Studies from around the world show more than 75% of adults have anxiety related to public speaking,
. Entrepreneurship will likely require you to speak in front of strangers at some point, if not on a regular basis.both to live, in-person audiences and in front of a camerato market my business on television, YouTube and Instagram. Due to the popularity of social media, I’ve witnessed how new business owners’ fear of speaking in public can extend into putting out necessary marketing content.
When I started my side hustle teaching financial education, I charged $99 or less to teach a class online, or to speak in front of local nonprofits and small businesses. I was not a natural, and I showed up unrehearsed, unstructured, and unaware of time limits. I acted similarly in front of new clients — rambling about myself and fumbling over my words versus helping people solve their problems.
Since 2020, I’ve delivered hundreds of speaking engagements and now charge several thousand dollars for a keynote talk or workshop. But more importantly becoming a paid speaker helped me:create meaningful content that attracts new customers versus chasing them. I particularly recommend working a side hustle as a paid speaker for any entrepreneur who has a knowledge- or service-based business. Even if you have no desire to become a full-time stage speaker, just getting paid incremental amounts to speak at events will vastly improve your ability to communicate competently and confidently with any of your business’ stakeholders.