

The term fee sounds like fingernails on a chalkboard, and it looks like a T-Mobile rep citing some asinine charge on a plan that you’ve had for 18 years…

Try “Investment Level” Instead

As you talk with clients (in a future newsletter, we’ll talk about why you should refer to them as “partners” and not clients), never use the word “fee”.

Praying my senior English teacher doesn’t see this triple negative. 🙏🏾

Instead, try investment level.

Here’s what it looks like in action:

Notice a few things:

1. PLACEMENT - The investment level comes at the end. Lead with your value proposition then mention 💰.

2. BUNDLE - The company asked me to submit a “fee quote” for a speaking engagement and I countered with a BUNDLE offer (we’ll dive into the power of bundles in a future newsletter as well). I’m expanding the value proposition beyond the stage.

3. IT JUST SOUNDS BETTER - And finally, doesn’t the language just sound better? Try replacing “investment level” with “fee” or “price”….nope, none of them work.

Parting Thoughts

95.4 percent of the hard work in the speaking business takes place off-stage.

That’s right…

Everyone likes to obsess over the PowerPoints and lavalier mics 🙄.

But what gets you hired and re-hired are the interactions that take place off-stage.

Make sure your interactions and language match your impact on the stage.

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We’ll see you back here next week. 👊🏾

In the meantime…

Take the Stage.

Get Paid.

Buy Your Freedom.

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