Get Your Friend a Gig (How to Grow a Keynote Speaking Business)

In December 2024, I gave a talk at ImpactEleven’s keynote speaker bootcamp in Nashville, Tennessee. I give talks almost every week, but this one was really special since I was speaking to other keynote speakers. “Speaking of speaking… to speakers?!” It doesn’t get any better than that.

I shared why the topic of belonging matters to me personally, lessons I learned creating The Workplace Belonging Toolkit, and why I think every keynote speaker and thought leader should make an actionable and interactive guide or workbook (in addition to a book!). Attention spans are shrinking and people don’t always want to lug a 300-page book home on the plane after a conference. Toolkits offer an incredible opportunity to add value and to create lasting impact, long after your talk.

Here are are a few lessons I shared in my talk about creating memorable content in the Age of Overwhelm and Distraction:

1. Make it actionable.

People are overwhelmed right now. Give them simple, practical tools they can put to use immediately.

2. Add unprecedented value

Unprecedented value is unexpected value. The more you give, the more people will want to work with you.

3. Rep your friends

The best way to rep your expertise is to rep your friends. The best way to grow your business is to get your friend a gig.

4. Be a category of one

You become a category of one when you create content that is simply so good, so beautiful, so unique, that people can’t ignore you. If ChatGPT can replicate your content, then your content isn’t good enough yet. As I share in my talk, “ChatGPT can’t make this Toolkit… it’s my ideas, my photos, my friends! This ain’t Claude, this is Smiley!”

This post was originally posted on my Substack Newsletter on February 6, 2025.