Just Do it

When it comes to running your speaking business, there are 3 types of public speakers:

1. The Hopeful Public Speaker

2. The 2/3rds Public Speaker

3. The “Just Do It” Public Speaker.

The Hopeful Public Speaker is talented on the platform and has a desire to speak more, but does not know how the industry works or how to excel in it.

They don’t know what they don’t know.

The Hopeful Speaker may sit and hope that it will happen, or they try to hire people to make it happen for them. And hiring people to launch your business rarely works because you need to understand your own business before you can train someone else to run it for you.

It’s often the blind leading the blind. No offense to the seeing impaired.

The 2/3rds Public Speaker is also talented on the platform and has a base of knowledge about the business.

They know that there are areas of the business that they may not understand, and therefore, they may avoid them and allow issues to go unresolved.

For example: You’ve heard about blogging, but you haven’t been sure where to start or what to write about. So you register a blog or hire someone to develop one for you. But then it sits… lonely, unblogged, unmonitored.

The 2/3rds Speaker may have a bit more luck with hiring.

The “Just Do It” Public Speaker is talented and continues to hone their talent. They take all areas of the business and learn them completely. If they need help with technology they learn it first and then hire experts to assist.

The “Just Do It” speaker understands and can answer any question about their business, whether it be platform mechanics, database management, their sales funnel or technology.

Here’s what I recommend:
To figure out which one of these is you, write a list of all of the aspects of the business (presentation skills, marketing, technology, admin, etc.) and rate yourself on a scale from 1 to 10 (10 being high) on each.

If you find yourself with a lot of low scores, then you may put yourself into the Hopeful Speaker category.
Just a few low scores, then you’re in the 2/3rds Speaker category.
No low scores, CONGRATULATIONS! Pat yourself on the back for being a “Just do it” Speaker.

Take the results of the above and work on 1 or 2 issues at a time. Seek knowledge where it’s needed. Don’t try to do it all at once, you’ll be overwhelmed and get stuck again.

If you suffer from any type of perfectionism, get over it. When it comes to developing anything from speeches to new websites – do the best you can and then launch it. You’ll hone and tweak over time and it will be closer to perfect. But don’t wait for perfection or you’ll never get off the ground. Just do it!