WHL Newsletter

In college, my friends and I would always get hyped up before big golf tournaments. We’d gather at someone’s dorm or apartment in the morning to “Hydrate” with some cold beverages and get the energy going!  Towards the end, a couple of us would give pep talks to ensure our team was mentally ready for the big day.  By the time senior year came around, the guys expected me to say something. So, I’d lie in bed the night before thinking about ways to get them “fired up.” 

A couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to interview legendary comedian and ventriloquist Terry Fator, who not only won America’s Got Talent in 2007, but also signed a $100,000,000, 5 Year contract in Las Vegas shortly after that in 2008. So, here were my main takeaways from our conversation that helped lead to this epic 9-figure contract! 

Even though I was consistently posting on social media, growing my following, and implementing what mentors said, it was frustrating to have only 22 opportunities to speak from 2016 to 2019. And, none of them were paid. When 2020 hit, it felt like the times were changing when I got to speak on my dream stage in Orlando, FL, in front of 100+ people! 

I decided to give comedy a try, the only way I knew how. Rent out a room and sell tickets. On August 2nd, 2023, I performed 15 minutes of my 1st YouTube Special, Bar-Cation, to a packed show of 75ish people. 

When you achieve something others want, it’s much easier to generate buzz among attendees and sell tickets.  If your speaking fee isn’t pocket change compared to what you have done in business, then stop worrying about getting paid to speak and focus on building something special. 

Those are words I never thought I'd hear from my mentor, who helped shape me into the man I am today. 

I've done my best to go out of my way to help speakers understand what it takes to prepare their talks for the TEDx stage over the last couple of years. 

My upcoming speech was on leadership, and to prepare, I was practicing my speech in front of a professional speaker I looked up to at a local Barnes and Noble. 

Something I've been thinking about quite a bit lately...