Leader & Speaker

Be impeccable with your word.

Do you feel you have something to say? Do you want to share what you know and help drive change? This is much more than a job. It's a blue ocean, and a winning strategy that can change the world. Impact, engagement, contribution: inspiration is a role model and a source of hope at the same time. What if you were the one on stage? Here's what you need to know.

I've been speaking on stages across Europe for 15 years. It became my profession because I love it. But I never consciously chose it. Life put me on this track. Only later did I understand how powerful this work really is.

You are a lighthouse waiting to be lit. Inside you are experiences, a story and hard-won lessons. They could shine a light for thousands of people who are looking for answers you've already found.

For some of them, hearing you could be the moment that changes their life. Your biggest challenge will be believing that's possible.

“What do I have to say?” “Who am I to tell anyone anything?”

You are a lighthouse, and your light can reach farther than you think. — Iker Aguirre

Sharing with passion: a unique opportunity for inspiring leaders

As you read, pay attention to what stirs inside you. The opportunity I'm about to describe won't stay a blue ocean for long. I'd say the window is about five years. So if something lights up when you picture yourself as a speaker, now may be the time. Find your courage and dare to do what once seemed out of reach. This profession is a rare opportunity, and you'll soon see why.

It all starts inside you

Why do you want to speak? Is it a deep urge to share, to contribute, to give? If so, you're in the right place. But if what you really need is to be heard, or to be noticed, you have some inner work to do first. Face your blind spots before you step into the spotlight. Otherwise, the road will be rough. Audiences can sense this right away.

The drive to share starts in the heart. It fills you up and makes you come alive. When you learn something new, a tip or a gem that changes everything, you can't wait to tell someone. Teaching appeals to you, even if it isn't your job. And you love telling stories. You're also sensitive, and you value real, heart-to-heart relationships. Sharing is how you nurture them.

In those magic moments, your heart races. You feel an enthusiasm that spreads to everyone around you.

Do you catch yourself sharing ideas, talking and teaching in front of imaginary audiences? Then this work may be for you. And if it is, you'll always want to do it at your very best. That's where the inner journey begins. Public speaking is largely a matter of technique. But the magic that sets you apart doesn't come from technique. It comes from within. Great speakers embody their message and live it. That's what separates them from forgettable presenters.

If you feel that fire inside you, fear of the spotlight is probably dimming it. We all have that fear. It never fully goes away, even after fifteen years on stage. So don't let it crush your dreams. It's only there to show you where your confidence ends. Push past it, and you'll grow far beyond what you ever thought you could do.

Storytelling and sharing what you know: a wide-open field for passionate, experienced leaders

Now let's be practical. If you want to live this dream fully, it also has to pay the bills. Otherwise it stays a side hobby. You'd speak whenever a rare chance comes along, usually a few miles from home. That's not what we're talking about. We're talking about the best stages in your country and abroad. Speaking to thousands of people. Spending time with inspiring men and women. Traveling often to beautiful places. We're talking about making the extraordinary your everyday life. And growing your revenue along the way.

A professional speaker charges, on average, between €1,500 and €5,000 per talk. Below that range, either you're underpricing your work or you're a beginner looking for a first break. Above it, you have exceptional name recognition. At that level, fees can reach five figures.

Do the math. That's €1,500 to €5,000 for speaking for ninety minutes, often less. Travel, lodging and meals come on top, and the client covers them. And that's only the beginning.

If your audience is made up of your target clients, you have a golden opportunity to showcase your expertise. If you're great on stage, someone in the room will always pick up the phone and ask to work with you. In 15 years, the biggest contract I ever signed from a single talk was worth €200,000. The total value of contracts I've signed thanks to my talks runs into seven figures. So yes, speaking is a real profession. It lets you make a meaningful contribution to change. And it can boost your career, your reputation and your company's revenue.

The shortage of inspiring leaders: a key challenge for sharing ideas and rallying people

If you're looking for a good speaker, you'll find plenty. Writers, researchers, elite athletes, artists, scientists, philosophers, journalists, adventurers. The choice is wide, and there's no shortage of charismatic speakers. But what if you want a business leader? Someone who's been in the trenches and speaks your language, so you don't have to work hard to translate? The list gets short fast. That's why some executives who speak give more than 200 talks a year and still turn down requests. At that pace, life is a blur of trains, planes, stations and hotels. I don't wish that on you. But it tells you a lot about the demand.

Don't let these numbers overwhelm you. They simply prove there's room for you. I believe the best impact comes from work you can devote 100% of your time to. And that's impossible if you can't pay your bills first.

Sharing your voice as a leader: an opportunity to seize before the window closes

Strong revenue, strong demand and little competition. That's what we call a blue ocean. And it won't last.

For five years, I've watched the space get tighter. On one side, more and more of you want to take the leap. On the other, social media has created a new career for young people: influencer. Say what you will about it, it's the modern version of the speaker. Tens of thousands of young people dream of being YouTubers, and they're great on camera. Speaking doesn't scare them. Neither do big audiences. And they know how to tell a story, even when they have nothing to say! Very few of them understand the strategies that turn a message into income. But it's only a matter of time. In a few years, those strategies will be common knowledge. The time between now and then is the time you have left to claim your spot. Once you've claimed it, it will be hard to push you out. Newcomers will have to share the field with you.

Infopreneur: the new career for leaders who turn their knowledge into value

This new career already has a name: infopreneur. It's the art of turning your knowledge into a product in its own right.

A farmer grows oranges and sells them for a dollar a pound. A manufacturer turns them into orange juice and sells it for $3.50 a quart. An infopreneur teaches you how to make healthy, delicious citrus smoothies. The online course sells for $47.

Being an infopreneur is demanding. It takes a lot of skills. Some are harder to learn than others. But you don't need to master all of them to do extremely well. Why? Because most professional speakers today don't know this business exists. They focus on one or two strategies and ignore the rest. That leaves the blue ocean even bigger.

You get it. The day everyone knows what I'm sharing with you, the blue ocean will be gone. Many people will have rushed in. Standing out won't be easy. But for now, there's still room. Here's how to go about it.

Finding purpose, creating impact and leaving a legacy as a leader who communicates

Let's be honest: this isn't an easy job. But the rewards are wonderful. You'll live an extraordinary life, in extraordinary places, in extraordinary conditions, with extraordinary people. That's the upside. You'll also have to work hard and go through tough seasons of self-doubt. You'll be surrounded by people, and yet you'll often feel deeply alone. That's the flip side. So you need a Why that's bigger than you. It gives meaning to every effort and every hard stretch. Without it, you won't last long enough to succeed. That's why your first step is deep work on your purpose. What impact do you want to have on people? What legacy do you want to help build? The further you go with these questions, the brighter your inner fire will burn. It will guide you through the darkness of uncertainty.

Mastering what happens behind the scenes of storytelling and teaching to become an influential leader

Being a good speaker isn't enough to succeed. Neither is having a great story. Content and delivery matter, but they depend on careful work behind the scenes. After all, you'll spend no more than 5% of your time on stage or on camera. The real difference is made everywhere else.

First, learn to structure your message. Build it so it's both powerful and easy to learn from. Make it engaging, so people enjoy themselves. But also plant seeds of reflection and change. That's what makes all the difference. A good time isn't enough. To leave a lasting mark, give people a real chance to transform.

The next step is to learn how the infopreneur business works, and to

commit to your choices. At first, you can't do everything: talks, training, coaching, books, podcasts, a YouTube channel, hybrid events. You'll need to set priorities and focus on the most promising options. Use four criteria: inner joy, reach, effort required and revenue.

After that, there's only one thing left to do: study! Each choice comes with important strategic details that make or break your success. You'll have to learn them. Each choice also requires technical skills you'll have to build. This phase is tough. Think of it as the price of admission to a dream career you're passionate about.

Owning the stage: the art of captivating, teaching and inspiring as a leader

You've done the hardest part. Now it's time to have fun like a kid! Owning the stage is a skill you can learn. Public speaking is pure technique. You can learn it and practice it. Do three things. First, train with a professional you trust. Second, at the same time, apply to be a guest lecturer at a university or business school. Go for final-year students. They're a tough crowd, and they tune out fast if you can't hold their attention. It's the perfect place to take risks safely! Third, watch talks like there's no tomorrow, and learn from the best. When you feel like you keep seeing the same thing, your time has come. Innovate and find what makes you unique! When all of this comes together with a powerful message and story, the magic starts. The lighthouse inside you begins to shine bright.

The Lighthouse School: training leaders and speakers who light the way and inspire

In 15 years, I've traveled many roads to fully understand what it means to be a lighthouse and a speaker. I wanted to do my part to help build a society and companies that respect people and the living world. All in a world that's changing fast. I've had extraordinary, deeply emotional moments and built strong bonds with my audiences. But through all that joy, I stayed clear-eyed about my real impact. On my own, I wouldn't get very far. It would take an army of committed lighthouses to truly make a difference!

That's when I decided to change course. I committed to sharing content on a large scale to help “light up” more lighthouses faster. Konxus Media is part of that journey.

If this article speaks to you, feel free to write to me with your questions. You could also join one of the “Become a Lighthouse and a Speaker” cohorts I run twice a year. It's a five-month program where you learn every part of the job in depth, on stage and behind the scenes, so you can launch with confidence. The world is changing in the shadow of uncertainty. It's time to light the lighthouses so it can find its way again.

A new, participatory era

We're entering a more participatory era in business. I believe there's a collective awakening to the power of people, and to this “meeting of minds.”

Intrapreneurship has spread to many companies, especially over the last 10 years. For now, it's still only a modest sign of that shift.

Tomorrow, this model will likely evolve too. A business model built on the collective and on shared purpose will become part of the DNA of many organizations.

When that day comes, what we saw one spring morning in a park in Toulouse will seem like an obvious step in how society evolves. The truth often comes from the way children naturally behave.

Originally published in French on Konxus Média ↗