Crazy Ideas…Crazy Results with Kyle Scheele

Speaker A: Welcome to the Wealthy Speaker Podcast, a show chocked full of strategies for scaling your speaking business. Now here's your host, coach to the industry superstars, Jane Atkinson. Well, welcome everyone to the Wealthy Speaker Podcast. We're talking today with Kyle Shealy, who I came to know through our speaker video contest. Welcome to the show, Kyle.

Speaker B: Happy to be here.

Speaker A: Oh, uh, I'm excited to talk to you because, uh, well, we'll talk about your video a little bit later, but, um, for our listeners who maybe aren't yet followers of yours, tell everybody about your business model today and, uh, all the things that you have going on in your life.

Speaker B: So, uh, speaking as my primary source of income, I would say I don't know, 90 plus percent of what I do. Um, I also, I've written books. I have a new book coming out next year, uh, that I'll. I'll be building kind of a whole training ecosystem around. Uh, I do some social media stuff and consulting and sort of odds and ends, but speaking is the bulk of my business, and it's. It's what I love to do.

Speaker A: You say I do some social media stuff when you. Can you expound upon that, please? Because I happen to know that you have, uh, some pretty good numbers.

Speaker B: Yeah, well, during the pandemic, um, this is before I was a corporate speaker. I was a youth speaker for 12 years. So I did like a million school assemblies and leadership talks for high school kids and events that are for These groups called CTSOs, which are career and technical student organizations. So I did kind of paid my dues in that world. And then, um, when the whole world shut down, I didn't really have anything going on. And I tell the story on stage, actually, that, that during the pandemic, I was just kind of scrolling on TikTok a lot because I had nothing else going on. And I would send these funny videos to my friends. And one of my friends, uh, this guy named Andy, he was like, kyle, why aren't you posting on TikTok? You know, you're an idiot and all your projects are kind of dumb and like, the Internet loves stuff like that. And I resisted that for a long time because I kind of, like, I had been following TikTok since before the pandemic, and I had seen, like, this initial explosion where people were just going crazy viral. And then it felt like I had missed that window. And so I was like, you know what, man? I think there was, like a gold rush, and I think I missed out on that. And so I delayed posting anything for, like, Almost a year. Uh, and it was me sending Andy stuff and Andy telling me I should post, and I didn't do it. And finally one, uh, day, I was like, you know what? I'm an author. I'm a speaker. All of that stuff gets easier if you have a big following and you get better opportunities. And so I was like, I'll just give it a shot. So I posted a TikTok video and nothing happened. And then I posted a second TikTok video and nothing happened. And, um, this is true. I had 17 followers. And then I posted my third TikTok video, and 25 hours later, I had a million followers. And what.

Speaker A: Okay, so what was the third video? I need to know now.

Speaker B: It was the dumbest thing you've ever seen in your life. It was, um. Well, maybe not. If you're on TikTok, you've seen a lot of dumb stuff. But there's this photograph. A, uh, family picture. It was like an Olin Mills, uh, you know, Sears portrait studio kind of a thing. And it's my whole family. And for some reason, only my dad had his head tilted. The photographer must have tricked him into doing that. And so it's been like this inside joke in our family for a really long time that my dad hates this picture. And so, uh, I took it off the wall, I scanned it in, and then I fixed it so that my dad's head was straight and then everyone else's head was tilted. And I gave him that for Christmas. So the whole video, I think it was like one minute long. Because at that point in TikTok history, you could only post one minute videos. And it was just me telling this story. Um, and it just went. It went insane. I had 2 million followers maybe a month later. Today I have 2.9 million followers. But when I say that I do some social media stuff, that's. There is a sense of like, I don't know, false humility or something in that. But. But the reality is I don't really do as much as I used to. Um, I kind of got burned out on it. And so, um.

Speaker A: And then you feed the beast, right? You have to feed the beast every day.

Speaker B: That's what they tell you. And it's weird because, like, I remember after that happened, I got a manager for a little while, and one time. It's a very strange experience to go from m. That from 17 followers to a million followers in 25 hours. And I remember I was like, I should probably figure out how this world works. And so I started Researching and looking at videos of how to do well on TikTok and stuff. And I was doing all the stuff that they said, here's how you use hashtags and here's the time of day to post and here's how many times you should post and all that. And it just like felt so draining to me. And, and also it wasn't really working. And then one day I was like, wait a minute, the people giving this Advice have like 150, 200,000 followers. I have 2 million followers. Why am I listening to what they're saying? And my manager pointed out that, um, he said, you know what, Kyle? Like when you do the thing that you're supposed to do, it never works out for you. And when you do the thing that you want to do, it always seems to work out. So I would just do that. So I went back to doing that for a while and that was really fun. And I'm actually, I'll be getting back into posting more content, especially this year now uh, that I've finished my book and uh, done the new demo video last year and the new websites coming out soon. So I feel like I've kind of cleared the Runway of a lot of the big projects and I'm going to be diving back in.

Speaker A: That's awesome. Um, and congratulations. I mean for all of the success that you've had to date. Um, you're kind of like the idea guy. We're going to call this episode, um, Crazy Results, Crazy Ideas. Talk about. I'm thinking about your family portrait now. Talk about where ideas started to become a thing for you. And was that what you took to colleges or was it something else to students?

Speaker B: That was totally different. Um, so, I mean I've been, I've been a creative my entire life. I happen to believe that all of us are born creative and all of us have tremendous, uh, gifts when it comes to creativity and innovation. But I was always on kind of the more visible, goofy side of that. And so when I was in high school I started a T shirt company out of the trunk of my car. And um, because I was really involved on campus, I was student body president and so I was in student council and I played sports and I was doing community service stuff for school. And so I didn't really like have a window of time where I could get a part time job and I had a part time job a couple times and I always ended up in this situation where I basically was only able to make enough money to drive to work and back and Pay my insurance. And so I was like, there's gotta be some better way. And so, um, I found, like, I borrowed a laptop from a buddy of mine and designed my first T shirt, which was, like, really poorly done drawing of an elderly woman walking with a cane. And then it just said, osteoporosis is bad to the bone. And that started this whole, like, journey of I sold out of those shirts, and then I took that money and I used them to buy another design of shirts. And I just kept kind of doing that. And, um, and then that was my senior year of high school. And then, um, my, like that summer and going into my freshman year of college, I ended up, like, pitching Urban Outfitters and getting my shirts distributed in Urban Outfitters. And so that was kind of this, like, really important juncture for me. And I talk about this on stage as well. It's kind of my opening story. Um, because that was, like, the moment where most people kind of start giving up on their. On their crazy ideas. Like, you graduate high school, and now it's like, okay, you got to go into the real world. You got to find a job, you got to go to college. You got to figure out how to

Speaker A: be grown up for it. Yeah. And.

Speaker B: And. And in that moment, like, this thing that had seemed like this is never going to work, it just kind of became, like, the most successful thing in my life at that point. And so, um, so I just became really fascinated with that. And I've always been really interested in creativity and ideation and, like, why do some people identify as creative and other people think that they aren't, even though they are? And. And so I've just kind of been studying that for, like, the last 20 years. Um, and then launching my own projects along the way. I didn't talk about any of that in the youth space, because youth audiences are not going to pay someone to come in and teach their kids to be creative. If anything, they want their kids to be less creative, to kind of be more.

Speaker A: What did they want? What did they want from you?

Speaker B: So I talked about, um, kindness and empathy and leadership, um, and really about the power of one person to make a difference. And I think a lot of students and a lot of employees feel like this too. Um, feel like I'm just a cog in a machine. I'm told where to go and what to do and what time I have to be there, and I don't get to choose almost anything. And I kind of. I would point out my talk that, like, most of the things that make an impact in a person's life are done by one person. It's one person who makes you feel like you matter or makes you feel like you don't, or who lifts you up or tears you down. One person makes your day or ruins your day. And that's the power that all of us have. So, um, yeah, I did that for about 12 years and then kind of just felt like I had climbed that mountain and decided to go after corporate.

Speaker A: Yeah. And I have a lot of clients, by the way, who transition from the youth or, um, college or student market into corporate. It's a natural transition to want to make. Um, your first speech. How did that even come about? Like, way back when you were, uh, when did you even decide, oh, this is a thing, I'm gonna, I'm gonna get paid for this?

Speaker B: Yeah. So that's one of those weird things. I've had several experiences like this in my life where if this one thing hadn't happened exactly when it happened, like, the whole trajectory of my life, I think, would have been different. And so I was early 20s, I was probably 22 maybe, and I was working at this job that I just was a dead end job. I was a graphic designer at this sign shop. And it just was a small company. There was like nowhere to move up. And, um, I got bored there. And so one day I was just on Facebook and I saw an ad for like a youth speaker training course. And I was like, that's a thing that you can do. That's a job you can have. Uh, and I watched all of the videos. It was this whole campaign. Um, but I think at the time the course was like $300 a month or something. And I was so broke and I had. I mean, that was. That might as well have been a million dollars. But that was what kind of like sparked me. And I was like, oh, that's. I didn't know this was a job you could have. So I started doing some research and I found out that, like, a person who was really only like one level removed from my social circle, like, I knew people who knew this person, um, was a youth speaker and he lived in my town. And so I emailed him and I was like, hey, I'd love to, like take you out to lunch and pick your brain. I think we got to lunch and he realized, like, Kyle doesn't have any money to pay for this. So he bought my lunch. Uh, and he ended up kind of mentoring me for a couple years. He took me under his wing, and that was really helpful early on, because as a speaker, there's a lot of times when you're booked on a date or they don't have the budget or whatever. And he was able to go, hey, you should think about this guy. Um, so my first handful of gigs, I remember, I think it was my fifth gig that I ever did. It was this state level conference for, um, this group called fbla. And there was another speaker there, and he was like, how long have you been doing this? And I go, this is my fifth event ever. And he goes, how did you book this event? And I was like. He goes, I know speakers who have been speaking for 10 years who would love to get this event. So that really helped me out. Um, and so that kind of made like the on ramp a little quicker. And then I just tried to do the best job that I could and kill it on stage. And, um, then kind of the flywheel starts spinning and you go from there.

Speaker A: Yeah. We call that be good marketing. You're just so good that other people hear about it. And then you get booked, and you get booked, and you get booked. And how much of your business today in the corporate world would you say comes from word of mouth?

Speaker B: Oh, almost all of it. Now, uh, when I first got started, I mean, I built my business in the youth world and the corporate world the same way, which was just direct outreach and a ton of it. And I just. It's fascinating. I'll be interested to hear or, uh, to see, like, how this podcast resonates, because I get outreach from people all the time. Other speakers who are like, hey, I'm struggling, like, what can I do? And I'll tell them, this is exactly what I did. Here's exactly the system that I used. And I don't think anybody, uh, maybe one person has ever done it because it's just a lot of boring work. It's a lot of, like, sitting in a coffee shop or in your house emailing people. I was hearing no and mostly getting rejected.

Speaker A: It's, um, the Hustle. And people don't want to do the Hustle. They just want to do the speaking and not the Hustle.

Speaker B: Well, my friend Shep Hyken, uh, he said one time, um, and I have this written on my note, uh, card that's taped to my desk. He said, booking speeches is the job. And, you know, doing the speeches is kind of the fun bonus part of the job. And that's what, like, everybody sees and all of that. But, like, your actual job every day is to get contracts signed. And to convince people to that you're the best fit for their audience and that they should sign a contract with you over someone else. Everything after that is bonus. But that's where you actually, like, make your business work. And that's, again, it's boring and it's not glamorous. And it's mostly like being responsive, being easy to work with, working on your marketing materials, and then like doing a lot of outreach. But what I found was that in both cases, once the flywheel gets spinning, um, if you're good enough on stage, then it kind of keeps spinning with a lot less effort on your part. And so, um, you know, you do one event, someone's in the audience, they hire you back for another event or whatever. And that was, that was a different thing for me than in the youth world, because in the youth world, you still kind of had to keep it going. Because if you go just absolutely crush it at a high school, there's not like five other principals sitting in the audience. And so you kind of got to like, say, hey, can you reach out to these people and facilitate test testimonials and stuff. But every corporate audience, the people in that room, they probably go to three or four of those things a year. And some of them go to way more than that. The event planners talk and stuff. So it's a lot. There's a lot more of kind of a ripple effect in the. In the corporate world.

Speaker A: That's lovely. Well, I want to say that your video, uh, really, really impressed me. And I thought maybe you might win the contest. Um, and it was very, very close, by the way. Tell me, you know, nobody lands on the top of the mountain. Tell me what your. How many videos in are we. And how many years have you been corporate and. And how many versions of a video have you done so far?

Speaker B: I've only been corporate for about three years. Um, this is my fourth year of doing corporate. And, um, and so I only had one video before that. And I. And every video and website prior to this, in both the corporate and the youth world, I did them all myself. And so part of that helps because I have a background as a graphic designer and I have a lot of stuff. And so I was able to do that.

Speaker A: But I want to tell you the exact part that I was like, oh, my gosh, I've never seen that before. You put the way that you exhibited your testimonials, and we'll put the link to the, um, to the page, the contest winning page, so that people can go and look at your video, the way that you presented your testimonials. I'm like, oh, my God, I've never seen that before. That sold me in, what, 30 seconds? I think it was. You had. It was like your. It's a picture of you and your office or something. And on the floor is a three or four word testimonial and who it was from.

Speaker B: Yeah, there's one on the wall. And then.

Speaker A: Oh, good.

Speaker B: Yeah, I did one with the typewriter. I put one on a big, like, marquee sign.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: Yeah. So, I mean, my thought behind that video and the new website that I'm, um, rolling out in the next couple months is, uh, if I'm a creativity and innovation speaker, my stuff should not look like everyone else's stuff like that. It kind of bugs me when I see that when people are like, I'm a creativity speaker, I'm like, then why does your stuff look like everyone else's?

Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker B: And so I remember, um, you know, I had a talk with one of my bureau people last year, and. And I said, hey, I've got this idea. I'm doing a new demo video. And, um, I don't want it to look like a demo video. I was like, I don't want it to feel like anybody else's. And I showed him a bunch of other videos. I was like, casey Neistat videos and like, weird art films and stuff. And I was like, I want it to feel like this. And it was really interesting because he said, uh, he goes, that's a. That's a really creative idea, Kyle. Um, and if I'm honest, I don't think you should do it. And he's like, I think that these videos work for a reason. And this is like the president of the bureau I'm exclusive with. Uh, but he trusts me and we have a great relationship. So I was like, you know what, man? I'm gonna give it a shot and just see. And as soon as I sent it over to him, he goes, I was totally wrong. This is the best video I've seen

Speaker A: in a long time.

Speaker B: And he hypes it up all the time. And so it's kind of that. That thing of like, I think Henry Ford is at least attributed to have said, uh, If I asked people what they wanted, they would've said a faster horse. And I think sometimes you've gotta go, you know what? I think this might work. And I've seen this work in other places. And in reality, like, all creativity is. Is connecting dots that no One else has connected before. And so like I had seen, hey, this video. This style of video makes me feel a certain way. And then, and then I've got this speaker demo video. I need to combine those. And there's certain things that like, I had. I had to make sure there were testimonials and stage footage and all that, but I didn't want a video that like starts with a backstage shot of me running onto the stage and then ends with a standing ovation. I'm like, that's every video. I've seen this video a thousand times. And so, um, so yeah, I love it. Decided to kind of swing for the fences and it's paid off really well.

Speaker A: Let's give a shout out to who your exclusive agency is.

Speaker B: Uh, I'm with Premier Speakers, but uh, we co broker stuff all the time with those guys. So many great friends in the industry, but they have been fantastic. Um, yeah, they're just an incredible team.

Speaker A: That is wonderful. And congratulations and yeah, uh, co brokering can always be done. Um, and Shep Hacken, by the way, is one of my buds too. So we have a lot of fantastic guy.

Speaker B: We met, we met at a boot camp like way back when. I was, was just, I had no idea how to get into corporate and he ended up sitting at my table and, um, just a fantastic guy.

Speaker A: That's nice. I must have gone, I went and spoke to that chapter years and years ago. But it might have been ahead of your time. I'm old, I've been around the block. Okay. So this is a really interesting, uh, trajectory. You are the idea guy. So what are the semi ideas that you used in speaking that didn't work? And what were some ideas that you had for speaking that you really saw move the needle?

Speaker B: Um, I mean, I think in terms of things that didn't work, I don't, I don't tend to keep track of that. I think there's probably a ton. I mean, you block it out. Yeah, I can think. There's certainly been stories that I've told on stage or jokes that didn't work or things like that. But, um, you know, I tend to approach the business as a business and I think that surprises a lot of people when they see kind of some of the stuff that I make, um, and my chaotic energy online and the way that my house and office looks and all that. Uh, I remember one time a friend of mine came and I, uh, had a studio behind my house at the time and she came in and was looking at it and she was like. And all of my supplies, like, all of my art stuff was organized very well, and it was like, it color coded and labeled and everything. And she was like, I am very surprised that you are like this. And I was like, I have to be like this because, like, this is the only way I get anything done. And so I think that that kind of, that pairing, like, being kind of unusual, uh, on stage and then being like, very disciplined about the back end business stuff is what has really worked. And so, um, yeah, the thing that. The thing that built my entire career in the first place was just a combination of, like, making the speech as good as I could possibly make it and then just trying to get it in front of as many people as I could. And so a lot of cold outreach, a lot of networking, a lot of, um, conversations with bureaus and agents and follow up and getting testimonials. I mean, all of that kind of grunt work that happens behind the scenes. Um, I think that just getting used to doing that has been, uh. It's very interesting to me. Like, I think that one thing that really annoys me about speakers is when you can tell that, like, they think that they're worth the amount of money they're getting paid on stage, and so they kind of get an ego about it. And they're like, well, I get paid $30,000 an hour, so I can't do this. And I'm like, I feel like, uh, all of us, all the time should be feeling like we just got away with robbing a bank. Like, we have the best job in the world. Like, I mean, I was at an event a couple months ago with Ryan Campbell, who's just a fantastic guy, and he had spoken, and I was about to speak, like, a couple hours later, and we were just in the room with the client. None of the audience was in there. And they had. The audience had just, like, left cups all over the table and stuff. It was kind of a mess. And the client was kind of walking around and picking that stuff up. And Ryan and I just started, like, nobody asked us. We just on our own, we're like, hey, let's. Let's do this. And the client was, like, almost, like, embarrassed. They're like, you don't have to do this, you know. No, you guys should be getting ready. And we're both like, why would we not?

Speaker A: I paid you both a lot of money.

Speaker B: I was like, yeah, you paid me enough that I could pick up some cups. And it was fascinating. Like, those little moments, I feel like so often make the difference. I mean, I end all of my, like, pre event calls and client calls and stuff. And I always say end in the same way, which is with. I, uh, just say, hey, gratitude. Like, I know there are a lot of great speakers out there and I appreciate you picking me. And I just. You've been doing this for longer than five minutes. You've probably, unfortunately, gotten to work with like, a diva who shows up on site, and it's just a total pain to work with.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: And by that point, we've had like, you know, half an hour call. And I go, I think you've probably picked up on this by this point. But, like, I'm not that guy. And so if there's anything I can do to make your job easier, please don't hesitate to ask. And when we're on site, like, I give them my, my personal cell phone number and I'm like, hey, if there's, if. If things need to shift up or back or whatever, like, here's when I'm flying in, here's when I'm leaving. Between that time, like, let me know. And even if, like, if there's an emergency and I need to delay a flight or something, as long as it's not going to impact another event. Um, because I've had clients before. Like, you can sense like, speaker trauma on an event planner when, when you know they'll come up to you backstage and, hey, the CEO's going a little bit longer. Like, is there any way you could shave a couple minutes off? And I'm like, yeah, of course. That's my job. You know, I'll do that for you.

Speaker A: I'm a professional.

Speaker B: And they always act like they're like, well, the last guy ripped my head off when I said that. Like, oh, my God. Yeah. So I think just like, being easy to work with and, you know, and I always tell them, I say, I want to be the best speaker you've ever had. Like, I work really hard to do that. I want everyone walking out going, that was amazing. But I also want all of the backstage people and your team to go, you know what? That guy was nice. He wasn't a jerk. Like, that's just as important to me. And there's no, like, I can't measure an ROI on that. But I just think, like, over time, like, people go, oh, that's where the word of mouth comes from. Yeah. So the bad word of the mouth

Speaker A: spreads just as quickly. And I will say, because of the price range that you're in, you are probably Sharing the stage with people who aren't necessarily speakers by trade, but they might be celebrities by trade. And that comes with a whole different ball of wax. You know, I, uh, think a lot of speakers have your idea of being easy to work with. Um, but I think there's a lot of speakers in those upper kind of celebrity leagues that, you know, they just show up and say some stuff and get a standing ovation because of who they are. And, you know, I love it when a celebrity really, like, tailors to the audience and looks like they've actually attempted to do some work in order to, uh. In order to connect with the audience.

Speaker B: Yeah, I think it just depends on, like, uh. Like speaker is such a weirdly broad title. Um, because in reality, like, we have different jobs. I mean, I am. I am kind of a combination of, like, content and entertainment. And I. Because the thing that people always say, like, clients are like, oh, he was so funny, but he also had all these great takeaways. There are other speakers who are, like, incredibly dry and boring, but they're going to tell you how the economy is going to change in the next six months, and that might save money. And they. And the client's like, yeah, it was really boring to listen to, but I saved half a million dollars or whatever. And then there are other clients like, like, you know, Peyton Manning coming in to speak. He's going to put butts in seats because his name is on the thing. People are going to come see Peyton Manning. People at this stage of my career are not going, oh, my gosh, Kyle Shealy is going to be there. I'll buy a ticket. And so go to different.

Speaker A: It's coming, Kyle.

Speaker B: Yeah, we hope so. I'm grateful for that. Now, if I never get past this, I, uh, have the best job in the world, but those are just different jobs. And in the same way, you're not, like, you know, if you have an event plan or whatever. Some of them, uh, do jobs that other ones don't because of the scale of the event or the intention of the event or the goal or whatever. And the same thing is true for speakers. So with the job that I have, um, I'm always trying to go, how do I do the best at this particular job? And the reality is for celebrities, I mean, I know of a very, very famous celebrity who canceled an event last minute because they wanted to go to a basketball game. And, I mean, they were getting paid hundreds of thousands of dollars, but that's just a drop in the bucket for this person. And they Were like, well, this, this basketball game's happening and they cancel all that. I would never, ever do that. But the consequences for that person are essentially not any. Because, like, and when you talk to bureaus, they'll tell you, like, we warn our clients, if you book a celebrity, here's what the process is going to look like, here's what will likely happen. And so it's just kind of a different side of the industry. And it's not like, if I ever get there, I hope that I don't turn into a giant diva. Um, I know you won't.

Speaker A: Um, I want to just cover one thing that you say in your speech about, uh, somebody in your organization has an idea that can solve the problem that's keeping the CEO awake at night. And say more about that just because I think it's such a good point. And it's like, to me, that's your speech right there. You just keep building on that.

Speaker B: Um, so Harvard Business Review published, ah, an article last year, and they had surveyed all these CIOs, like Chief Innovation officers at really big companies. And they said that, like, that all these leaders overwhelmingly agreed that when their teams were given the bandwidth to explore a challenge internally, they found that the solution already existed inside the organization 70% of the time. And so 70% of the time, somebody in that room already knew how to solve the problem, but they hadn't been asked, or they didn't feel like their ideas got taken seriously, or they didn't know it was a problem in the first place. And so, and so often companies, they go and they hire some expensive outside firm or consultant or they try to hire somebody new and then, and then that leads to discord because people are like, I mean, how many times have you heard the story of, like a consulting firm presenting, uh, a, uh, finding? And the employees are like, we've been saying this for five years.

Speaker A: Already knew that. Yeah.

Speaker B: And then they paid all this money and now the employees are upset. And so I'm like, if you just ask people. And I had a client I was doing some consulting work with one time, and they're a chemical, uh, company that makes this like, green, renewable chemistry. Um, and they were doing a lot of really cool work replacing really nasty chemicals in the oil and gas world. And then one of their chemists was at a conference and another chemist said, hey, your chemical is really interesting. If you guys could get it to do this one other thing, I think that would open up a lot of possibilities for us. And he's like, oh, we could do that. So they go back and they make a new formula that turns into, like, this whole new line of revenue, like, millions of dollars. And the CEO hears this story, and he's like, I bet there's not just two places that our chemical would work. So he goes back to his team of all these, like, PhD chemists, and he's like, do you guys know any other applications for this stuff? And this woman raised her hand. She's like, yeah, this other industry that I came from, like, it would be great over there. And so they start exploring that that turns into a whole nother business division. Millions of dollars of revenue. And he goes, that's, like, so crazy. And, uh, he said, why. Why didn't you tell me that before? Like, that's such a great idea. And she was like, well, you never asked. And in her mind, she's like, every day I'm given this list of tasks to do, and I get good performance reviews. And, like, I'm like, everything looks like I'm doing my job, doing my job, right? Because it's not her job to do that until somebody makes it her job. And so if you think, like, you know, I think a lot of times leaders think, well, because I'm the guy at the top or the girl at the top, I have to be the person to solve the problem. And I always tell leaders, like, no, your job is to make sure the problem gets solved. You don't win any points for doing it on your own. Like, the solution is in somebody else's head. It's your job to get it out of their head.

Speaker A: Don't you think every leader in the world needs to hear that message? That's so good. That's such a good. That's such a good point. I really wanted to pull it forward. Uh, let's put in a plug for your books. You've got, uh, on the YouTube video. Show me the, um, you've got some kids books, which, of course, Perfect sense.

Speaker B: This is my first children's book. Uh, it's called the Pizza with everything on it. I actually tell a whole story about this on stage that I wanted to be a kids book writer when I was in college. And then I kind of googled how to get a kid's book published. And everything that I read was so discouraging. It's basically impossible. It'll never happen for you. Uh, and so I gave up on that dream for almost a decade and then had this idea and decided, you know what? Let's just give it a shot. Maybe it takes 10 years, but I'll wish I had started sooner. Um, and this is my first real traditional publishing deal with Chronicle Books. It's become, like, incredible. Amazon called it one of the best children's books of the year. They put it in their catalog.

Speaker A: Congratulations.

Speaker B: Um, and then they asked for a sequel. So we did this one called the Sundae with everything on it. This is about a kid and his mom. The pizza with everything on it is about a pizza that destroys the universe. This is about the same kid going on an intergalactic ice cream adventure. Both very serious books.

Speaker A: Um, I love it.

Speaker B: This book is called how to Host a Viking Funeral. And this is about, uh, this project that I did where I built a giant Viking ship out of cardboard and hot glue. And I asked people to send me their regrets. And then I, uh, collected 21,000 regrets from people all over the world, and I set them on fire. Um, and that book is all about kind of what I learned through that whole process.

Speaker A: Okay, and look. And is it about not having regrets?

Speaker B: Yeah, it's sort of about, like, what are the categories that I noticed? Because I've read every single one of these regrets that came in, and what did I learn from that? And which ones can you do something about? Which ones can't, uh, you do something about? And. And it's just kind of a thesis on living life. How do you deal with regrets? Because I don't think it's possible to have no regrets unless you're, I guess, a sociopath or something. But how do you process that? How do you live a meaningful life and, um, bring your crazy ideas out into the world?

Speaker A: Beautiful. Well, um, why don't you tell everybody where, if they wanted to connect with you? Is it LinkedIn? Is it TikTok? Is it. You know, where is the best place to follow you? Kyle?

Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, really, anywhere. Like, uh, I'm just at Kyle Sheely on pretty much every platform. K Y L E S C H E E L E. Um, I cannot see, uh, DMs on TikTok. I get too many of them and I. Like, if. If I'm not following you, they won't show up in my inbox. Um, but, you know, people can reach out on Instagram and LinkedIn and stuff like that. I'm not the most responsive person. I try to be. But, uh, uh, as. As I have gotten busier and my calendar's gotten fuller and I've got four kids at home, I've had to start going, okay, I'm gonna prioritize um, you know, the people in my life who are closest to me. Um, but I try to. I try to help as many people as I can because a lot of people helped me when I was coming up.

Speaker A: That's wonderful. And feel free to, uh, people who you want to go. Are you really in this industry or not? Send them over to the wealthy speaker 3.0. That's a great way for them to see whether or not they have the. You know, sometimes it scares people away. Sometimes they'll just dive right in and do all the things. So, um, yes, thank you so much for taking your time and being here with us today. I'm absolutely honored that you said yes. And for those of you listening in, thank you for taking the time and. And, uh, sharing your speaking journey with us. All right, with that, we're going to say see you soon, Wealthy Speakers. Bye for now, everyone.

Speaker B: Thanks for listening to the Wealthy speaker podcast. If you need help scaling your speaking business, head over to SpeakerLauncher.com and chat with us.