It's embarrassing to say... but I postponed publishing my first social media post for 7 years 🥲

(if you’ve been overthinking posting online – or felt like “I’m good at my work, but I don’t know how to show it” – keep reading.)

So yeah... Seven. Frigging. Years.

Not because I had nothing to say.
Not because I wasn’t good at what I did.

But because I was afraid of:

• Being judged
• Sounding stupid
• “Not being ready yet”
• Posting the wrong thing
• Being visible before I felt confident

But eventually, I realized something:

Staying invisible was costing me more than being imperfect ever could.

Opportunities. Clients. Confidence. Momentum.

I knew I was meant for more than my 9-5 could offer me, so I started posting anyway – awkwardly, imperfectly, learning as I went.

Now, 2.5 years later, I have:

✔ Published 200+ posts on social media
✔ Gained 5,000+ followers across LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube
✔ Reached 1.16 Million views

...and today, I help experts and service-based specialists do what I struggled with for years:

👉 Turn their knowledge into a clear, visible, trusted online presence
👉 Speak confidently on camera (even if they hate filming)
👉 Write content that sounds like them, not AI-generated fluff
👉 Create posts, carousels & videos that build trust, not just likes

No influencer tactics.
No fake engagement pods.
No “let's-post-for-30-days-and-then-never-again" challenges.

So if you're interested in my approach, keep reading.

WHO I'M WORKING WITH

I work with people who are:

• Great at what they do 
• Early in sharing their expertise publicly
• Thinking about starting a side hustle / growing their own service

Like entrepreneurs, health professionals, consultants, photographers, developers, creatives, educators, marketers, beauty & wellness specialists, personal trainers, accountants – you name it.

So far, I’ve helped 370+ professionals and teams get seen, trusted, and taken seriously online – through live cohorts, 1:1 consulting, and corporate LinkedIn workshops.

HOW YOU CAN WORK WITH ME

👉 The "Just Post It!" Academy
↳ A 5-week, hands-on LIVE online course where you publish real content, build confidence on camera, and finally show up online – consistently. (link in Featured section)
👉 LinkedIn & visibility workshops for teams (online or in-person)
👉 1:1 consulting (limited availability)

So... if this resonated, send me a message and tell me:

• what you do
• where you feel stuck
• what you want people to know you for

I’ll point you in the right direction.

P.S. When in doubt, just post it ;)

– Kristo

Kristo Olli

I've used LinkedIn Premium for 500+ days and paid over $1,000 for it... but for 95% of people, I would not recommend it.

(I hope LinkedIn won't ban me for that take 😅)

You see... out of everything Premium offers, I've used exactly 1 feature consistently.

Just one 🫠

And I kept a detailed log of what actually changed. Profile views. Reach. Opportunities.

And honestly, the results surprised me, because it's quite different from what LinkedIn's marketing suggests.

In my latest YouTube video, I break down:

- What Premium Business actually gives you
- Who should buy it (and who shouldn't)
- The only feature I used

Honest. No fluff. Just 500 days of actual experience.

Link's here 👉🏼 https://lnkd.in/dDq_BEjr 

P.S. Have you used LinkedIn Premium? Are you happy with it?

Helped 400+ professionals get seen & trusted on social media → Will you be next? | LinkedIn & social media marketing courses for personal brands and companies | Read my “Just Post It!” newsletter ↓

LinkedIn Premium review – is LinkedIn Premium worth it? by Kristo Olli

I've gone all-in with written content on LinkedIn for the last 2.5 years, publishing 200+ posts and growing my follower base to over 5,300 followers.

In 2026, I'm challenging myself to do the same with video content.

I've been quietly posting on YouTube... And now I'm inviting you to subscribe.

(Link: https://lnkd.in/duT46g_T )

LinkedIn is great for quick insights. But some topics deserve more depth.

On YouTube, I'm talking about stuff that lights me up the most:

• Speaking on camera without sounding robotic
• How to become the go-to expert in your niche
• Content creation (video and text) tips and insights
• How to start posting on social media to boost your career/business

Think of it as the extended cut of what I share here.

No fluff. No clickbait thumbnails. Just honest breakdowns of what actually works when you're building your presence on social media.

And if you're wondering... No, I'm not neglecting LinkedIn.

I'm just finding other mediums to share my passions and creativity – to fill my cup and become a better creator and coach.

You can subscribe here: https://lnkd.in/duT46g_T 

Thanks! :)
Kristo

Your camera roll has 8,470 vacation photos.

But how many from building your career? Probably zero.

And this is a HUGE missed opportunity.

Think about the moments you've never captured:

- The first time you pitched your idea to someone
- The messy desk at midnight before a big deadline
- The shaky voice before your first presentation
- The moment you almost gave up but didn't

Those moments feel too small to document... But they're actually the most powerful content you'll ever create.

Not because they're polished. Because they're true.

Behind-the-scenes content does 3 things nothing else can:

1️⃣ Shows you've actually done the work, not just talked about it
2️⃣ Reminds you how far you've come on hard days
3️⃣ Builds real trust with people who see themselves in your story

So what's stopping you?

Your $1,000 phone is in your pocket right now... and you're probably using it for everything except the stuff that actually matters.

Start capturing the real moments.

The messy ones. The proud ones. The scary ones.

Future you will be grateful + Your audience will connect deeper.

P.S. What's one moment from your journey you wish you had documented?

P.P.S. Here's me right after publishing my 1st LinkedIn post in October 2023, wearing the Hormozi cap for extra "let's-freaking-do-it" encouragement boost 😅

Kristo Olli wearing Alex Hormozi's Acquisition.com cap and publishing his first LinkedIn post.

You're sharing the wrong thing on LinkedIn 😬

Not bad content – just the wrong stage of it.

Your work = the polished final product
You working = the messy, real process

And guess what people actually connect with?

The process. Every single time.

Here's why this matters:

→ Finished work feels distant and untouchable
→ The process feels human and relatable
→ People don't just want to see what you made
→ They want to see how you think

What this looks like in practice:

❌ Consultant: Don't just post the final client presentation
✅ Consultant: Post your messy whiteboard framework you're sketching out

❌ HR Manager: Don't just share the polished job description
✅ HR Manager: Share the tough interview question you're testing right now

❌ Marketing Specialist: Don't just announce campaign wins
✅ Marketing Specialist: Share the A/B test that just failed and what you learned

The irony?

Most of us wait until everything is perfect before we post... But perfection is exactly what makes people scroll past.

Your unfinished work, your process, your thinking out loud – that's what stops the scroll.

That's what builds trust.

You don't need another polished case study.
You need to show up as a real person doing real work.

Start sharing the journey, not just the destination.

P.S. What's one thing you're working on right now that you could share today?

Remote work / home office gif by Kristo Olli – Content creation and personal branding coach. "Don't only share your work – Share you working."

Most experts don’t need more knowledge → They need to express it better.

Vote below so I can create content that helps you get seen and attract more opportunities in your life and career 👇

And if there's anything else you'd like to master this year, share in the comments – let's see what I can do ;)

If you could master one skill in 2026 that would make people see your expertise… what would it be?

Public Speaking & Communication Coach - helping leaders and teams transform their meetings, presentations and pitches!

Hey. Wanna hear a story? 

When I was 7 years old, I became a professional actor.

My first audition was for a lead role in a movie with Oscar Winner Anne Bancroft, and I got it.

This wild stroke of luck started a childhood acting career which included:

- 30+ film, TV, & theatre credits
- the lead role on YTV’s “Screech Owls”
- & constantly getting recognized as “that nerd from Life With Derek” (please don’t Google that)

I planned to go to theatre school, get some “real training”, and start my life as a movie star.

But when I was 17, my life broke apart.

My little brother Lukey died while on a canoe trip in Northern Canada.

I was destroyed. I turned to weed, alcohol, and eventually cocaine to try and forget the pain I was in.

I went to theatre school as planned, but my mental health was so bad I barely graduated, and quit acting after a year of living life as a working actor, i.e. waking up at 2 pm, working in nightlife to afford rent & substances, and going to the odd audition but getting very few parts.

So I ran away.

First to Spain, then to China, where I discovered teaching and entrepreneurship, respectively. This made me more confident, but I was still depressed, anxious, and self-medicating.

When I came back to Canada, I went to therapy, quit doing drugs and drinking, and eventually realized:

The more I told my story, the better I felt, and the more success I had. And I had the skills to teach others to do the same, onstage, in person, and online.

So I became a speaker & a storytelling coach. Since then:

- ~300 talks for Google, Remax, Boston Dynamics, & more
- 30+ leadership dev. cohorts for Ericsson, Wayfair, Bird Construction & more
- Helped tech founders raise $350 million thru TechStars, DMZ, Founder Institute
- Coached over 5000 individuals worldwide
- Published a book 
- Scaled my service biz to $250K 
- And multiple speaking / business awards, including “Best Small Coaching Biz in Canada” in 2024, and a "Highly Commended Speaker Award" in 2025.

But the things that make me happiest are: my wife, my 2 daughters, and my psychopathic Corgi Mathilda. 

AND my current missions:

1. Living my life as honestly as I can, in a way my brother would be proud of
2.Teaching aspiring speakers to create their Signature Workshop based on their Origin Story (vs trying to start out as a "keynote speaker")
3. Helping leaders & teams earn trust by vulnerably sharing their 3-Act Origin Story (currently writing that book).

DM me for availability, questions about any of the above, or partnering up. I hope to hear your story one day 🙏

Will Greenblatt

I can't stop thinking about this video.

Eric Dane died last Thursday from ALS. He was an actor, famous from Grey's Anatomy, though I didn't know his name until I saw the video.

But I was completely transfixed from the moment he started talking.

It's a message to his daughters, filmed by Netflix, only to be released after his death, called "Famous Last Words."

It's one of the most beautiful speeches I think I've ever seen. 

I don't wanna summarize it, or give you any "golden nuggets". Just watch it, if you've got the capacity (and 6 minutes):

https://lnkd.in/gd6A8b92

What an incredible gift he gave his daughters, and the whole world really with these words, spoken himself despite the obvious difficulty.

Gonna be processing this for a while.

Recovering child actor 😂 I help coaches become paid speakers | ALSO, my workshops help remote teams build trust and connection | DM me if you’re a real human

When I posted about my daughter's seizures a month ago, I got just the most beautiful, supportive, life-affirming messages. Yes, on LinkedIn.

(Fuck "professionalism" btw, that shit is over. Being a real person is so much more fun and less exhausting)

We got some good news which I wanted to share cause ppl have DM'd me and I thought you'd like to know:

All of her tests came back negative! ❤️ 

Her seizures are most likely Myoclonic epilepsy of infancy (MEI), which are not threatening to her brain health, and usually go away by themselves within 6 months up to a couple years. 

She won't even need medication.

They're not fun to watch, but I feel so lucky.

A lot of people messaged me saying that they or their kids experienced the same thing.

Some ppl said they have more severe epilepsy, or family members who do.

Some ppl just alluded to carrying grief, pain and secrets, but were so kind and thankful in their messages.

Like always when I share, I see again the staggering gap between what people carry, and what they share, and how one person sharing can help close the gap for everyone.

I'm so grateful for the news that my daughter isn't in any immediate danger, and grateful that allowing myself to be a real person on the internet brought out the good side of humanity. 

Maybe people on Facebook would've told me to go fuck myself, who knows, but I doubt it.

Thank you everyone who asked, commented your story or even just a supportive comment / Support emoji. 

(You Laugh-reacters, you're dead to me. Just kidding, no one laughed, can you imagine??)

Seriously, thank you, and be gentle with yourself and other people, we're all carrying a mountain of shit.

Love you all ❤️

Absolutely THRUMBLED to announce that I'm speaking at CIX Summit on March 25!

And by speaking, I mean:

They asked me to co-host an "Advisor Hour" with my buddy Ryan Correia, helping startup founders with their investor pitches.

So, technically, we WILL be "speaking," as in "making sounds with our faces."

But I thought I'd take this opportunity to EMBELLISH this unpaid gig, to make you think I'm much more important and in-demand than I actually am, in the hopes that perception will soon become reality and I can charge many more thousands of collectively fictional value-units for making more sounds with my face on bigger stages.

"Lie till you die," that's what I say! (or is it "Fake it till you make it?" I can't keep track of all the advice slogans)

Anyway, if you want more tips on how to manipulate your way into the speaking industry, follow me for:

- 70% helpful content
- 30% satirical shitposting

Which one does THIS post fall under?? Engage below, friends and spam-bots 👇

Money is cool, but have you ever made your kid laugh so hard they start to shake silently, as they gear up for a massive scream-giggle while you tickle them and they shriek “Daddy!!!” and you feel like the funniest person in the whole world and, just, maybe for this one second, you’re allowed to enjoy being alive without guilt, fear, panic, self-doubt or shame?

Yeah, me neither.

LET’S GET THIS PAPER GUYS, Q2 IS UPON US, DROP YOUR DREAM YACHT MAKE AND MODEL IN THE COMMENTS, IF I GET RICH ENOUGH I WILL NEVER DIE!!!

The real money for speakers is not in keynotes at conferences. 

It's in consulting services for organizations.

I made over $220,000 lifetime from my biggest corporate client Wayfair, running 20+ group communication cohorts across their global workforce.

I've done less lucrative but similar programs with companies like Boston Dynamics, REMAX, and Bird Construction.

My friend Mark Leruste 🎤, who's been at this way longer and is much more successful and handsome than me, recently told me:

"I did a workshop for a team, and many of the senior L&D leaders in the org were there; now they're trying to figure out how they can bring me in."

He confirmed something key:

Workshops can act as a POINT OF ENTRY to bigger organizations.

They have the budget, they have the headcount, and they have the problems that you can help them solve.

And seeing you deliver a workshop, where you help their teams solve a problem and answer their questions, is the perfect demonstration of how you could help them in the longer-term.

If you're a coach, consultant, or service-based solopreneur: 

Consider approaching companies with a free or low-cost workshop.

Ideally, it's a Signature Workshop that you can do again & again, honing it to perfection, and is a great PREVIEW of your skills and services.

Once they see you - if you're good at what you do - they'll want more.

Just be ready with a services offer when they ask you afterwards.

P.S. DM or comment COHORT to learn about my upcoming "Create Your Signature Workshop" cohort. 

It's happening 1st week of March, and spots are limited. Just so, ya know, YOU KNOW.

HUGE news you guys:

Absolutely THRUMBLED to announce the release of my new acapella single:

“LinkedIn Friends” 🔥

Available only here, in this weird video.

Inspired by my lunch with Ben Wise, who I never met in person before today, but now feel as though I’m ready for our families to go canoe tripping together.

(Just kidding Ben. Unless you’re not??)

That’s the power of LinkedIn™️ Friends®️

P.S. You’re welcome for this banger everyone

Anyone who's ever tried to raise bilingual kids knows how hard it is.

For the non-dominant language, i.e. the one that isn't spoken where you live, it becomes a chore and annoying for the kid, who just wants to speak without working too hard.

And I'm learning my wife's language too (Urdu) but I'm not fluent yet, so I know:

It's so easy to default to "understanding but not speaking", or "receptive biligualism"; 

But I want both myself and my daughters to be fully fluent.

So that's why my wife (who's way too private and misanthropic to build an online audience which is why I'm promoting it here) is doing a really cool thing:

An Urdu / Hindi song & story circle for kids in downtown Toronto 

We'll sing songs, recite nursery rhymes, tell stories all in Urdu/Hindi, and come together with other Pakistani and Indian parents who don't want their kids to lose the language, and might be hungry for a little 3rd-culture community too

https://lnkd.in/ebzWKaf9

Feel free to DM me for details if this is interesting to you ❤️ 

Thanks for indulging the break in my regularly scheduled programming, back to it tomorrow!

Open article: Urdu/ Hindi Song and Story Circle by eventbrite.com

I have a ton of unfair advantages as a professional  speaker:

• I started acting professionally at age 7 
• Over 30 parts in film, TV & theatre 
• Trained at the National Theatre School of Canada
• Spent countless hours auditioning, rehearsing, and working with acting coaches

... all before I ever took the stage as an actual "speaker."

Not only that: 

Since then, I've done over 300 talks for at least 5000 audience members, in 6 countries, for some of the biggest companies on planet earth like Google and Remax.

And GUESS WHAT.

I still get stage fright, every single time.

It's less severe than it used to be, and I've developed amazing strategies for it, which I can - and do - share with anyone who asks.

But just so you know:

No amount of training or prep will "conquer" stage fright.

You gotta get up there and get your reps in.

Experience the moment of all eyes on you, thinking: "Oh shit, I'm gonna die."

And then you don't die! And your body goes, "Ok, I guess we didn't die THIS time. Next time, I'll be 0.001% less panicked, ok?"

Then, you do that a thousand times. 

So you may as well start now!

Ya know, if you ever wanna be a great speaker. If not then don't worry about any of this, it doesn't affect you.

P.S. Thanks to Dustin Siggins and Renee Lynn Frojo for the LinkedIn Live. Coupla beauties right there 👏

Ok LinkedIn, enough is enough:

Your Reaction emojis are grossly insufficient. 

Both in number and nuance. ESPECIALLY since AI slop, AI headlines, and AI-apologism posts have flooded our feeds. 

So:

Consider this a formal petition to add at least THREE of the following emojis as Reaction options, to more accurately represent how we might be feeling when we read shit like this:

- 🫤 
- 🥱
- 😒 
- 🥲 
- 🙄
- 🧐 
- 🤥
- 🫠
- 🤢  
- 🤮 
- 😡 
- 🤬 

C'mon LinkedIn. It's way past time. 

Do the right thing *Celebrate emoji*

P.S. To sign this petition, please submit your top 3 contenders in the comments (or any that I might have overlooked) and let's get this thing all the way to the top!

*Rocketship emoji*

If you’re an aspiring speaker, you probably wanna know:

"How do I get paid speaking gigs?"

The problem with questions like this is, the answers are basically worthless. 

Especially these days:

You can type the question into any LLM, and they'll scan the entire internet in seconds and spit out more or less the right answers:

- get really clear on your positioning
- find a profitable niche
- build a professional website that reflects all that
- collect social proof & footage of you onstage
- find events 3-6 months away, and cold email the organizer
- learn how to write a good talk proposal
- reach out to your network and ask for referrals
- attend local events / join associations
- write a book

And on and on and on. All true btw.

(No robots were used for this post, though. That's a promise I can make to you for ALL my posts, at least until the Sam Altman becomes Global Emperor)

The point is:

You can have all the information, but unless you have a simple clear STRATEGY, you're unlikely to follow through on any of it.

It's too much.

That's why I focus on the Free-To-Fee Method:

It's a distinct series of steps, to help you with:

✅ validating your talk idea
✅ clarifying your messaging 
✅ building relationships with decision-makers
✅ doing the new talk for free with no expectations
✅ and collecting proof to confidently charge what your workshop is worth for future outreach efforts

Minson Vo, Kevin Green, and others have all used this and sent me the results.

It works, cause it’s free. But then:

You get FEE. 💪

(If it weren’t true, it wouldn’t rhyme.)

Try this out, and REPOST to hook a brother up ♻️ 

P.S. DM me "COHORT" to learn about my Signature Workshop... cohort, where you and 4 other people will go through the Free To Fee Method with me to make sure you get the results you need.

If you're going to make a living as a speaker, chances are:

The bulk of it won't come from "keynotes."

It'll come from "long-term training relationships" with corporate or enterprise clients.

Here's what that could look like:

- I had an ongoing training relationship with Wayfair from 2019-2022, running training cohorts of 6-12 ppl. An LTV of over $220,000 in revenue

- I did a Signature Workshop for Boston Dynamics, and leveraged that into 2 different leadership cohorts for both the Legal & Talent Acquisition departments. All told, about $36K (plus I got to see Spot go up the stairs once. He's a creepy little bastard but kinda cute)

- Bree Aesie used my "Signature Workshop Structure" for a corporate workshop in Spain ➜ that turned into a keynote ➜ which turned into a $32K "year-long training program"

For most keynote speakers:

- An event pays you a fraction of your worth
- OR they pay you nothing at all
- OR they would like YOU to pay, for the PRIVILEGE of entertaining and educating their audience 🥲 

The best way to get paid to speak - in my humble opinion yada yada - is to become a 'preferred 3rd-party vendor' who runs workshops.

Ideally, for a large org that:

- has money
- gives you credibility as a client
- invests in learning & development
- and loves you, what you do, & how you do it

This is the strategy I teach in my Signature Workshop Cohort, launching tomorrow.

Like they say in some recovery programs:

"It works if you work it."

(I'm not allowed to say how I know that)

So, as always:

F*ck keynotes. (For you.) (For now.)

(Or "FKFYFN," for a totally unnecessary acronym) (Or a "TUA")

P.S. 2 spots left before my cohort sells out. If you've been thinking about it, now's the time to let me know!

😘 

(Pic: Running a development cohort of virtual workshops for Bloom Burton & Co. during the pandemic)

How to structure the perfect workshop:

I've run almost 300 of these bad boys (workshops), and I've stewed this particular structure to a delicious, robust, & value-taining perfection.

(Obviously, nothing and nobody is truly perfect. You're an adult, you should know that by now.)

This “Signature Workshop”structure will help you, though:

✅  grab the audience's attention right away
✅  keep it throughout
✅  get some of the best feedback of your life
✅  make your client look great for booking you
✅  have a repeatable talk, that you can tweak
✅  and increase your chances of getting hired again

Would you like some proof that this works, for someone other than myself? 

Huh, wouldya??

Well today, Bree Aesie told me she:

• Had a corporate workshop coming up; wasn't sure about it

• Used this Signature Workshop structure

• Got instant positive feedback, and ppl coming up to her afterward, especially connecting to her 3-Act Origin Story (the foundation of this structure):

https://lnkd.in/guCY_WTP

• "Word went up the ladder" and she was invited to be the keynote speaker at the company's event

• She turned that into a "year-long training program for €20,000" (or approx. $37 billion Canadian)

So: 

Use this structure for your next workshop, and watch the admiration and European currency pour in!

P.S. DM me or comment "COHORT" if you'd like to join my "Create Your Signature Workshop"... cohort, starting next week.

There are only 4 spots left (just so you know how DIRE the situation is)

P.P.S. 😘

How To Structure Your Signature Workshop

There are 2 kinds of unsolicited testimonials I love getting:

1. "That thing meant a lot to me" 
2. "That thing I paid you to help me achieve, happened!" 

First off:

Madi Waggoner took my Signature Workshop course.

On Zoom we explored her WHY, through her Origin Story.

I asked her why she used the word "visibility" so much. Did she feel visible as a kid?

She said no. The opposite: She always had to hide.

This felt like an important revelation to me. Last week, I got a lovely voice note letting me know that Madi felt the same way.

On March 11, she'll be running her Signature Workshop:

"Stop Hiding By Default: How to be visible in remote working spaces"

----------------------------

Story number 2 (ice-cold, rock-hard RESULTS, baby):

Jason H. Grice is a massive, hulking man. 

And the kindest dude you could ever hope to meet.

Together, we came up with his 3-word brand: "Emotional Support Gorilla" 😆 ❤️ 

Now, after following my Free-To-Fee Method: 

He got his FIRST SPEAKING GIG!  

It's for a professional association conference in December. 

(Association conferences are great, cause the room is filled with heads of the local chapters who can all hire you)

It's unpaid, but part of the plan:

i. Get onstage
ii. Build proof & relationships
iii. Charge your worth with confidence

As Simone Vincenzi said (Or Maria Franzoni?)

"The best way to get paid to be onstage, is to be seen onstage."

That means, if you're still establishing yourself:

FREE first. Then FEE. 

(I still speak for free sometimes, after almost 10 years.)

--------------------------------

Whew, you made it! 

Proud of both of us. Here's what I'd like you to do:

1. DM me or comment COHORT to learn about my upcoming 8-week Signature Workshop cohort (that's why I chose the word "COHORT")

It starts next week, and there's 4 spots left. 

2. Follow Madi and Jason, especially if you're someone who books speakers. They're both incredible storytellers and professional as hell (unlike me).

K bye 😘

If you finish running a workshop and NOBODY asks you to speak at another event, it might be because:

1. You never clarified your Big Idea
2. You didn't teach your audience something to IMPLEMENT it.

For context:

After 9 years speaking & over 300 workshops, I've learned:

- Every talk needs a Big Idea (workshops especially)
- Good workshop speakers state their Big Idea *explicitly*
- GREAT workshop speakers ALSO TEACH the audience a simple exercise or framework to APPLY it
- And, if you DON'T do all that: 

You'll struggle to get traction in a very competitive & crowded industry, filled with astronauts, celebrities, even world leaders and shit

ANYHOO:

Here are some examples of Big Ideas + Exercises:

1️⃣ In 2018, listening to the speaker before me, I heard Dandapani Satgunasingam say:

"Most people can't concentrate for 2 reasons: 

1) They have never been taught to concentrate
2) They don't practice concentration"

... Then he taught us a simple mindfulness meditation to practice our concentration with. 

I had to follow him, which was not at all fair.

But I use it to this day.

2️⃣ Kim Scott, in her TED Talk, asked:

"How can you say what you mean, without being mean?"

Then, she teaches the now-famous Radical Candour framework.

(If you don't know it, you should!)

3️⃣ Finally, as my buddy in speaking Caleb Spitler, says:

"Most business problems are communication problems." 

Then, he teaches teams how to communicate better.

(I haven't actually seen him in action lol, otherwise I'd be more specific here. 

Caleb, help me out!)

Here's the true power of a good Big Idea though:

✅ Caleb has his Big Idea in his LinkedIn banner, broadcasting his message beyond just his talk audiences;

✅ Kim Scott wrote a book that sold a million copies around her Big Idea, and created a global intellectual property empire;

✅ And Dandapani has built a million-dollar speaking & coaching business not only on that Big Idea, BUT also other Big Ideas that he has added to his brand after becoming famous.

So:

If you're struggling to get traction as a speaker, ask yourself:

1. What's your Big Idea, aka message to your audience?
2. What's the simplest & most powerful Exercise that they can use to practice/implement your Big Idea?

If you're feelin' freaky, drop yours below and I'll give you feedback! OR help you come up with one/both 👇 

P.S. This is what I'm teaching in my Signature Workshop Cohort this week.

There is ONE SPOT LEFT for tomorrow at 12 PM EST, DM me COHORT if interested and I'll send ya the info 😘

You know why I got into the speaking game?

Discounted conference tickets. 🥲

That, and getting a lanyard and my name misspelled on the event’s website.

Makes it ALL worth it.

———————————————

Ok, but seriously though:

Most conferences don’t pay their speakers. 

Not even the keynoters, never mind the workshop and breakout speakers. 

That’s cause they view it as an opportunity for YOU, the speaker, to put yourself onstage in front of potential clients for your business.

And in some cases, they’re right. I had a client who used to pay $15K to speak at a conference in Vegas every year, but always walked away with $60K in new clients.

But for me personally, that’s not why I speak.

I have a message to share, and things to teach, and I’m good at it, so I’m not interested in paying to speak.

What I do instead is approach businesses and associations with my Signature Workshop.

This acts as a preview for the coaching work I do for leadership and sales teams.

This has lead to long term contracts worth over $200K, and one association, Entrepreneurs'​ Organization, that has hired me for 12 in-person workshops in 4 countries.

That’s why I say:

Fuck keynotes. For you. For now. (Or FKFYFN)

If this approach interests you, DM me WORKSHOP, or comment BANANA below.

(trying to see who’s reading to the end here)

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Do you sometimes wish social media was a person? 

Specifically, a man? 

So you could kick him in the nuts, cause he's so awful?

But at the same time: 

You feel like this asshole is the ONLY way you can generate leads for your business, so you keep coming back to him, accepting his narcissistic behaviour and overuse of cologne, unaware of the alternatives which could absolutely change your career??

If this hyper-specific violent fantasy resonates with you, you'll LOVE the LinkedIn Live I'm doing at 2PM this afternoon!  

Starring: 

Renee Lynn Frojo - former journalist turned brand storytelling expert & newsletter baddie

Dustin Siggins - also a former journalist, turned PR founder and communications stud 

And me, Will Greenblatt - a former child actor turned speaker, coach, & LinkedIn oversharer/shitposter

We'll be talking about how to get business OFF of the algorithms, making sure you're don't have to appease the ever-changing and rapacious whims of a handful of sociopaths in Silicon Valley just to make a living:

https://lnkd.in/grBgAjsA

K? K 😘 

P.S. Sorry Dustin. I hope this doesn't make you regret inviting me

Sometimes, you just gotta pass the mic.

Especially when your client is being so flattering. PLEASE, take it from here Jason:

*********

"I was wrestling with positioning and trying to speak to 'everyone.'

Will challenged me (patiently but firmly) to niche down to retail leaders, something I resisted at first because I didn’t want to limit my reach.

He also helped me coin one of the most personal parts of my brand, “Your Emotional Support Gorilla.” That moment alone helped me embrace a level of authenticity and confidence I hadn’t fully stepped into yet.

Once I leaned in, the results were undeniable: 

One of my posts hit nearly 20x my normal engagement, and the conversations that followed were exactly with the audience I wanted to serve."

*****

Side note: this is all lovely, isn't it? But I know you people need "real results", so:

*****

"But what REALLY shifted things for me was his Free-to-Fee method. 

Applying what he taught helped me land my first speaking engagement, which was a turning point in my journey."

🥳 🥳 🥳 

Oh, sorry, you were talking about how awesome I am, Jason: 

****

"His weekly calls alone are gold mines of insight, and he shows up consistently with generosity and intention."

******

And there you have it:

According to one person - a beautiful, open-hearted, powerful and deeply personal speaker I might add - I'm pretty cool. At the very least, not a scam artist, which these days is saying something.

I'll let Jason have the last word:

******

"If you’re serious about speaking, building a workshop, or clarifying your message, I can’t recommend Will Greenblatt highly enough. His influence on my journey has been real, measurable, and lasting."

*****

DM me "COHORT" to see if my Signature Workshop cohort is a good fit for you.

(Don't let Jason down, he just bought a house, and is building his Batcave)

'Heated Rivalry' star Hudson Williams STOLE my gig.

That's right:

"Variety" just announced he'll be starring in the upcoming Crave series Yaga.

And, if you don't know:

In 2019, I starred in Canadian playwright Kat Sandler's theatrical premiere of Yaga.

I played Detective Rapp and Henry Kalles, alongside the great Seana McKenna and the wonderful Claire Armstrong.

And while those two ladies were brilliant, played way more characters than me and were totally the stars of this feminist retelling of an old folktale which deals with the way society makes women invisible...

I was AMAZING.

That part in the Yaga was MINE.

I'm a great actor, so I should be given first consideration for ANY huge Canadian TV series, even though no one knows who the fuck I am and I'm not a working actor anymore, because…

Well, I would do a decent job!

(Ok I'm done with the satire)

My point is, for you aspiring public speakers:

It doesn't matter how good you are onstage.

Big shiny opportunities go to big shiny names.

That's true of acting AND the public speaking industry, which is why I say:

"Fuck keynotes. 

You need a Signature Workshop."

Keynotes go to big names.

Workshops go to people who can teach and help solve a problem.

I can’t hate on Hudson, even though I’m objectively way sexier.

Subscribe to my newsletter, link in profile dropping today at 12:07.

You’ll hear more about this egregious stiffing I received at the hands of Canadian Hollywood, AND about how to break into the speaking industry:

P.S. There are 4 spots left for my Signature Workshop Cohort next week. DM me "You deserved that role!" to learn more and chat about joining

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The Battle

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Will Greenblatt

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