Because I Have it all Together, and Other Lies I Want You to Believe About Me

How I Became a Motivational Inspirational Speaker – My Story

I’m often asked how I became a motivational speaker. A complete accident! I didn’t know there was such a things as being a motivational speaker.

It took a lot of hard work and dedication to learn the professional speaking / meetings industry. This is my journey.

Stacy’s Speaker Coaching website and blog on how to become a better speaker: BoringtoSoaringSpeeches.com

Stacy Pederson is a #funny female #motivational business #keynote speaker who has almost died a bunch. Stacy is a full-time professional keynote speaker who has performed in front of 1,000’s.

Contact Info or Follow Stacy:

-Website: StacyPederson.com

-LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacypedersoncomedy

-Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stacypedersoncomedy

-Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stacypedersonofficial

-Twitter: Twitter’s dead to me. We broke up a while ago. I only see Twitter at random family events and I act like I don’t care.

Stacy entertains and inspires audiences using humor, her story and practical tips that help attendees improve their overall quality of life.

Topics Stacy Speaks On: -Handling Change -Lowering Stress -Overcoming -Living Your Happiest and Best Life – No Matter What Your Circumstances

“The Bash” (Formerly GigMasters) Why You’re Not Get Hired

(This is a part of my, “Speaker Sundays” where I share tips on how to become a full-time paid professional speaker on YouTube. I’d love for you to join.)

Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/c/StacyPederson

Did you pay to be a part of “The Bash’s” online booking platform only to find you’re not getting hired?

If so – here are 10 reasons you may not be getting hired.

https://youtu.be/3zm5eVoDy7Y

 

My EXACT sales process on, “The Bash”: https://www.boringtosoaringspeeches.com/offers/YLbfhvbF/checkout

 

“The Bash” Affiliate Link: https://www.thebash.com/signup?referralCode=M94090

Making A Living as a Creative

I was interviewed by Canvas Rebel regarding my journey of becoming a motivational speaker and making a full time living as a creative. Some of the original article is below.

The full article can be found here: https://canvasrebel.com/meet-stacy-pederson/

(There’s is much prettier. 🙂 )

 

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Stacy Pederson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Stacy below.

Stacy, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

Earning a living has been a slow steady process I started over thirty years ago. I discovered I was a, “Creative” by winning essays for local competitions as a child. I even one a real life lamb! I went to college on a full ride talent grant to study theatre. I then made money here and there with acting gigs and teaching acting. I stumbled into doing stand up comedy, and since my comedy was “clean”, I learned there was a market for it. Events, churches and companies began hiring me. Next, I almost died a bunch. (Long story.) People continued hiring me as a comedian, but asked me to also share my story. This is how I fell into being a speaker. I have always excelled at the creative side, it was the business side I lacked. The reality, for me anyway, is if you want to make money as a creative, you have to learn to run the business side. The reason? A creative hustle without sales, is a hobby. I wish I had done that from day one. Taken the time to understand and learn what is required to get events, make sales, even be professional in certain settings.

 

Stacy, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I loved acting and writing. I stumbled into stand up comedy as an accident. However, nothing has been as personally fulfilling to me as being a motivational speaker. I’m able to share my story of struggle, illness and loss in a funny way, that helps shed light on mental health and bring hope to others. One of the main reasons I have done well as a speaker is my creative, humorous side. Being able to speak in an entertaining and fun way sets me a part from most professional speakers.

 

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I unexpectedly got sick twelve years ago. I went through several bouts of illness, surgery, not being able to walk, etc. I eventually lost almost everything. I was diagnosed with PTSD from almost dying so much and went through about one and half years of dark depression. Through that time, I realized the value of hope. Hope is the one thing that can get us through the next ten minutes, hour or day. The wonderful thing about hope is that it is free to give. Hope can come as a smile to stranger, a compliment, a kind word – anything that shows the other person they matter. For me, when things were so desperately hard, I figured I was alive for a reason still, so I might as well do the best with it. I had hope that all the struggle was for a reason. It was.

 

Rest of the article is here: https://canvasrebel.com/meet-stacy-pederson/

 

 

Get Ready With Me: Virtual Motivational Speaking

Ever wonder what life is like for a motivational speaker? Curious about virtual speaking?  Get ready with me the morning of doing a virtual presentation. I show you my virtual set up, and how I get ready to present.

You can also get my FREE guide to looking good and feeling great on camera if you are venturing in to make your own videos or wanting to do virtual speaking: https://www.boringtosoaringspeeches.c…

Booking Inquiries: https://stacypederson.info/contact

Mentioned: Nars Foundation: https://amzn.to/3glsX6D

Brio Logitech Camera: https://amzn.to/3v3GxRH

Microphone: https://amzn.to/3zdI2zZ

Ring Light: https://amzn.to/3v74LKQ

Stand for Ring Light and Also Camera: https://amzn.to/3w9mq5R

Sound Foam Panel: https://amzn.to/3pBs5PJ (WAY more than I paid. As I mentioned, I got mine on Facebook Marketplace and they are much larger.

Sound Curtains: Vocalboothtogo.com

Motivational Speaking: My Morning Routine When Speaking

https://youtu.be/vKg69eDLIjc

 

Above is a video that gives an overview of my morning routine for when I do motivational speaking for out of state events.

I have different routines I’ve developed over time to help get me prepared for a speaking event. One for later in the day events, night events, in-state, out of -state etc.

If you are new speaker or performer who is starting to travel you will develop your own over time.

I remember googling and trying to find ANYTHING that could give me an idea of what to do when I first started traveling as a motivational speaker. I found NOTHING. That’s why I made this first video for you.

If you’d like more videos on motivational speaking, performing (behind the scenes), then you can watch the video here and subscribe to my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/StacyPederson

Kindly, Stacy P.

Stacy is a Funny Motivational Keynote Speaker who has almost died a bunch. You can read more about her here.

Colorado top female keynote inspirational motivational speakers

How to Improve Your Speaking on Camera With These 4 Tips

You thought you did pretty good when you were speaking and THEN you watched yourself back….

And now you’re googling because you hated everything you saw in your video. I’m glad you stumbled onto this blog post, because I totally understand how you feel.

Hate Seeing Yourself Speaking on Camera

First, good job for making a decision to get better instead of folding up the ‘ol laptop and quitting. Second, there is a LOT that can be worked on but for this blog post we are only focusing on 4 things.

(When you get to # 4, you’ll see why.)

So – quiet on the set – let’s get started.

 

1. It’s normal to hate watching yourself on camera.

how look better when speaking on camera

Even famous actors hate themselves on camera. (Think Joaquin Phoenix storming out of an interview because they showed a clip of him. He refuses to watch himself.)

Unless you’re narcissistic, you don’t normally stare at yourself all day long every day to know what you actually look and sound like. You’re just walking around being you. When you see yourself on camera it’s a shock because you had no idea you look, sounded, or acted that way. And now you’re mortified. Don’t be.

I had an acting coach give me this wonderful advice that I still use to this day. Watch yourself five times. During those five times, stare at your nose, balk at your voice, etc. Get all the cringyness out of everything you see and don’t like about yourself.

THEN, when you’re sick of watching yourself, it’s time to now focus on the message.

Is the message you are conveying important?

Does it come across well? (Not you – the message.)

Is it helpful to someone who may watch it?

If the answer is, “yes” then it’s time to send it out into the world.

Ouch! ….But it’s the truth.

One of the key factors in speaking better on camera is nothing unique or new. It’s good old fashion practice. I know you would love to be perfect and polished the very first time you create a video or present virtually on camera. The truth is, you need to give yourself space and time to grow. This means risking being awkward or embarrassing.

Let’s just say, you are, in fact, truly horrible when speaking on camera. Then get focused, keep reading, practicing, learning and get help to get your first few videos off the ground.

 

 2. Don’t stare at yourself on the screen while speaking, stare THROUGH the camera lens.

speaking in camera virtual presentation tips

We get (or at least I get) distracted and want to stare at myself on Zoom or whatever platform I am speaking or recording on. I also stare at the people who are talking to me.

First, it’s ok to stare at the people talking to you on the screen.

Sounds ideal, however, if you’ve ever tried to take a group photo there’s always someone staring off into la la land. It’s not easy for your eyes to go back and forth and catch the lens. It’s also not easy to focus on one place for a long period of time.

I know it can be hard to suddenly stare at a lens, while speaking AND present well. It can be very jolting trying to keep your eyes focused on ONE thing while doing everything else your mind, body and voice are doing.

One thing I did to get outside of my head and stare at one place was to use sticky notes. I’d place a brightly colored sticky note on a kitchen cabinet, or my office wall. Then practice speaking/staring at it. When I was in the kitchen. I would also cook and clean. Why? If I had to stop and think, it meant I didn’t know my material well enough.

It simply takes practice to train your eyes not to roam all over the place or stare off to the side when you fall back into the thoughts. The more you “train” for it the easier it will become. I promise if you practice enough, you’ll eventually get to a place where you won’t ever think about it anymore.

3. If the fabric on your outfit looks like your Grandmother’s curtains, you probably shouldn’t wear it on camera.

wardrobe for better speaking on camera

The easier you make it for your audience to focus on you while speaking, the better and more apt they are to pay attention longer. If you are blending into a busy background, or your shirt looks like it belongs in the North Pole, you’re making it harder for audiences’ eyes to stay on you while you are speaking.

Think simple. Simple fabrics. Simple colors. Simple backgrounds. This makes YOU pop. This doesn’t mean “neutral” it means simple. You can wear a bright blue shirt, or a solid purple, etc. One color is best.

virtual speaking tips

Perhaps minus the crazy expression…..

I have a bright background and a bright outfit, but it’s only 2 colors. I also wear red lipstick even though it doesn’t match that great. It makes it easier for the audience to stare at me and pay attention.

-Plaid: No

-Birds, Bees and Blooms: No

-Loud patterns: Nope

-Shirts or hats with logos: Only if you have the companies permission

-Layers: Including scarves, jackets, hoodies – anything with lots of fabric: No

-Plunging necklines or open shirts: Please don’t.

-Neutrals: Maybe, but it has to stand out from your background

-All Black: Maybe, but not advised.

-Red: Maybe. but only if it’s your branding.

-Solid colors: Yep

-Simple fabrics: Yep

-Interesting necklines but not a lot of bling: Yep.

My biggest advice is to pay attention to commercials. You will almost always see very simple colors and plain shirts. They match the other actors or the set behind them in complimentary colors, not the same color. This helps you see their smile. (Commercials are all about the smile.)

You can also see upscale solid color outfit ideas by watching a soap opera. Honestly, I don’t even know what still exists out there, but they usually have upscale solids on with simple jewelry. Basically, if you want to present better on camera spend all day in front of the tv watching soap operas. Just don’t skip the commercials.

 

4. DON’T BE BORING!!! Connect with your audience emotionally.

You may think they all are on pins and needles ready to hear your content, but they’re actually not. Sigh. I know….not what you wanted to hear.

The only way to keep your audience –  is to relate to your audience. How do you relate to your audience? You connect with them emotionally. How do you connect with your audience emotionally? Glad you asked. Move on to paragraph #2.

Stories, images, humor, questions, these are all a GREAT places to start.

I want you to think about your favorite movie. I am guessing that the movie made you “feel” something. Whether that was an adrenalin rush, punched you in the gut kind of “moving”, or left you feeling warm and fuzzy.

The content was also of interest to you. Whether it was a period piece, a war zone, or a balcony in New York with two lonely people. you liked the information and setting that came with it.

You already have your content.

How do you add emotional aspects to your videos or virtual presentations? It’s listed in a few sentences above. Stories, images, humor, questions, etc..

Here are some examples of openings that can get your audience connected with you. These are not “virtual” examples, but the concept is relevant:

Humor: This one is mine. The first 5 minutes as my opener. My audience was all women, and the event was billed as a, “Mom’s Night Out”.

This is important because your opener works amazing if you tailor it to who your audience is. I would not give this opener in a tech conference or a leadership training on grit.

https://youtu.be/0bp5C6fVvQs

Here is an example of the use of a questions to get your audience engaged. This is Simon Sinek’s  famous Ted talk that starts with a series of questions. The questions require the audience to draw up images and memory, which also draws out emotion. You will see this strategy used a lot in Ted Talks.

The use of Apple brings the apple image logo to mind. Martin Luther King, JR., draws up memories – which draws out emotion.

https://youtu.be/qp0HIF3SfI4

Here is the use of literal emotion within storytelling. This is Brene Brown’s infamous Ted Talk on vulnerability. Her opener starts with a story where she literally labels feelings out loud. This helps the audience emotionally connect, because they feel those feelings, too. It also makes her more relatable because she is expressing her humanness and showing her literal vulnerability.

https://youtu.be/X4Qm9cGRub0

Finally, images. Slides with data do very little for audience engagement and audience retention. The odds of them remembering those facts a few days after your virtual presentation is not high. However, if an emotional image is attached, the concept or fact is much more likely to stay in their minds.

Here are some examples of photos I use instead of stats or quotes. Each of them evokes an emotion with the image.

I use this image  sometimes as an opener for my Stress talk.

This image is used in regards to the scientific proof of the power of positive relationships. Rather than give stats, I show this. This is easier to remember and more powerful, emotionally, compared to numbers.

Don’t we all sometimes? This photo is used when I speak on difficult relationships, including those in the workplace. It puts a slightly humorous spin on a negative experience or emotion we all have felt or been through.

Overwhelm. Burnout. If the audience has felt the way this woman has in the picture, they are more apt to pay attention to the solutions, compared to me giving stats on workplace burnout and why it’s costing money.

This image points out the “elephant in the room”. When I talk about accepting change in the workplace or starting something new and positive in your life, the truth is most of us feel overwhelmed on where to start. This image gives “sight” to that feeling so we can talk about how to overcome it

Strong word of advice. Do NOT steal images off of google or any other website/platform, etc. Purchase the rights to use them or take photos yourself. These are all adobe photos I have purchased, or have done on my own. Be ethical in your business. It pays off in the long run…

Why have I camped out so much on #4 on connecting emotionally? Because if you go back to tip #1, it’s really not about you when it comes to presenting or speaking on camera. It’s not about your hair or your background – it’s about the heart of your message and conveying that to the people you are trying to help in the best way possible.

By improving your speaking techniques on camera, whether that’s for an online course, YouTube or a live virtual presentation,

Want more tips? Get your FREE “10 Easy Ways to Look Good and Feel Great on Camera”.

You can purchase my online course here: “How to Be Good on Camera: An Easy Guide to Looking Good & Feeling Great on Video”.

Stacy Pederson is a Funny Motivational Keynote Speaker who has almost died a bunch. StacyPederson.com  She is also the founder of BoringtoSoaringSpeeches.com.

5 Mistakes You’re Making When You Give A Speech

Network Marketing MLM funny motivational inspirational corporate conference speaker humorist stacy pederson

I stumbled into becoming a funny speaker by complete accident. I have learned A LOT along the way. What I learned-I actually already knew. Let me explain:

I have a degree in theatre. What I learned and even taught when it came to theatre/acting performance, audience, communication, messaging, etc., has translated perfectly to the speaking world. All the rules seem to hold true for either mode of communication-acting or speaking.

It’s taken making a whole lot of mistakes and performing a loooot of really tough gigs to finally embrace who I am. I’m a performer with a message.

 

I’ve done free speaking gigs, drove hours for almost no-paying gigs, done back alley gigs, comedy gigs, county fair gigs, festival gigs. My cars broke down. Someone slipped something in my drink the last comedy club I performed at. I’ve traveled 12 hours one way to have the company never pay me. Been snowed in, iced in, dust-stormed in. (I choked on-stage during the dust storm-literally. I coughed and gagged on the dirt so much, I had to walk off after only 8 minutes.) I’ve bombed on stage. I’ve killed it-and a whole lot of in-between.

Now that you know some of my creds-here’s some huge mistakes from an actor’s perspective, I see other speakers make on stage. I’ve done several of these myself.

 

  1. Not Thinking from the Audience’s Perspective

Continue reading “5 Mistakes You’re Making When You Give A Speech”

How to Deal With Stage Fright When Giving a Speech

Stage fright sucks. I know because I have it. Despite having a degree in theatre, performing stand-up comedy and giving countless speeches in front of ultimately 1,000’s, that dreaded feeling of knots in my stomach before taking the stage, still occurs.

  1. Know What it is You’re Afraid of.

Being able to pin-point exactly what terrifies you, can help give you a game plan to combat stage fright.

So…what is it specifically that scares the snot out of you about speaking in front of an audience???

-Forgetting your lines?

-Falling off the stage?

-The simple act of people staring at you?

-Feeling vulnerable?

Continue reading “How to Deal With Stage Fright When Giving a Speech”

My Honest Experience with GigSalad and GigMasters

Speaking Gigs

Update 2024. I have my EXACT sales process I use on, “The Bash” (formerly Gigmasters) available on my on-line course website at BoringtoSoaringSpeeches.com.

You can find it here: https://app.kajabi.com/admin/offers/2149585513/checkout

 

**(Update-See Bottom of Post for Update Regarding My Experience With Each Through Covid.)**

I often see questions or threads regarding the validity of two online booking website, “GigMasters” and “GigSalad”. Gig

The Difference I Found Between the 2 Sites:

GigSalad:

Easy platform to use

-Most often much lower paying gigs compared to GigMasters

-Most gigs are direct inquiries so you are not competing against other people to be booked

-Easy to target certain areas of the country

-I met REALLY nice people who booked me through this platform that have become dear friends. Not sure why this site draws really personable people, but it does.

-You can contact the person making the inquiry before sending a bid. I ALWAYS contact them first to find out more about the event, budget, audience, etc. I really appreciate this feature.

GigMasters:

-Higher paying gigs. Often professional companies hiring through here.

-A lot of Gig requests come in due to their auto adding feature. I’ve booked several gigs from that.

-Have to bid against 5 or 10 other people without knowing who they are or what they charge. Rarely get direct inquiries.

-Can pay for a “featured” profile to bring more traffic. I have done that during peak hiring season.

Why I Invested in the Sites Originally:

-Although I have been performing for years as an actor (I have a degree in theatre), I stumbled into stand up and these two sites are how I started my career. I took every gig that came my way to learn the “ropes” and get paid while doing it. It forced me to learn the business side of performing very quickly and taught me a lot about events, professionalism, what my niche was, and what people need from you in order to book you. It was my fast track way of becoming a professional.

-If you google my name, Stacy Pederson, the sites make me look important and gives me clout.

-They gave me backlinks to my website

-As a speaker and clean comedian,  was an easy way to get gigs without me having to self promote and sell myself, which I am utterly TERRIBLE at.

-By researching who else was on the site, I learned who my peers were which allowed me to make great, very dear to my heart, connections.

Things I Learned from the Gigs I Booked:

-Most people booking off of these sites honestly don’t know the ins and outs of putting on events. They’re not jerks-they just don’t know. You have to be VERY specific about your needs when it comes to sound, audience set up, sound checks, staging, etc. because most are not professional meeting/conference/wedding/or party planners. They don’t think about noise levels, audience size, or the flow of events. You are often walking into a difficult situation when it comes to how the event has been set up physically and flow wise. You have to be quick on your feet to make adjustments and flexible in working with them to get things in order before a show. Another words, you NEVER know what you are walking in to. This can get old after a while, but it also makes you wiser and more professional at what you do.

-I hate outdoor events. Hate them. Sound is terrible. Audience is too far away and distracted. You can’t control the environment or the elements. They suck and I have to REALLY be talked into it-Like R-E-A-L-L-Y talked into it to even considering it.

-I’m not right for everyone. I turn down, or refer out, approximately 95% of the gig requests that come my way now. I know what my niche is, the type of audience I am right for, and what I’m willing and not willing to be paid. It took A LOT of learning and doing every bad gig (boy do I have stories) to get to this point.

Should You Invest in These Sites:

It depends. I’ll say right off the bat, if you are strictly a speaker I don’t think it’s worth it. If you scroll through other speakers’ profiles on the sites, you’ll see most don’t make decent money off of their bookings.

You Should Invest in the Sites IF:

-You can also invest in professional photos. If not-wait. Spend the money on the photos first, THEN spend the $ on the sites.

-You can invest in a website. You need additional social proof when you are trying to outbid others.

-You are able and willing to respond NO LATER than 12 hours to each gig request. If you really want to book, you need to be able to respond as soon as possible. During peak season, it can be annoying because your phone is going off all the time with text alerts that you NEED TO RESPOND TO. (Yes, that can be exciting, BUT if you’re busy doing another gig or just life it can be a challenge keeping up.)

-You need to be able to follow through with paperwork. If follow through is not your strong point-than I’m sorry to be blunt-but you’re going to have a tough road making money at whatever it is you’re doing. You need to be able to get contracts, promotional material, W-9’s, etc., in a timely manner from when a person requests it. I sometime struggle with the details (ok a lot of times) but I DO IT ANYWAY. I’ve learned I can’t book too many gigs in a short time because I don’t keep up well with all the paperwork and communication. I get confused over who needs what, and details slip through the cracks if I overbook myself.   (I can’t WAIT until I am able to hire an assistant. I’ll be able to take more gigs, be less stressed, and focus more on my presentations and communication that counts.)

-You need to be honest and utilize their contract system and pay them their fee. It’s for your benefit in the long run.

-You need to be good at what you do. I didn’t say great, but you need to be decent. Solid. Prepared. Professional.

You need to be nice. You also need to be flexible. You need to be good under pressure. You need to have a “How can I help THEM have the best event possible even if it’s an inconvenience to my comfort” mindset.

-You need to be willing to learn. I spent A LOT of time investing, not just learning about my craft, but learning about the business. How to bid and win, what people want and need, how to dress, present yourself professionally, keep tabs on your equipment and even how to travel inexpensively and efficiently. I’m always learning, reading, researching, and rehearsing. Daily. It’s annoying sometimes…but this is business.

-You’ll eventually need video.

If you have or are willing to do the above things, I say, “Yes” invest in the sites. The above things will set you up for success and your investment will more than pay off.

Will I Personally Continue Using the Sites:

Both my annual dues are coming up and, to be honest, I’m debating. I’m at a different place in my career where I’ve discovered being a humorist (funny speaker) is much more rewarding to me than just being funny. I want to entertain, but I also want to deliver meaning to the audience. Both sites don’t bode too well for booking those types of speaking events. I’ve also done so many hard gigs to learn the ropes that I’m not willing to take any and all gigs anymore. This past year I stopped taking most gigs that came through these sites, as I mentioned above, because of that. Both sites served me VERY well in the beginning and I’m FOREVER grateful for them. I’m just not sure they’re still worth the financial investment for me anymore in attracting the right type of clients for my new niche.  I’d love people’s thoughts and opinions on this.

 

Covid 19, 2020/2021 Update on My Experience.

Let’s just say neither was pleasant. 2020 was going to be my “best year ever”. I had some really great events on the books. In three days time, March 2020, I lost all but two of them. The phone just kept ringing and my calendar just ket deleting.

Being in comedy, I wasn’t super excited about pivoting to virtual right away. With my experience as an actress, I knew that the timing for live vs the timing for camera is very very different. It honestly took me several months, and zero income to get me to jump on board.

It’s gone well since. My experience with acting and camera work REALLY helped my virtual presentations/performances. So much so, I started a side business teaching it. (You can see it here: Boringtosoaringspeeches.com)

However, my experience with GigSalad and GigMasters was not pleasant. I was spoiled because I also have an account with ESpeakers.com.

Speakers was freaking amazing. I have a professional level account. (Not cheap.) I love it because of the amount of details I can put in regarding an event, from trip plans to what I wore, to bits I performed. Espeakers is double GigMasters price but they treated us like kings and queens.

They first implemented several months of ZERO charges. Then they implemented “virtual speaking certifications”. You couldn’t just say you could do virtual, you had to actually do a live test with them for it. They tested website speed, kicked you off Zoom and gave you 60 seconds to get back on, checked your lighting, sound, etc., then recorded a small clip for you to post of your presentation. If you passed, you were given a “virtual badge” for your profile then placed us in a Facebook group where we could learn from each other on how we were doing our virtual events.

This gave event planners peace of mind when hiring you because they knew your virtual capability was good.

THEN, the Espeakers pro level account is only paid once a year. They allowed us to break it into monthly amounts PLUS gave us a monthly discount for a year.

GigSalad did absolutely nothing. I no longer have a paid account – just the free version.

Around the end of July I got an email from GigMasters for a one on one call. This was the first time I’ve ever heard from them. I did. They gave me a discount if I re-upped my pro. I thought about it but didn’t really want to. The pandemic had been going on a while and they offered no discounts or help for several months – at least to me personally. I even reached out to them on LinkedIn to say people were not happy with their lack of response to the pandemic. I never heard anything from them.

I finally chose to go ahead and re-up. I get leads. I’m just not super excited about the customer care as a company with GigMasters. I received such special, helpful, encouraging treatment from other companies I use in my business, such as Tripit, Espeakers, Clear, and National Speakers Association. They all went above and beyond.

I would say if you are just starting out, needing experience and reviews, GigSalad and GigMasters are great place to start. I just wouldn’t rely on that as your sole place of leads for your business. If you have experience, have videos, reviews, and are able to charge more than a $500-$1,000+ per event, I would skip GigSalad.

Here is a GigMasters sign up link if you are interested. (It is an affiliate link): https://www.thebash.com/signup?referralCode=M94090

You can Subscribe to my YouTube Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGaaeAPT9-y6y-A9J30qG2Q

(I’ll be posting more speaker and business tips for entertainers wanting to break into the corporate market on youtube.)

Here is a FREE guide to becoming more comfortable on camera if you have pivoted to offering virtual, as well: https://www.boringtosoaringspeeches.com/pl/199750