10 Gigs in 10 Weeks: The 5 Mindset Shifts That Made It Happen with Dan Irvin
The Speaker Lab Podcast
The Speaker Lab
4.8 • 575 Ratings
🗓️ 9 April 2026
⏱️ 34 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
"Clarity feels slower in the beginning until confusion costs you months."
Welcome back to The Speaker Lab Podcast! In this solo episode, host Dan Irvin gets candid about what it actually took to complete 10 paid speaking gigs in 10 weeks — and why none of it was accidental.
This wasn't luck, and it wasn't a hot streak. It was the result of five specific mindset shifts that Dan applied deliberately to his speaking business — the same shifts he coaches Speaker Lab students on every day. From getting crystal clear on who he serves, to showing up in every client conversation as a partner rather than a performer, Dan walks you through the mental framework behind consistent, predictable bookings.
Whether you're just getting started or you've been speaking for years but can't seem to find your rhythm, this episode will help you identify exactly where your business needs tightening — and what to do about it.
You'll learn:
- Why clarity is your fastest path to speed — and what happens to your outreach when you skip it
- The difference between doing a lot of outreach and doing the right outreach (hint: you need volume AND targeting)
- Why gigs come from conversations, not content — and how to stop being a "tinkerer"
- How thinking like a partner instead of a speaker completely changed Dan's business
- What event planners are actually looking for — and why another generic speaker one sheet isn't it
- The 85/15 rule (and why Dan thinks it's actually closer to 95/5)
- How 90% of Dan's last 10 gigs came from referrals — and how to build toward that
- Why momentum is engineered, not accidental — and how to start building it from wherever you are right now
- How to give yourself grace during the slow stretches without losing your rhythm
- Why the gap in most speaking businesses isn't talent — it's structure
- And much, much more!
"The gap wasn't the talent. It was the structure."
Want Dan to look at your speaking business? Head to thespeakerlab.com/SBA for a free 15-minute Speaker Business Assessment — a real diagnostic review of your audience clarity, pipeline, and revenue. No pitch, just clarity.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Listen to me when I tell you this, event planners don't need a talk. |
| 0:19.0 | They need a result for their audience. So what's the result that you're |
| 0:23.7 | offering your partner? So you've got to put yourself in the mindset of being a partner, not a speaker. |
| 0:36.6 | What's going on? Dan Irvin here. I am so excited to be back with you here on the Speaker Lab |
| 0:46.3 | podcast. So glad you're here joining me and having some fun with me. Today I'm going to talk to you |
| 0:52.4 | about I just got off the speaker about, I just got off the speaker |
| 0:54.3 | trail. I just got off the road. I've done 10 gigs in the last 10 weeks. It actually just worked |
| 0:59.9 | out where I had a gig a week for 10 weeks. But I'm going to say right now, that's not the whole story. |
| 1:06.1 | This was extremely intentional, not accidental. This wasn't luck. This was a system that I turned on. And I want to |
| 1:15.3 | walk you through how I did it. Now, I'm going to tell you right now, you might be used to there being |
| 1:20.4 | two voices or multiple voices on the podcast. Today, it's just me and you. Whatever you're doing out |
| 1:26.3 | there, I don't know. Maybe you're on the |
| 1:28.2 | treadmill right now. Maybe you're driving. Maybe you're traveling. I don't know. I don't know what you do. In fact, I'd be curious though. Shoot me a email, Dan at the speaker lab. Let me know where and how and when you listen to the podcast. It'd be fun for me and I want to connect with you anyways. But that's not why we're here today. |
| 1:44.6 | But wherever you are, I'm excited to be connecting with you. |
| 1:48.3 | And just so we're clear right here at the top, this was not a perfect 10 weeks. |
| 1:53.6 | All right. This was airports, early mornings, late nights, a ton of follow-up and more than just a few moments where I was thinking, |
| 2:02.6 | okay, all right, is this thing really working? |
| 2:05.9 | Is this really going to work out? |
| 2:07.4 | And before I dive into what my last 10 weeks kind of have looked like and the mindset that it took, |
| 2:13.7 | I want to take a moment to connect with you because, yes, I'm a speaker. |
| 2:18.1 | I'm also the CEO here at the speaker lab, but I'm also a husband. |
| 2:23.5 | I'm a father and someone who genuinely loves the business side of speaking. |
... |
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