Naples Speaking Coach Bets Entrepreneurs' Next Growth Channel Is the Stage

Paul Getter, founder of Naples, Fla.-based Speakpreneur, is taking his message across the U.S. and to Dubai: founders should speak to grow.

By Herald Staff · Oct. 26, 2026, 6:25 PM ET

A speaker stands on a dark stage on a round red carpet, one arm raised toward a large glowing screen, seen from behind a seated audience in silhouette. — Speaker-training companies such as Speakpreneur argue that a single well-built presentation can serve as a business's main marketing tool.

LOS ANGELES — Rising digital advertising costs and crowded social media feeds have pushed many small-business owners to look for growth channels that don't depend on an algorithm. One Florida entrepreneur is making the case for one of the oldest channels there is: standing up in front of a room and talking.

Paul Getter is the founder of Speakpreneur, a company based in Naples, Florida, that trains entrepreneurs in public speaking and in what the industry calls a "signature talk," a single core presentation a business owner builds once and delivers repeatedly to audiences of potential clients. This fall and winter, Speakpreneur is running live events in five cities, from Philadelphia to Dubai.

The Pitch: Speaking as a Sales Channel

Getter's central argument is that speaking is less a soft skill than a measurable business channel. In his view, a founder who regularly appears on stages, panels and podcasts builds credibility faster and at lower cost than one who relies on paid ads.

Independent research on business buyers supports part of that argument. The >2024 B2B Thought Leadership Impact Report, produced by communications firm Edelman and LinkedIn, surveyed 3,484 executives in seven countries. It found that 73% of B2B decision-makers consider an organization's thought leadership a more trustworthy gauge of its capabilities than its marketing materials. The study did not single out live speaking, but it covers the kind of expert content a talk is meant to produce.

The report also found that >75% of decision-makers and C-suite executives had researched a product or service they weren't previously considering after reading thought leadership. The authors noted, however, that respondents rated only a small share of the thought leadership they see as high quality, a caution for anyone who assumes any talk will do.

What Getter Teaches

According to the company, Speakpreneur's programs focus on helping entrepreneurs structure a talk around a central idea and a personal story, deliver it with confidence, and connect it to a clear business offer. The goal is not just applause but leads, sales and repeat bookings.

Getter's approach treats the talk as an asset to be reused: delivered at industry events, recorded, cut into short videos and adapted for workshops a business hosts itself. Speakers often charge fees once they're established, but for many small-business owners, the bigger value is the clients who approach them afterward.

The TEDx Caveat

Many aspiring speakers aim for TEDx, the independently organized offshoot of the TED conference. TED says >more than 4,000 TEDx events now take place each year. But entrepreneurs hoping to use the platform for marketing will run into firm limits. Under >TED's published rules, TEDx talks typically run under 18 minutes, events may neither pay nor charge speakers, and speakers "cannot promote their own products, books, or businesses."

That distinction is one Getter's approach accounts for: an idea-driven talk for platforms like TEDx, and a separate business presentation for settings where an offer is appropriate.

Relevance for Southern California

The argument may resonate in Southern California, where many independent professionals, consultants and small firms compete in crowded markets. Chambers of commerce, industry associations, business schools and coworking spaces across the region regularly host events that need speakers, which gives owners a low-cost way to test the approach before investing in paid stages.

A Crowded Field

Getter is far from alone. Speaker coaching, keynote training and "personal brand" programs have become a crowded and largely unregulated part of the small-business services market, with offerings ranging from low-cost online courses to high-priced masterminds. There's no industry-standard credential for speaking coaches.

For business owners weighing any such program, including Speakpreneur's, the usual due diligence applies: ask exactly what's included, what follow-up support is offered, what the refund and cancellation terms are, and whether past participants can be contacted directly. Owners should also be realistic about the work involved. A talk that brings in business usually takes repeated delivery and revision, not a single weekend.

Supporters of the approach counter that speaking costs little to try. Many local business groups regularly look for presenters, and a first talk at a chamber lunch or a library workshop costs only preparation time. That low barrier to entry is a large part of the appeal for owners with tight marketing budgets.

The Road Ahead

Speakpreneur's upcoming schedule includes stops on the East Coast, in Texas, in the Midwest and overseas. None of the five events is in California. The company directs interested readers to its website for programs and future dates.

Whether public speaking can replace paid marketing for most small businesses is an open question. What Getter is betting on is that, as automated content fills the internet, a live person in a room will be harder to ignore.