Is traveling and speaking appealing to you?

If so, then speaking to audiences across the globe may be the right career path for you. Before you begin, learn how to balance family life as a road warrior.

One day after a presentation, a guy came up to me and said, “I bet it’s hard being away from your family.” Another guy told me to be careful not to be gone so long from my wife and kids. Of course, I assured them that it’s okay and that I had full support from my spouse.

In reality, I do. My wife has supported me from the very beginning. I’m about to let you in on a little secret. You ready?

I’m away from home maybe 30 days a year. I’m home 24/7 for the remaining 335 days of the year to spend time with my family.

The same people who are worried about me may get two weeks off for vacation and they have to go to work all year long.

Which profession would you choose? Working for yourself as a speaker and having a ton of family time or working for someone else and getting two weeks vacation a year?

Motivational speakers truly are entrepreneurs. They call their own shots and the create their own path. Speakers have to network and build their speaking business from the ground up. At first the phone will not be ringing but after you have a certain amount of clients and one starts speaking on big stages, the phone will be ringing off the hook.

The goal is to always do what’s best for your family. If I’m gone more than two nights, I take my family with me on trips. People who are single can become road warriors but even the road gets lonely to singles.

Veteran Advice: Set your calendar up in a way where speaking works for your family. Be sure to have blackout dates: Birthdays, Anniversaries, Holidays.

Having a limit to the number of presentations you do a month can help in your favor as your booking manager can respond by saying, “he’s booked until March”, making your speaking services in demand.