Each month, BSN wants to highlight a different member who has seen success using BSN’s resources and community. They have agreed to do an interview about their experience and we are sharing their takeaways below:

Meet Jacqueline Shaulis 

What’s your occupation?

I’m the Founder/CEO of Awesome Enterprises LLC. As head of Awesome Enterprises LLC, I oversee the speaking, publishing, consulting, and coaching arms of our organization. As “The Excitable Introvert”, I guide introverted women of color to get seen, heard, and respected by embracing their AWESOME!

What kind of resources were you using before BSN?

Pre-BSN, I mainly used referrals and searching Google for speaking opportunities. My development as a public speaking business owner was negligible because I didn’t come across many people who took time to differentiate between being a speaker and being a business owner. There’s a difference! And the coaching and training I invested in largely didn’t address the nuanced nature of being a “speakerpreneur”.

What were your goals when signing up for BSN?

I joined BSN to get more paid speaking opportunities with less hassle and less time. Honestly, I was just happy to see that there was even a place specifically for Black speakers and hoped being in the circle could help my business.

What has been the most valuable part of BSN for you?

Honing my skills as a business owner who speaks – speaking is good but being profitable is better, and BSN has been invaluable for both. Streamlining opportunities has been fantastic and continues to improve, but the learning on the nuts and bolts of having a speaking business has been mindblowing. Although I had success, there is so much I learned (and continue to learn) about running a better business so I can shape and impact the word as a speaker.

What advice would you give an aspiring public speaker?

I would tell them to recognize that there’s more to being a speaker than just stages – don’t neglect the skills you need to run a business powered by speaking. Learn, implement, measure, tweak, repeat.