Speaking Business podcast

Welcome to Speaking Business Podcast hosted by former international Speaker Bureau Owner and Agent Maria Franzoni.Speaking Business Podcast is a practical no waffle no nonsense podcast packed with actionable advice for Speakers wanting to be more bookable and make more money. Maria is the hidden influence behind the careers of hundreds of successful speakers and a recognised Speaking Industry expert. For 23 years she worked in and ran leading speaker bureaus, she knows why clients really book speakers - and why they don't. Maria's guests are all personally invited by Maria, they are collaborators, clients, speakers and bookers, sharing their experience about how to succeed in the world of paid speaking. Topics covered in this podcast include how to:• Position yourself in a competitive market• Build your profile and market your services• Get listed with Speaker Bureaus • Charge higher fees • Close more deals • Grow your Speaking BusinessIf you are a speaker and would like h

Speaking Business podcast is a business podcast hosted by Maria Franzoni, with 254 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Maria Franzoni hosts Speaking Business podcast, a business show with 254 episodes published.

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  Episode #254

  How Awards Help Speakers Become More Visible, Credible and Bookable with Donna O'Toole

  Aug 5, 202625 min

  In this episode of Speaking Business Podcast, I'm joined by Donna O'Toole, award-winning entrepreneur, bestselling author of WIN , founder of August Recognition and co-founder of AwardsApp.ai. Donna helps businesses and individuals raise their profile through credible awards, and in this conversation we talk about how recognition can support visibility, trust and commercial growth, especially for speakers who want to become better known and more bookable. We discuss the difference between credible awards and scam awards, how to spot red flags, why awards should never just be a popularity contest, and what judges are really looking for when they read an entry. Donna also shares how to use awards properly once you've won, including the importance of explaining why you won and who benefits when you win. We also talk about profile-building, Google, AI, writing a book, the role of awards in becoming known, and Donna's new AI-enabled Awards App, designed to make entering awards safer, easier and more inclusive. Donna shares the tools she uses in her own business, including Fathom, Slack and Zoom, and offers practical advice for anyone thinking of entering awards as part of their profile-building strategy. Donna explains that awards can help speakers demonstrate credibility, show independent validation and build positive reputational evidence online, which is increasingly important when people are searching through Google and AI tools.

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  Episode #254

  Alex Atherton: Building a Speaking Business When You're Starting from Nothing

  Jul 7, 202626 min

  In this episode of Speaking Business Podcast, I'm joined by Alex Atherton, an ex-secondary school head teacher, keynote speaker, author of The Snowflake Myth , and a winner at the 2025 Speaker Awards. Alex shares how he moved from running schools to building a speaking business, and why hearing young people dismissed as "snowflakes" pushed him to create a keynote that challenges lazy stereotypes about Gen Z. We talk about the disconnect between older leaders and younger professionals, why Gen Z's experience of education, technology, work and independence is so different from previous generations, and what leaders need to understand if they want to attract, retain and develop young talent. Alex also gives a very honest look behind the scenes of his speaking business. He shares what it felt like to go from the top of one profession to ground zero in another, how he developed his keynote slowly through research, blogs and focus groups, and why staying current is essential if you want to be seen as an authority. We also discuss how he gets booked, the role bureaus have played in his business, how LinkedIn and referrals contribute to his enquiries, and why knowing your numbers matters if you are serious about growing as a speaker. This is a fascinating episode for anyone who speaks on leadership, generations, workplace culture or change, and for any speaker building a business around a strong, timely and relevant idea.

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  Episode #253

  Why you aren't Getting Booked to Speak with Bobbie Carlton

  Jun 15, 202634 min

  In this episode of Speaking Business, I'm joined by Bobbie Carlton, founder of Innovation Women, an online speaker platform for women and other underrepresented voices. Bobbie shares why she created Innovation Women, what she saw missing from conference stages, and how speakers can use speaking to grow their careers, businesses and visibility. We talk about what makes a speaker profile work, why event organisers need the right signals before they book you, and why speakers must stop leading with themselves and start thinking about the audience problem they solve. We also discuss the changing world of search, AI, YouTube, speaker videos, building a pipeline of opportunities, and the difference between being an expert and being seen as a thought leader. Bobbie also shares the tools and systems she uses to manage multiple businesses, how she keeps learning, and what she would tell any speaker starting from scratch today. A practical, generous and very straight-talking conversation for speakers who want to become more visible, more bookable and more commercially useful to the audiences they serve.

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  Episode #252

  From Flight Deck to the Stage: Building a Speaking Business with Captain Emma Henderson

  Jun 4, 202626 min

  In this episode of Speaking Business , I'm joined by Captain Emma Henderson, international keynote speaker, leadership expert, founder of Project Wingman and creator of the AVIATE decision-making model. Emma shares how she moved from aviation and charity leadership into building a successful speaking business, and what changed when she stopped treating speaking as something she did on the side and started treating it as a business. We talk about positioning, selling yourself without feeling cringe, raising fees, building relationships with speaker bureaus, bringing personality into your brand, and why clients increasingly want practical tools they can take back into the business, not just inspiration. Emma also shares the systems she uses to run her business, how she decides when to say yes or no, what she would do differently if she were starting again, and why relationships, relevance and doing the work still matter in a world where everyone is trying to automate everything. A generous and practical conversation for speakers who want to build momentum, charge properly and create a business that is commercially solid as well as enjoyable.

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  Episode #250

  The One Thing Conference Organisers Want That Most Speakers Don't Have

  May 21, 202626 min

  In this episode of Speaking Business Podcast, I'm joined by Steve Markman, founder of Markman Speaker Management, who has more than 35 years' experience in the speaker field and has helped over 1,000 leaders secure speaking opportunities globally. Steve shares what speakers often don't realise about the conference world, including how competitive it is, how far in advance events are planned, and why your abstract can matter even more than your bio. We also talk about the difference between paid and unpaid speaking, why unpaid speaking can still lead to future income, and what paid speakers can learn from executives using speaking as part of their visibility and thought leadership strategy. This is a practical conversation for speakers who want to understand what really happens behind the scenes, how to make themselves more attractive to conference organisers, and how to position their content so it matches the audience, the event and the opportunity.

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