Hi Fam,
For those of you who celebrate, I hope you had a peaceful Thanksgiving. During this holiday season, please know that I am sending my best to you and yours.
As 2025 winds down, it’s easy to rush straight into planning mode for the year ahead. But most grounded growth begins with intentional reflection. So before you step into a new season, I encourage you to reflect inward on what your speaking business needs most from you going into 2026.
Here are 10 questions to guide this process and set the stage for a thriving year ahead.
- Positioning
- Where does my message feel inconsistent or unclear on who I serve and how I want to position my brand?
- Assets
- Which materials need to be refreshed so they match the quality of stages I want next year?
- Think website, One Sheet, speaking footage, etc.
- Lead Generation
- What’s in place that gives potential buyers a clear and meaningful reason to lean into my work and stay connected?
- Think lead magnets, nurture campaigns, branded resources and more.
- Marketing
- If I could only focus on three top visibility strategies next year, which ones would move the needle most?
- Fees & Negotiations
- Where did I underprice or overextend and how can I better protect my value in the year ahead?
- Booking Process
- Am I following a repeatable inquiry-to-aftercare system or am I reinventing the process each time?
- Client Experience
- Which part of my pre-event, on-stage and post-event experience could be elevated to increase repeat bookings and referrals?
- Aftercare
- What follow-up touchpoints can be implemented to deepen relationships, reinforce my message and increase long-term engagement?
- Growth Beyond the Stage
- What product or service am I ready to build that supports my long-term goals and deepens my message, impact and revenue?
- Energy & Capacity
- What habits, systems or networks will help me run a more predictable, sustainable business rather than winging it?
Final Word as We Step Into 2026
If these questions stirred something in you, you’re not alone. These are some of the exact areas where I serve speakers in bringing clarity, cohesion and consistency to their business.
If you’re tired of spinning your wheels and want this next year to look different, let’s talk about what a partnership could look like. My 3-month program is designed to meet you where you are in your speaking business and give you massive momentum towards where you want to go.
Want to Go Deeper?
Last Office Hours was so well received that I decided to host another, this Thursday, December 4th at 12pm Eastern.
You can drop in anytime to ask your burning questions about the business of speaking.
Stay for the full hour or ask and go. It’s completely up to you.
My goal is to help you step into 2026 with clarity and confidence.
I’d love to see you there.
Here’s to a 2026 you can be proud of,
Tay