We were lucky to catch up with Lisa Braithwaite recently and have shared our conversation below.

Lisa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

I have OFTEN wondered if I should just go get a job! I’ve been running my business for 18 years now, through many ups and downs. I used to fantasize about working in one of those parking garage kiosks, where I could just sit and read a book, and occasionally help someone with their payment.

The last time I seriously wondered if I should get a job was during the early- to mid-pandemic. As a professional speaker, trainer and speaking coach, watching in-person events dry up was terrifying for a lot of people in my industry.

I saw one after the other drop out and go get jobs. And a lot of speakers didn’t know how to use remote technology like Zoom and weren’t interested in learning.

But I had an advantage: I had been delivering training and courses remotely for years (starting with teleseminars over bridge lines). And I had already been using Zoom for about five years at the beginning of the pandemic.

So within days of the first lockdown in California, I went back to an old workshop on webinars and updated it, and started offering it to my community and training clients within a week.

During the pandemic, I developed three more new trainings, which helped keep me afloat, and my training clients mostly went virtual, so I was able to keep doing work for them.

And I’ll be honest, I took advantage of every kind of pandemic assistance I could, from the federal, state and county levels. I also got creative, looking for online contract work, like tutoring, and paid focus groups to make some extra cash.

Because when it came down to it, as worried as I was for my industry and business, I still couldn’t see myself working for an employer ever again.

Being my own boss has allowed me to be there for my family when my mom was in hospice, to help my dad when he had medical issues, to work from the couch when I broke my right leg and left foot, to take time off when my husband has time off, and to make a schedule for myself that works with my temperament and energy levels.

In person speaking has come back, but more of my engagements are now virtual and will remain that way for a lot of organizations. It turns out that companies can save money and time by putting their events online!

So now I have a happier balance of in-person and virtual work, less travel, and even more life/work balance than before. And I’m glad I’m still here and able to keep doing the work I’m doing.

Lisa, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’ve been speaking, teaching and training for 30 years, and after being laid of three times in four years back in the early 2000s, I decided it was time to put my skills to good use as an entrepreneur.

I help leaders and changemakers build visibility, credibility and awareness for their work through engaging presentations, a authentic connection, and speaking up for change. I do this by offering 1:1 presentation skills coaching, corporate training and online workshops. I’m also the author of “Presenting for Humans: Insights for Speakers on Ditching Perfection and Creating Connection.”

Whether they’re new to speaking or looking to strengthen their existing skills, I help my clients deliver authentic, aligned, collaborative and FUN presentations using relevant, practical and useful content that activates the audience’s emotional engagement and moves them into action.

My degrees in theater and education directly influence my lighthearted and playful approach to training and coaching.

My clients need a cheerleader and an accountability partner to help them get out of their comfort zones and into the biggest, boldest, most confident versions of themselves that they can be, and I’m all about developing the strengths that are already within them and bringing those to the surface!

My greatest superpower is recovering from speaking mishaps – with not a hair out of place. And I wish for all of my clients to gain this level of confidence and self-assuredness in front of an audience!

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

The #1 strategy for growing my clientele has always been visibility, and #2 consistency.

I started a blog back in 2006, and that blog was solely responsible for my hitting #1 on Google for “public speaking coach” in 2007. At one point I set a goal for myself to write every single day! And I did, for almost a year. I joined Twitter in 2008 (no longer a user there), then Facebook, then LinkedIn, then Instagram. And I’ve continued to post regularly and consistently to stay visible.

Most new clients either find me by referral/word of mouth or by a Google search, because I’m EVERYWHERE. I don’t pay for advertising, ever.

This approach may not work for everyone, but I happen to love social media, I love writing and I love making silly videos. So this approach absolutely fits my style of marketing!

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I used to think I was lazy, until I discovered Denise Duffield-Thomas’ book “Chillpreneur.” I realized I’m not lazy. I just have a certain way I like to work! I don’t schedule 8 back-to-back meetings in a day. If I travel more than once a month for my business, it’s overwhelming. I don’t like to overbook myself or overwhelm myself with my work. And now I know I’m really just a Chillpreneur, and I can be anti-hustle and STILL have a successful business (as defined by ME).

Contact Info:

• Website: https://coachlisab.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachlisab/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachlisab/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CoachLisaB