From Notepad to a Six Figure Reality

How I Became a College Speaker

Subject: College Speaker, College speaking, Success, Persistence, Vision

By Victor Antonio

Several years ago I had this idea…I wanted to write books and be a public speaker.  When I told my friends and family this, they laughed or simply ignored the claim altogether.

Nonetheless, I knew what I wanted to do.  I just had one major obstacle; I didn’t know how to go about doing it.  So like anyone with a burning desire to succeed, I began to learn as much as could about the business of publishing and speaking.

Let me focus on how I got my start in the speaking business.  In the second part of this article I’m going to focus in how I got started publishing my own books, DVDs and audio CDs.

One of the things I realized early on is that in order for me to be taken serious in the speaking business, I had to begin to put some type of program together and tie it to an identity.

The first thing I had to do was decide what I wanted to talk about.  For this, I did a little soul searching and came to the realization that I had a passion for convincing people that they too could be successful no matter the obstacles, social conditioning or financial status. 

It was around that time that I was reading a book by Dietrich Dorner called “The Logic of Failure” which centers around poor decisions made by social planner which can often lead to socio-economic catastrophes.  It also brought to mind a book by Robert Heilbroner titled, “The Nature and Logic of Capitalism” which talks about he inherent ‘logic’ in capitalism.

As I pondered the ideas in these books, the following train of the thought followed: “Does success have some underlying logic?  Are there some bad decisions we make that prevent us from being successful?” 

I then began to contemplate my own level of success in the business world having had a very challenging upbringing.  It was sometime after this that I decided to write my first book on personal development called, “The LOGIC of Success: Success Happens for a Reason”.  I surmised that success must have an inherent logic, that if followed would insure ones own success.  I began to write and the ideas flowed onto the pages with minimal effort.

Once I published the book I then began to market myself as a speaker to the market in general.  Suffice it to say it wasn’t easy.  I quickly realized that having a book was only a small step in becoming a successful speaker.  I had to find a market hungry for what I had to offer and find a way to market (i.e., reach) my target audience.

I knew there existed a college market for speakers and decided to focus all my attention and energy on breaking into it.  Why the college market?  Well first I knew I could relate to the students, especially those who were struggling to make it though college.  Second, it was a target market where I felt I could compete with other college speakers without having to spend loads of money when compared to marketing to the general public.

I put several programs together centered around leadership and motivation.  The core of my material was based on my book, The Logic of Success.  I spent thousands of dollars (estimate: $10,000 or more) on trying to market to the college market.  When I started as a college speaker there was no program available to guide me so I had to learn the hard way; but I didn’t give up.  I was determined to succeed in the college speaking business no matter what others thought of my idea.

I remember my first college speaking engagement where I got paid $1,500 to speak to a group of students.  I was excited!  Not so much for the money, but the realization that all my time and effort was finally starting to pay off. 

Over the next year or two I moved my fee up to $2,500 and then $3,500 per college speech as the demand for my college speaking services increased.  It’s an incredible feeling!  More importantly is the feeling you get knowing that you don’t have to work a 9 to 5 job anymore.  You start to feel and realize for the first time that you are in control of your financial destiny now that you’ve figured out how things work.  I don’t have to tell you that since then I’ve gotten my investment back many times over.

Today, aside from part-time college speaking, I do training and keynote speeches around the United States and recently I was invited to be a guest trainer in MALAYSIA and AUSTRALIA (click pictures below).

It all started with an idea on a notepad and a vision of what I wanted to do!   It wasn't always easy!  Along the way I met critics, liars, fakers and other types who tried to get in the way of my impending success.  I quickly learned to mentally push these "blockers" aside by staying focused and undeterred in building my business (i.e., the dream).  Don't let them stop you!

For those of you who are serious about speaking in the college market, check out my DVD program, “How to Make $100,000 Speaking in the College Market” by going to www.SpeakAtColleges.com. You never know what it might lead to or where it may take you.   

You can also find the information at:

www.GetSpeakingGigs.com

Copyright © 2007 by Victor Antonio   All rights reserved.  This article MAY be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, as long as the author’s name, website and email address are included as part of the article’s body.  All inquiries, including information on electronic licensing, should be directed to Victor Antonio.