NSA Foundation Event
Thank you for joining the NSA Foundation for the Complimentary Pre-Conference Seminar presented by High Point University.
The Pre-Conference Seminar at Influence 2022
By Gerard Braud, NSA Foundation Trustee
As professional speakers, the glory of speaking to an audience of 1,000 and earning in excess of $20,000 seems to be a perpetual dream. But the great flaw of this business model is that if you, the speaker is incapacitated, if you miss a flight, if disaster or illness strike, your revenue quickly drops to zero.
Here are some ways to rethink how you earn a living today and into the future, courtesy of the NSA Foundation’s and High Point University’s preconference Influence workshop.
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The focus of the event was Growing & Sustaining Your Speaking Career. Robin Robins, a top IT Industry Marketing Consultant emphasized that as a speaker, “We can’t scale ourselves.” So she spoke of ways you can turn what you know into a product or company that is scalable. Robins is the Founder of the Technology Marketing Toolkit, MSP Success Magazine, and Big Red Media.
Robins says her diversified businesses allow her to book long-term contracts will clients over multiple years, giving her the predictability of revenue that speakers don’t often get from a single speech.
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High Point University President and one of the original founders of the NSA Foundation, Nido Qubein, emphasized the need for speakers to focus on the things that only they are qualified to do, while shedding the busy work that often bogs speakers down. He observed that “Busy doesn’t mean successfully. Busy means survival.”
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William Kennard, former U.S. Ambassador to the E.U. and FCC Chairman is now Chairman of the Board of Directors of AT&T. Among the points he made is that a successful speaker and small business owner needs to be leading their audiences and customers into the future. He harkened back to the famous Wayne Gretzky quote to, “Skate to where the puck will be.” He says audiences essentially want us to tell them what the future holds.
Dee Ann Turner, a best-selling author, and keynote speaker focused on the need to hire the right people to support your speaking business and your spin-off businesses. Turner, a former VP of Talent Acquisition at Chick-fil-A says the character is the most important trait we should look for when making a hire. Akin to that is knowing that the person you hire has values similar to yours. As your business grows and develops a culture, future hires must also be a good fit for the culture.
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Dee Ann Turner, a best-selling author, and keynote speaker focused on the need to hire the right people to support your speaking business and your spin-off businesses. Turner, a former VP of Talent Acquisition at Chick-fil-A says the character is the most important trait we should look for when making a hire. Akin to that is knowing that the person you hire has values similar to yours. As your business grows and develops a culture, future hires must also be a good fit for the culture.
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Donta’ Wilson, the Chief Retail & Small Business Banking Officer for Truist says as you establish your culture, you should keep diversity and inclusion in mind, in part, because your audiences and customers are made of people from diverse backgrounds who each are looking to grow individually and as part of a team.
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The workshop was sponsored by and paid for by High Point University, which also donated $25,000 to the NSA Foundations. Qubein challenged audience members to make a financial donation as well. More than $10,000 was pledged to the Foundation by audience members.
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The NSA Foundation provides emergency assistance funds to professional members of NSA who have their businesses significantly interrupted by personal crises, such as catastrophic health issues or catastrophic natural disasters. The Foundation also provides scholarships and grants to students and other non-profit organizations.
To make a tax-deductible donation or apply for a scholarship/grant, go to www.nsafoundation.org.
The NSA Foundation Board of Directors at Influence 2022
How can I request help from the NSA Foundation?
Many people find asking for personal help to be difficult, but it is important to remember that all of us know people in NSA where help is needed. Most of us know personally what it is like to experience difficult times. The Foundation exists to serve our members; to be there for them when a devastating natural disaster strikes or they face a serious health issue; to help the children of our members or young people they know who could benefit from a college scholarship; to provide funds for a nonprofit organization who needs help making technological improvements; and, to provide a grant to a charity in the location of our Convention each year.
