Speak Like a Pro: Coaching Tips, Imposter Syndrome, Business Growth | Blair Nichols

Prepare to be inspired as Blair Nichols, the vibrant force behind BBN Creative Management, joins us on Small Business Pivots. He reveals his journey from a childhood curiosity about business to becoming a powerhouse in empowering entrepreneurs through speaking engagements. Blair opens up about his transition from a corporate career to full-time entrepreneurship, sharing how storytelling and communication can be pivotal tools for business growth. For those ready to harness their speaking potential, Blair offers invaluable tips on how to be the face of your business and the importance of connecting with your audience.

Discover the liberating shift from side hustle to full-blown business ownership, as Blair shares his personal experiences and strategic insights. He dives into the benefits of having control over client selection, work-life balance, and financial prospects, drawing on his own journey to replace his salary and gain autonomy. Blair's story illuminates the freedom and flexibility that remote work can offer, allowing entrepreneurs to sculpt their ideal lifestyle and enjoy the fruits of their labor on their own terms.

For anyone battling stage fright or imposter syndrome, Blair's candid advice is a beacon of encouragement. We explore practical strategies for overcoming these common hurdles and maximizing the impact of speaking engagements to drive business success. Blair emphasizes the power of preparation, practice, and presenting unique expertise to the right audience. From developing a compelling signature story to repurposing content for digital platforms, he outlines a sustainable speaking strategy that can unlock significant growth opportunities. Tune in to uncover how face-to-face interactions and strategic speaking can propel your business forward.

Blair Nichols: Founder of BBN Creative Management

Website: https://www.bbncreativemanagement.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blairbnichols/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbn_creativemgmt/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BBNCreativeManagement/

Email: blairbryant.nichols@gmail.com

  #BusinessGrowth #PublicSpeaking #BlairNichols #CommunicationSkills #StorytellingForBusiness #EntrepreneurshipTips #BusinessCoaching #SuccessStrategies #OvercomeImposterSyndrome #SmallBusinessSuccess #PodcastForEntrepreneurs #SmallBusinessPivots #EmpowerEntrepreneurs #GrowYourBusiness #LeadershipDevelopment #SmallBusinessCoach #EntrepreneurMindset #BusinessSuccess #MarketingStrategies #LeadershipTips #IntrovertSuccess #CustomerRelationships #AmazonBestseller #BusinessPodcast #MichaelDMorrison #BOSS #BusinessOwnership #OklahomaCity 

Chapters

• 0:00 Empowering Entrepreneurs Through Speaking
• 10:19 Benefits of Owning a Business
• 14:22 Overcoming Stage Fright as a Speaker
• 22:25 Strategic Speaking for Business Growth

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

All right, welcome to another Small Business, pivots. We have a very special guest from around the world and, as I say week to week, there's nobody like the business owner that can say their name and their business like the business owner.

Speaker 2: 0:12

So tell us a little bit about yourself and why you're here to help our listeners today I'm the owner of BBN Creative Management and I help a lot of different business owners, entrepreneurs, different types of thought leaders leverage speaking to help grow their business. So when we talk about speaking, I'm talking about all different ways that you can get out in front of audiences and potential clients, et cetera. But I know we'll dive all more into that. But today, you know, I coach a lot of different people in all different stages of their speaking in business life, as well as manage a handful of, you know, prominent speakers that are also, you know, leveraging their speaking beyond just getting out there and getting on stages but, you know, have got their different business pursuits. I love just kind of working with all different types of people and figuring out unique strategies for them.

Speaker 1: 1:07

Fantastic. Well, I know communication, speaking being out, kind of being the face of the business, is kind of important, real important for business owners. So this will be a great topic, but let's introduce our show first and we'll be right back. Welcome to Small Business Pivots, a podcast produced for small business owners. I'm your host, Michael Morrison, founder and CEO of BOSS, where we make business ownership simplified for success. Our business is helping yours grow. Boss offers business loans with business coaching support. Apply in minutes and get approved and funded in as little as 24 to 48 hours at businessownershipsimplifiedcom. All right, welcome back to Small Biz Pivots. We have a very special guest Blair. You are where in the United.

Speaker 2: 2:03

States. I'm in Los Angeles, California, a hot place to be right now.

Speaker 1: 2:09

So this is the wildfires. Is that what they call it, wildfires?

Speaker 2: 2:14

Yes, yes, that's what we've been. We've been experiencing that this week, so it's been pretty, pretty crazy and devastating. But you know, like we were talking about earlier business, as a business owner, you know you don't get too many days off. You got to keep moving ahead and you want to grow things.

Speaker 1: 2:29

Absolutely. Well, we're all saying prayers for you. I can't imagine what that's like and the people there. Well, let's talk about first. I know for business owners, when they're listening to podcasts, they kind of like to know can I relate to this person that's talking? Do we have any common ground? Do we align at all? So tell us a little bit about your upbringing, if you don't mind, just so we can hear maybe any trials or tribulations, because I know a lot of business owners. They feel like they're not worthy of being a business owner and I'm like we're all the same. We just have different stories. So tell us being a business owner and I'm like we're all the same, we just have different stories.

Speaker 2: 3:06

So tell us, catch us up to today. Yeah, sure, so you know I I started my business officially five years ago and it's really been the last three that it's. It's been my full-time pursuit and kind of building it. So I I'm I'm probably aware a lot of your listeners and audience are at in my own business and was working for different corporate agencies in the speaking realm and the publishing world and in LA and in New York prior to that.

Speaker 2: 3:31

But I always wanted to be in business as a kid. The funny thing my friends all laugh at me because I was the only kid that played office. They actually had a kid's fax machine that my parents got me that had like carbon paper that you could write on and so it would push out the paper like you would be receiving a fax and we would go on business trips on bike rides and you know it was. It was definitely, I guess, a business minded kid, though I don't recall ever doing anything like even a lemonade stand or anything that I was actually generating money other than just playing at it until much later. But I always I wanted to work at McDonald's as soon as I was old enough, and my my parents really pushed me to just focus on school and extracurriculars, and I was blessed to be able to do that and not really start working until I went to college or right before college. But I always knew that I probably needed to work for myself, and I think that's maybe where a lot of people start in this world is they find that either the people they've worked for or with are then limited by kind of the structure of the companies that they're already in, and a lot of us need to figure out and create for ourselves what that looks like. And a lot of times, though, that starts with you know being able to tell your own story and to create your own value for your time and services and how you can max that out. So you know it took me a while to feel comfortable actually going out on my own, that I was of worth to you know my time wasn't just worth you know a salary that ultimately breaks down to you know who knows what. You know the ultimate hours you put into any W-2 job, and that I could make you know better, if not, you know, like relative living at doing it myself.

Speaker 2: 5:23

So for me it was. It was more just kind of continuing to follow a path that I didn't expect to find myself on. I didn't expect to be in the speaking industry or working with you know, thought leaders in this way, but every new opportunity, I think, has just kind of continued further me on. And and now what I realized as a kid I loved helping others around me, like my. My neighbor was deaf and I was kind of helped as like her interpreter really. So I've always been someone that likes to help other people get their voice heard and get their story out there and how they can really shape what they're doing and how to find their strengths and reflect their strengths. And so I, the work that I'm doing now I feel like it's just really reflective of just like a long journey of the things that I've always been passionate about. Just didn't really know that this is where it would lead me.

Speaker 1: 6:14

Wow, let's go back to that first. You mentioned you've done this for five years, correct?

Speaker 2: 6:22

Yeah, I mean I've been in this industry. My business is I officially started, you know, a little more than five years, correct? Yeah, I mean, I've been in this industry. My business is I officially started, you know, a little more than five years ago.

Speaker 1: 6:29

And then you did it full-time about three years ago.

Speaker 2: 6:32

Yeah, so like going into 2021 and yeah, basically just.

Speaker 1: 6:37

Well, we have all seasons of business owners, from startups to second, third generations to. We also have some that haven't pulled the plug yet. So I want to back up just a second so you can give them a voice of hope and some confidence. What that was like, because most people they don't know what to do first, so they're still, 10 years, 20 years later, going. I wish I could start that business. What, what kind of made, what triggered you to actually start?

Speaker 2: 7:09

Yeah, I mean it's it's always circumstantial. So when I first started the business, it was cause I had just lost a job and so I was like, great, now I'll start this, this business. And then I got a new job. I got, excuse me recruited for a new job rather quickly and I was like, great, well, I can keep job. I got, excuse me, recruited for a new job rather quickly and I was like, great, well, I can keep building this business on the side because I got started. But I was lucky to have the benefit of a you know, a salary and a new job to keep me busy and everything else.

Speaker 2: 7:35

So I think a lot of times obviously really depends on the type of business that you're starting. But assuming you're providing a service or you want to kind of be out on your own in a freelance entrepreneurial capacity, a lot of the people I work with, of course, are in like the more service industry area, you know, professional services. So I think if you can start getting any portion of your time paid for by people outside of your main job, it might give you some some confidence that you can build that. You know, given how much time it takes, I think a lot of times. You know people are afraid to start what they might consider a side hustle, but consider it more like a transition. You know, instead of just going from zero you know zero to no paycheck, why don't you just build up some clients and see what you can manage? You know, with your time and you know nowadays it just is the life of an entrepreneur.

Speaker 2: 8:28

I'm not an advocate for like grind yourself till you burn out or being all about the hustle.

Speaker 2: 8:35

You know, I think you have to be really smart with your energy and how you balance your time.

Speaker 2: 8:39

But I would just find that most people with a 40 hour a week, I would just find that most people with a 40 hour a week, nine to five job, probably find a lot of free time in their day that they could be doing other things that could promote their business.

Speaker 2: 8:53

So I'm not I'm not saying do your job, do your side hustle during your work, but I would just challenge whether or not, like you know, you're maximizing all your time and if you can't find better ways to to get that time in, to get some clients going, so long winded way of just saying you're always going to have to sell your own time first, before you can, you know, scale beyond that.

Speaker 2: 9:16

It's always about what, what you can provide and the amount of time you're able to. So when you can start going from maybe a you know six figure salary and you're making like that, going from maybe a you know six figure salary and you're making like that might break down to a you know a couple hundred dollars an hour, a hundred dollars an hour, whatever that looks like, uh, if you can start charging two, three, four times that, then you know start imagining how much you don't need to fill 40 hours a week, then necessarily, you don't, you can, you can be comfortable and be, you know, selling less of your time and figure out how to scale from there.

Speaker 1: 9:51

We have as a business coach. We have probably a dozen or more that are kind of in that transition of. I have the hustle on the side, I still have my engineering job or whatever it is. In fact, we have probably five or six engineers. But what helped you get that leap? Was it the amount of money that you're now making? Or was it something you were seeking? Because I know a lot of them. They're just afraid to pull that next step.

Speaker 2: 10:19

Yeah, I mean, I think it's having the right clients or the right number of clients. So you know, it might it might take and like how again you might be able to replace your salary with just one client and then have additional clients that can start to really, you know, grow your revenue exponentially. So I think it's just people structure how they pay individual vendors differently than they pay full-time employees and I think a lot of people don't recognize that that's that relationship can be dramatically different if you're, if you're, if you do that, so if, if you have a, you know it's hard for me. I feel like I'm speaking such general terms you know, but you, you understand your industry and what the value you provide.

Speaker 2: 11:15

And again, doing that as an individual, your time is just priced differently, you know, than taking someone on for all of their benefits, all of their, you know, other things that a company may offer.

Speaker 2: 11:30

So, by becoming your own business, like, you assume some of these responsibilities for yourself. But it also opens up all these things now you can deduct and like, all these things that become part of, you know, running a business, that now you get the advantage of um in in a different way. So I think taking the leap is again just just understanding, like this is what I'm moving into and I actually have, you know, the potential to replace my income with this other revenue, or I have already, you know, replaced a portion of my income and I know that if I spent more time, you know, I could land X number of new clients, or this other client will be able to, you know, contract me for this much more work. So, you know, it doesn't have to be a real complicated thing, but you have to be willing to, like, extend yourself into doing this work while still straddling that full time job If you're worried about again taking the leap without having something already lined up.

Speaker 1: 12:35

Yeah well, I assure you there are no two general tips or insights. I work with many business owners and I do the same thing. Having owned businesses for over two and a half decades, I just assume that they've probably heard this. It's like a broken record and they're like I don't even know what you're talking about.

Speaker 1: 12:55

So, you know, any advice is good advice. Coming from an entrepreneur and this might be a one worded answer I'm just curious, now that you're in it, you did it like most people, you kind of had a side hustle and now you're full time. What's your favorite thing about owning your own business?

Speaker 2: 13:11

I mean, I think it is the freedom of how I spend my time and when and, most importantly, with who.

Speaker 2: 13:17

So that was the thing that tripped me up a lot in in working with other people or, you know, having working at agencies and not always having the choice of clients that you work with and other things that are, you know, again, outside your control if, if you don't have ownership and for me, that just became a big priority, you know, is a priority for me of my lifestyle and how I wanted, you know, my life to be and I like being able to work remote and move around, so the type of job that I have and also, yeah, just getting to choose how I spend my days and that if no one's looking over my shoulder to see that I'm like clocking in exactly for eight hours or anything else, like there's no question I get to decide and that's also, you know, again, it's my responsibility.

Speaker 2: 14:04

Now I have to determine, you know, how to fill my time and productive ways and other things. But that again is a blessing to me and that's what that's what I wanted again is a blessing to me and that's what. That's what I wanted, and I think some people want just to have their activities laid out for them and they want to clock in, do their work and clock out. But that's probably not you. If you're an entrepreneur or business owner, you're probably.

Speaker 1: 14:26

You're probably doing some mental, some mental time outside of the office, I'm guessing, if nothing else, it's interesting because I know a lot of listeners are still considering taking that leap into entrepreneurship and I hear all kinds of reasons why they want to. But when I talk to seasoned entrepreneurs, 99% of the time the reason they love owning a business now is freedom, and most of the people that haven't quite done that they're like, oh, I could have a house here and a house on the beach. And you know they're all thinking money, monetary things, and but the entrepreneurs I talk to it's mostly freedom is usually their answer. So I appreciate you sharing that. Well, let's get to how we can help them through your company, which is about speaking community. You're listening to Small Business Pivots.

Speaker 1: 15:17

This podcast is produced by my company, boss, which is about speaking community to 48 hours at businessownershipsimplifiedcom. If you're enjoying this podcast, don't forget to hit the subscribe button and share it as well. Now let's get back to our special guest. Well, let's get to how we can help them through your company, which is about speaking communication. Because, again, business owners most small business owners are introverts. They have imposter syndrome. A lot of them we don't have. You know, we don't feel worthy. We have some self-doubt, maybe from things that happened in our childhood or in our adulting life. So let's talk about the services that you provide first, and then we'll see if we can't offer some tips and insights to help them overcome those fears.

Speaker 2: 16:20

Yeah, well, I mean I feel like there's different paths for people as a speaker and I mean I have a strategy of just a sustainable speaking strategy. I call it because I do think there is an approach that if you're considering speaking whether it's to be paid by an organization or a conference or a company, or it's really strategic in the sense that you're looking for opportunities to speak in front of a relevant audience and for most of you, the relevant audience is potential clients I help people figure out first three pillars clients. You know I help people figure out first three pillars. First assets speaker assets. Like you need to be able to represent what your expertise is. So you talked about imposter syndrome. I know that this is a struggle A lot of people. You started a business for a reason, and that's to make money, to have freedom to all the things. But I hope that there's also maybe a mission to your business, maybe there's a purpose to what you do and the things you provide and and and being able to articulate that you know is important as a business owner and you can actually use that so powerfully though in more strategic speaking opportunities in front of your ideal clients and accelerate sales so much faster than attending a conference. Having a booth at a conference, just you know, trying to get referrals or doing digital ads, like all of the steps that we know work in converting people as customers are accelerated when they see you as an expert on stage. You can make an emotional connection with them by telling stories and doing more than just pitching your services, but by actually providing value on a topic that's relevant to them. And then, of course, they want to know how to work with you or what the opportunity is. You know, and it's not going to be every single person in the audience, but there's just a lot of paths. I think straight, you know, to your customer, to your client, to your business growth, to important people for your business that speaking can provide and I know it's scary for people.

Speaker 2: 18:26

So, talking about imposter syndrome, I think that's when we assume that everyone knows what we know. It's not. When are they going to find out? I'm a fraud. To me, it's oh, everyone already knows this, like you said. Like, oh, everyone already knows this stuff? No, they don't. You are an expert in something and you have your own story. No one has your same background. No one has experienced what you've experienced. So how you wrap your knowledge is always going to be unique, and you need to remember that a lot of people don't know what you have to talk about. But maybe key in figuring that out is you've got to bring this topic not to. You know, like we say, singing to the choir.

Speaker 2: 19:08

A lot of times people think, ok well, I'm in finance so I'll go speak at a finance conference. Ok, great, is that going to get you new clients? Or is everyone there kind of speaking your same language? So you're not really going to stand out. You know, I've often said if you're a yoga teacher, you don't want to go to the yoga conference, you want to speak at the stressed out people's conference. So you know you're looking for your customer, you're looking for your client, but you're also looking for the environment that needs what you have to offer, because it's not what everyone else is offering there, it's not what everyone else is presenting on. So as a small business owner, you're only going to be able to pursue so many of these types of opportunities Some of these, actually, they cost money.

Speaker 2: 19:52

You'd be a sponsor of an event to get in front of your ideal audience. It might be the best money you ever spend, if you do a good job and convert it into a lot more customers than whatever you spent on a sponsorship. But before you even get to that level, there's a lot of free opportunities, a lot of ways to hone your skills, but you got to get out there and do it. And I know if you're an introvert, if that's most of where people are at, it can be scary. So what I will also say is, beyond the imposter syndrome, you people know less than you think they know.

Speaker 2: 20:23

You're also there to give a gift. When people get stage fright or they're nervous or I've worked with you know big deal clients that are making tens of thousands of dollars who still get nervous going out on stage. I remind them, like you're here to give a gift and it's always, usually a receptive audience. It's not there to be critiqued, it's not, you know, the Olympics or anything else like that. So sometimes it's those mindset shifts and it's the higher purpose, the advocation that you're there to give can ground you more into what you're doing.

Speaker 2: 20:54

And and I'll and I'll be honest a lot of speakers are introverts too. They get out there and they do it on stage and they retreat and they you know we've charged. So just consider it like you know. Do you want to dump money into ads on digital and everything else to try to get some churn for your clients? Maybe if you're an e-commerce company, that's the best strategy. But if you're especially someone that's in a thought leadership space or, like we talked about professional services of any kind, if you're trying to connect with humans, go and connect with humans, and you're going to do it a lot better coming on stage rather than just trying to shake hands or get people to stop by your booth or something else like that.

Speaker 1: 21:37

Yeah, we do sales coaching as well and we always say people buy from those they know like and trust. And it's hard for people to know like and trust you if they're just reading an email or you've typed something on a social media post. I know a lot of business owners. Let's talk about the stage fright. You mentioned that because a lot of business owners, if they're at a networking group and they're going around the room having to give just a 15, 20-second spill, I know business owners that as it gets closer and closer to them they get more and more frightened. So I know our listeners for some are probably going. I can't even do that introduce myself at a networking event. I can't imagine standing in front of people. So do you have any tips to overcome that?

Speaker 2: 22:25

Yeah, practice. I mean I would not like not to make it too simple, but most people don't practice that. I mean, we've all been there. It's like, oh great, oh no, all of a sudden we have to introduce ourselves. What am I going to say? But you can prepare for all these things you have. Having like a signature story and knowing like this is kind of my elevator version of this. This is like when I'm meeting someone for the first time, I kind of share like these highlights, like it's okay to be prepared. You don't have to be completely scripted and be robotic, but as a business owner again, if you're showing up at one of these events, your time is valuable, like got to make the most of it. Then have your, have your spiel down, have, have that 15, 20 seconds, whatever you know highlights you want to point out for that audience and and be be ready to do it.

Speaker 1: 23:12

Uh, most of our listeners know that I'm an introvert or grew up as an introvert. I'm not as much anymore, but I had to work on it, went to Toastmasters and things like that, and I'll agree with you A practice, but B you have to be prepared. The times that I'm not quite prepared, like I don't have my outro, like maybe I have the first and the middle all polished up but haven't really quite nailed in the last part, I'll start getting nervous on stage Cause I'm like I don't know what I'm going to say. And but when I have it from a to Z the you know at least the bullet points that I'm trying to cover it goes smoothly. And then, secondly, I know I speak in front of a lot of people.

Speaker 1: 23:52

I've spoken in front of a thousand plus people, so to me that's a lot. But during COVID, when I wasn't practicing, because everything shut down, there were no speaking events to be heard of, everything was Zoom in front of small crowds. But that introvertness started coming back, and so it took me a little bit to get out of my shell once the world started opening and events started happening. So that's right in line exactly with what you're talking about, and I'm not a professional speaker. I was just letting our listeners know. That's exactly it. That's some great advice.

Speaker 2: 24:26

I think one of the most annoying things about being an adult is realizing how everything is exercise. But everything we do like it requires, you know, keeping it up, keeping it, keeping it, keeping it tone. And I heard that from a lot of speakers, obviously not just the depression that came from the pandemic and being home, because a lot of speakers get a lot of their joy from being out there and doing this, but that they felt then out of practice and, you know, a little more stilted as they came back. And you know it's great that virtual will always have a place now and there's going to be opportunities in that format, but I know it's just not the favorite for anyone.

Speaker 2: 25:09

I don't think it's a favorite to be on the receiving end or the speaking end and that's why I encourage business owners to get out and get in front of rooms of people that you know there is a visceral, physical connection. You get that from going to events. So now think about your opportunity to tell your story to all these people at once, to make that connection, make them laugh, you know, maybe even make them cry, depending on you. Know I've heard, I hear a lot of stories. People have got insane, crazy stories. So it's just such a good opportunity, you know, like you said, to get to be known, liked, maybe even trusted from from what you share that you.

Speaker 2: 25:45

You know I wouldn't just try to do webinars, I wouldn't try to just rely on digital. You know that there's ways to deploy that and make the most of it, and the best ways are to repurpose the video content from your live events and, just like, circulate that online but show them that you're out there doing it and that you're an expert. And you know you can make a lot of one event, you know, or even just a podcast interview. This is great content that I'm going to use, you know, for my business podcast interview.

Speaker 1: 26:18

This is great content that I'm going to use, you know, for my business. A lot of business owners have heard of accountants, marketers. You know things for their business but probably a lot haven't heard about your type of services. So kind of share with us what you do, how you help, kind of the process of how you can help them speak.

Speaker 2: 26:35

Sure. So, yeah, I kind of started on like describing my sustainable speaking strategy earlier. So the first is that those assets and obviously some people, they've got those really dialed in. Usually, you know, we want to look at those topics from the customer's point of view. Are we speaking their language? Are you really like solving a problem that's like hot in the market right now, like it's just taking an outsider's view and helping you get all those pieces together so that, as you want to put yourself forward for opportunities and as you just want people to find you and then see that on your Web page, you do speaking and eventually be invited to speak, you know more as it will help you do speaking and eventually be invited to speak. You know more as it will help. That's all part of that first pillar. Second pillar, then, is what are you doing with this? So what is your go-to-market strategy? And I'm going to skip to three real fast, because that's products and services.

Speaker 2: 27:28

So some people, again, they've really dialed in on speaking and they don't have products and services around their speaking, don't have products and services around their speaking, like they're just getting booked to speak, and they haven't really converted those audiences into ongoing B2B clients or any B2C channel. So I'm helping them figure out what is the things that they could be doing, based on what they speak about, their audience, everything else, I feel like there's always opportunities for both. If you're out there speaking the people who are arranging the event, what they speak about, their audience, everything else, I feel like there's always opportunities for both, like as if you're out there speaking the people who are arranging the event are strategic partners. There's always ongoing B2B opportunities with, potentially, if you're there at a company, ongoing work with that company in a broader way, et cetera, wanting to explore that. But everyone in the audience is a B2C opportunity. You know you're an expert. These people can buy your books or courses. They can sign up for your webinars or your services. They can. You can put them in. They're basically filling your funnel. Speaking is filling your funnel in a very strategic way. It's not thousands, usually you know at once, but they're a little bit more qualified, depending again on how well you qualify the events you go after.

Speaker 2: 28:36

So that brings us to pillar two and that is like your go-to-market strategy. Okay, I'm, I'm looking to reach, you know, people in the real estate business, like that's especially. You know specifically who I'm targeting. So focus your time and energy with those speaking assets, on real estate events, on starting locally, then grow from there. Look into bigger events and conferences. You can apply to be a speaker.

Speaker 2: 29:00

Like I mentioned, you can sponsor an event and get speaking time and negotiate for that. You don't need your logo on a lanyard or on a step and repeat Like you need a contact list of all the attendees, you need stage time so you can actually get in front of all these potential clients. So I help coach people through that whole process. Like usually you know it starts at 90 days to like we can cover those three pillars and get you on your way and, you know, move faster. I, you know, I've coached some people for two years and we meet monthly and I'm continuing to help them iterate and grow their business and take those next steps.

Speaker 2: 29:37

But really, no matter where you're at, you know, someone's usually got one of those of one like either they've got the products and services kind of figured out and we got to figure out the speaking strategy, or vice versa, and then bridging the two I think is my sweet spot of making the most of what you do as a speaker for your business, because I don't think you should just pursue speaking to speak.

Speaker 2: 30:01

As we talked about already, the pandemic came and a lot of people lost. Their entire revenue channel was in-person speaking and they're making good money, like hundreds of thousands of dollars good money, and that went away. So, not just since then, but especially since then, I've been a big advocate for you need to diversify your portfolio as a business owner and if speaking is something you're passionate about, I'm advocating that it's a great tool to grow your business, but that also it's a great tool to really grow any business that there's products and services that might come off of speaking that aren't even in your portfolio now. That would make sense because of what you're doing with speaking as well.

Speaker 1: 30:44

Yeah, and this, so really the coaching is what I offer people.

Speaker 2: 30:47

You know I I work with speakers as well, who are higher level, but but that's. You know where a lot of people start and and you know we have opportunity to grow our relationship too. But I like to start as a coach and as an advisor.

Speaker 1: 31:01

And I can't think of any industry, contractors included that doesn't have a story, that can't share something that someone doesn't know. I promise every listener on here, I've seen them all. I've seen funny contractors, funny plumbers, I've seen you know, and it just all it does is raises their brand, their authority in the industry.

Speaker 2: 31:23

Well, and you mentioned plumbers, that was one of my favorite examples is a plumber who started a YouTube channel not to just share content about himself, but just to show repairs and talk, and got so many more clients out of, you know, helping people solve simple plumbing things, that that group blew up his platform. So there's stages and platforms and all these different ways that you can, you know, get your business out there if you're the one providing value and knowledge knowledge.

Speaker 1: 31:59

Well, I encourage all of our listeners to reach out to you because I know, prior to COVID, when I was speaking at events, that was my second best lead generation source that we used. One was referrals, number two was speaking engagements and then, of course, digital marketing and other things, but there's nothing like speaking at the right event, like you mentioned, and having 10 people come to you and wait till you're done talking to this person, then that person, then that person collecting their contact information. It's a great lead gen source. How can people continue to follow you, because I'm sure they're going to want to know more.

Speaker 2: 32:32

Sure, yeah. Well, you can find me on the usual platforms LinkedIn, instagram, blair Bryant Nichols and BBN Creative Management, and you can also find me on my website, bbncreativemanagementcom, and you can sign up for a free 30 minute call. Let me know where you're at. Hopefully I can help you figure out your next best step.

Speaker 1: 32:49

Yeah, again, listeners, I encourage you to reach out to Blair. This is a channel that you probably haven't thought about. That isn't just oh, what would you call it? Just in the masses. You know, not many people get up and speak.

Speaker 2: 33:04

You can get niche. You can get niche in your audience. You can get really strategic with high level. Like you said, 10 people waiting for you afterwards is great. Sometimes, having a room of 10 CEOs is the best gig you're ever going to do. Yeah, those people can. Any one of those you know audience members can now be a big deal client. So there's there's not just thinking about stadiums and huge conference halls. You know doesn't define you as a speaker. You know, just being able to get up in front of any room and move them towards you know some of your business goals, I think is a really powerful thing to do and I hope yeah, I hope you all consider that as part of your new 2025 strategy.

Speaker 1: 33:43

Fantastic. Well, was there anything that we didn't cover that you were like? I really want to share this.

Speaker 2: 33:48

Oh man, no, we could nerd out forever. I mean I can get in the weeds or zoom out, but yeah, feel free to have me back or people reach out and be happy to chat and answer your questions.

Speaker 1: 33:57

Fantastic. Well, I always end our shows with a final question. It's simple. If you want to take a second to think about it, that's fine as well. But if you were in front of a room of small business owners, what is one piece of advice you could give that is applicable to no matter what kind of business they own, how long they've been in business so it could be a quote, a book, you know some insight, what's something that you would share with them.

Speaker 2: 34:21

Sure. Well, it's similar to something I shared earlier, but maybe just kind of wrapping it up for today. You know, no matter what business you're in, and no matter if you're, you know, in the room of everyone else is looking like their business is just like yours. You're all real estate people or you're all finance services. Whatever it may be, no one has your story. No one else can tell your same story about how you got to where you are and what you're doing. Everyone loves to connect with people through their stories and being able to share that, I think, is one of the biggest, you know, most powerful things that you can do. And don't fall prey to thinking that you're just like every other you know place. You're not like every other place. You've got your own mission, your own story, and hopefully you'll keep that in mind if any of that imposter syndrome does creep in All right.

Speaker 1: 35:14

Well, you've been a blessing to many. I appreciate your time and I imposter syndrome does creep in All right. Well, you've been a blessing to many. I appreciate your time, and I know our audience does as well and wish you a prosperous 2025.

Speaker 1: 35:22

Thank you so much for having me my pleasure. Thank you for listening to small business pivots. This podcast is created and produced by my company boss. Our business is growing. Yours Boss offers flexible business loans with business coaching support. Apply in minutes and get approved and funded in as little as 24 to 48 hours at businessownershipsimplifiedcom. If you're enjoying this podcast, don't forget to hit the subscribe button and share it as well. If you need help growing your business, email me at michael at michaeldmorrisoncom. We'll see you next time on Small Business Pivots.