Leisa Reid didn’t start her speaking career until she was 40, with zero gigs, no email list, and no clear path forward—just a passion for sharing her message. Fast-forward a decade, and she’s the founder of Get Speaking Gigs Now, helping entrepreneurs turn their expertise into impactful speaking opportunities. With a speaking community that’s been growing strong for 10 years, Leisa has plenty of thoughts on what it takes to succeed as a professional speaker.
Tell us about yourself and your business—what makes it one of a kind?
I was raised in Fairbanks, Alaska from 2-18 years old, and had always dreamed of moving to sunny California. When it came time to apply for colleges, I ONLY applied for California schools. At the time, it all seemed warm to me! I ended up at Cal State Fullerton (California State University, Fullerton), and have lived in Orange County ever since.
Even though I was from a small town, I always enjoyed teaching and presenting. I remember giving a talk to my entire junior high school and having a great experience.
It wasn’t a shock that my BA and MA degrees ended up being in Speech Communication. In fact, I even taught Interpersonal Communication at Cal State Fullerton when I was only 22 years old.
Skipping over a few decades… I didn’t actually become a professional speaker until 2013 (at the ripe age of 40)! I started with ZERO speaking gigs, ZERO clients, no opt-in, no mailing list and NO idea of how to get a speaking gig.
What DID I have? A talk ready to go, support from a company, a workshop to invite people to, sales experience and COURAGE!
In that first year as a speaker, I booked 83 speaking gigs in my local area. Those gigs led to many clients and massive revenue for the company I represented at the time. In order to get more speaking gigs and to educate myself about the speaking business, I formed an organization, The OC Speakers Network (now merged with the International Speaker Network). People would constantly ask me, “How did you get so many gigs? Can you teach me?”
What inspired you to start your business?
I founded Get Speaking Gigs Now in 2017, due to a need I saw in the entrepreneurial industry. I realized that “the art of getting booked” was a missing piece in the marketplace, and my company was born.
Many entrepreneurs have valuable expertise to share, but they don’t have the skills and strategies to take their message to the stage. I formed Get Speaking Gigs Now so that professionals who want to use speaking to grow their business could get booked easily and stay booked for the duration of their professional careers. Clients build their speaking skills and confidence through the Speaker’s Training Academy. They learn how to get started as a speaker, get booked as a speaker and how to attract their clients as a speaker.

What was the first step to starting your business?
The first step was getting the website up with a lead magnet. At the time, it was a webinar. I was up and running with a business name, logo, website and webinar within two weeks.
Describe your company in three words.
Entrepreneurial Public Speaking!
What’s your proudest business milestone so far?
We celebrated our 10th anniversary in 2023. It’s easy to create a community, but sustaining a community that continues to grow and be valuable to the members is a huge accomplishment.
What’s a business myth you’d love to bust?
That you need to struggle and hustle to be successful.
What’s one mistake you made early on in your business?
Not creating an email list on the first day was a mistake.
What excites you about your work?
The most exciting thing to me is when I see my clients out there speaking, being on podcasts, getting on stages and filling their programs. That lights me up!
How do you differentiate your company from other similar offerings?
We offer structure and strategies with a high degree of flexibility so that each client walks away with their own customized talk and the ability to get booked for the rest of their career.
What advice would you give to other female entrepreneurs?
Public speaking is one of the quickest (and most fulfilling) ways to grow your business. You don’t need fancy schmancy systems to get started. But you DO need to create a talk that you are excited to share with others. The key to unlocking your bookability is to GET READY to be a speaker.
Anything else you want to share with our audience?
If you’re considering using public speaking as a marketing strategy, visit https://GetSpeakingGigsNow.com/tips for free tips on how to get speaking gigs now!
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