Hey, this is a double-issue of Speakers Magazine. Brian J. Olds, president and founder of Black Speakers Network, is the cover of the September Speakers Magazine. He is on a mission to equip, connect and inspire the next generation of Black professional speakers. But it wasn’t something he saw coming.
“In 2006, I stood up in a small classroom to deliver my first presentation in Toastmasters; I was afraid. My sweaty palms trembled as I clenched my notes like a security blanket. I didn’t want to speak, but I knew I had to because instinctively I recognized that everything I wanted in life was waiting for me… just outside of my comfort zone. It was there that I discovered not only my passion for speaking but also my desire to create platforms to assist current and aspiring professional speakers in reaching the audience they were called to serve,” said Olds.
Brian J. Olds saw a gap in the marketplace, so he wanted to help current and aspiring black speakers gain clarity on their message, mission, their marketing, how to monetize and manage their speaking business to take it to the next level. He decided to start a Black Speakers Network (BSN) in 2016.
“As a speaker marketing your business is essential. At BSN, we seek to create opportunities for our members by connecting them directly to top level meeting planners and platform hosts that are in search of elite black professional speakers,” said Brian. BSN presence has grown organically – especially after he connected with Speakers Magazine’s publisher, Pam Perry, publisher of Speakers Magazine, in 2017.
Perry learned about BSN through Facebook and reached out to Olds. The two became fast friends because of their passion for Black speakers and the BSN group grew from almost 2,000 members to 10,000 today. Olds made Speakers Magazine the official magazine for Black Speakers Network – the September is the special BSN “takeover” issue.
“BSN members many took advantage of the special opportunity to be in this issue and we doubled the size of the magazine to 36 pages. The issue has embedded video on each page and speaker reels on the website of every speaker featured – at www.SpeakersMagazine.net,” said Perry.
Olds also on a mission to collaborate with other speakers, spearheaded an anthology, entitled SPEAK UP! THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO DOMINATE IN THE SPEAKING INDUSTRY, available through Black Speakers Network and on Amazon. It is consistently a best seller.
This year, BSN plans an inaugural global summit. “We are hosting a three-day action packed event in October of industry experts to train aspiring speakers,” said Olds.
“The event is curated for professionals across all industries who want to reach the top of their speaking game and score major wins by tapping into expert secrets for unrivaled profitability,” said Olds.
For more info on the Summit, go to http://bit.ly/pamperrybsn
