1
00:00:02.650 --> 00:00:20.030
Jane Atkinson: Well welcome everyone to the wealthy speaker. Podcast. Do you want to know the top secret way to connect with meeting Planner? If so, stay tuned. We have the amazing oh, Del Gazelle with us! Welcome back to the show, Odell.

2
00:00:20.280 --> 00:00:37.340
Odell A. Bizzell II: Hey, i'm excited to be here, Jane, excited to see you, and excited to be talking to your audience

3
00:00:37.640 --> 00:00:57.300
Odell A. Bizzell II: for sure, so I I guess i'll go all the way back. I started, professionally speaking, 2,008, much like everybody else that starts speaking. Somebody see something in you, or you see an opportunity and kind of take it. Start as being in 2,008 to colleges and universities, because I was just out of college.

4
00:00:57.300 --> 00:01:13.800
Odell A. Bizzell II: and so started doing that part time for 5 years, 2013. I took the big leap, and I I started speaking full time, and had no idea what I was doing outside of. I was pretty good on stage, and so

5
00:01:13.800 --> 00:01:30.880
Odell A. Bizzell II: the first few years. I just kinda, you know, went from event to event, trying to figure it all out, and i'll say around 2017, 2018. I started getting my legs underneath me. I started realizing that this business is a relationship business and

6
00:01:30.880 --> 00:01:44.510
Odell A. Bizzell II: the the amount of relationships, amount of equity you put in those relationships. It really boils down to the amount of speaking engagement that you'll get. Of course, there's advertising. Of course there's marketing. Of course there's systems and all that stuff, but the real work

7
00:01:44.590 --> 00:01:55.960
Odell A. Bizzell II: is network. So I I started building that out, made my first 6 figures around 2,018, just off the speaking fees, and

8
00:01:56.330 --> 00:02:15.740
Odell A. Bizzell II: essentially it's been that and around 2020, me and a good friend of mine, Stan Pearson the Second, we started our own association called Nampa, the National Association of Mastermind and Co-curricular Advancement, and all we do and I tell everybody specifically in the speaking world.

9
00:02:15.740 --> 00:02:35.560
Odell A. Bizzell II: Namka is our give back to the people that have hired us in the past. But it's also a very, very healthy lead generation mechanism. So we're able to attract them through that meeting planners. We meet with them every month. We do professional development, and then we have speakers on there that meet them for network. So that's

10
00:02:35.560 --> 00:02:44.600
Odell A. Bizzell II: I think, that catches us up to everything. So now the goal of now cut sometimes is to connect

11
00:02:44.600 --> 00:03:00.180
Jane Atkinson: meeting planners, meeting professionals with the speakers that you have, who have joined Nampa and are coming up through and make sure that they get to know each other. And you have a live event that helps to facilitate that you just had the event. Tell us about that.

12
00:03:00.300 --> 00:03:03.450
Odell A. Bizzell II: Yeah. So the the primary

13
00:03:03.940 --> 00:03:13.110
Odell A. Bizzell II: focus of Namka is to connect women and bypass speakers together in a place

14
00:03:13.170 --> 00:03:22.210
Odell A. Bizzell II: where they can meet people that can hire them. So if you go to the front of the Namco website, it's gonna say women and black, indigenous people of color

15
00:03:22.210 --> 00:03:36.220
Odell A. Bizzell II: that's the whole goal of it. And so whenever we do an event, we're always bringing some element of meeting and networking. So our past event that we just did. We had a an award-winning journalist come on

16
00:03:36.320 --> 00:03:38.160
Odell A. Bizzell II: and talk about pitching

17
00:03:38.240 --> 00:03:42.070
Odell A. Bizzell II: and so we had 10 event planners and

18
00:03:42.100 --> 00:03:56.900
Odell A. Bizzell II: 17 speakers that came on zoom, and so they learned. And then we did breakout sessions with the event planners and the speakers that paid to be there. And it was just it was. It's always beautiful.

19
00:03:56.900 --> 00:04:07.010
Odell A. Bizzell II: because people know why they're there, and they're there to help. So the event planners the meeting planners that come. They're there to help, and they're there to

20
00:04:07.280 --> 00:04:25.170
Odell A. Bizzell II: place people we had. We have corporate people come on, we have people from cows and universities and associations come on. So it's really a beautiful event, and it takes about an hour and a half. So we do it every month for those that are in Nampka, and for those

21
00:04:25.170 --> 00:04:41.950
Jane Atkinson: decision makers and event planners that are interested. Nice, and we'll put a link, and i'll have You give the URL here shortly. We'll put that in the show notes. You had some sort of moment over this past event, and you said

22
00:04:41.950 --> 00:04:47.450
Jane Atkinson: I figured it out. What? What, what is your what? What did you what was your light bulb?

23
00:04:47.670 --> 00:04:56.970
Odell A. Bizzell II: My light bulb was simply that the people that hire us to speak their professionals. Usually

24
00:04:57.080 --> 00:05:03.260
Odell A. Bizzell II: they're overworked and under appreciated. If you give them

25
00:05:03.600 --> 00:05:08.780
Odell A. Bizzell II: an event, a mechanism and outlet to be appreciated.

26
00:05:08.970 --> 00:05:16.520
Odell A. Bizzell II: and to give them some praise. Give them some love. It automatically ingratiates you to them.

27
00:05:16.570 --> 00:05:27.110
Odell A. Bizzell II: and the light bulb kinda came on when a lady from alarm.com. I never met her before, never met her before.

28
00:05:27.240 --> 00:05:33.590
Odell A. Bizzell II: She came and shared on the Q. A. She said. Oh, my gosh! I'm so glad that I was here.

29
00:05:33.680 --> 00:05:46.600
Odell A. Bizzell II: I keep hearing that if you're friends with oh, Deal, you'll probably get booked to speak so I want to be friends with oh, Deal, and you should be friends with Odale. And it was. It was funny in the moment.

30
00:05:46.690 --> 00:05:51.650
Odell A. Bizzell II: but then I thought about it. I said, Wait a minute. I I never met this woman before.

31
00:05:51.800 --> 00:05:53.600
Odell A. Bizzell II: never met her before.

32
00:05:53.880 --> 00:06:06.540
Odell A. Bizzell II: but because she she came on again in context, and she saw the people, and she heard the people saying, she said, Wow! This is a good place to be, and that's really the light bulb. We want to give

33
00:06:06.580 --> 00:06:12.820
Odell A. Bizzell II: the people that have the opportunity, ability, availability to book us. We want to give them a good place to go.

34
00:06:12.860 --> 00:06:28.340
Odell A. Bizzell II: and if that place to go is to book us great. If not, we can still create a community around that. Because if somebody can't book me, Jane, they could refer me, or they could connect me with somebody that could.

35
00:06:28.340 --> 00:06:42.610
Jane Atkinson: So when we call this the top secret way to connect with meeting planners. what would you say that you do on the regular

36
00:06:42.950 --> 00:06:46.180
Jane Atkinson: that keeps you

37
00:06:46.190 --> 00:06:51.230
Jane Atkinson: getting booked to the degree that you do, and and talk a little bit about

38
00:06:51.450 --> 00:06:56.150
Jane Atkinson: your bookings. You're in the college market, which

39
00:06:56.160 --> 00:07:06.590
Jane Atkinson: to me you all are the real road warriors. I mean you out there. They they work. You are in that industry right. So talk a little bit about the the

40
00:07:07.110 --> 00:07:12.150
Jane Atkinson: the volume of business that you're doing, and how you keep that flowing for yourself.

41
00:07:12.370 --> 00:07:16.780
Odell A. Bizzell II: Yeah, the college industry. It. It is you you! If.

42
00:07:17.180 --> 00:07:26.480
Odell A. Bizzell II: unless you are celebrity status, you're probably not gonna regularly get those big 5 figure contracts to speak at colleges.

43
00:07:26.530 --> 00:07:39.070
Odell A. Bizzell II: I think i'm kinda at at the top that 6 to $8,000 per fee, which for me that that bulls down to about 4 a month, and just where I am in my life. That's

44
00:07:39.130 --> 00:07:40.040
Odell A. Bizzell II: great.

45
00:07:40.170 --> 00:07:51.510
Odell A. Bizzell II: In order to do that. One thing that I do is, I take advantage of the seasons. One thing I like about the college market is, you can kind of predict I'm going to be super busy

46
00:07:51.660 --> 00:08:07.150
Odell A. Bizzell II: during August, September. That's new student orientation. That's when students come back to school. I'm gonna be super busy then. And then there's that Fall Conference season which is October, November, and so i'll do some things. Then December

47
00:08:07.280 --> 00:08:16.800
Odell A. Bizzell II: in the college market. I'm not gonna do anything. And what we do and what we started to do is we have events around that so like with Nampa.

48
00:08:17.330 --> 00:08:23.990
Odell A. Bizzell II: We know that we're not gonna plan any of the type of events that we're talking about when it's my busy season.

49
00:08:24.080 --> 00:08:34.280
Odell A. Bizzell II: I'm not going to do that. So we kind of plan those around there and then we provide different resources and different things in between. And so it's it's easy to predict.

50
00:08:34.309 --> 00:08:48.930
Odell A. Bizzell II: And so what I do, Jane and I got this. I I can't remember exactly who I got it from, but they said to emphasize certain things during different seasons. So as of this recording April.

51
00:08:49.380 --> 00:08:59.090
Odell A. Bizzell II: it's sexual assault awareness, month. As of this recording, I know it's probably gonna come out later. But so April is sexual assault awareness. Well, I don't speak about that.

52
00:08:59.100 --> 00:08:59.910
Odell A. Bizzell II: But

53
00:09:00.430 --> 00:09:20.090
Odell A. Bizzell II: we have our podcast, our internal podcast, and we interview people that are in charge of title. I which title 9 provides Grant funding, and they do program where they bring in speakers. So we just reach out to people via Linkedin. And we say, hey, I see that you work with title. I would you like to share.

54
00:09:20.110 --> 00:09:31.060
Odell A. Bizzell II: etc., etc.? We bring them into our world. We have an interview like we're interviewing. Then after that we say, hey, Jane, you were so great on our podcast every month

55
00:09:31.060 --> 00:09:45.260
Odell A. Bizzell II: we do this thing where we get together, and we talk back and forth. Remember, would you be interested in coming? And they say, Well, yeah, if i'm free, Sure, I come through. So they register. And so then we that's like, I said. It's a beautiful lead generation model.

56
00:09:45.300 --> 00:09:57.990
Odell A. Bizzell II: because people are ingratiated to us on the interview. Their stuff is shared on linkedin. They feel like stars, and then they say, hey, come on in! And then they come in, and they see Wow! It's 20 other people in here.

57
00:09:58.110 --> 00:10:04.770
Odell A. Bizzell II: This is really really good. So I I said all that to say that for anybody listening, anybody watching

58
00:10:05.120 --> 00:10:19.690
Odell A. Bizzell II: you wanna be mindful of the seasons in which you're gonna be busy. Also emphasize what's going on in it. May is mental health, awareness month. So you are a corporate speaker, and you have anything connected to that

59
00:10:19.960 --> 00:10:33.720
Odell A. Bizzell II: you need to be reaching out to people. Say, hey, I'm. I'm thinking about putting a project together. This is something I tell college students to say. If you want to reach out to say, i'm thinking about putting a project together. Insert something that they want to do

60
00:10:33.760 --> 00:10:41.610
Odell A. Bizzell II: that's connected to the expertise and tell them how much you appreciate them being great. Would you like to be a part of it?

61
00:10:42.040 --> 00:10:47.270
Odell A. Bizzell II: And then they'll tell you, yes or no, very quick. And and then that's how you can start getting leads.

62
00:10:47.350 --> 00:11:00.960
Jane Atkinson: So if we were to drill this down, you're valuing people out there who could potentially hire you, and you're pulling them, maybe into your world.

63
00:11:01.010 --> 00:11:05.110
Jane Atkinson: Not necessarily to pitch. but to say, hey.

64
00:11:05.130 --> 00:11:24.160
Jane Atkinson: I like something that you're doing. Do you want to come on and contribute to what i'm doing. Yes, and then the relationship gets off the ground, and you build and build, and you're able. So am I. Am I bringing that top secret formula

65
00:11:24.160 --> 00:11:28.200
Jane Atkinson: for connecting with meeting planners is, Did I cover it all?

66
00:11:28.330 --> 00:11:31.760
Odell A. Bizzell II: Yeah, that's that's perfect. And you invite the

67
00:11:31.760 --> 00:11:49.200
Jane Atkinson: It's all about relationships and and relationships Take time and patience and nurturing. A lot of people will say, Well, I don't really have time to go through someone's linkedin profile to see if we have any common ground, or there's anything of it.

68
00:11:49.200 --> 00:11:53.390
Jane Atkinson: That's the time that you take to do that will pay off, Don't. You think

69
00:11:53.860 --> 00:12:01.070
Odell A. Bizzell II: absolutely the work is the network. and what's beautiful, I know. When When I met my wife in college

70
00:12:01.420 --> 00:12:06.330
Odell A. Bizzell II: she was a first year student, I was a sophomore second year student.

71
00:12:06.990 --> 00:12:16.300
Odell A. Bizzell II: We had lunch together before we were ever anything before we were girlfriend boyfriend. Before we were fiance. Before we married

72
00:12:16.420 --> 00:12:25.350
Odell A. Bizzell II: we just had lunch together. She actually had a boyfriend. But we just. We just spent time together in the same space. and she got to know me, and then

73
00:12:25.410 --> 00:12:38.720
Odell A. Bizzell II: it seemed like we had known each other for years, and I know some people have experienced that before we meet somebody. So gosh! It seems like we've just known each other for a long time, because you've had conversations with them.

74
00:12:38.730 --> 00:12:46.440
Odell A. Bizzell II: You've shared common interest with them. You maybe have a similar sense of humor, whatever it is in that that it it locks you in.

75
00:12:46.470 --> 00:12:58.690
Odell A. Bizzell II: and then it's just a matter of Where do we go from here? Do do we? Do we get? How do you hire me to to come in, or whatever it is? And so, when you're reaching out to people on linkedin.

76
00:12:58.840 --> 00:13:02.140
Odell A. Bizzell II: you find one thing your job, title.

77
00:13:02.230 --> 00:13:30.060
Odell A. Bizzell II: their their name. Oh, we have mutual connections. Just find that one thing to say, hey? I would love to be connected with you. Invite them to share like you said, Invite them to share about what they do, share their expertise before you ever ask them to to hire you or anything. I cannot tell you. If I was a speakers bureau I could probably go out of my mind. I may not even go on linkedin because I get pitched

78
00:13:31.010 --> 00:13:32.700
Jane Atkinson: 10 times a day.

79
00:13:32.860 --> 00:13:49.870
Jane Atkinson: and i'm a coach. I'm a business coach for professional speakers. I don't know, you know. I guess there's a lot of services that they think that my people need, but it's. I think I have just put up a wall to all pitches because of the way they come in.

80
00:13:50.350 --> 00:14:02.810
Jane Atkinson: It's like I connect with you. I agree to connect with you, and then you send me 5 paragraphs. Really, that's not relationship building, and Jennifer Darling calls it that's pitch slapping.

81
00:14:05.850 --> 00:14:09.600
Jane Atkinson: and I just think that you know. No, no! Take

82
00:14:09.620 --> 00:14:29.610
Jane Atkinson: the time to build the relationship. Find the common ground, and clearly there's some amount of appreciation that you've built into Nanta that's really working for. You show you that you value what it is that they do, because what do you know about meeting

83
00:14:29.610 --> 00:14:40.220
Jane Atkinson: planners, meeting professionals. You've talked about them being overworked like. Tell me more about what you think is going on in the world of meeting planners.

84
00:14:40.520 --> 00:14:47.930
Odell A. Bizzell II: Yeah, They're overworked. They're still and it it's weird because I tell everybody

85
00:14:48.120 --> 00:14:55.260
Odell A. Bizzell II: the the pandemic warped time it just it it may. We we think. Wow! 3 years ago.

86
00:14:55.370 --> 00:15:01.550
Odell A. Bizzell II: We were starting to go through this then, 2 years ago, people were still.

87
00:15:01.850 --> 00:15:12.400
Odell A. Bizzell II: and then last year. Wait a minute, and then you start figuring out. So meeting planners. they still have that trepidation. They still have that uncertainty. So there.

88
00:15:12.500 --> 00:15:20.310
Odell A. Bizzell II: Okay? Well, we're gonna do this. But let's do it this way, so that. And I say this all the time. Uncertainty.

89
00:15:20.630 --> 00:15:22.550
Odell A. Bizzell II: It messes with our mental health.

90
00:15:22.760 --> 00:15:33.350
Odell A. Bizzell II: And so they're always going through that. And so the way that you help them with that is is to simply and we had one lady this past weekend.

91
00:15:33.420 --> 00:15:34.830
Odell A. Bizzell II: she said.

92
00:15:34.850 --> 00:15:46.130
Odell A. Bizzell II: She worked in Arkansas, she said. I need really good speakers to come to Arkansas and Arkansas. Isn't you know it doesn't have the flashy cities and all that great stuff. But we need some some good speakers to come.

93
00:15:46.220 --> 00:15:55.360
Odell A. Bizzell II: It's just tiring looking for speakers. she said that it's tiring, looking. And so then you just match the need with what you have. So okay, start

94
00:15:55.380 --> 00:16:11.640
Odell A. Bizzell II: here. Here we go. Here's somebody that to potentially work with you, etc., etc. So just trying to, and I know it's difficult. We have our own bills. We have our own problems. But if you're trying to, you know, get somebody's business. Make sure you get them.

95
00:16:12.000 --> 00:16:17.160
Odell A. Bizzell II: Okay, this is something that could be helpful to you. This is okay, is it? And then they'll tell you if it's not.

96
00:16:17.220 --> 00:16:18.550
Odell A. Bizzell II: and then you can.

97
00:16:18.580 --> 00:16:23.520
Odell A. Bizzell II: Oh, i'm sorry, or you can even say you mind if I share some free resources that will help you.

98
00:16:23.550 --> 00:16:32.200
Jane Atkinson: That's nice. That's really nice. Now, talking about like really thinking about what's going on with people

99
00:16:32.420 --> 00:16:47.010
Jane Atkinson: mental health. We know it's just such a big thing. You are the guy, you know the motivational speaker out there, Raja, all of these times, sometimes thousands of students at at a time.

100
00:16:47.120 --> 00:16:58.500
Jane Atkinson: What do you do? And I know in your own personal life some stuff's been going down? You've suffered a lot of loss, a lot of grief over the last, even just 6 months. How do you?

101
00:16:58.940 --> 00:17:00.860
Jane Atkinson: Oh, and

102
00:17:01.340 --> 00:17:02.370
Jane Atkinson: you know.

103
00:17:02.700 --> 00:17:07.829
Jane Atkinson: get out there and do your job when the chips are down like that.

104
00:17:08.630 --> 00:17:13.740
Odell A. Bizzell II: Yeah, I think I was blessed with the curse a little bit.

105
00:17:13.849 --> 00:17:24.380
Odell A. Bizzell II: My family is is different, and if my wife was here, she would tell you that in a lot of different ways. But my family is different.

106
00:17:24.460 --> 00:17:45.470
Odell A. Bizzell II: We we compartmentalize well, but we we're also very upfront about things. And so yeah, i'll, I'll give an example. In October my stepmother passed, and it wasn't she wasn't like a distance stepmother or anything like that my parents split up when I was younger.

107
00:17:45.570 --> 00:17:48.740
Odell A. Bizzell II: so she's been in. She was in the Fo for a while.

108
00:17:48.760 --> 00:17:53.790
Odell A. Bizzell II: and I like I said my mom to me she's the closest person I ever lost, and

109
00:17:54.520 --> 00:18:05.840
Odell A. Bizzell II: whenever we talk about. if in my family, or anything like that. it's always a matter of this is just what we believe is just our faith at

110
00:18:05.850 --> 00:18:15.950
Odell A. Bizzell II: It's not the end. You know what I mean. It's it's not the end. and I've always been connected to religion, but I never, really totally.

111
00:18:16.320 --> 00:18:25.360
Odell A. Bizzell II: I I said, by bought all in I got. I always been connected to it, and I think some people share that. But it's okay. This is not the end.

112
00:18:25.430 --> 00:18:30.060
Odell A. Bizzell II: And so that's one way that that my family is always like. This is not the end

113
00:18:30.110 --> 00:18:36.950
Odell A. Bizzell II: type. Thing. Another thing is understanding that I still got a job to do.

114
00:18:37.030 --> 00:18:40.060
Odell A. Bizzell II: and it's hard

115
00:18:40.180 --> 00:18:46.590
Odell A. Bizzell II: specifically, you know, being in this work and for those of you in like this. Speaking is hard, and I tell people all the time

116
00:18:46.760 --> 00:18:57.960
Odell A. Bizzell II: it's really really hard, it's like a sales job that you have where you're selling yourself, and if people say no to what you offer, they're saying no to you, and so it's. It's it's a challenge.

117
00:18:58.020 --> 00:19:08.610
Odell A. Bizzell II: But I I have a job to do. I have a mission to accomplish, and so now, even more so. The fact that I have to overcome the stuff that I have to overcome to deliver

118
00:19:08.620 --> 00:19:18.540
Odell A. Bizzell II: it. It makes my message more poignant. It. It makes my mission even harder. So I looked at those 2 things. It's not the end. And also. Okay.

119
00:19:18.710 --> 00:19:34.670
Odell A. Bizzell II: if if i'm this, if i'm the hero in this story, here's the obstacle that's hitting me. Here's the obstacles that's hitting me, so I have to continue so. Those are Those are ways, and of course, family helps. And you know I've got an amazing wife and a children that are that are learning to be amazing.

120
00:19:34.680 --> 00:19:38.600
Jane Atkinson: That's so nice. I know that

121
00:19:38.640 --> 00:19:51.620
Jane Atkinson: you know, being the superhero on the platform can be challenging for somebody who's going through it. And I think sometimes, and I don't know how much you open the door.

122
00:19:51.820 --> 00:19:57.960
Jane Atkinson: I think the authenticity of hey? I'm going through something right now can be.

123
00:19:58.220 --> 00:20:10.960
Jane Atkinson: We don't want to do therapy on stage, but at the same time I think it can be helpful for people to know that you know. I'm not necessarily feeling superhero like today, and let me tell you why.

124
00:20:10.990 --> 00:20:23.600
Jane Atkinson: and I I love the real and raw when when people come out with it. Have you ever had a moment on the stage where you were just like, opened up a little bit and said.

125
00:20:23.700 --> 00:20:25.220
Jane Atkinson: This is what's going on.

126
00:20:25.590 --> 00:20:29.190
Odell A. Bizzell II: Yeah, I actually spoke in my Alma Mater

127
00:20:29.740 --> 00:20:38.890
Odell A. Bizzell II: last month, and my kids are with me. My wife is in nursing school and working, so she wasn't able to make it. But my kids were there.

128
00:20:39.150 --> 00:20:40.350
Odell A. Bizzell II: and

129
00:20:40.800 --> 00:20:44.240
Odell A. Bizzell II: I just I let people know, I said, look.

130
00:20:44.540 --> 00:20:57.260
Odell A. Bizzell II: and I it was in the context of the presentation. I didn't come on stage and say, now, look, i'm going through some stuff. But a part of a point in the presentation is you never know what people are going through

131
00:20:57.270 --> 00:21:15.750
Odell A. Bizzell II: whenever they respond when they like, you never know. And then I, you know, let them know what was going on in my family, and I said, you you probably didn't even know that. And I'm not telling you that for you to, you know, feel sorry for me or anything like that. But just understand people present

132
00:21:15.920 --> 00:21:32.350
Odell A. Bizzell II: differently. But there's everybody's going through something. Everybody's just got done going through something there. Guys about to go into something else. So I think, doing it within context. And also this is something that I heard somebody say again, I can't remember, but you shouldn't share

133
00:21:32.910 --> 00:21:41.240
Odell A. Bizzell II: things that you're not healed from one stage. so I don't know if grief is something you heal from. But it's something that I could

134
00:21:41.310 --> 00:21:43.940
Odell A. Bizzell II: talk about without

135
00:21:44.120 --> 00:22:00.860
Odell A. Bizzell II: taking away from the presentation, and the the reason why I was there, so i'll add that as well make sure you're not, you know, like you said, having therapy and sharing things that you know. If you're still going through that break up, maybe it's not the time to share about that.

136
00:22:00.890 --> 00:22:13.470
Jane Atkinson: Yeah, exactly. I wanted to say thank you to you, my client sterling. Hawkins just went and spoke to Deca on the weekend, and one of the

137
00:22:13.510 --> 00:22:26.080
Jane Atkinson: people on the board said best presentation we've seen in 25 years in front of he had. I think, 25,000 students there live, and another 10,000 virtual.

138
00:22:26.120 --> 00:22:54.500
Jane Atkinson: So I I heard the chanting and everything going on. They they were saying his words back to him at no matter what it. It was so cool. So you had given him some great advice. Thank you for providing that, and that because I think it really made a difference, and he worked really hard, and I think it all paid off. So I wanted to say Thank you, Adele, because you're my go to Guy when it comes to something like that. I know

139
00:22:54.500 --> 00:23:13.600
Jane Atkinson: you're the one who told me about Decca. In the first place. So I kind of knew exactly what he was dealing with when he came in. That's a really cool organization, isn't it. Yeah, they're the best. Yeah, I I mean to have that many people under one roof just kind of doing the same thing is amazing. So okay.

140
00:23:13.600 --> 00:23:15.330
back to your career.

141
00:23:15.520 --> 00:23:17.030
Jane Atkinson: Talk about

142
00:23:17.630 --> 00:23:27.370
Jane Atkinson: points that took you kind of little flash points to the next level. What are some things that you have done that You think we're game changers.

143
00:23:27.930 --> 00:23:37.370
Odell A. Bizzell II: I I I will bull it down to these 3, focusing on getting good. I I think sometimes the business

144
00:23:37.970 --> 00:23:55.430
Odell A. Bizzell II: getting in the weeds of the business can can stop that or or stym me that growth of getting really really good. That was something that I did early on that. I'm glad that I did I probably over did it, but it's really helped me.

145
00:23:55.510 --> 00:24:03.770
Odell A. Bizzell II: Then I would say, get known in the space in which you want to get known, and I know that's something you talk about making sure you find your lane.

146
00:24:03.890 --> 00:24:09.540
Odell A. Bizzell II: It can be really, really, really, really, really alluring.

147
00:24:09.550 --> 00:24:18.420
Odell A. Bizzell II: To whoa this person is is making that or this person is doing that. I think i'm gonna shift my mind and shift my to that and all of that.

148
00:24:18.420 --> 00:24:34.920
Odell A. Bizzell II: And I even played with that a little bit like Well, you know college. I don't make this much money like. Maybe I go over here and make this much money, and and again, You know careers are gonna gonna to rise with that. But you have to think about what it is that that you want what it is that you need.

149
00:24:35.120 --> 00:24:37.480
Odell A. Bizzell II: and and I know what I want and what I need.

150
00:24:37.540 --> 00:24:51.440
Odell A. Bizzell II: So I know. If I did a 4 for college events, a year, a a month. Oh, i'm good, you know. Could I get that from one corporate speaking engagement? Eventually we'll get there, maybe, but right now.

151
00:24:51.570 --> 00:24:54.720
Odell A. Bizzell II: you know, so stay in that, but get known in that, and

152
00:24:54.730 --> 00:25:12.610
Odell A. Bizzell II: my my goal is always to get famous where I am. That's in my family. I want everybody in my family to know me, to know the good about me. If that's in my industry, I want everybody to know me. Know the good about me and what not. And then the last thing i'll say is to get really good at referring people.

153
00:25:12.660 --> 00:25:20.760
Odell A. Bizzell II: This was the most challenging thing I come from a competitive background. I'm a competitive person. So i'm thinking.

154
00:25:21.090 --> 00:25:40.450
Odell A. Bizzell II: you know I just mentioned my good friend Stan, I said, oh, stan 10, I gotta do 20, you know I gotta do more than him, and versus if somebody, if I can refer somebody, I become a resource. If I can refer, somebody will, and I can

155
00:25:40.450 --> 00:25:42.490
Odell A. Bizzell II: be a resource that they come back to.

156
00:25:43.010 --> 00:25:54.360
Odell A. Bizzell II: and, being a resource, builds a relationships and relationships, multiply opportunities, and so that's that's those are the 3 things I would say, really flash points in my career.

157
00:25:54.360 --> 00:26:10.040
Jane Atkinson: It good. Get known and be a via connector. You are the connector, I mean. That's when I think about Odell. I think about connection, because that's You're so good at that, and I think it's been a great way for you to build your business all right.

158
00:26:10.040 --> 00:26:26.530
Odell A. Bizzell II: If you were going to do it all again, is there anything you would do differently? Where did you make? Where did you waste time or money? Maybe

159
00:26:26.900 --> 00:26:31.010
Odell A. Bizzell II: I I would say the biggest

160
00:26:32.450 --> 00:26:35.650
Odell A. Bizzell II: wasters of time

161
00:26:36.110 --> 00:26:45.610
Odell A. Bizzell II: for me was trying to, and and I don't want anybody to misinterpret what i'm about to say. I say it

162
00:26:45.850 --> 00:26:53.580
Odell A. Bizzell II: very carefully. is trying to master too many streams of income

163
00:26:54.530 --> 00:27:05.900
Odell A. Bizzell II: without having what I call a river revenue. So without, if if I would have went back to 2,008. When I started I would have told myself.

164
00:27:06.740 --> 00:27:16.170
Odell A. Bizzell II: you need to be making X amount of dollars in this before you look at. Okay? Well, maybe I should do coaching, or maybe I should do this, or maybe

165
00:27:16.390 --> 00:27:26.190
Odell A. Bizzell II: focus on getting that the the business of that right? So that's the first thing, the second thing. And this is this is gonna go over a lot of people's here. But I want you to play this back.

166
00:27:27.630 --> 00:27:29.490
Odell A. Bizzell II: You have to pay to meet people

167
00:27:30.820 --> 00:27:31.770
Odell A. Bizzell II: period.

168
00:27:32.210 --> 00:27:35.560
Odell A. Bizzell II: You have to pay to meet people. We're all doing it

169
00:27:35.740 --> 00:27:36.820
Odell A. Bizzell II: anyway.

170
00:27:37.120 --> 00:27:52.790
Odell A. Bizzell II: but a lot of times. If we don't intentionally assign that with that marker, then we think we're doing the wrong thing. Here's what I mean. You go to a conference. If you pay to go to a conference to to pay for a table at an exhibit hall.

171
00:27:52.950 --> 00:27:56.010
Odell A. Bizzell II: Were you paid to meet people

172
00:27:57.440 --> 00:28:07.990
Odell A. Bizzell II: so in that I would have at the time taking it to a more micro level instead of paying money that I didn't have.

173
00:28:08.070 --> 00:28:13.640
Odell A. Bizzell II: I would have said, okay. who are We're the people that I can drive to

174
00:28:14.780 --> 00:28:18.540
Odell A. Bizzell II: let me pay for a lunch.

175
00:28:18.550 --> 00:28:30.610
Odell A. Bizzell II: pay for something to ingratiate myself to them on a on a more micro scale. And again, this is when I was first starting, i'm just answering that question of things that I would have paid that on a micro level.

176
00:28:31.190 --> 00:28:43.290
Odell A. Bizzell II: and then learned how to navigate that. So when I invest in those opportunities I would have known how to take advantage of them. What happens a lot of times we we try to throw money at things

177
00:28:43.850 --> 00:28:45.700
Odell A. Bizzell II: instead of learning how to sail.

178
00:28:46.440 --> 00:28:56.100
Jane Atkinson: So would you say, maybe cast a smaller net like really try to figure out who are the relationships that you want to build.

179
00:28:56.340 --> 00:29:13.760
Jane Atkinson: and then, you know, you might be doing it differently every time. Maybe somebody will agree to go to lunch with you, and somebody else might say, I'll have a coffee date on zoom with you. By the way, your Nampa events are they live, or virtual, or or in person or virtual.

180
00:29:13.760 --> 00:29:18.410
Jane Atkinson: Oh, okay. So that's why it's so easy for someone from Arkansas to show up

181
00:29:18.600 --> 00:29:21.440
Odell A. Bizzell II: and say, I need speakers to come. Okay, I got it.

182
00:29:21.470 --> 00:29:22.740
Jane Atkinson: So.

183
00:29:22.860 --> 00:29:34.890
Jane Atkinson: Wow, you're doing so much, and I love that you recognize the things that you could potentially. And and we talked about this before we started recording

184
00:29:35.030 --> 00:29:46.530
Jane Atkinson: when you're getting starting started in your business. And, by the way, congratulations on a 10 year anniversary that is super exciting. I love that

185
00:29:46.780 --> 00:30:02.910
Jane Atkinson: when you're starting, You're like building building building. I'm gonna do that. I'm gonna do that. I'm gonna do that. And later on it starts to shift and you start to take things away, and you and I actually met on clubhouse. I don't do clubhouse anymore. Do you do clubhouse?

186
00:30:02.910 --> 00:30:12.830
Odell A. Bizzell II: So we have, but both been like taking things away slowly, and getting more and more streamlined in our business.

187
00:30:12.880 --> 00:30:24.360
Jane Atkinson: Why? Because it's just simpler that way. It's less complex. And so I really believe this is, you know you turn that corner, and now you're maybe on an easier path, I think.

188
00:30:25.020 --> 00:30:28.500
Odell A. Bizzell II: Yeah. And and if I could

189
00:30:28.560 --> 00:30:34.100
Odell A. Bizzell II: just let people know this to. and i'm, i'm certain it's something that you talk about.

190
00:30:35.300 --> 00:30:37.890
Odell A. Bizzell II: But people are going to be hiring you

191
00:30:38.370 --> 00:30:45.910
Odell A. Bizzell II: people humans are going to be hiring you usually to pay. If it's a bigger event, they're going to be multiple humans hiring you.

192
00:30:46.630 --> 00:30:48.990
Odell A. Bizzell II: The best use of your time

193
00:30:49.690 --> 00:30:52.670
Odell A. Bizzell II: is to meet with those people.

194
00:30:53.250 --> 00:31:04.250
Odell A. Bizzell II: So if you if you were thinking about my business. There's so many different things. I got the crm here, and I got linkedin, and I got all these different things think about. How can I meet with the people

195
00:31:04.350 --> 00:31:06.530
Odell A. Bizzell II: that higher speakers

196
00:31:06.870 --> 00:31:11.800
Odell A. Bizzell II: period when you get there? That, and I think as we were talking like less is more.

197
00:31:12.110 --> 00:31:16.800
Odell A. Bizzell II: Now, every day when I come down to my office, I say, okay.

198
00:31:17.230 --> 00:31:18.690
Odell A. Bizzell II: who do I want to meet with?

199
00:31:19.640 --> 00:31:39.280
Odell A. Bizzell II: I want to meet with okay, this is coming up. So I need to meet with a bunch of those types of people. Okay, great, or I need to meet with my former clients, and they I haven't talked to them in a while. Maybe I could just reach out to say, hey, you want to talk on zoom, and they might not say yes, but they'll see. Oh, Dell's reaching out. So

200
00:31:39.280 --> 00:31:55.250
Odell A. Bizzell II: focus on meeting with people that have the opportunity to pay you, and I think that will allow you to. Once you, you know, grow your business to a huge scale, and you become that wealthy speaker that Jane talks about. Then you can outsource different things to your team, and it's still less is more.

201
00:31:55.740 --> 00:32:03.670
Jane Atkinson: I love that. Could you imagine your life when you were back working in a prison, tell everybody about what you did in the prison.

202
00:32:04.570 --> 00:32:09.850
Odell A. Bizzell II: Oh, gosh! I so from 2,008 to 2,013,

203
00:32:09.960 --> 00:32:29.170
Odell A. Bizzell II: I 1, 2,007 gosh, 2,007 to 2,013. I worked with the Gil for County Shares Department as a detention service officer, and I hated every moment of it. Once I found out what I was doing, and I wanted to be a professional speaker. I had started doing, speaking on the side. I will go to

204
00:32:29.170 --> 00:32:31.230
Odell A. Bizzell II: a speaking engagement, Jane.

205
00:32:31.510 --> 00:32:37.030
Odell A. Bizzell II: and then come to work for 12 h, and it was depressing.

206
00:32:37.080 --> 00:32:44.200
Odell A. Bizzell II: and I can't remember how I got it. They used to let us get on the Internet when I first got there.

207
00:32:44.250 --> 00:32:58.160
Odell A. Bizzell II: and I was googling something I can't remember exactly, but it's a wealthy speaker, and I said, Well, this figure I want to speak, and I want to be wealthy. Gosh, darn it! So let me find out what this wealthy speaker thing is about, so I downloaded it.

208
00:32:58.670 --> 00:33:05.600
Odell A. Bizzell II: I get I i'm sure I wasn't supposed to do this. I downloaded the Pdf. For the wealthy speaker

209
00:33:05.770 --> 00:33:23.730
Odell A. Bizzell II: printed it out at the shares department and was reading it on my shift, and I still remember the opening, the limo picking you up, and all that stuff. And I said, Gosh! I said, i'm gonna be that one day. This is 23 year old, or they'll talk and now i'm talking to

210
00:33:23.730 --> 00:33:43.720
Odell A. Bizzell II: Jane Atkinson. Wealthy Speaker 3 point. Oh, now, so I appreciate you doing that. And again you didn't know me at that time, but you literally have changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people just through me. So I appreciate you

211
00:33:43.720 --> 00:33:51.320
Jane Atkinson: stories about where people started and where they are today. Now you're someone that I look to for.

212
00:33:51.320 --> 00:34:07.480
Jane Atkinson: Hey, Odell, tell us how we get booked in the in the college market. And, by the way, we have an amazing podcast where we break down. Here's where you go for this, and here's where you go for this. So make sure that you reference our last own del Podcast.

213
00:34:07.480 --> 00:34:13.350
Jane Atkinson: Tell everybody what the URL is for Namca, and where they should get in touch with you.

214
00:34:13.800 --> 00:34:35.090
Odell A. Bizzell II: Yep. So Namka is Namca web.com. So that's N. A. M. C. A. W. E. B. Namca Web. dot com. You go there, and there's just be a couple of buttons there where you can learn about our next events. You can find me on Instagram. Find me on Linkedin. I'm the only Odell Brazil. There I promise

215
00:34:35.090 --> 00:34:52.580
Jane Atkinson: there's another one. There it's a fake account. So don't don't follow that. But i'm not, does not have an e by the way o d, e, l, l, and Bizzell is b, i z, z e, l, l. I don't even know, is it said, or Z, because I'm Canadian, I get very confused about that. But anyway.

216
00:34:52.580 --> 00:35:04.390
Jane Atkinson: Odell Bizzell, thank you so much for taking time out to be with us today, and my heart is going out on a big hug to all of your family. You've been through a lot. So

217
00:35:04.390 --> 00:35:13.320
Jane Atkinson: thinking about you for those of you listening in. Thank you so much for being with us today, and we'll see you so wealthy speakers bye, for now everyone.