In 2018, I visited Powell River, a small mill town in British Columbia, Canada. While I was there, I spoke at the local Chamber of Commerce monthly luncheon. This didn’t happen by accident, it was something I created.
Afterwards, it got me thinking about why we should look for and create our own opportunities.
What do I mean by this?
Pretty much don’t sit back and wait for opportunities to come to you because it could be a long wait and may never come. And I must admit, I have been guilty of this in the past. But, in 2018, I was planning a family holiday to Vancouver, Powell River and Phoenix for Business Black Ops, which is a conference I attend every October, before heading back home.
Chamber of Commerce
Soon after locking in our dates, I saw an ad online about an upcoming Cairns Chamber of Commerce luncheon, and the guest speaker was from out of town.
When I saw the topic, I immediately thought, ‘I could have spoken about that’, and I know about ten other people in Cairns that were quite capable and qualified to speak on the same topic.
And then I remembered something a friend said to me once that made me laugh. He said:
Even Jesus had to leave his hometown for people to listen to him.
And this is exactly what happened in Cairns at the Chamber of Commerce luncheon. They paid for a speaker from out of town to speak at their luncheon because they had a certain amount of mystery about them. They were unknown, which created intrigue and therefore, people flocked to the event.
Powell River
So an idea popped into my head. What if I contacted the Powell River Chamber of Commerce and asked if I could speak at their luncheon if they had one?
I sent off a simple email explaining I had written two marketing books; I was visiting for a week and would love the opportunity to speak to their members. Shortly afterwards, I received a reply email saying YES, and before too long, a date was booked, and a luncheon was created.
Unbeknown to me, my visit was creating a buzz around town. There was a write-up in the local paper, with a photo, letting the town know an Australian author was going to give a live presentation at their next luncheon.
Normally their monthly luncheons attracted about 12 to 15 people, but all of a sudden, they had fifty people booked for the event. What was even crazier was the Mayor of Powell River and a lot of the local council also attended and wanted to meet me.
For the week I was in Powell River, I became a bit of a celebrity, which my wife, daughter and friends I was visiting thought was hilarious.
Big Lesson
I ended up speaking about one of my favourite subjects, the Six Pillars of Marketing, and the feedback from the audience and emails I received afterwards were all positive, but more importantly, I learnt a big lesson.
You can’t wait for opportunities to present themselves; sometimes, you have to get off your bum and create them yourself.
Now, the Powell River Chamber of Commerce could have said NO, but they didn’t, and it made me realise that I should have also contacted the Chamber of Commerce in Vancouver.
Think About This…
If you enjoy public speaking and you have a podiatry message that is valuable and worth sharing with others, you need to put yourself out there and see what happens.
It could be a presentation in your local area, or you may have a broader message you want to share with the profession.
Hiding in the shadows waiting to be invited is not going to get you anywhere.
Contact local organisations like Rotary, Lions, and Apex, and see if they are looking for speakers. You may even approach your local Chamber of Commerce and ask to speak.
After my presentation in Powell River, a photo of me speaking at the event was posted on my social media channels. From there, I was invited to give a similar presentation for the Australian Practice Managers Association, which was having its annual conference in Cairns.
This is what happens when you take the first step to creating your own opportunities.
Have you ever noticed how some podiatrists seem to get all the speaking gigs, locally and interstate…it doesn’t happen by accident.
Overcome Fear
I know not everyone wants to do public speaking, and if you had asked me twenty years ago, I would have been one of those people as well, but once you understand the opportunities that await you once you know how to control this fear, the better off you and your business will be.
Mark Twain has a great quote:
There are two types of speakers. Those that get nervous before they speak and liars.
If public speaking terrifies you, start small and talk about something you know extremely well, and build from there.
You may hold an information evening in your clinic for your patients, and there’s nothing to fear because you will know more about your podiatry topic than anyone else in the room.
From there, you may organise a talk with a local Physio or doctors group.
And to make it even easier, stick with the same topic and keep improving upon it. Once you master it and your confidence grows, you can develop more presentations.
My first ten presentations to Rotary and other local groups were on orthotics and the different materials we used, and it was only a fifteen-minute talk.
The more talks I did, the better I got, which translated into more new patient referrals.
Other Opportunities
Creating your own opportunities doesn’t just apply to public speaking either.
Networking is a great way to grow your business, and if there are no networking groups in your area or ones that you want to be part of, create your own and invite people to attend, especially if you want to get together with like-minded people.
Once again, it’s up to you to create the opportunities. Someone started every networking, which means you can as well.
Marketing
When it comes to marketing your business, what are you interested in, or what are you better at than anyone else in your area?
Can you develop this into a niche for your podiatry business and create new opportunities?
Creating opportunities is only limited by your imagination, and if you feel you’re lacking in this area, get together with your team, family or friends and discuss this concept further.
So here is the challenge I’ll lay down for you today…go out there and create an opportunity for yourself.
I hope you got something from this post, and if you have any questions, please send me an email at and make sure you check out the Podiatry Legends Podcast.
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