Olga Geidane

Here’s the bit you might not have considered when you become a professional speaker Professional speaking is a business and when you start any business you’re excited, full of optimism and all the possibilities your new life will bring and so it’s tempting to believe you’ll be profitable from day one. Unfortunately, the reality is a bit different, it takes time. In the first months, you’ll probably be: - Investing in your learning - Creating materials and assets - Building your website and positioning - Making a showreel or video content - Setting up systems and processes (these don’t stop, you’ll keep investing in these as your business grows) This is the foundation phase and you may find yourself eating into your savings to make it happen, but it’s what makes profit possible later. I’ve seen too many speakers start with no financial cushion, max out their credit cards, and then feel pressured to succeed immediately. That pressure doesn't usually lead to good decisions. Don't do it. If you can, give yourself six months of living expenses in the bank before you start, or build speaking as a side hustle (sorry I’ve gone American again) while keeping another income stream. It’s far less stressful, and it gives you space to think and be strategic. Give yourself the best possible chance of turning those first steps into long-term success. And whatever business you’re in 6 months living expenses should be your minimum – put money aside for a raining day. Goodness knows we are getting more and more of those these days – and no I’m not talking about climate change. Photo is from recent photoshoot, totally unrelated but hey I paid for it, going to use them.

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Think resilience is just a buzzword? Think again. It's the backbone of thriving businesses in 2025. Resilience is not a 'nice to have'. It's a business imperative. In my work with global clients across industries, I've seen a clear trend: Soft skills didn't just gain importance in times of crisis. They're still at the top of the list in 2025. Emotional intelligence and resilience are no longer optional. They've become must-haves in today's workplace. Why? Because when emotional resilience is low, it leads to: ❌Poor communication, leading to misunderstandings ❌ Increased fatigue and errors ❌ Rising conflict and disengagement In contrast, resilient professionals drive: ✅ Enhanced performance through clear communication ✅ Stronger collaboration, even under pressure ✅Continuous growth, turning chaos into opportunity So what does resilience look like in action? 👉 It shows up as empathy under pressure. 👉 As the ability to stay accountable without blame. 👉 As a mindset that sees change as an opportunity, not a threat. 👉 As a calm focus on solutions and 👉 As a habit of directing energy only toward what can be controlled. Here's the good news: resilience isn't a trait. It's a trainable skill. And many of us have already been resilient (we just forgot how). Start with these three simple practices: 1. Check in with yourself daily → Notice your energy, emotions, and needs. 2. Reframe challenges as data → Every difficulty offers insight and choice. 3. Practise micro-recoveries → Short pauses, movement, and breath work recalibrate your system. Resilience isn't just about bouncing back. It's about moving forward with intention. How has resilience helped you at work? Could you share in the comments? 👉 Follow Maria Luisa Engels for visuals that teach and personal growth insights. Share with your network if you liked this post. 👉 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲 to my newsletter and learn to create your visuals. https://lnkd.in/eZ9jUrKk

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Ever feel like there’s never enough time in the day? You’re not alone. But the problem might not be time… it might be how you’re filling it. I used this simple visual of a jar in a recent workshop, attended by some of the business owners I coach in Essex and Suffolk, to illustrate my point to. Imagine your time is like a large glass jar that you need to fill with the right elements in the right order. The correct order to fill it is: -  With big rocks - Then you add pebbles – they fill the gaps - Finally, you pour in sand – it trickles into the tiny spaces. BUT if you start with the sand, there’s no room for as many rocks. Your time works the same way: ✅ The rocks are your priorities – the things that move your business forward. These may be your regular activities, meetings and fixed time activities. ✅ The pebbles are the day-to-day tasks – important, but not critical. These include personal important activities, planning and business development. ✅ The sand? That’s the time-wasters and distractions. These may be personal development, routine reviews and team development. If you don’t schedule the big rocks first, they’ll never fit properly and you won’t be able to get as many rocks in the jar. For the remainder of this week, try flipping your approach: 🔹 Block out time for your high-impact work 🔹 Let the routine tasks work around them 🔹 Save the "sand" for last – or not at all. What are your “big rocks” this week? I’d be interested to know. If you would like to discuss how to improve your time management, send me a DM. As a business coach, I often share tips on this platform to help business owners grow their organisations, so follow my profile to see my future posts. #Productivity #TimeManagement #BusinessGrowth

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If you are doing Cold Outreach on LinkedIn, here's a Lead Gen tool you should know If you’ve been in my space long enough, you’ve probably heard me talk about cold outreach/pitching and why it’s a powerful strategy for freelancers. And when it comes to lead generation, Apollo is one of the top tools out there. It’s great for discovering prospects, organizing leads, and making sure your outreach is targeted and efficient. But if you’re someone who’s doing a lot of cold outreach especially on LinkedIn, it’s good to have a few tools in your arsenal. That’s why I also recommend ContactOut It’s a solid alternative that helps you find email addresses and phone numbers directly from LinkedIn profiles perfect for freelancers who are ready to reach out, pitch themselves, and get their services in front of the right people. Let me walk you through how it works: 📌 Step 1: Install the Chrome Extension → Go to contactout.com → Add the extension to your browser (it takes less than 2 minutes) 📌 Step 2: Open LinkedIn and Visit a Prospect’s Profile → Once the profile loads, you’ll notice the ContactOut button appear. 📌 Step 3: Click the Button → It’ll show available email addresses and sometimes phone numbers. 📌 Step 4: Save or Export Your Leads → Save to your ContactOut dashboard → Export to a spreadsheet → Or sync with your CRM if you’re using one It’s that easy. As freelancers, we can’t afford to sit around hoping clients find us. We need to be strategic, intentional, and visible. So if you’re planning to scale your cold outreach, try combining Apollo and ContactOut for a more robust approach. You don’t need to use just one tool. Use the ones that help you stay ahead. Now tell me, have you tried ContactOut before, or do you have a go-to lead gen tool you swear by?

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"Don't mention you were cabin crew, it's not good for your brand." Best career advice I never took.... Standing on stages and writing a book speaking to thousands about personal branding, I'm reminded daily why this advice was so wrong. Here's what I learned instead: Your experiences don't diminish your credibility—they ARE your credibility. Those years in the sky taught me everything I teach my clients today: → How to read people in 30 seconds → Crisis management under pressure → Cultural intelligence from serving passengers worldwide → The art of making everyone feel seen and valued → How to deliver premium experiences with grace Every keynote I deliver, every client breakthrough, every personal brand transformation, it all traces back to those "irrelevant" experiences at 35,000 feet. The people telling you to hide parts of your story? They're missing the point entirely. Your origin story isn't something to overcome, it's your competitive advantage. After helping thousands discover their authentic personal brand, here's what I know for certain: If someone has an opinion about your past that makes them think less of you, they aren't your people anyway. The right clients, opportunities, and connections are drawn to your full story, not the sanitised version. Stop editing yourself to fit into someone else's narrow definition of "professional." What part of your journey have you been hiding that actually makes you uniquely qualified for what you do now? Share it below as your authenticity might be exactly what someone else needs to hear! 👇 #PersonalBranding #AuthenticLeadership #KeynoteSpeaker #OriginStory #ProfessionalGrowth

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You meet exciting new prospective clients at every networking event, exchange business cards, and promise to stay in touch. So why does nothing happen next? Most trainers leave events buzzing with excitement about the connections they've made. Business cards get tucked away safely. Mental notes are made about following up with that L&D manager who seemed so interested. Then the week begins. Client deadlines loom. Emails pile up. That follow-up call gets pushed to tomorrow, then next week, then somehow it's been a month. By now it feels too late. Too awkward. What would you even say after all this time? Meanwhile, that same L&D manager has been hearing from other trainers. Not pushy sales calls, but helpful emails. Useful articles. Quick check-ins about industry trends. When their training budget finally gets approved, they already know who to call - and it’s not you! It's not that you're bad at networking. You might be great at making connections and building rapport. But without systematic follow-up, these connections are just pleasant conversations that lead nowhere. The trainers who consistently win new business understand something crucial. Networking isn't about collecting contacts - it's about nurturing relationships until people are ready to buy. This structured approach to staying top-of-mind is just one element of building predictable revenue from your training business. To discover the complete framework that turns networking into consistent new clients, join my free Training Business Revolution Masterclass. Link in comments. #TrainingBusinessAccelerator #Marketing #Sales #LearningAndDevelopment

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