Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Dr. Kevin Snyder, International Keynote Speaker and Author, located in Raleigh, NC, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

I speak professionally full-time and also coach speakers who want to speak professionally. My clients are primarily organization executives and meeting planners who are seeking a dynamic speaker to motivate their employees and association members. I also speak to youth at schools and colleges who are hosting events for students. As it relates to my speaker coaching, I have programs that train speakers on how to develop powerful speeches and find PAID speaking engagements. If they are successful with a few consistent PAID engagements, then they are ready to build a speaking business.

Tell us about yourself

I remember being in college and attending a leadership event listening to an incredible speaker. He really inspired me. I didn't think about speaking for myself at the time, but I remember feeling that a seed was planted. In my first job working at a college campus, part of my job description was presenting various leadership workshops for students. As I continually presented, I got better and better. Long story short, I started presenting at conferences I was also attending for my job. When students started asking me to speak at other college campuses and asked me what my speaking fee was, I knew I was on to something new. I never started speaking for the money, but when speaking just 2-3 times per month matched my full-time salary, I was ready to make the shift full-time into professional speaking. I resigned from my full-time job as a Dean of Students in 2012, and I have never looked back. To date, I've presented for over 1,500 organizations in all 50 states and several countries. I'm truly honored and inspired to share insights, and a leadership framework that I feel authentically inspires people to be better supervisors, employees, students, and humans. Speaking is my calling, and I also enjoy helping other people with a calling to speak know how to develop a powerful presentation and find paid speaking opportunities so they can do what I do now.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Great speakers make professional speaking look easy, but it's not. Most of it is in the backend of how to run a successful business. Yet all the audience sees is the 1% in front of them. It's not much different than a baker knowing how to run a successful bakery. Just because they like to bake cakes doesn't mean they know how to run a business. So I'm proud that I've been able to create a speaking system and business that works for me. I help other speakers tailor my process so they can make it their own. I'm also damn proud I not only survived the covid pandemic but that my speaking business thrived. I built a virtual speaking studio upstairs in my house, and I stayed busy the entire time. Most of my speaking engagements next year have come from my continued work this past year. I'm also really proud to have published several books and presented multiple TEDx talks. All of this has been made possible through my speaking in some form or fashion.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

That no one sees the hidden work and investment behind the scenes, a great speech is curated, like an artist paints. It's the preparation behind the scenes. Any great speaker is an artist, and the audience is their canvas. Also, the greatest speakers are the greatest storytellers, with a point. The greatest professional speakers are the greatest problem solvers! Most speakers I work with struggle at first because they don't know how to craft a great story that solves a specific problem for an audience. I love helping them realize how to outline and craft an empowering speech.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Find someone who is doing what you want to do. Study them. Follow them. Hire them to coach you. The best athletes have multiple coaches. Every business owner should have coaches too. You have blindspots you're not even aware of, and a coach will help you avoid them so you don't step into them. They have already made the mistakes you will make. Learn from them first.
  2. Surround yourself with others doing what you want to do. If it's speaking, find a chapter of the National Speakers Association (NSA). I currently serve on the Board for NSA Carolinas.
  3. Your ROI (return on investment) is determined by your ROC (rate of commitment). Do not try to do too many different things at once. I commonly see entrepreneurs and especially emerging speakers trying to ride four horses at once. It's impossible. Focus. Don't work on vision #2 until vision #1 is in action. If you've committed to too many things, it's impossible to follow through on what it takes to accomplish what's needed.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.kevincsnyder.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KevinCSnyderSpeaker/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevincsnyder/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevincsnyder
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevincsnyderspeaker/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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