MCP116: Behind the Scenes Tips for New Speakers from Toni Caruso

From Events to Assets: How to Turn Your Voice Into a Business

You book the gig. You show up. You deliver your talk. People clap. Maybe a few grab your business card. And then... crickets.

No leads. No follow-up. No clients. Just another speaking gig that looked good on LinkedIn but didn't do much for your business.

Most speakers treat stages like one-off performances instead of business assets. They chase free gigs for "exposure." They say yes to anything with a microphone. And they're not building systems to turn stage time into revenue.

Toni Caruso has spent over 30 years in live events and media. After years of helping entrepreneurs build speaking businesses that actually pay, she’s the Executive Director of the Ewomen Speakers Network, where she teaches what most speaker coaches skip: how to make money doing this.

In this conversation, Toni and I dig into turning speaking from a hobby into something that drives your business forward. We talk about picking the right stages, building genuine relationships, and why saying no to the wrong opportunities matters more than saying yes to everything.

Episode Overview

If you've been thinking about using speaking to grow your business but have no idea where to start, this episode is for you.

Toni shares her story of relocating from California to Texas and building a speaking community from scratch. We talk about what separates speakers who get paid from speakers who get ghosted. And she breaks down how to use stages to create real business growth instead of just racking up speaking credits that go nowhere.

What You'll Learn in This Episode

• Why most speakers fail to turn speaking into business (and what to do instead)
• How to build genuine relationships without being transactional
• The difference between exposure gigs and revenue-generating opportunities
• Why saying no to the wrong stages is more valuable than saying yes to everything

Key Insights & Takeaways

Speaking is only a business asset if you treat it like one.

Too many entrepreneurs say yes to every opportunity. They take free gigs that go nowhere. They speak at events that don't align with their ideal clients.

The speakers who succeed get strategic. They pick stages where their buyers actually are. They build systems to follow up with people who hear them speak. They say no to opportunities that don't fit their business model.

They treat relationships as the real currency, not just stage time.

Take the Next Step

Connect with Toni Caruso: Learn more about Toni and her upcoming workshops at ToniCaruso.com

Ready to fix your follow-up?

Tired of prospects ghosting you after your first conversation? Grab my FREE 5-day email course at https://thefollowupfix.net/ and learn the five relationship-killing mistakes that are costing you sales (and how to fix them without being pushy).

About the Podcast

#MeetCoolPeople is where founders, creators, and entrepreneurs share the real stories behind building businesses that matter. Hosted by Ely Delaney, each episode goes beyond surface-level advice to uncover the mindset shifts, failures, and frameworks that separate people who talk about success from people who build it. If you're tired of theory and want practical insights from people doing the work, this is your show.