Shownotes
Motivational Quote
Business Inspiration
The realization that she needed a life change [5:52]Professional Speaking Insights
The evolution of a professional speaker [10:43] A realization that led to further business growth [12:50] The development of SimplySueSpeaks [17:27] 3 requirements to work with Sue [22:36] Prayer Partner Concept [31:53]Success Trait
Focusing on strength not weaknesses [29:02]Productivity/Lifestyle Tool
The concept of blending life versus balancing [30:37]Valuable Book
Lighthouse of Hope – A Day to Day Journey to Fear-Free Living by Sue Falcone
Intentional Living: Choosing a Life that Matters by John Maxwell
The Battle Plan for Prayer: From Basic Training to Targeted Strategies by Stephen Kendrick
Contact Links
Website Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Phone – 888-766-3155 Email – Sue@SimplySueSpeaks.comIf you found value in this podcast, make sure to subscribe and leave a review in Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts. That helps us spread the word to more makers just like you. Thanks! Sue
Transcripts
Gift biz unwrapped episode 31.
Speaker:You have To believe in what you're doing and you have
Speaker:to believe in yourself so that others will.
Speaker:Hi. This is John Lee,
Speaker:Dumas of entrepreneur on fire,
Speaker:and you're listening to gift to biz unwrapped.
Speaker:And now it's time to light it up.
Speaker:Welcome to gift biz,
Speaker:unwrapped your source for industry specific insights and advice to develop
Speaker:and grow your business.
Speaker:And now here's your host,
Speaker:Sue Monheit Hi there and welcome to the gift bids podcast.
Speaker:Whether you own a brick and mortar shop sell online or
Speaker:are just getting started,
Speaker:you'll discover new insight to gain traction and to grow your
Speaker:business. And today I'm joined by Sue Falco.
Speaker:Sue is the owner of simply Sue speaks,
Speaker:global booking agency bring in custom solutions to booking an expert
Speaker:speaker with over 40 years of industry experience.
Speaker:As a successful corporate executive speaker,
Speaker:coach and author.
Speaker:Sue has the professionals that can bring the wow factor to
Speaker:any event,
Speaker:whether it's the perfect speaker,
Speaker:presenter, entertainer,
Speaker:trainer, facilitator,
Speaker:coach, or author,
Speaker:she can make the match to meet your specific needs.
Speaker:The result is an unforgettable and memorable experience.
Speaker:Sue is married to Carmen Falcon,
Speaker:who is the CFO of her business.
Speaker:They have four children and eight grandchildren love to travel,
Speaker:climb lighthouses,
Speaker:which is so intriguing.
Speaker:Read dance and help others succeed.
Speaker:They both simply love people and retirement is not in their
Speaker:DNA. Welcome to the show.
Speaker:Sue, Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker:I'm honored.
Speaker:We're shining from North Carolina.
Speaker:Oh, Right.
Speaker:I love that too.
Speaker:Would you like to add anything else to the intro before
Speaker:we get started?
Speaker:I can't think of anything.
Speaker:I'm sure we'll come up with some stories though.
Speaker:That will be interesting.
Speaker:I love stories.
Speaker:Well, as our listeners know,
Speaker:we aligned the conversation around the life of a motivational candle.
Speaker:The light will shine on you while you share all those
Speaker:stories and experiences.
Speaker:So Sue,
Speaker:Are you ready to light it up?
Speaker:I sure am Fabulous.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:So you are entering into a conference because you have placed
Speaker:the speakers who are going to be at the conference and
Speaker:at the welcome table.
Speaker:When you sign in and get your badges,
Speaker:they have all these beautiful candles lit up there and they're
Speaker:all different colors.
Speaker:What candle would you gravitate?
Speaker:The color of?
Speaker:It would have to be teal and lime green.
Speaker:Ooh, it's a multi-colored candle.
Speaker:Yeah. That's my favorite colors and it's become my brand,
Speaker:but I just love it.
Speaker:Is there a motivational quote that you would share that's on
Speaker:that candle?
Speaker:Oh, there's lots I could quote,
Speaker:but my favorite of all time is I'm too blessed to
Speaker:be stressed or depressed by Barbara Johnson.
Speaker:And it has lived in my life for many,
Speaker:many years.
Speaker:I have never heard that before.
Speaker:I really like that She can came from the seventies,
Speaker:but you know,
Speaker:she was really popular.
Speaker:She wrote stick a geranium in your hat and love it.
Speaker:And she had a lot of great energy.
Speaker:And how do you pull that up in your life?
Speaker:Well, you have To remember every day,
Speaker:what you're thankful and grateful for.
Speaker:That has to be part of your business model.
Speaker:Because by doing that,
Speaker:then all the things that happen and everything that comes at
Speaker:you and everything that wants to just shake your day.
Speaker:Won't because you have something to go back and say,
Speaker:no, not going to let it.
Speaker:And that has just helped me through so much because you
Speaker:know what,
Speaker:today, life isn't easy,
Speaker:but the choices you make and what you put in your
Speaker:mind and what should you focus on are key,
Speaker:Right? And it grounds you then too.
Speaker:If you're in business for yourself,
Speaker:you've decided to do that.
Speaker:You've taken that conscious step at one point or another.
Speaker:And you're right.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:stress factors come out without a doubt every day like this,
Speaker:just to be grateful that you're in a position where you
Speaker:can work on building something for yourself and feel blessed about
Speaker:it. You're right.
Speaker:Just to remember that,
Speaker:that you're doing this and you're walking the journey and you're
Speaker:so fortunate to be able to do so,
Speaker:could be a stress reliever.
Speaker:I see what you mean.
Speaker:And it also helps you bring that same message to others
Speaker:because I'm all about helping others succeed as much as myself
Speaker:because Zig Ziglar says,
Speaker:if you help others succeed first,
Speaker:then you automatically will succeed.
Speaker:And so when you do that,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:if you've got yourself aligned,
Speaker:right, when you start,
Speaker:then anyone you interact with,
Speaker:whether it can be on social media,
Speaker:it could be anywhere.
Speaker:Then get that energy from you to say,
Speaker:golly, yeah,
Speaker:we can do this because I don't want people to give
Speaker:up before they ever succeed.
Speaker:That's fabulous.
Speaker:I love this one,
Speaker:especially a new one.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:so many people,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:they're this popular quotes that come about all the time.
Speaker:And I love hearing one that I haven't heard before.
Speaker:That really is impactful.
Speaker:That's Great.
Speaker:I'm glad I could bring something different.
Speaker:Cause that's kind of who I am with Your teal and
Speaker:lime green passe.
Speaker:We'll see,
Speaker:let's go back To the beginning of your journey.
Speaker:But the beginning when you started simply Sue speaks.
Speaker:Cause I know you have a lot of experience before that.
Speaker:Talk to us about the transition,
Speaker:how you decided I'm going to start something by myself and
Speaker:do something for myself.
Speaker:How did that all evolve?
Speaker:Simply It evolved and realizing I was not going to move
Speaker:one more time and my corporate career.
Speaker:So after 30 years I had received many skillsets and many
Speaker:great mentorships and all like this,
Speaker:or I knew that it was time to not move one
Speaker:more time and do what I wanted to do for myself
Speaker:all along and that I was gifted and skilled to do.
Speaker:And I had a very supportive husband that says let's do
Speaker:it. And so that helped me,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:to say what I wanted to do.
Speaker:And I always knew it would involve training,
Speaker:speaking, writing those skillsets because that's who I am.
Speaker:And that's how I made a 30 year career with a
Speaker:corporate company.
Speaker:But I didn't really know what that looked like at first.
Speaker:So I went into business for myself with another business and
Speaker:then I transitioned out of it and to realizing,
Speaker:yeah, it was time,
Speaker:go write your books,
Speaker:get on the speaking circuit and Lesko.
Speaker:And that's exactly what I did.
Speaker:And then to look for a name,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:because you have to establish a brand.
Speaker:I knew I liked teal lime green.
Speaker:So that was the colors.
Speaker:We didn't even have to question that.
Speaker:And then I realized,
Speaker:I said,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:I want to make life simple for people.
Speaker:And I want them to know I'm no exception.
Speaker:I'm not a super-duper person that has not evolved without being
Speaker:involved with people.
Speaker:I wanted to make sure I gave practical things to people
Speaker:that they could use in their life.
Speaker:So I came up with simply Sue and that's where I
Speaker:went, simply Sue,
Speaker:and I could speak,
Speaker:I booked,
Speaker:I sell my book.
Speaker:I did everything.
Speaker:And I thought,
Speaker:well, this is just really cool.
Speaker:I'm just going to do this forever.
Speaker:So let's put Some detail behind this story a little bit
Speaker:for our listeners.
Speaker:What I'm hearing from you right now is you had this
Speaker:idea and it was kind of percolating throughout your life.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:whole time when you're working for other people you had in
Speaker:the back of your mind,
Speaker:a concept of what you wanted to do in the future.
Speaker:Correct. And it was kind of nice because you're getting more
Speaker:skills and you're learning more and you're getting exposure to lots
Speaker:of different types of things,
Speaker:which then enhances natural abilities that you already had.
Speaker:Meaning like speaking and writing,
Speaker:et cetera.
Speaker:So you decide,
Speaker:all right,
Speaker:I'm not doing this anymore.
Speaker:I'm not traveling anymore.
Speaker:We're going to ground ourselves somewhere that we want to live.
Speaker:And I'm going to develop this new thing,
Speaker:right? Yes.
Speaker:You can't just go on a speaking circuit without somehow prepping.
Speaker:So people are going to want you to speak,
Speaker:where did the book come in?
Speaker:Or can you give a little more detail in terms of
Speaker:the steps that you took to achieve ease?
Speaker:And maybe it was writing the book first?
Speaker:I don't know.
Speaker:You're going to tell us,
Speaker:but to achieve the point where you're out speed.
Speaker:Well, I did the book first because I had time to
Speaker:do that.
Speaker:And what is the book?
Speaker:Okay. The book is called the lighthouse of hope day-by-day journey
Speaker:to fear-free living.
Speaker:Because when I left corporate America,
Speaker:I realized even I had hidden it.
Speaker:I was a very fearful person.
Speaker:I had not faced some realities in my life and from
Speaker:my past.
Speaker:And unfortunately when I decided to transition into the speaker wider
Speaker:arena, I had an accident or a car accident and I
Speaker:was hurt and didn't know how that outcome was going to
Speaker:come. So there I was,
Speaker:then I said,
Speaker:okay, I'll just start writing my book.
Speaker:And that's what I did.
Speaker:And I really realized that I knew I had to face
Speaker:my fears because when I left corporate America,
Speaker:I'll wait 300 pounds.
Speaker:And we were over one,
Speaker:$180,000 in debt.
Speaker:Now that was not bad debt with a house and cars
Speaker:and all that good stuff,
Speaker:but it was still,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:you had to launch and have funding to make a career
Speaker:for yourself to make a business for yourself.
Speaker:So I knew that we needed to look at some of
Speaker:those things and we were given that opportunity to do that.
Speaker:So my husband was still working.
Speaker:So I had the opportunity to recover and right the book.
Speaker:And I learned a lot in that journey of writing the
Speaker:book, it became very successful and now it's on Kindle and
Speaker:it's still successful.
Speaker:I now have some copies of that.
Speaker:I still market and sell myself,
Speaker:but the soft back covers.
Speaker:But, you know,
Speaker:I realized that it's still helping me to overcome that daily
Speaker:fear, that insecurity that we may have in businesses,
Speaker:because when we start our own businesses,
Speaker:because this is a risk,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:there is a risk and you take the personal risk.
Speaker:And so then I lost the weight during all this time,
Speaker:I lost the weight.
Speaker:I realized how to do that.
Speaker:So see,
Speaker:there was many experiences that helped me along so that when
Speaker:I got the book published,
Speaker:I was recovered.
Speaker:I had already started speaking some of my story anyway,
Speaker:that was included in the book.
Speaker:And so it just kind of evolved.
Speaker:In course,
Speaker:I was speaking for free to begin with just like all
Speaker:speakers start out,
Speaker:you have to build an audience,
Speaker:you have to build your confidence.
Speaker:You have to understand what it's going to take.
Speaker:You have to get out there and see what it is
Speaker:and see what your audience is really need and are really
Speaker:wanting from you.
Speaker:Then social media came into it because then it's it just
Speaker:launched like crazy.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:so getting social media involved is key.
Speaker:And I tell every speaker today,
Speaker:if you're not on social media for yourself,
Speaker:then as an agency,
Speaker:I have a really hardship in being able to promote you
Speaker:because that's where our audience lineup now is on social media.
Speaker:So I start doing that early on,
Speaker:so that really helped make it out there.
Speaker:And then I just loved what I was doing.
Speaker:And people wanted me,
Speaker:I just transitioned to saying,
Speaker:okay, it's time to get the plan,
Speaker:get everything in line.
Speaker:I was selling my book,
Speaker:everything was going fine.
Speaker:Then you start speaking for pay.
Speaker:And that's what I did.
Speaker:So just aligned that again in a business plan to know
Speaker:what I needed to charge and to know what I needed
Speaker:to do.
Speaker:And we just launched from there and we just kept going.
Speaker:And I just thought that was going to be great.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:I really did.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:I said,
Speaker:oh, this is just really fun.
Speaker:And then I could see visions of being in big conferences
Speaker:and all this kind of thing.
Speaker:And maybe even doing that for myself,
Speaker:putting on my own big conferences,
Speaker:I thought,
Speaker:Ooh, that'd be good.
Speaker:And originally Sue,
Speaker:and I love your name by the way.
Speaker:I can never forget it.
Speaker:You don't know,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:it kind of sticks in your mind anyway.
Speaker:That's great.
Speaker:But anyway,
Speaker:I originally started in the Christian community because a lot of
Speaker:my book is inspirational and comes from that end and that
Speaker:was a natural fit.
Speaker:But one morning I'll never forget.
Speaker:I was sitting and looking at my business plan and looking
Speaker:at my engagements and looking at things.
Speaker:And I just realized,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:I spent 30 years in business and I had kind of
Speaker:gotten to the motivational,
Speaker:the Christian,
Speaker:that kind of speaking realm.
Speaker:And I was doing well.
Speaker:It wasn't like I wasn't doing well,
Speaker:but I saw it.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:I could go back into speaking in business as well.
Speaker:So that was another turn in my business model because I
Speaker:really thought I was going to be on one specific genre
Speaker:and one specific target market.
Speaker:And then I realized there was many more target markets for
Speaker:me. And so then I decided to do that.
Speaker:And we went into,
Speaker:and I learned a lot about entrepreneurship and what all this
Speaker:really entailed and all that kind of things.
Speaker:And then I started looking at government work,
Speaker:it expanded into government contracts.
Speaker:And so that's kind of just how it evolved.
Speaker:The one thing though,
Speaker:I think the key is you have to believe in what
Speaker:you're doing and you have to believe in yourself so that
Speaker:others will,
Speaker:you have To have an innate commitment and passion for what
Speaker:you're doing.
Speaker:Yeah. You have To love it.
Speaker:And they say that over and over,
Speaker:and it's kinda like a tired phrase.
Speaker:You've got to live your passion.
Speaker:You got to love what you do.
Speaker:So it doesn't even feel like you're working.
Speaker:It's true.
Speaker:It is the truth.
Speaker:It is true.
Speaker:So by way of clarification,
Speaker:what you're saying here is you started,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:you wrote the book and then you started speaking mostly with
Speaker:your eye on more of the Christian community at first,
Speaker:right? And that was the business model in the beginning.
Speaker:But then as time went on,
Speaker:you evolved into,
Speaker:well, this same message could be very applicable in other genres.
Speaker:It is because I realized then it was not just designed
Speaker:for one target audience,
Speaker:but it could be brought into because in our business world
Speaker:and all,
Speaker:they want to keep a lot of things separate.
Speaker:But then I started looking at business models of John Maxwell,
Speaker:who is one of my mentors early at Zig Ziglar was
Speaker:a friend of mine.
Speaker:And I started looking at what they did because most of
Speaker:them started out in the Christian community.
Speaker:Also Steven cubby.
Speaker:They started out in that community and then they realized it's
Speaker:for everybody.
Speaker:It wasn't compromising it.
Speaker:Wasn't taking away from your original message.
Speaker:It only was tailoring it to what people and another target
Speaker:market wanted.
Speaker:And the message was the same.
Speaker:So gift biz listeners,
Speaker:this is a really good point.
Speaker:I just want to underline here is that you may start
Speaker:out with a certain business model built off of a strength
Speaker:that you have in Sue's case her book and the focus
Speaker:on the Christian market,
Speaker:but don't be so tied into that initial concept for ever
Speaker:that you could possibly miss other opportunities.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:Sue's business now has transitioned some,
Speaker:but the core is still the same.
Speaker:Her audience has adjusted a little bit and her business has
Speaker:grown because of that.
Speaker:So start off with a certain idea,
Speaker:but always be open and available to other options of where
Speaker:your journey may lead you to either increase or adjust or
Speaker:tweak your business a little bit as you progress and have
Speaker:more knowledge in terms of the receptivity and the message that
Speaker:you're getting out or the product that you're getting out.
Speaker:Would you add anything to that soup?
Speaker:That is so Kate and the beauty of it was then
Speaker:I could share that with others so that they could have
Speaker:that courage to say,
Speaker:I'm just not stuck here.
Speaker:You know?
Speaker:And that's my only thing,
Speaker:because as in my business now representing speakers,
Speaker:I encourage them sometimes to just get out of their box
Speaker:and take a look at event that maybe they wouldn't have
Speaker:thought about doing.
Speaker:But I said,
Speaker:don't you have those skills that you could apply for that,
Speaker:you know?
Speaker:And sometimes it's really been amazing how the things that they
Speaker:think they're tied into really do fit in a place they
Speaker:never thought of before.
Speaker:Okay. So let's talk a little bit more about simply Sue
Speaker:speaks the booking agency portion.
Speaker:Okay. Do speakers come to you for placement?
Speaker:So you have a list of speakers who you've probably vetted
Speaker:to make sure the quality is what you'd want to represent.
Speaker:And then there's functions where they may be interested in a
Speaker:speaker or a facilitator,
Speaker:et cetera,
Speaker:et cetera.
Speaker:How did you get to the point where you had both
Speaker:of those lists?
Speaker:Let's just call it in terms of resources and then how
Speaker:do you connect them together?
Speaker:So it's a two-pronged question.
Speaker:How did you get the sources and then what do you
Speaker:do to connect them together?
Speaker:So they're a good fit,
Speaker:Great question.
Speaker:And I'm always been about solutions because I wanted to have
Speaker:solutions in my life.
Speaker:I wanted to have it my career for others.
Speaker:And so when I started looking as I was out there
Speaker:speaking myself and on the circuit doing what I was doing,
Speaker:I saw many speakers that I met that didn't like to
Speaker:do. The things that I really liked to do.
Speaker:I don't have a problem booking.
Speaker:I don't have a problem,
Speaker:negotiating contracts.
Speaker:I don't have a problem asking for money.
Speaker:I don't have a problem not being organized enough that I
Speaker:can't keep up with the contacts I make.
Speaker:I don't have all these issues or I didn't let myself
Speaker:be so booked that I couldn't focus on the things that
Speaker:I needed to do to make sure I had the quality.
Speaker:So when I was out there,
Speaker:I saw speakers that were in all sides of the spectrum.
Speaker:In other words,
Speaker:they were very successful,
Speaker:but wanted in different arenas than they were speaking in.
Speaker:But as they were doing the business of speaking,
Speaker:they didn't have time to research that out and to make
Speaker:the context.
Speaker:So that was one category of speakers than others were.
Speaker:Yeah, they were speaking and they were doing things for themselves,
Speaker:but they wanted to do more and they didn't know how
Speaker:to get to that more.
Speaker:And then there's the speakers that,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:wanted someone to ask for the money.
Speaker:Cause that's a hard thing for a lot of people that
Speaker:are speaking because they don't want to be rejected,
Speaker:but yet to scale that that was hard for them.
Speaker:So I saw there was a need for an agency that
Speaker:was different because I was on speaker bureaus,
Speaker:myself. I was on agencies.
Speaker:I had an agent at one time.
Speaker:So I knew all the things that I had experienced.
Speaker:And I said,
Speaker:I told my husband,
Speaker:I'll never forget this.
Speaker:I came home one night.
Speaker:And I said,
Speaker:you know what?
Speaker:I have a list of speakers that are awesome,
Speaker:but they need some help.
Speaker:And they're asking and they've been looking and they've not really
Speaker:found, you know,
Speaker:the thing I said,
Speaker:could we create another?
Speaker:And I just thought we were going to create another division
Speaker:of what I was already doing instead of making it the
Speaker:focus, you know,
Speaker:the total focus.
Speaker:And I started out that way a little bit,
Speaker:but then I realized,
Speaker:Hmm, no,
Speaker:this doesn't work.
Speaker:I either need to be a we or an I.
Speaker:So I made the transition about four years ago of going
Speaker:from an I,
Speaker:I booked me.
Speaker:I am the speaker,
Speaker:I'm an author to a week where I am now an
Speaker:agency where I represent speakers,
Speaker:trainers, coaches,
Speaker:entertainers, authors,
Speaker:whatever. And the market is not hard to find the speakers.
Speaker:I can do that on social media.
Speaker:I can find speakers to represent because my business model is
Speaker:such that I don't want to represent thousands.
Speaker:I never intended on doing that because I'd been on the
Speaker:list of thousands.
Speaker:Right. And,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:unless she really,
Speaker:really huge,
Speaker:they never kind of get to you sure that I could
Speaker:personally not guarantee because there's no guarantee in this industry,
Speaker:but at least I would work and work my heart out
Speaker:because I believed in the speakers that we represented that I
Speaker:could get them bookings.
Speaker:Well, and you were also then creating a list,
Speaker:kind of an exclusive private list.
Speaker:Not everyone can get on your list.
Speaker:You have to have certain qualifications to be on Sue's list.
Speaker:Right. Cool.
Speaker:What would be three things that you look for in a
Speaker:speaker that you say,
Speaker:okay, these are things they have to have to be on
Speaker:our list for us to represent them.
Speaker:Great question.
Speaker:Because I'm asked that a lot.
Speaker:What does it take Sue to be represented by you?
Speaker:And I said,
Speaker:well, basically I have an application on my current website and
Speaker:it'll be on our new website because we're in the process
Speaker:of creating a new,
Speaker:totally wow website,
Speaker:which is great.
Speaker:But I have an application that's pretty detailed because when I
Speaker:looked at the big agencies and the big speaker bureaus,
Speaker:they don't take everybody.
Speaker:And I can't take everybody.
Speaker:I have to be selective.
Speaker:And I have an executive team that once those applications are
Speaker:filled out and submitted,
Speaker:they take a look at it for me.
Speaker:I put that team in place instead of me making the
Speaker:total decision,
Speaker:because sometimes I have found Sue,
Speaker:I can see the skill set and the potential so much
Speaker:for a person that I see it more than the people
Speaker:see in themselves and are willing to do the work to
Speaker:get there.
Speaker:So I realized that was a little passionate trend of mine.
Speaker:So that's why I established an executive team that knows my
Speaker:qualifications of where I can match people,
Speaker:where I can go research where I can go find the
Speaker:right match for the speakers that I have.
Speaker:So that was a good Kate,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:there. So the three things though that we kind of,
Speaker:that they,
Speaker:and then may looking at the end to make the final
Speaker:decision look at is number one,
Speaker:you have to have a business plan.
Speaker:That means you have to be legal.
Speaker:If I'm going to go get you a booking and I
Speaker:pay you,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:we get the fees collected from the client.
Speaker:You have to have a way to handle that.
Speaker:And I have to be confident that you've been doing it.
Speaker:And you have to be in business for a while to
Speaker:build a following.
Speaker:I can not market startups.
Speaker:Startup people do not need agents.
Speaker:They need to go out there and find themselves and do
Speaker:all the free things and do all the things.
Speaker:Whether a transfer from free to fee,
Speaker:just like I had to do then for all the right
Speaker:reasons, then they would want to come to an agent and
Speaker:an agency.
Speaker:So three thanks business plan.
Speaker:You've got to have be established.
Speaker:That means you have to be established on social media.
Speaker:You need the right pictures.
Speaker:You need a video clip to be established.
Speaker:You have to really be doing this.
Speaker:This is not a part-time.
Speaker:This is not a wish is not a dream.
Speaker:You have to actually be doing that.
Speaker:Because when I take on a person,
Speaker:I become part of their marketing plan because that's what I
Speaker:do. I market them to get them events.
Speaker:You have to have that knowledge of knowing they're on the
Speaker:same wavelength there.
Speaker:And then the third thing is business plan,
Speaker:social media,
Speaker:and have all the things,
Speaker:but have all the tools in place and know that you're
Speaker:going to have to have a business plan that funds you,
Speaker:because if I give you an event and normally we ask
Speaker:for deposits down to hold the event,
Speaker:and you're going to have to find a way to get
Speaker:there. Even though they reimburse normally not all those fees aren't
Speaker:reimbursed upfront.
Speaker:So you have to have a way to handle your expenses.
Speaker:And so you have to have been in business a little
Speaker:while to be able to qualify for me,
Speaker:to be able to put the time and effort into you,
Speaker:because I don't charge anything upfront.
Speaker:I put you on my website,
Speaker:I do all the information and get you out there.
Speaker:I don't make money until the events are booked that's by
Speaker:business model.
Speaker:And that's how I've been able to get some awesome,
Speaker:awesome people and also get clients that are awesome to our
Speaker:people because they see that we've vetted them and we've done
Speaker:all the right things so that I can confidently offer them
Speaker:the right match.
Speaker:And people are very happy with that.
Speaker:You're going for quality.
Speaker:You're not going for numbers.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:you could be sitting here saying,
Speaker:I have list of thousands of people.
Speaker:I, you know,
Speaker:all of that,
Speaker:you're not doing that.
Speaker:You're really whittling it down,
Speaker:being selective,
Speaker:which makes what you offer all the more valuable,
Speaker:because it has been vetted,
Speaker:as you said,
Speaker:and then you connect up quality with quality on both sides.
Speaker:And I love your business model because you don't get paid
Speaker:until a booking is actually established and it's success well,
Speaker:too. Right?
Speaker:Exactly. And don't pay me our speakers payment.
Speaker:They pay me to get the ad and all like this.
Speaker:So I can also make sure that the clients get the
Speaker:best of me as well as my speakers get the best
Speaker:of me.
Speaker:So really quickly,
Speaker:how then on the other side,
Speaker:do you identify,
Speaker:how, how does it work that people then come approach you
Speaker:and say,
Speaker:do you have somebody for an event?
Speaker:This is the topic.
Speaker:Is there anybody on your list that you could match us
Speaker:up with Speaking I'm as selective about the events as I
Speaker:am about the speakers,
Speaker:I have a questionnaire that a format that I use to
Speaker:interview the client.
Speaker:So It's the same thing.
Speaker:It all starts with a questionnaire.
Speaker:Yes. And that's very important to me because I don't want
Speaker:any surprises for anybody.
Speaker:And I also want to make sure that everything is on
Speaker:legitimate terms and everything is understood,
Speaker:and that we've got all the information because otherwise you could
Speaker:lose on both sides.
Speaker:And so our clients know that we're custom because we want
Speaker:that event to succeed as much as they do.
Speaker:We are not canned presentations.
Speaker:My speakers know that when we find the client,
Speaker:that the match is that I have discussed with that client,
Speaker:exactly their expectations,
Speaker:exactly the takeaways.
Speaker:So that one,
Speaker:we make a proposal to that client.
Speaker:They're going to see exactly what we offer to them based
Speaker:on what they want,
Speaker:not on what we want to give them,
Speaker:which is a totally different model as well.
Speaker:I want to swing this around a little bit and relate
Speaker:it to some of the listeners who are here today.
Speaker:And you know,
Speaker:a lot of our audience,
Speaker:there are people who have gift shops or online and they're
Speaker:selling product.
Speaker:But what I really liked about you Sue is you offer
Speaker:the gift of number one entertainment with your speaker matchups training,
Speaker:because people who are going to event when it all comes
Speaker:together, that's also a gift because we're learning and we're growing.
Speaker:The one thing I continue hearing from you,
Speaker:an underlying thing all the way through is the planning way
Speaker:early on,
Speaker:which then leads to success.
Speaker:Like you're talking about,
Speaker:you went through and really thought about what is it I'm
Speaker:going to want to have in a speaker?
Speaker:What is it that I'm going to want to have in
Speaker:a venue or a conference?
Speaker:What are the qualities that are going to be important that
Speaker:set us up to be successful and have good matches as
Speaker:a process.
Speaker:If your forms are more of a process and you can
Speaker:tweak those questions or do whatever you need to do,
Speaker:and that learning continues to make the forms work better and
Speaker:better for you.
Speaker:Right? Correct.
Speaker:So give biz listeners what in your business,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:try and relate it back and think about your business.
Speaker:What types of things could you do that you set up
Speaker:as a process or you create that helps you continue to
Speaker:grow on knowledge that you get with your customers,
Speaker:with in-store promotions that you do,
Speaker:whatever it might be,
Speaker:where it can continue to grow.
Speaker:It's just not a one-off you do something,
Speaker:it works,
Speaker:it doesn't work.
Speaker:I'm jumping in fresh to something new,
Speaker:but what could you build on to add value and make
Speaker:your business stronger?
Speaker:So just a little thing for you to think about.
Speaker:So we're going to move in now to the reflection section.
Speaker:This is a look at you and allows us to see
Speaker:what you think has helped you to succeed along the way.
Speaker:What is one natural trait that you have that you think
Speaker:has helped with your success?
Speaker:Well, I Think when I took the strength,
Speaker:two dot O StrengthFinders,
Speaker:two dot O thing,
Speaker:it kind of brought that out.
Speaker:I loved those,
Speaker:those books that are out that will tell you about your
Speaker:strengths. I feel like you need to focus on your strengths
Speaker:more than on your weaknesses,
Speaker:because when you build up your strengths that are naturally there,
Speaker:and mine are being positive,
Speaker:being encouraging organization,
Speaker:those are the keys that are gonna live with you all
Speaker:the way down the line.
Speaker:So when you focus on making those better,
Speaker:your weaknesses,
Speaker:all these little things that,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:we used to say,
Speaker:fake it till you make it.
Speaker:Well, you don't have to fake it anymore.
Speaker:Cause then when you're focusing on your strengths,
Speaker:it minimizes your weaknesses because you've built up the things that
Speaker:can overcome those weaknesses automatically don't have to be working on
Speaker:those weaknesses.
Speaker:And that's where systems and processes have to be in place
Speaker:to do that.
Speaker:Knowledge is empowering and the systems and processes have to be
Speaker:in place,
Speaker:or you're not going to be successful.
Speaker:Really good point.
Speaker:Moving on.
Speaker:What tool do you use regularly that helps you keep productive
Speaker:or on the other side create balance in your life?
Speaker:Well, you know,
Speaker:Everyone always says the key word is balance in your life,
Speaker:right? I mean,
Speaker:everybody says that and we talk a lot about it.
Speaker:We even go to conferences about it.
Speaker:We go to get that balance.
Speaker:Everybody's seeking that balance.
Speaker:It sounds so easy.
Speaker:Doesn't it?
Speaker:It does.
Speaker:But you know,
Speaker:when you look at balance,
Speaker:it's kind of like,
Speaker:well, I got to separate my career and work and all
Speaker:from my personal life,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:we got to separate to balance this out.
Speaker:Okay. Well,
Speaker:I went to something recently and I realized that it was
Speaker:about blending,
Speaker:not necessarily about balance.
Speaker:How do you blend things?
Speaker:How do you focus on this?
Speaker:And no,
Speaker:you've got to meet this as well.
Speaker:Sometimes you just have to blend that as small business owners,
Speaker:as entrepreneurs,
Speaker:a lot is required,
Speaker:much is given to you,
Speaker:but a lot is required as well,
Speaker:right? Time and effort.
Speaker:And it just robs you,
Speaker:you feel like at the end of the day,
Speaker:I just don't have enough hours in the day.
Speaker:Well, I had to realize that I can't live like that.
Speaker:I'm totally entrepreneurial.
Speaker:I'm off the cuff.
Speaker:I can do just about what you want me to do,
Speaker:but I want to do it on the other hand with
Speaker:a system and process as well,
Speaker:so that I have some direction and know where I'm going
Speaker:so that it doesn't jump out at me.
Speaker:And I can't overcome the things that stress you out or
Speaker:the things that take you out of balance.
Speaker:So every day,
Speaker:me and my CFO,
Speaker:we meet and have a little prayer session together.
Speaker:We have a great marriage and we have a great business
Speaker:partnership together because he basically works for me,
Speaker:which I'm the owner and he's the CFO,
Speaker:but he understands that process because that's key to him of
Speaker:how he sees his role and whatever we do.
Speaker:And so we have this perception and then we have a
Speaker:group of 20 volunteers that have been with me since I
Speaker:started speaking and writing an out there myself.
Speaker:And they just transitioned.
Speaker:Twin weekend,
Speaker:went into business for others and all and monthly,
Speaker:I correspond with them and they know that they're out there.
Speaker:They're our prayer partners.
Speaker:And they're out there praying for our success as well.
Speaker:And those two key elements have kept both my husband and
Speaker:myself in balance.
Speaker:We've got four children and eight grandchildren,
Speaker:and we certainly want to be good parents.
Speaker:First of all,
Speaker:we want to be a good partnership together.
Speaker:As a husband and wife,
Speaker:then we want to be good parents.
Speaker:We want to be good grandparents,
Speaker:eventually great grandparents.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:we want all that,
Speaker:but we also know that we're a little different since we
Speaker:chose to not let retirement be in our DNA.
Speaker:We've made those things matter,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:that are important to us.
Speaker:So I think that's the quality of life of knowing what
Speaker:is important and making sure that that's what you do every
Speaker:day, the important things.
Speaker:And you can let a lot of things go.
Speaker:So a question for you.
Speaker:So your volunteers,
Speaker:are they more emotional,
Speaker:a prayer support?
Speaker:Is that what they are?
Speaker:Do they do other things as well?
Speaker:Yes, They are strictly our prayer team,
Speaker:prayer partners.
Speaker:I love that.
Speaker:Wow. And I Patterned after a company that I know and
Speaker:I'm, we're,
Speaker:we're peer partners of that company.
Speaker:They based their business model on their prayer partners.
Speaker:And I feel like they've been in business for 30 years
Speaker:because of that.
Speaker:And when I saw that model,
Speaker:I said,
Speaker:sounds like one that we could be involved in.
Speaker:And we were very honored and we are very blessed.
Speaker:Wow. That's very special.
Speaker:I just love that.
Speaker:I would like to continue on,
Speaker:we might have to do a series.
Speaker:That could be my next book.
Speaker:Who knows.
Speaker:There you Go.
Speaker:Well that's and that's where I'm at now.
Speaker:What book have you read lately that you would recommend to
Speaker:our listeners?
Speaker:Because you think they would find value in.
Speaker:We're going to put your book on there too.
Speaker:So that's,
Speaker:that's an automatic,
Speaker:what else?
Speaker:In addition to yours?
Speaker:Well, And I do have to read my book every day.
Speaker:I just want to tell you that I'm not perfect.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:I do live fear free,
Speaker:but those days can come at you.
Speaker:So I,
Speaker:I still keep reading that book.
Speaker:Do you Need reminders?
Speaker:We're all human.
Speaker:Yes, that's It.
Speaker:It was good for me.
Speaker:The new book and I love John Maxwell.
Speaker:He's always been one of my favorites as many,
Speaker:and he has a new one out called intentional living.
Speaker:It's brand new.
Speaker:And I did a workshop on this book.
Speaker:It's just amazing because the word that we chose for our
Speaker:word of the year for our company,
Speaker:because we do that in our business plan,
Speaker:we put to pick a word of the year.
Speaker:Our word this year is intentional.
Speaker:Must've been thinking about me.
Speaker:Right. But anyway,
Speaker:so anyway,
Speaker:so that was one.
Speaker:And then there is one other that I have found can
Speaker:be to some,
Speaker:not all,
Speaker:but to some very,
Speaker:very powerful,
Speaker:because it came from the authors that now have a number
Speaker:one bestselling movie.
Speaker:And the book is called the battle plan for prayer from
Speaker:basic training to targeted strategies by Stephen and Alex,
Speaker:Kendrick, K E N D R a C K.
Speaker:They are the authors and they are the creators of the
Speaker:war room,
Speaker:movie, number one,
Speaker:bestseller box office special.
Speaker:And it goes into businesses.
Speaker:Ooh. Some great ones for all of us to check out
Speaker:for sure.
Speaker:And the movie with the popcorn.
Speaker:I know.
Speaker:Oh yeah.
Speaker:Got to have the popcorn.
Speaker:Gotta have that popcorn.
Speaker:Well, gift biz Listeners,
Speaker:just as you're listening to the podcast today,
Speaker:you can also listen to audio books with these.
Speaker:I've teamed up with audible for you to be able to
Speaker:get an audio book.
Speaker:Just like the one Sue is talking about for free.
Speaker:All you need to do is go to gift biz,
Speaker:book.com and make a selection.
Speaker:That's gift biz,
Speaker:book.com. All right.
Speaker:So we're winding down here and we have arrived at the
Speaker:dare to dream question.
Speaker:I'd like to present you with a virtual gift.
Speaker:It's a magical box containing unlimited possibilities for your future.
Speaker:This is your dream or your goal of almost unreachable Heights
Speaker:that you would wish to obtain.
Speaker:Please accept this gift and open it in our presence.
Speaker:What is inside your box?
Speaker:This was a very thought provoking question.
Speaker:And I'm glad you asked it And I cannot wait to
Speaker:hear what you say.
Speaker:And I see this box.
Speaker:It has to be until in lime green,
Speaker:right? Of Course.
Speaker:Yes. All right.
Speaker:Give it to you any other ways.
Speaker:And I opened it with my hat on,
Speaker:cause I always wear a hat.
Speaker:The gift to me,
Speaker:the most precious gift that anyone could give to me would
Speaker:be the gift of wisdom.
Speaker:And you say,
Speaker:well, that's not tangible.
Speaker:How's that going to help you?
Speaker:You can't see it.
Speaker:You can't feel it.
Speaker:You can't eat it.
Speaker:You can't dream it.
Speaker:You can't touch it every day,
Speaker:but you can.
Speaker:That would be the gift because that's what I seek in
Speaker:my life is wisdom.
Speaker:I love that.
Speaker:And that's what you do your whole life with your business
Speaker:too, right?
Speaker:You're sharing wisdom from others to others.
Speaker:Exactly. And in the land I get why?
Speaker:So I get the gift of it too,
Speaker:because we have to do all the things to put into
Speaker:that, to make all that happen so that people will see
Speaker:that we can offer the solution.
Speaker:We bring Love that.
Speaker:Sue, how can our listeners get in touch with you?
Speaker:You can reach me first at our current website,
Speaker:www simply Sue speaks.com.
Speaker:Remember it is under new construction and it will be there
Speaker:soon. Not all my speakers are listed there currently,
Speaker:Once it's done,
Speaker:it'll be the same site.
Speaker:Yes, it will.
Speaker:It will be same name and everything.
Speaker:So it'll just be a different look then you can reach
Speaker:me on LinkedIn under my profile of simply Sue Falcom.
Speaker:You can reach me at Twitter at simply Sue speaks.
Speaker:You can call me at my 800 number,
Speaker:my toll free number (888) 766-3155.
Speaker:Or you can email me@suatsimplysuespeaks.com,
Speaker:always around I'm all over social media.
Speaker:So you cannot miss the avatar.
Speaker:It sounds like it.
Speaker:You've got lots of options there.
Speaker:So, and give biz listeners remember too,
Speaker:you can jump over to the show notes page.
Speaker:If you're driving while you're listening,
Speaker:walking the dog in the shop,
Speaker:fixing displays,
Speaker:whatever it might be.
Speaker:We have all the information over there for you to be
Speaker:able to capture later if need be.
Speaker:Thank you so much,
Speaker:Sue. This has been really,
Speaker:really an enlightening conversation.
Speaker:You've provided so much information that I haven't heard before.
Speaker:So I'd like to think that a lot of our listeners
Speaker:haven't heard a lot of this before,
Speaker:either really,
Speaker:really valuable ways for us to adjust our thinking,
Speaker:get a little insight into your company and how you do
Speaker:business. And I have to say,
Speaker:I am totally impressed.
Speaker:Well, I've went Totally honored and it was an honor to
Speaker:meet you at social boom 15.
Speaker:Thank you.
Speaker:Thank you for this opportunity.
Speaker:It Was awesome.
Speaker:And Sue,
Speaker:may your candle always burn bright,
Speaker:Learn how to work smarter while developing and growing your business.
Speaker:Download our guide called 25 free tools to enhance your business
Speaker:in life.
Speaker:It's our gift to you and available@giftbizonrev.com
Speaker:slash tools.
Speaker:Thanks for listening and be sure to join us for the
Speaker:next episode.
Speaker:Today's show is sponsored by the ribbon print company,
Speaker:looking for a new income source for your gift business.
Speaker:Customization Is more popular now than ever brand your product From
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Speaker:it's all done right in your shop or across studio in
Speaker:seconds. Check out the ribbon print company.com
Speaker:for more information.
Speaker:Would you like to be on the show or do you
Speaker:know someone who can provide valuable insight from their experiences?
Speaker:If so,
Speaker:we'd love to hear from you.
Speaker:All you need to do is submit a form for consideration.
Speaker:You can access the form@giftunwrappeddotcomforwardslashgiftbizonramp.com
