My first ‘speaking fee’ was a coffee mug.

I drove 8 hours to get it. Across an international border I had no business crossing.

I was invited to speak at a high school leadership conference called HOBY. It was for 100 high schools leadership students and they wanted me to be the opening keynote.

The only problem? It was in Maine.

Why was that a problem? I was living in Canada.

I decided to say yes anyways and spend ALL of my time preparing.

And when I booked it, I had no idea what I was doing.

I didn’t know the first thing about:

• Story-telling.

• Engaging an audience.

• Talking for an hour straight.

This was brand new territory.

I knew this was a dream of mine but I didn’t yet believe I was capable at pulling it off.

I had seen speakers before and I so desperately wanted to do what they did.

After weeks of prep, I delivered what I believed was a 4/10. It was beautifully average.

But instead of saying:

“I guess I’m not cut out for this speaking thing.”

“I should probably focus on my strengths.”

I got to work.

• On becoming a better speaker.

• On how to tell a great story.

• On how to be funny.

Over time, it started to work.

This industry has a weird way of compounding. That compounding looks like this:

Better keynotes led to more stages.

More stages led to bigger stages.

Bigger stages led to bigger fees.

And then things really took off.

I started to understand the mechanics of delivering a powerful hour on stage. Not because I was naturally gifted, but because I was obsessed with solving the puzzle.

I didn’t have the talent.

But I had the determination to figure it out.

Since I talk about confidence, here’s a little confidence nugget:

The confidence came after. I needed to earn it first.

Sometimes, we need proof that we are who we say we are.

By committing to something and doing everything in our power to make it happen.

10 years and about 1000 keynotes later, I am still just as excited about speaking as I was when the fee was a coffee mug.

But very happy the fees have slightly changed 😅 I went from a coffee mug to $100 to $250 to $500 and so on. For our DOAS community, I’ve put a breakdown of that exact progression below.

All of this to say, your dreams require far more belief at the beginning. It’s easy to believe when things are working. It’s harder when we don’t have any evidence to support that belief.

To the people out there pursing this (or any other) dream:

KEEP GOING.

With consistency, hard work and a little bit of faith…

You will build the life (and business) you dream of.

Your friend,

Juan

I vividly remember 10 years ago,

Sitting in my bedroom while I was living with my parents, looking at my email just waiting for a reply.

Why?

Because I had just sent 100 emails in hopes of getting hired to speak.

Days passed.

Not a single email back.

My early excitement turned into nerves as the sobering reality sunk in:

“Maybe we won’t even get a single response.”

As I waited, along came story after story in my head about why it won’t work.

• “Maybe you aren’t cut out for this.”

• “Why on earth would they work with me?”

• “Who would hire me? I don’t even have a video!”

I was convincing myself to give up. Which our brains tend to do when something is scary or demands us to step outside of our comfort zone.

Just as I’m getting ready to throw in the towel, I start getting my first responses:

• “We’re all set for this year”

• “We’re going to pass on this.”

• “We work with a speaking bureau.”

• “Your message isn’t what we’re looking for.”

I was discouraged but at the same time, excited.

I actually got a response!

I kept going and after about 30-40 rejections…

An event agreed to book me for their annual conference.

I couldn’t believe it.

It was for a student group with 150 students in California and they wanted me to be the opening speaker.

I prepared for months and delivered what at the time was an ‘okay’ speech.

But it didn’t matter.

Because I was in the game.

I realized that the more effort I put in,

The more results I would get out.

I sent 100+ emails a day. 7 days a week. And the crazy part?

It started to work!

I started getting invited to speak in schools. That then led to speaking to teacher groups. Then parents. Then emerging leaders and the rest is history.

It really was a ‘started from the bottom now we’re here’ sort of moment 😂

People see the big stages now but they don’t understand that this was the progression:

Rotary clubs » Student groups » School assemblies » Teacher trainings » Student leadership conferences » National events » Young professionals » Managers » Executives » CEO’s » Fortune 500 Companies » Stadium/ Arena events.

And on that road, there was 1000’s of rejections along the way. So vividly remember the days where I’d get 10-20+ rejections in a day and felt defeated.

Then, I would go to sleep. Wake up the next day, and get after it all over again.

1000+ keynotes and 10 years later…

Here we are.

Still just as excited (and obsessed) about this industry.

That experience really showed me a lot about rejection. I’ve learned to build a better relationship with it.

Today, I get rejected roughly 230 times a year. And I love it.

Because this business is a numbers game. The more rejections you receive, the closer you are to finding an event that will be an amazing fit!

Here are the 3 biggest lessons I learned:

1) EVERY ‘NO’ IS ONE STEP CLOSER TO A ‘YES

A rejection is just moving you closer to your desired outcome.

Don’t run away from them, decide to move towards them.

That is how we win.

2) REJECTION IS A TEACHER, NOT A TYRANT

Rejection is something we should learn from, not be defeated by.

What could you have done better?

What didn’t you see that could have given you an advantage.

Study rejection so you can be better for the next opportunity.

3) FOR EVERY W, THERE IS 2 L’s

In life, W’s aren’t free.

L’s are the price of admission.

They are a part of the journey to success.

Don’t run away from them,

Lean in and keep moving forward.

These 3 principles have been my North Star for every major achievement/ milestone in my career and life.

Even if you’re just having a tough week,

I hope these tips help you crush it!

Happy Monday everyone 🎉

Your friend,

Juan

Here’s something I wish someone had told me when I was 20:

Becoming a professional speaker has very little to do with being “discovered.”

Nobody is coming to find you. And weirdly, that’s the good news.

Because building a speaking career isn’t some mysterious game where you need the right connections, a massive following, or one lucky break. It’s a series of steps you can actually take.

I know because I took them.

My first speech was at 7am to a room of 100 70-year-olds eating breakfast. I was 19, wildly inexperienced, and I’m pretty sure half the room was more interested in their eggs than anything I had to say 😂

But that stage gave me something I desperately needed: a rep.

Then came another. And another.

Over the last decade, those reps turned into 1,000+ speeches and millions of dollars in speaking fees.

And if I had to start over from zero today, knowing what I know now, there are 8 things I would focus on.

Not 47.

Not “build your personal brand” and hope someone eventually emails you.

Eight.

Below, I’m breaking down the roadmap I’d follow to build a keynote speaking business in 2027—from figuring out what you should actually speak about to getting in front of the event planners who can hire you.

If you want to get paid to speak, start here.

Read more

I made a post last week about being at $1.27M for the year.

I instantly had people ask the exact same question:

“Are those $1M speaking fees from just keynotes or is it also consulting/ coaching?”

I get this question all the time.

There are many speakers that say they are doing $X and in reality, 80% is coaching/ consulting.

There’s nothing wrong with that. But I don’t think you can call yourself a $1M speaker if the majority of your revenue doesn’t come from speaking.

So, I want to address this right up front since we are new friends here on Substack.

100% of that $1.27M mentioned last week is from speaking alone.

There is another roughly $100K-$200K from consulting/ coaching.

And since I value transparency, here is the exact breakdown of Sept/ Oct so far:

SEPTEMBER Events: 9
Revenue: $161,000

OCTOBER Events: 12
Revenue: $192,000

A mix of in-person and virtual events.

And with another 15 holds across Sept/Oct…

There will probably be another 4-5 events that book within the next 60 days.

That being said, this does NOT take into account…

• Flights (I book 2 back-ups if I’m taking a late flight)

• Marketing costs (new video is $40K alone)

• Videographers (every other event)

• Full-time assistant salary.

• Bureau commissions.

• Travel expenses.

• Taxes.

There is so much more than meets the eye when it comes to this career.

But it is unbelievably worth it.

Even though over the next 2 months, I’ll only be home for 24 days…

I feel so blessed to get to do this work. I love it so much.

And my hope is to inspire others to have the same level of passion.

To bring their best to the stage— every time.

To invest deeply into themselves so they can share it with the audience.

To build a career (and life) that is meaningful for themselves and the audiences they look to serve.

So if you’re someone serious about this career, Follow along as we all figure it out together.

Sharing everything I can as I navigate the next level of my career. And my hope is that the insights help unlock something for yours.

For community members, below is a breakdown of the exact numbers for Sept/ Oct. Exact speaking fees for each event. I nerd out about the details and I hope you do too!

Appreciate you all being here.

Genuinely means the world to me.

Have a great week my friend!

For 10 years, I’ve been obsessing about 1 thing: sharing a message to help people live a better life. At the beginning, I sent 1000’s of emails, spoke to groups of 4 people and drove 8 hours for a free speech. All in the pursuit of helping people grow. Just like those early days, this platform feels like a new beginning!

Why this, why now

I believe insight is meant to be shared. If you figure something out, it is your duty to share it with people that can benefit from it. I’ve learned quite a bit in the past decade of this career and am ready to share everything I know.

More than an email

This isn’t just going to be a ‘Newsletter’, this is going to be a community of people that want to build the best version of themselves. If you’re someone that wants to level up, challenge yourself to grow and create an amazing life, welcome to a place you truly belong.

A behind the scenes look

For years, I wished speakers would open up and share the behind the scenes of what it took to be successful. I ran into so many people that would gate keep and without information out of fear that you’d become competition. I am here to put an end to that. I am here to peel back the curtain and share what it actually takes to be a powerful communicator and build a great business while doing it.

Subscribe now

A little bit about me…

I’m 32 years old.
I started when I was 20.
I was a college drop out.
I was addicted to alcohol.
Used to be 75lbs overweight.
Moved back in with my parents.
With no money & no career options.
I obsessed about becoming a speaker.
I worked 7 days a week with zero breaks.
I worked odd jobs for flight money to visit Gaby.
I moved to Toronto with $600 CAD and a dream.

Since then I’ve…
Delivered 750 keynotes.
Written a book on Confidence.
Been featured by Inc Magazine.
And by Harvard Business Review.
Worked with dozens of Fortune 100’s.
Along with Actors, CEO’s and Pro Athletes.
Built a 7-figure business from the ground up.
Gone from $20K my first year to $1M+ a year.

All because of a dream.

A dream to be better.

To strive for impossible.

To re-imagine what I could do.

90% of the time, I didn’t believe I’d work. But I held onto that 10%.

That 10% is what kept me going.

Whatever journey you’re currently on… Find that 10%.

The belief that you CAN make this happen. When you do, you will go further.

And I promise, you’ll be surprised with where you end up.

Your friend,
Juan