Keynote Mastery

Author Patrick Schwerdtfeger (“Marketing Shortcuts for the Self-Employed,” “Webify Your Business,” and “Make Yourself Useful”) began his quest to become a professional speaker at age 10. Today, he is a highly sought-after speaker who has dined with ambassadors, CEOs, and other prominent people at hundreds of events in dozens of countries around the world.

“Keynote Mastery” details Patrick’s journey to the top. He covers setbacks, successes, panic attacks, being the victim of a speaker’s scam, his introduction to podcasting, book publishing, the TEDx Talk experience, the value of Toastmasters, people who influenced him, his first $1500/hr gig, speakers bureaus, the National Speakers association, target markets for newbies, what goes on behind the curtain for professional speakers, Google rankings, and the challenges of being self-employed.

The book is also a memoir that touches on the author’s relationship with his mother and father, and the values that shaped his life. The love his father showed his mother, even in the most challenging of circumstances, is a model for all relationships. The portraits he paints are poignant and will tug at your heart.

Schwerdtfeger, as a reminder of the financial challenges faced by all entrepreneurs, highlights his credit card balances throughout his journey. His warning, you must believe deeply in your vision as this is not for the faint of heart. It demands focus, persistence, pivoting, embracing uncertainty, and a lot of hard work. His story reminded me of the book, “Joy,” now a movie starring Jennifer Lawrence, which is a biography of Joy Mangano, who overcame the “the thousand nos” and financial setbacks to become a self-made millionaire. Mangano saw herself as an average housewife much as Schwerdtfeger paints the picture of being an “average” guy.

The message is simple. You, too, can achieve great things once you figure out what is right for you, learn what is needed, and invest in it with all your heart and soul.

Tips summarizing key points are threaded throughout the book and sixteen worksheets covering key action items are provided on-line. These worksheets will prove to be invaluable to anyone seeking to be a professional speaker. Some of the topics include: Identify Your Strengths, Think Podcast Blogger, Platform vs Keynote Speakers, Position Your Book, Add Permanence, Starting a Video Blog, the Structure of Keynote Speech, and Speaking Extras (to establish a professional look).

“Keynote Mastery” is well written and will be an easy read. Schwerdtfeger’s story portrays the reality faced by entrepreneur and contains important insights for anyone seeking to follow “The Road Less Traveled.”

Schwerdtfeger admits to trying many things…many of which failed. But reading between the lines, one will quickly see that these failures provided great insights. He was forced to pivot until he refined his approach, one that has now put him on the road to success. He was in the game and never gave up. He has learned that “The Road to Being was Through Doing.

Thomas Loarie, Top 500 Amazon Book Reviewer