Lessons from a Billion-Dollar Brand Founder

“You’ll never believe it,” said the excited voice on the other end of the line. “I just got off the phone with Brian Smith. He agreed to be our closing speaker at Small Business Festival.”

Finding the exact right person to close our festival is always difficult. We look for a real-world business success story with an excellent track record in presenting from the stage. It’s always hard, because many founders don’t do public speaking…or at least, not very well. And most professional speakers do a great job with their specific topics, but don’t have experience in taking a business from a small startup to a worldwide success story.

As a proud Australian, of course I knew exactly who Brian Smith was. And I knew that having the founder of billion-dollar brand UGG Boots speak from our stage would leave a lasting impression… And I was right.

I remember being exceptionally impressed – not just with how authentic and relaxed he was on stage, but how genuine he was when talking to me before his presentation, and to the attendees afterward.

As I do every year, as a thank you, I like to take the closing keynote speaker out for dinner and then show them around the city before dropping them back to their hotel.

Over dinner I talked about how amazed I was with how he captivated the audience, how they seemed mesmerized with every story that he shared.

Whenever I do a keynote presentation of my own, I always tell stories too. I used to try to share facts and details, but as an introvert, I found it left me feeling incongruous and awkward. I thought it was just me.

That’s what surprised me most about what Brian said next.

Brian told me that after the success of UGG Boots, he wanted to share what he learned with others, so he decided to become a speaker. He hired several well-regarded extroverted speaking coaches, who all told him to tell quippy jokes and use particular tactics to engage the audience.

He said that everything they told him, while it worked for them and for other people they taught, as an introvert, he just felt inauthentic.

He said it wasn’t until he just started sharing stories, well-practiced and structured stories of his own personal experience and the experiences of others, that he finally felt comfortable on the stage.

I couldn’t believe that it wasn’t just me, that another introvert had stumbled on the same strategies for introverted presenting as I had.

We laughed about just how similar our presentation styles are, how we love helping others (which is why we both stay after our keynotes to answer questions), and that we wished there were introverted speaking coaches who could have cut the learning curve in half and saved us a lot of discomfort.

We both agreed we almost didn’t try, thinking, “An introvert on stage? Come on.”

As it turns out though, we again have an edge.

Becoming an Authentic Business Speaker

Brian’s seemingly natural, confident stage presence is the result of two of what he considers his most important introverted qualities: being himself and being prepared. There is no question that introverts can be commanding, compelling public speakers – we just need the right approach and the right systems.

And this applies to so much more than just speaking.

Extroverts are generally regarded as having an advantage in business, and it’s no wonder – when it comes to sales, networking, and self-promotion, those who are confident and talkative may seem to have an advantage. But introverts have an important secret weapon that changes everything: the deeply-held desire to be authentic above all else. Learn how this drive to be true to oneself brought Brian Smith both a billion-dollar business and, ultimately, personal fulfillment.

Getting More Sales Through Authenticity

We introverts may not love the process of selling, but we’ve got to do it, not just to keep our doors open, but to truly thrive. Brian shares his journey from beginning UGG Boots, pushing himself to go out and do terrifying door-to-door sales calls, to the realization that the surest way to make sales was to stay true to himself.

Some Questions I Ask:

• When did you realize you’re an introvert? (1:10)
• What struggles did your introversion present in your speaking career, and how did you overcome them? (2:50)
• Do you view introversion as having any disadvantages for your business career? (8:58)
• What process led you to determine your initial niche? (13:30)

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• How Brian’s lifelong fear of rejection impacted his personal and professional life (1:20)
• Why preparation and authenticity are key to successfully speaking on stage (3:20)
• Why Brian won’t work with a public speaking coach (6:30)
• How Brian pushed through his fear of sales to find what worked (10:13)
• Why you need to understand your customers better than they understand themselves (14:40)

Resources Mentioned in the Show:

• Part two of this episode
• Brian Smith’s website

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