Mic Drop

Breaking In and Taking Off (ft. Ryan Estis)

Episode Summary

In the very first episode of Mic Drop, host Josh Linkner talks to top sales and leadership speaker/expert Ryan Estis about getting started, avoiding key mistakes, and much more. You don’t want to miss this insight-packed introduction to Mic Drop as we launch into exploring everything to do with the career of expertise and keynote speaking.

Episode Notes

Breaking In and Taking Off (ft. Ryan Estis)

Leading expert and our first guest Ryan Estis talks breaking into speaking, missteps to avoid, and how to find success (and meaning) in this business

OPENING QUOTE:

“I remember when I got the call and the offer. I was in California, and I pulled the car off to the side of the road. My heart was pounding, because I knew. I knew if I delivered and I could measure up to that moment, then that said something.”

-Ryan Estis

GUEST BIO:

Ryan Estis is one of the top sales and leadership speakers in the world. In less than a decade, Ryan built his speaking business to over $2 million in annual revenue, performing on some of the biggest stages in the world. He prepares some of the world’s leading companies to embrace change and achieve breakthrough performances again and again.

Links

[5:31] - When to Jump

And whether to bring a parachute

People entering the speaking business often wonder when is the right time to go all-in. In Ryan’s case, he had some connections, successes, and a certain level of financial security in his corner before he fully committed to the speaking path. That decision is personal, and depends largely on your individual circumstances. Don’t let someone else’s path dictate your own decisions.

[8:27] - The Discipline of Preparation

Achievement in public comes from work done in private

When asked what advice Ryan has for speakers preparing for high-stakes engagements, he goes straight to preparation. Great talks don’t come from flashes of inspiration, but from repetition, rehearsal, refining, training, and listening to mentors and coaches. What you do when you’re alone in a room will directly benefit what you do onstage in front of hundreds.

[12:22] - What’s Next in Speaking

The future of an evolving business

Ryan predicts that the coming years will be the best possible moment to be in the expertise business. He also believes that when live events fully come back, they’ll come back in a big way and provide more opportunities than ever. Finally, he shares that more and more organizations are recognizing the need for guidance and outside expertise, providing even more opportunities for expanding the role of ‘speaker’ to the more broadly applicable ‘expert.’

[17:26] - Skipping the Missteps

Ryan lists common career mistakes to avoid

First, don’t think that writing a book or having great stage presence is enough to build a career. You need the strategy, team, and day-in-day-out work to make it happen.

Second, never be afraid to reinvent yourself. The world is constantly changing, and the experts who change their style along with it (without giving up their identity) are the ones that find lasting success.

[20:33] - An Act of Service

It’s not about who’s onstage

Ryan closes out this week’s episode with a powerful message about the role of a speaker. Calling speaking ‘a beautiful act of service,’ he recalls how his early benchmarks for his success were whether he got an ovation or great crowd response. Today, he focuses on whether he was able to make a positive impact in anyone’s life. Without that, speaking is just performing entertainment.

RESOURCES:

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ABOUT MIC DROP:

Brought to you by eSpeakers, hear from the world’s top thought leaders and experts, sharing tipping point moments, strategies, and approaches that led to their speaking career success. Throughout each episode, host Josh Linkner, #1 Innovation keynote speaker in the world, deconstructs guests’ Mic Drop moments and provides tactical tools and takeaways that can be applied to any speaking business, no matter it’s starting point. You'll enjoy hearing from some of the top keynote speakers in the industry including: Ryan Estis, Alison Levine, Peter Sheahan, Seth Mattison, Cassandra Worthy, and many more. Mic Drop is produced and presented by eSpeakers; sponsored by 3 Ring Circus.

Learn more at: MicDropPodcast.com

ABOUT THE HOST:

Josh Linkner is a Creative Troublemaker. He believes passionately that all human beings have incredible creative capacity, and he’s on a mission to unlock inventive thinking and creative problem solving to help leaders, individuals, and communities soar.

Josh has been the founder and CEO of five tech companies, which sold for a combined value of over $200 million and is the author of four books including the New York Times Bestsellers, Disciplined Dreaming and The Road to Reinvention. He has invested in and/or mentored over 100 startups and is the Founding Partner of Detroit Venture Partners.

Today, Josh serves as Chairman and Co-founder of Platypus Labs, an innovation research, training, and consulting firm. He has twice been named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and is the recipient of the United States Presidential Champion of Change Award.

Josh is also a passionate Detroiter, the father of four, is a professional-level jazz guitarist, and has a slightly odd obsession with greasy pizza.

Learn more about Josh: JoshLinkner.com

ABOUT eSPEAKERS:

When the perfect speaker is in front of the right audience, a kind of magic happens where organizations and individuals improve in substantial, long-term ways. eSpeakers exists to make this happen more often.

eSpeakers is where the speaking industry does business on the web. Speakers, speaker managers, associations, and bureaus use our tools to organize, promote and grow successful businesses. Event organizers think of eSpeakers first when they want to hire speakers for their meetings or events.

The eSpeakers Marketplace technology lets us and our partner directories help meeting professionals all over the world connect directly with speakers for great engagements.

Thousands of successful speakers, trainers, and coaches use eSpeakers to build their businesses and manage their calendars. Thousands of event organizers use our directories every day to find and hire speakers. Our tools are built for speakers, by speakers, to do things that only purpose-built systems can.

Learn more at: eSpeakers.com

Episode Transcription

Ryan Estis:

And that I remember when I got the call and the offer. I was in California and I pulled the car off to the side of the road. My heart was pounding. Because I knew, I knew if I delivered that and I could measure up to that moment that that said something.

Josh Linkner:

Welcome to Mic Drop, the podcast for professional speakers. We cover the ins and outs of the business, helping you deliver more impact on bigger stages at higher fees. You'll gain an inside edge through intimate conversations with the world's most successful keynote speakers. Mic Drop is brought to you by eSpeakers. I'm your host, Josh Linkner. Get ready for some inspiring mic drop moments together.

Josh Linkner:

Today's show is sponsored by 3 Ring Circus, the industry's top training and development program for professional speakers. They've helped hundreds of speakers launch or scale their speaking business, earning tens of millions in speaking fees, landing bureau representation, securing book deals, and rising to the top of the field. If you are looking to take your speaking business to the next level, they'll simply help you get there faster. To learn more and schedule a free 30 minute consultation, visit 3ringcircus.com/micdrop. That's 3, the number three, ringcircus.com/micdrop.

Josh Linkner:

Mic Drop is produced and presented by eSpeakers. If you want more audiences and organizations to be moved and changed by your message, you owe it to yourself to find out why thousands of top experts use eSpeakers to manage and grow their business. When you use eSpeakers, you'll feel confident about your business. Package yourself up for success and be able to focus on what matters most to you and your business. For more information and a free 30 day trial, visit eSpeakers.com/micdrop. That's eSpeakers.com/micdrop.

Josh Linkner:

On today's show, I sit down with one of the top sales and leadership speakers in the world, the one and only Ryan Estis. In less than a decade, Ryan built his speaking business to over $2 million in annual revenue, performing on some of the biggest stages in the world. In our candid conversation, Ryan shares his views on when is the right time to leave your day job and go all-in on becoming a speaker, how to prepare for high stakes speeches or big opportunities, the common mistakes speakers make when trying to launch or scale their speaking business, what organizations need and are willing to pay for coming out of COVID. Ryan also shares how he responded to the COVID crisis and his predictions for the future of the speaking business. Not to mention he drops some amazing gems of practical advice on how to build and scale your own speaking business. So get ready for a flurry of wisdom on today's episode. Ryan Estis, welcome to Mic Drop.

Ryan Estis:

Thanks, Josh. Great to be with you.

Josh Linkner:

So Ryan, you are one of the most successful speakers out there, someone who deeply admire both professionally and personally, but I know that you, it wasn't easy launching your speaking business. And I would love for you to kind of go back to where a lot of sort of speakers are currently, where they're just getting started, they're getting momentum hopefully, they're maybe struggling a little bit. Tell us a little bit about the early days.

Ryan Estis:

Well, the early days really involved a pretty abrupt exit out of corporate America. So I worked for a Fortune 500 company. I was an executive there. I had a pretty stable job. As things became a little more unstable in 2009, I decided to make a transition. And I had been speaking as part of my role in that corporation as an executive. And so I had a little traction runway and I really loved doing it. I loved those days and looked forward to them the most. And as I got better at it and started getting positive feedback, I started to research the industry a little bit. I hired a coach and I joined NSA. And in January, 2009, as our business was sort of tracking sideways, going through some rounds of layoffs, I said, "You know what, I'm going to opt out and make my move."

Ryan Estis:

And it was a dicey time to start a business. Right? I think a lot of speakers were actually looking for jobs. It was the middle of the Great Recession. I mean, people thought I had lost my mind. But the first two years were challenging. There was no doubt about it. I mean, I didn't have a playbook and I hadn't thought through in great detail my launch plan. So I definitely hit some speed bumps, but I persevered and I'm glad I did. I count that as the single best professional decision in my entire career. So yeah, that's how I got started.

Josh Linkner:

There's a debate and I'm curious to hear your perspective. Some people say they do what you did, they burn the bridges. And now you don't have a parachute, you got to make it work. You went all-in. Other times, I hear people say, "Hey, I'm going to wait to see how my speaking business goes. I'll moonlight a little bit. I'll jump off when I run out of sick days." I don't know that there's a technically right or wrong answer. There's been examples of people successful doing both of those routes. But what advice would you give to someone who's considering that very decision? Should they burn the bridges and go all-in or should they take their time?

Ryan Estis:

I think it depends on your situation and your risk tolerance. Right? So have a plan and work the plan. Their financial considerations, their responsibilities, if you have a family, a mortgage, then you have to consider those things. I was a single guy in my late 30s and I had a little bit of a nest egg. And I thought, "All right, this is my moment." And I had some proof of concept. I mean, I was the chief revenue officer of a division of a Fortune 500 company speaking and getting offers for paid speaking engagements in that role. So I had a coach, I was doing research, I went to NSA. I was going through the reps. The immediate transition out was abrupt, but it had been on my mind. So I felt like I had done the homework, but I think it depends on your own personal situation and your tolerance for risk. Both can work and both can go sideways, so.

Josh Linkner:

And so early on, were there any pivotal moments? I mean, obviously, you did your homework, you got started, you were getting some speeches. But were there any, like maybe you spoke at Million Dollar Round Table or something. Was there a couple, one or two pivotal moments that took your speaking career to the whole next level?

Ryan Estis:

In the beginning, I would say that there were a bunch of moments that gave me enough strength to keep going and persevere. There were times where I started interviewing and thought, "Man, this isn't going to work. I've got to go get a job." And then something good would happen. It was just this little reminder that, "Hey, you can do this." And I remember the first time a bureau booked me in 2011. I thought, "Okay." It's two years into this before I got an agent to book me and I thought, "Okay." Maybe a pivotal moment, I get National SHRM. And I had done a lot of kind of small regional breakout work for them. They kind of elevated me to one of their national conferences. Dan Pink was the opening keynote and I was the closing keynote.

Ryan Estis:

And that, I remember when I got the call on the offer. I was in California. I pulled the car off to the side of the road. My heart was pounding. Because I knew, I knew if I delivered that and I could measure up to that moment that that said something. And so those little signs kept me going and I took advantage of those. I used those opportunities as leverage and in my marketing and in our outreach to create momentum around my business. So anytime something good like that happened, it was a sign. And then we tried to consider, "Okay, how can we leverage this to move forward?"

Josh Linkner:

So that was obviously a high stakes moment. You were on the ticket with Dan Pink, one of your heroes. It obviously worked out very well. But what did you do then and do you do now to prepare for some of those most high stakes engagements? And what would you recommend others do to prepare for their own high stakes opportunities?

Ryan Estis:

Well, I mean, mastering the discipline of preparation is critical. I'm not sure who said it, I think it was Tony Robbins, we'll give him credit, but he said you get rewarded in public for the hard effort you put in in private and it's true. And so it's just repetition. I still rehearse. I still look at game tape. I still have a coach. We still break down video of me speaking in the office. I'm still work-shopping stories and trying to get better. So the training and the discipline of preparation never stops. And just like a professional athlete or any other performance artist, I mean, you have to train, you have to practice, you have to prepare. And I feel like I'm just hitting my stride. I mean, whatever measure of success I've had, there is a whole volume of room for improvement. So I look at my ceiling as way, way far away and we're just a work in progress. But I'm fortunate to be compensated while I'm doing the work, so that's the beauty of this business.

Josh Linkner:

Yeah, no question about it. So things are cranking along, your career starts to blossom. It's 2018, you shared with me that you did over $2 million in speaking revenue, which is an amazing feat by all, top, top percentage of keynote speakers. And then the bottom falls out for us all. COVID comes and dates are canceled and stages are dark. How did you respond to that moment both professionally and personally? What have you learned from it? And how is that impacting the work you're doing today?

Ryan Estis:

Well, personally, it was a crisis of meaning. I mean, it was a dark night of the soul. Right? I mean, I'd lost my identity. Everything I'd worked for for 10 years was taken away. I mean, I couldn't believe it was happening quite frankly. The government is going to say the work that I do isn't allowed. I mean, you can't congregate. You can't bring people together. And for six weeks it was unwinding an 80 event speaking calendar, cancellation after cancellation after cancellation, and the future was very uncertain. But I benefited from 2009 and that decision that I made and kind of entering the unknown then. I said, "Okay, this is our new reality." Instead of bemoaning, "Why is this happening to me?" Maybe a better question to ask is, "Given that I'm here, what can I create?"

Ryan Estis:

And I actually went into one of the most creative periods of my entire professional life. I mean, we created two keynotes, we created a half-day virtual workshop, and we became a virtual learning organization. And I realized that, I'm not a speaker, a motivational speaker. I'm an expert. I have this unique business expertise and a point of view and perspective that's very well thought out and researched. And these organizations are going to need that now more than ever, because they're navigating uncertainty just like I am. And that perspective is relevant. And so I think we quickly pivoted into recognizing that there was a lot of value around our work product. And I'm going to do 80 speeches this year, just most of them are going to be virtual.

Ryan Estis:

So that, and then obviously some reorganization around how I'm going to do this business over the course of the next 10 years. It was an opportunity for me to really reflect and hit the reset button. And the future of this business is going to look a little bit different for me. I'm going to do it in partnership with a team and a community of other like-minded thought leaders that want to have great impact in the world. And I think we're going to be better together and I'm excited for that. So yeah, I've actually never been more excited about the business, so.

Josh Linkner:

That's awesome. So carrying the thought through, pretty soon hopefully we're going to be past COVID, God willing, and we've got people's pent up demand. What do you think the next few years in this speaking business look like, both in terms of demand and excitement and all that, but also in terms of changes? What's changing in the industry? What does your sort of Ryan Estis crystal ball look like for the next three years in the speaking business?

Ryan Estis:

Yeah, so a couple of things. So major trends, number one, I think this is the single best time to be in the business of monetizing expertise. So if you're an expert that has a point of view that can impact an audience, this is a great time to be in that business. I do think live events are going to come back and they're going to come back in a big way next year. And I don't have a crystal ball about variants and COVID. I'm no expert there. But I am an expert in getting to talk to executives and meeting planners each and every day who say these words, "I cannot wait to bring everybody together live." So there's going to be a big rush, a big surge, I think, of live events and conferences and connection.

Ryan Estis:

Second thing though, I think that's really important for potentially people listening to this is that organizations need expertise. They need guidance. The accelerated pace of change, the disruption, the shift in employee attitude and expectations toward work, competitive forces, uncertainty. There's just a lot of transformation and disruption. So for the expert that has a particular point of view that can help guide a client, partner, or an audience through this period of time, I think is really going to be valued in the near term. So I think the expert, this is really the era of the expert. I see that in a big way.

Ryan Estis:

And then obviously technology's going to play a role in how we do this going forward. The business is going to be hybrid. I mean, virtual learning's never going to go away. And I think we've just opened up this whole new revenue stream for people that did this. In 2018, yeah I did $2 million in speaking, but I had to be standing in a room somewhere to do that. And that has changed in a marked and significant way. So I actually see expanded relationships with clients in a deeper way, potentially doing packages or having longer term relationships, which has really optimized my revenue stream for expertise. So I, again, I mean those three trends are all positive for, I think, where we're headed.

Josh Linkner:

Love it. And I couldn't agree more. I mean, to me, the outlook is bright. There's not only pent up demand, but the demand for our expertise is growing as the economy changes, as people adapt to new conditions. So I'm really optimistic as well. And I'm glad to hear you say that.

Josh Linkner:

Shifting gears for a minute, thinking about a speaker that is either new to the industry or someone that is looking to go from where they are currently to a different level in terms of either fee and/or volume. First question I have for you is what advice do you have? What advice do you have to someone who's on the path maybe a couple years behind you to accelerate their business?

Ryan Estis:

Invest in you. Treat this like a business. I think because there's a low barrier to entry, if you have a laptop and a website you could say "I'm a speaker", people don't treat it necessarily like a serious business where they have a formula, and a plan, and a strategy, and a budget, and a team around them. You've got to take it seriously and keep investing in the skillset, in both operating the business and then developing your skill and competency as an expert. Because the reality is this business is competitive. I remind myself every time I'm speaking that I'm getting paid to speak that somebody else who's probably just as good as me would do this for free. And that notion and that understanding keeps ... Every year I invest more, both in my own professional development and back into the growth and the strategy of my business. That's the best advice I'd have for anybody at any level in this industry, invest in you.

Josh Linkner:

Becoming a keynote speaker is an amazing profession. The top performers earn millions in annual income while driving massive impact on audiences around the world. But the quest to speaking glory can be a slow route with many obstacles that can knock even the best speakers out of the game. If you are serious about growing your speaking business, the seasoned pros at 3 Ring Circus, they can help. From optimizing your marketing and business efforts, to crafting your ideal positioning, to perfecting your expertise and stage skills, 3 Ring Circus is the only speaker training and development program run by current high-level speakers at the top of their field.

Josh Linkner:

That's why the major bureaus like Washington Speakers Bureau, Premier Speakers, Speak Inc., Executive Speakers, Harry Walker Agency, Kepler, Gotham Artists, and GDA all endorse and participate in 3 Ring Circus. From interactive boot camps to one-on-one coaching, 3 Ring Circus will help you reach your full potential in the speaking biz, and they'll get there faster. For a free 30 minute consultation, visit 3ringcircus.com/micdrop. That's 3ringcircus.com/micdrop.

Josh Linkner:

And what do you think most people get wrong? What are some of the common mistakes or pitfalls or traps that you see speakers fall into that either stunt their growth as a speaker or derail them all together?

Ryan Estis:

Yeah, I think a couple of things. So I think missteps, one, that writing a book or even being really good on stage is enough to be booked with a full calendar at a high fee. I've had plenty of best selling authors reach out to me asking me how to book speeches. Part of it's art, part of it's science, part of it's strategy, part of it's having really good relationships and a good team around you. So "if you build it or if you write it, they will come" is really false in this particular business. So that's one misstep.

Ryan Estis:

I think another one too is just not continuing to reinvent yourself. Right? We are in the era of customization and personalization. And as business changes and transforms, your content has to change and transform. So I, again, I mean, this is the era of the expert, not the era of the motivational speaker and I think that's really, really important too. If you're giving the same speech you were giving three years ago, you're three years behind. And that's just the reality of where we're at today. So what does that take? It takes constant focus, investment, discipline, training, review, feedback, and work in the lab developing the craft, so.

Josh Linkner:

So as somebody who's at the top echelon of the professional speaking world, what do you like the most about it and what do you like the least about it?

Ryan Estis:

Oh, I mean, far and away the most is the impact. If in an hour, I can say something that serves as a catalyst for somebody to go on a further journey and become more of who they're capable of being, I believe I was put here to do that. Both my parents were teachers. It's in my DNA. I think when I started, maybe I had a chip on my shoulder. It was about something to prove. Today it's about something to give. And I take that opportunity and that responsibility deeply seriously. Every time I speak, I believe there's somebody in that audience that I can impact to become more of who they're meant to be. And that's a beautiful gift, so that's my favorite part.

Ryan Estis:

I think probably the hardest part of this is, was and I think it's going to be again, is the schedule, the travel. Right? I mean, you're motivated because you have something to share and you want to have impact, but at times the schedule and the travel, it's not the easiest life. You just have to balance it and take care yourself. And I think I'm better positioned to do that than I've ever been, so.

Josh Linkner:

I agree on both those fronts. It can be [crosstalk 00:19:59] to be away from family, but at the same time, its a real thrill.

Ryan Estis:

Right. It's a sacrifice.

Josh Linkner:

Yeah. And the thing I've learned too is that I loved how you entered with impact because so often people think that being a speaker, it's about you. "Look at me, look what I did." That's not what great speakers do. A great speech is not about the speaker, it's about the audience. And it's not, "Look what I did". It's, "Look what you can do". And I know that you're coming at it with such a genuine position of giving and service. That shines through to your audience and those looking to hire you. So for anyone listening, I think that's a really important shift to make, that this is a service-oriented business. You're there to give, not to take.

Ryan Estis:

Yeah. A great keynote speech is truly a beautiful act of service. It's almost like you're giving something away that someone else can take and utilize for themselves. And not every speaker approaches the platform, and if I'm being totally honest, I always didn't. Right? In the beginning I was like, "Did I get a standing ovation?" And that was my litmus test and I was looking for external validation. But as I moved through this, that shift is actually the shift that propelled my career north in the right direction. And now it's just a much more fulfilling, meaningful, rewarding exchange, because it really has nothing to do with me at all. I'm just the messenger.

Josh Linkner:

So with all the success, I'm sure you've also stumbled, made some mistakes, done some things you wish you hadn't. I certainly have. If you had a do-over, if we gave you a Ryan Estis do-over card and you could go back in your speaking career, what would you have done differently?

Ryan Estis:

Yeah. So a couple of things. I think one of the things I would've done differently is I would've been more thoughtful about creating a team and a community around me at the onset of this. I think one of the things I underestimated about this business was how at times isolating and lonely it can be. You're out there doing 80, 90 events. You're in hotels. You're by yourself and just not having an inner circle or a close network of comrades who were all moving forward together. So that, in the next 10 years, that's how I'm going to do this. Only in community, only on teams. I don't miss much about working for a big company, but that was one of the things I desperately missed was just having my team. And so I think that's one of the things.

Ryan Estis:

The second thing I probably would've thought through in a lot more detail is just how to optimize myself out off of the stage. I had a $2 million business, but I didn't have much more than that beyond just being in the room on those stages. And I think over the course of the next decade, I mean, that's something the pandemic and the pause has been wonderful for me. Because it gave me an opportunity to think through, "Okay, how do I want to create a little bit of leverage and economies of scale into the future?" So I think those are probably two of the things.

Ryan Estis:

And then in the beginning, just again, invest in you. I think I'm there now, but I spent a lot of time surrounding myself with B minus and C minus players. And it's how much do I want to invest and put back into the business with my website and video, and trying to cut corners, and save a dollar here, and it was probably penny wise and pound foolish. Surround yourself with A people, invest in the business, take it seriously. And if you're good enough, you'll have an phenomenal opportunity, so.

Josh Linkner:

So good. And Ryan, I know a lot of people are excited to learn more about you and your work and watch you speak and all that. Where's the best place for folks to find you?

Ryan Estis:

Yeah. So the best place to find me is at ryanestis.com. Kind of that's the portal. But another place to find me is at 3ringcircus.com. And I'm proud to say I'm a new partner in that speaker development company. With you, Josh, and two other phenomenal keynote speakers. And I'm really excited about that. I've done workshops and boot camps and these kinds of things before, but this is a formalized way to, I think, open the kimono and unpack what I've learned over a decade plus doing this in a way to help other people who have something to give, get on more stages and have a meaningful career in this business.

Ryan Estis:

There is a formula for success. There's not one right way. There's multiple right ways. But when you put multiple right ways together and you can unpack it over two or three days and get some coaching and resourcing around you, you have a better opportunity to succeed and you don't have to go at it alone. And so I'm done going at it alone. And I think, and I'm excited to be part of the 3 Ring Circus community. I think we're going to be better together, so those are the two places to find me.

Josh Linkner:

That's so good. Well, thanks, Ryan for sharing this mic drop moment with us. Wishing you continued success. And for those listening, it's such a pleasure to speak with someone who's a true professional, a true expert. And I know we're all grateful for your insights today. Thanks so much, brother.

Ryan Estis:

Thanks, Josh.

Josh Linkner:

Wow. What a great conversation with Ryan Estis. Here are a few key takeaways, mic drop moments if you will, that really resonated with me. Number one, Ryan trains like an athlete. He practices his craft. He invests in himself. He watches game tape. He still has a stage coach after reaching the top of our field. This commitment to being a true professional undoubtedly propelled his speaking business and could do the same for each of us. Number two, Ryan is constantly reinventing himself. He doesn't just give the same speech from five years ago. He's constantly trying out new content, new delivery formats, and new approaches to remain fresh and relevant.

Josh Linkner:

And finally, number three, he's running his own race. Conventional wisdom suggests that you need a best selling book to be a huge high paid keynote speaker. Ryan doesn't even have a book. He earned his living speaking for two years before he even got his first bureau gig. Point is there are many ways to win in this business and you can create your own unique approach that's right for your own individual situation.

Josh Linkner:

Thanks for joining me on another episode of Mic Drop. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever you get your favorite shows. If you love the show, please share with your friends and don't forget to give us a five star review. For show transcripts and show notes, visit micdroppodcast.com. Mic Drop is produced and presented by eSpeakers. And a big thanks to our sponsor, 3 Ring Circus. I'm your host, Josh Linkner. Thanks for listening, and here's to your mic drop moment.