We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Roquita Johnson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Roquita below.

Roquita, appreciate you joining us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

This is a great question! I believe success is a combination of different factors instead of one ultimate determinant. When it comes to business, there are answers to this question that are often cited by others that still hold up: discipline, ingenuity, building relationships, knowing how to prioritize, and leveraging your strengths to name a few. I definitely believe you need all of these as a baseline for being successful.

When I look at my own entrepreneurial journey, here is one additional element I’d add to the list:

Don’t be afraid to turn business away

Everyone who wants to work with you is not your client. I know it is flattering when a prospect reaches out to you because they believe you are the person who can bring about the transformation they’re seeking. Enjoy the high of that feeling; you’ve worked hard to be where you are and cultivated the skills needed to serve your market. But you also have to be aware of the signs that this person will not be a good client for you to work with. For me, this often means paying attention to what is NOT being said during the discovery call; basically, having discernment! Sometimes you don’t have this when you first start out in business, but as you speak with more prospects and work with more clients – you’ll get much better at seeing who is a good fit.

One recent example I can think of is a women I’d had a discovery call with. I followed up with her at the end of the week since she wanted to think about it. She said she had given it some thought, but wanted to work with someone who charged by the hour – which I don’t do. Ten days later she reached out, saying she’d had a change of heart. After a few emails, it was clear what her objection really stemmed from. In the past, she had been ripped off by a speech writer who took off with her money. and she didn’t want to “make the same mistake” again. She was extremely apprehensive about working with me (or any other person, I imagine) because of this negative experience. She suggested a few ways to work together to basically allay her fears, but I turned her down at this point. She would not be coming into this coaching-client relationship with a positive outlook and with trust in my expertise, and would most likely be difficult to work with. Coaches, just like clients, want to have a good working relationship while getting you to the next level. I truly ENJOY the clients I have had the opportunity to work with, and have their best interest at heart. For me, this is not just business; this is also my ministry!

Using discernment when deciding who to take on as clients has been a big factor in my success. I have never regretted my decision to not work with someone. And the right kind of client often comes along shortly after :-)

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I never set out to be a public speaking and presentation skills coach. I always knew I wanted to have a business since I was a child, but I didn’t know what that business would be. I like to say that my business found me.

I did NOT LIKE public speaking at all! In college, you’ll always have presentations to deliver in front of the class. I made it through them, but was surely thankful when it was a group project! There’s always someone in the group who is fine doing the talking, so you don’t have to worry about being in the spotlight by yourself. As I started having more professional jobs, I could not escape having to speak in front of an audience by myself though. Not if I wanted to be successful at my job and be given more opportunities within the company. After one particular work day where I had to lead a marketing team project meeting, I knew I had probably left my team more confused afterward. I wasn’t speaking with clarity and the butterflies were out of control in my stomach. I decided I needed to get trained on how to be a confident public speaker immediately. And you know what I discovered? I was a REALLY good speaker. I just needed to learn the tools and skillsets to be a confident, clear, engaging speaker. Eventually, I entered and won numerous speech contests, people asked me to help them with their speeches, and then – after one client said “I don’t know what you do for your 9-5, but you’re a really good teacher”- I became a certified World Class Speaking Coach and started my business. I did the business part time for 5 years before going full time. I’m also the co-author of the Amazon #1 best-seller “Speak Up! The Ultimate Guide to Dominate in the Speaking Industry.”

If you listen to entrepreneurs’ stories, you’ll notice many of them say that they started a business that solves a problem they were struggling with. That is my story. I have worked with different types of clients over the years, but I specialize in transforming Christian thought leaders and experts into powerful presenters. My faith is an integral part of who I am and also my business. For me, this is really God’s business and I am stewarding it. I think integrating the faith aspect is what helps set me apart from other speaker coaches, and a big reason my clients do like to work with me. We always start the sessions off with a prayer to set the tone, and also because they are people and I know people are going through things in their everyday life they don’t necessarily tell others about. A simple prayer has the power to bring about a feeling of peace and encouragement they may need right now, so I pray as God leads me to. Some of my clients will even take the reigns and ask if they can start us off with prayer, and I LOVE those moments!

There are so many brilliant men and women out here who are called to impact and change lives with their message, but there is a communication stumbling block(s) that they have. It could be nervousness, disorganization, not knowing how to tell stories, rambling, lack of clarity, verbal tics like filler words, or not knowing how to engage the audience. These are all issues I show my clients how to overcome, while also getting clear on who THEY are as a speaker. Every speaker has their own style and “secret sauce” that makes them stand out, and it’s important to me that they are confident in who they are on the stage.

I mainly work with my individual private clients one-on-one virtually in four ways:
1. My 9-session customized coaching package which is the best option if you need to get those public speaking foundations down and want to achieve specific goals (example: create a signature talk). This was created for the beginner speaker or those who speak, but still feel “rusty” with their skills and know they can do better.
2. The Presentation Intensive is best for the person who has some public speaking experience, but has a high-stakes presentation/speech coming up QUICKLY that they need to create. We’ll work together on bringing this message to life in one virtual session.
3. Power Hour sessions are a one-hour session where you can pick my brain on a specific challenge you’re having. That could be how to craft your opening, reviewing your speaker one-sheet, or marketing strategies that will work best for you.
4. VIP Days are great for the person who wants to be a professional speaker. We can cover topics like your branding, audience niche, your major speech topics, social media content, and a lot more. You will leave with a plan and action items to move forward.

I work with organizations as well who want training for their staff or members. Popular workshops have been on public speaking fundamentals, persuasive speaking, how to facilitate, and virtual speaking. I know we are back to in-person speaking, but virtual is definitely here to stay! The pandemic unfortunately (or fortunately) exposed how many employees were lacking when it came to presentation skills because they saw themselves on camera during virtual meetings, or their managers saw it! Virtual presentations are a part of our lives now.

I could say a lot about this business journey I’ve been on. I will say that I feel most proud of seeing how my clients bloom during our time together. To see the lights go on in someone’s eyes when they learn how to address an issue that’s been bothering them, watching them confidently SLAY THOSE STAGES they always wanted to be on, and seeing them take off as thought leaders by sharing their perspectives and knowledge on podcasts, panels, and publications is incredibly gratifying!

I’m truly my own best testimony when it comes to “public speaking is a skill you can master, and not a talent you have to be born with.” I want everyone reading this who may struggle with public speaking to let this message sink in. Just take the first step and get the help you need!

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

If there is one thing I love, it’s to read!! I’ve always been a big reader since I was a child, and that hasn’t changed. Business books (including bios on entrepreneurs with those good life and business lessons) are probably my favorite genre. I read those the most outside of books on public speaking. Some that immediately come to mind that I highly recommend are:

Miracles Happen (about Mary Kay Ash)
Clickfunnels…You suddenly lose everything…30 Days.com, by Russell Brunson
Getting to Yes, by Roger Fisher and William Ury
Creating a Successful Business from Scratch Naturally, by Miko Branch and Titi Branch
Historical Encyclopedia of American Women Entrepreneurs, by Jeannette M. Oppedisano (one of my college professors!)

I also regularly watch videos about entrepreneurs too. I love learning their back stories, how they created their companies, and the challenges they endured along the way and the creative solutions they employed. They are very encouraging for those times when business feels shaky. You really start to realize that many issues are not unique to you; there are many other entrepreneurs that experienced that challenge as well, or something similar. Glean what you can from their stories. Some YouTube channels and videos I recommend are:

Hook https://www.youtube.com/@hook
MagnatesMedia https://www.youtube.com/@MagnatesMedia
Alux https://www.youtube.com/@alux
Any Jim Rohn Videos

I listen to a handful of podcasts. Three fantastic ones I recommend are:

How I Built This w/ Guy Raz
The Art of Sales w/ Art Sobczak
Trailblazers.FM w/ Stephen A. Hart

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

There are a few clients who I still have a nice relationship with even after the coaching is done. We follow each other on social media, and my heart is so full when I see all that they’re accomplishing now with their speaking! I have a couple of clients who are dentists and own thriving practices, and have become sought-after thought leaders within their industry. We will message each other or email from time to time.

Whenever I see the great things they are doing, I love promoting them on my Instagram stories. They are owning the lane God had for them, and doing great work! I will also even include them in some of my e-newsletters, when they have a speaking engagement coming up or have just completed one.

These are typically my clients that were very diligent in doing the coaching work and were self-motivated, and the fruit of that is clear – they are flourishing.

If I come across any events or podcasts that I think would be good opportunities for them, I’ll send them those suggestions. We may not be working together right now, but I’m happy to still be a resource for them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://roquitajohnson.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roquitajohnson_publicspeaking/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RoquitaJohnsonPublicSpeaking
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roquitajohnson/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@RoquitaJohnson