How Writing a Book and Speaking Can Scale Your Business » Succeed As Your Own Boss

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Stacy Ennis is a best-selling author, coach, and speaker on a mission to help leaders clarify their ideas and harness their unique story to make an impact. Along with being the founder of Nonfiction Book School, an accelerated author program, her background includes ghostwriting for a Nobel Prize winner and leading as executive editor of Sam’s Club’s Healthy Living Made Simple, a publication that reached around 11 million readers. Her best-selling book, cowritten with Ron Price, is Growing Influence: A Story of How to Lead with Character, Expertise, and Impact. Learn more at www.stacyennis.com.

SmallBizLady: How did writing a book help scale your brand and business?

Stacy Ennis: In 2012, I was approached by a small publisher to write a book about book editing. I was a book editor at the time, and I’d even coached people through the book-writing process, but to be honest, the idea of writing a book terrified me. I had a lifelong dream essentially handed to me on a silver platter, but I still had to take several deep breaths, whisper good vibes in the universe, and close my eyes as I hit send on the reply email: “Yes, I’d love to write a book for you.” 

Then I felt that strange mix of excitement and panic. A whole book? Me?

It turns out that the book changed everything for me. I developed deep clarity about my ideas and business, benefitted from the PR around the release, and became a more confident version of myself. My revenue doubled and doubled again. Today, I have a phenomenal team that supports the transformative work I do through coaching, speaking, and my accelerated author program, Nonfiction Book School. The success has been humbling, motivating, and powerful. And I know saying yes to that first book influenced the trajectory of my career and life.

SmallBizLady: What are some other examples of how becoming an author can impact a brand and business?

Stacy Ennis: There are both internal and external benefits of authorhood. Writing a book is a deeply introspective journey, and it forces a person to sit with her thoughts for hours, days, weeks, and months. The process pushes boundaries and forces us to test our discipline and follow-through. And if you can emerge on the other side of the long and meaningful journey of writing a book, you’ll be profoundly transformed.

Externally, all this newfound clarity and confidence contributes to crushing it at opportunities, which leads to more opportunities. As a published author, people will begin to see you as an expert industry leader. If you launch effectively, you’ll steadily grow an audience. The book-writing process may uncover new frameworks that lead to other revenue-generating opportunities like online programs, workshops, and keynotes. You may secure partnerships and opportunities you’d only dreamed of when launching your brand or business.

SmallBizLady: What advice do you have for aspiring authors who are ready to get started on their books?

Stacy Ennis: Don’t skip the ideation and outlining processes. These steps are hugely important and will shape not only the book itself but the future impact of your work. Invest the time and energy into getting crystal clear about the core message of your book, your ideal reader, and what you hope to accomplish from publishing the book.

Create a plan. Like anything in life, what gets measured gets done. Apply this to the book-writing process by calendaring out the entire process, starting with ideation and outlining. Once your outline is complete, assign a due date for each chapter. Check in with your plan and check off what’s done. When you’re about 50 percent done with the draft, put a deposit down with an editor. The accountability of a deadline will keep you motivated to finish!

Fully engage in the writing process. Half-efforts equal half-rewards. A great book is a solid foundation for future success, not just in book sales but in media and speaking opportunities, client attraction, and audience growth. Plus, you’ll reap the benefits of clarity and confidence that will contribute to growing your influence, impact, and income.

How to Grow Your Business Through Speaking

is the founder of Succeed Through Speaking and host of the Succeed Through Speaking podcast and spent the first 25 years of his life becoming an expert at AVOIDING public speaking, presenting and being in front of groups of people. However, since overcoming his life-limiting fear of speaking he has experienced first-hand how people can succeed through speaking. He now helps other entrepreneurs, experts, and coaches use speaking to amplify their authority so that they can raise their profile, showcase their genius and attract new clients. For more information https://www.succeedthroughspeaking.com/

SmallBizLady: Why is speaking a great way to promote a business?

Tom Bailey: I typically work with coaches, consultants and entrepreneurs who feel like they are the best kept secret in their industry. They are great at what they do and love serving their clients, but not enough people know they exist as they are not yet leveraging the power of public speaking, presenting, podcasting and video to raise their profile and attract new clients.

SmallBizLady: How is fear holding back people who want to be speakers?

Tom Bailey: In most cases, the reason they are not currently speaking, doing videos or booking podcast interviews due to the fear of speaking, limiting beliefs or some level of imposter syndrome and this is holding them back in business. They need to build their speaking confidence so that they can become seen as a go-to-expert in their industry, amplify their authority and attract more clients. By not doing this, they are potentially leaving money on the table and missing opportunities every time they do not speak.

How to Support Black Women in Business in 2022

Nic Cober, Esquire is a council member of the National Women’s Business Council, a bipartisan council that advises the White House, Congress, & the SBA on matters concerning women in business.  She is also the Principal Managing Partner of Cober, Johnson & Romney, an award-winning legal & business consulting firm and CJR Development, a real estate development firm. For nearly two decades, Nic has been an entrepreneur and advocate for the small business community. She is an executive coach and business strategist who specializes in developing management, legal, and branding strategies for leaders in the business world. In February 2022, Ms. Cober will launch The BOW Collective, an organization who will collaborate to scale their businesses through capital, communications, and contracts. For more information. www.thebowcollective.com

SmallBizLady: What is The BOW Collective™? 

Nic Cober, Esq.: The BOW Collective™ is a groundbreaking organization of Black women business owners who partner together and compete for large-scale contracts in both the public and private sectors. BOW’s membership is made up of Black women business owners who average 15 years in business, have more than 1,050 employees, and have grossed over $200MM in revenue collectively. We also have sister business members who have grossed $250K, who are being mentored to scale their businesses. 

SmallBizLady: Why did you start The BOW Collective™?

Nic Cober, Esq.: For years, Black women have not enjoyed equity in entrepreneurship. They have been turned down all too often seeking capital, connections, and contract opportunities to grow our businesses. Black women entrepreneurs have received only 0.3% in investment capital. As a result, just 1% of Black women businesses generate more than $250K in revenue.  To change this disturbing reality, we formed BOW to collaborate and negotiate as a collective to support and scale Black women businesses. We have felt underserved by other organizations focused on supporting women in business. This organization is a measure to close the racial wealth gap in America and create generational wealth for our members and the Black community at large.

SmallBizLady: In what ways have black women businesses been underserved?  

Nic Cober, Esq.: Too many of our members have been turned down for business loans and lines of credit, despite their gross revenues. Many have also been discriminated against and significantly underpaid as we pursued contract opportunities. The issues facing Black women in business are different, and many of the other support organizations are not focused on helping us manage those challenges.

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