Read Part 1 of the story here…How Did You Get Into Speaking? (Part 1)
I still liked the thought of being a speaker to students, but wasn’t sure how to make it happen. I started working part-time with an organization called Making it Count, which allowed me the opportunity to do school assemblies for them. I traveled around and did around 60-70 assemblies a year. I met some great people and really found that I was passionate about speaking and connecting with students.
So in the fall of 2007, I decided to make a run at it. I pulled some money together and worked with some friends to build my website. I ended up having to buy the domain www.GrantBaldwin.com from another Grant Baldwin who lived in DC! After the website was up and running, I began doing a lot of email marketing. I tried to figure out what events were bringing speakers in and who was in charge of these events. I sent out a few emails and to my surprise, two events emailed me back and wanted to book me…HOLY CRAP!
In addition to booking the occasional event on my own, I continued working with Making it Count and also started doing some contract work with National Seminars. With the various pieces all contributing to the pie, I was actually making a full time living speaking. I continued to do more marketing and the bookings continued to trickle in. By the summer of 2008, I had booked enough stuff on my own that I was able to stop working with Making it Count and National Seminars and just do my own stuff.
It’s been an up and down journey, but I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. I’ve learned a lot about myself and have found something that I love to do.
In the beginning, one way I learned about the business was from other speakers. So if you’re someone who wants to become a speaker, feel free to shoot me an email anytime at grant@grantbaldwin.com. I’m happy to help!
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[...] Baldwin provides a brief glimpse (parts one & two; plus 31 tips) into his transition to a full-time professional speaker. The fact is I have a [...]