Profile: Speakers Spotlight
MSN Small Business - October 2008
by Kerry Gold
 The founders of Toronto-based Speakers Spotlight speakers bureau and agency are proof that risk is the essential ingredient to success.
The founders of Toronto-based Speakers Spotlight speakers bureau and agency are proof that risk is the essential ingredient to success.
In 1995, Martin and Farah Perelmuter were upwardly mobile 25-year-olds living in Toronto. Martin was a corporate lawyer; Farah worked in marketing. Both were successful at their careers, but both wanted change. So they got married, quit their jobs and started the speakers agency within the space of a month.
They'd gone from healthy incomes back to square one — living like students. But they were happier than they'd ever been.
"I didn't know what I wanted to do, so I went to law school and finished at 23," says Martin, who is 39. "I went to work at a law firm and realized it wasn't what I wanted to do. I was lucky enough to stumble upon this."
The idea for the agency came about when Farah's uncle asked her to help him market his workshops and seminars. Farah and Martin realized there was an opportunity.
"We were fortunate in that we were young and naïve enough to think that we could actually do this," says Martin. "Because we had no speakers, no clients, no office, no staff, no previous industry experience, no contacts and no business experience.
"We literally went into it cold without knowing anyone other than her uncle, who wasn't connected in the industry."
Today, Speakers’ Spotlight operates out of four offices, including Calgary, Vancouver and a new Ottawa location. The Perelmuters oversee 22 staff and represent more than 500 speakers for mostly private engagements. Their business has doubled in the last three years, mostly because they've built a reputation upon such high-profile clients as Justin Trudeau, Pamela Wallin, Adrienne Clarkson and John Ralston Saul.
Not bad for a wide-eyed couple who knew nothing about the industry going into it. What Martin has learned, however, is that reputation in his small-circle business is everything. That's why he's reluctant to focus on growth over integrity.
"You need big goals, but you still need to act entrepreneurial and be responsive and nimble — that's a word I like," says Martin.
You need patience, too. Speakers’ Spotlight started out of their home apartment before moving into a small downtown office. After about six months of research on the industry, they attended speakers' meetings and managed to secure 18 speakers to represent. Because the deals weren't exclusive and the speakers had low profiles, it was a reasonable arrangement for both parties. Martin remembers trying to line up engagements as a bigger obstacle.
"I'd never sold anything in my life and I was literally making 75 to 100 calls a day, just calling corporations and associations, trying to find out who planned their meetings, their events — it was tough," he says. "You would finally get the right person on the line and they'd never heard of you or your company or your speakers. But all we wanted to do was get the name out there, let them know who we were and what we're doing in that first year. We knew that if people gave us an opportunity, we would provide good service and get our foot in the door, and fortunately, we got a few of those."
As well, Farah's marketing experience landed them some exposure in the major newspapers, which took the business up another notch.
"I would say it was a slow, gradual build, but we really built the company on a solid foundation of trust and relationships, and over time, that really made a big difference," says Martin.
After eight years, it swelled to a company of 10 employees, then there was a "tipping point" and the company quickly doubled in size. Today, Speakers Spotlight gets approached by about 1,000 speakers a year looking for representation — and only takes on about 1 per cent of them.
"It's just delivering on promises and exceeding expectations," says Martin. "It sounds cliché, but that was key. Everybody we dealt with, client or speaker or whoever, we made sure if we said something that we would do it.
"To this day, that's still what we do."
The Lawyer’s Weekly - June 17, 2009
Lawyer of the Week
The Toronto Star - March 16, 2009
Presidents don't always subscribe to free speech
Vancouver Sun - March 2, 2009
Football flash Rudy still drawing them in
Financial Post - February 21, 2009
Dubya's coming to Cowtown
MeetingsCanada.com - December 11, 2008
Speakers’ Spotlight CEO Named a Most Powerful Women in 2008
Press Release - November 27 2008
CEO of Speakers’ Spotlight One of Canada’s Most Powerful Women in 2008
MeetingsCanada.com - November 27, 2008
Speakers' Spotlight Wins Workplace Award
Press Release - November 2008
Speakers' Spotlight: More Than Just Talk
MSN Small Business - October 2008
Profile: Speakers' Spotlight
Millionairemom.com - October 2008
Millionaire Moms Audio Interview with Farah Perelmuter
Canadian Event Perspective - August 2, 2008
Defied Odds to Stay True to Their Dream...
Women's Post - July 11, 2008
Woman of the day
Bizbash.com - June 12, 2008
M.C.s Gone Wild - How to keep talent from going off-book and out-of-bounds
by Mimi O'Connor
Workopolis.com - April 28, 2008
4 Ways to Improve Your Presentation Skills
By Alan Kearns
CareerJoy.com - April 28, 2008
3 keys to a great speech Podcast
Montreal Gazette - April 07, 2008
Bill Clinton raking it in from Canadian public appearances
By Elizabeth Thompson
Alberta Venture - March, 2008
The Star Treatment
By Shannon Sutherland
AOL Canada - February 13, 2008
Couple Q&A:
Romance is....Notes on the Windshield, Bum Squeezes and Kids
By Sarah Treleaven
National Post - December, 2007
Gabbing with gracious gurus
By Shinan Govani,
Woman's Post - December, 2007
Farah Perelmuter: change to happiness
By Angela Trimmer
Midtown Town Crier - November, 2007
Midtown couple dreams their way to success
By Kelly Gadzala
National Post - September 29, 2007
Business owner by age nine, CEO proves an early start helps
By Libby Znaimer
Emprendedores
Speakers Spotlight, por hablar que no quede
Contemporary Business Communication
Business Presentations
By Scot Ober & Brad Quiring
Speaking Of Impact - Summer, 2007
Racing for ROI
By Michelle Ray, CSP
Progressive Choices - Winter/Spring, 2007
Making A Difference
By Cathy Watters
Progressive Choices
National Post - January 15, 2007
Confessions of Dynamic Duos
Running a business with your spouse
By Deena Waisberg
globeandmail.com - May 30, 2006
Married to the Job
By Sasha Nagy
Esteem Magazine - Spring 2006
Balancing Success
By Kevin Craig
The Globe and Mail - Sept. 29, 2004
Speakers' circuit not just talk
By Wallace Immen
WOMEN CAN DO ANYTHING (July 2004)
Let’s
Talk Business Interview
with Farah Perelmuter
INNOVATIVE PROGRESS (May 2004)
BUILD
BUZZ: 8 Keys to Entrepreneurial Success
by Martin Perelmuter, LL B.
SPEAKING OF IMPACT (Spring 2004)
A Tale
of Two Countries
by Martin Perelmuter, LL B.
In Conference
Supplement in The Globe and Mail - Spring 2004
Speaking Out Conferences Energized
by Successful Speakers
PROFITguide.com (October/November 2003)
How to fire your customers - Cutting
off paying customers sounds counterproductive, but it can actually
help you grow
THE MISSISSAUGA NEWS (Nov 13, 2002)
At Bridges to Business symposium - Don't quit
entrepreneurs told
MPI Newsbytes (Volume 9, Issue 27 02 July 2002)
Canadian Speakers Circuit Flying High
by
Funmi Okunbolade
Profit Magazine (June, 2002)
Heroes for Hard Times:Canada's Fastest-Growing
Companies point the way to survival and success
Profit Magazine (June, 2002)
Trends: How to Introduce a Speaker
The Globe and Mail: In Conference Magazine (Spring, 2002)
Talking About Success: The Speaking Industry
The National Post (Monday March 19, 2001)
Site helps track down celebrity speakers
by Marjo Johne
Canadian Jewish News (August 3rd, 2000)
Young Couple's Speakers' Agency Thrives
by Sheldon Kirshner
The Calgary Herald (April 22, 2000)
Mount Everest Climb Shared on Internet
by Michelle Simick
The Generator (November, 1999)
Focus
on Success
by Amy Harder
Royal Bank - Today's Entrepreneur (First Aired: March 29,
1999)
Partners in business and life
Home Business Report (Summer, 1999)
Speakers, Service and Spousal Partners:
Couple brings celebrities to Canadian events
by E.T. (Mitch) Lenko
Globe and Mail (Monday, January 11, 1999)
Couple Builds Agency on Soapbox,
by Jeff Brooke
The National Post (Monday, December 21, 1998)
When Your Partner is Your Business,
by Laura Fowlie
The Western Alumni Magazine (September, 1998)
"Well Spoken",
by Jeff Brooke
The Toronto Star (May 25, 1998)
Thinking Big - Agency puts speakers in spotlight
by Michael Schultz
Association - Canada's Association Management Magazine
(December/January, 1997/1998)
Best Speaker Bets: 1998 Forecast
The Meeting Professional (December, 1997)
"Beyond Boundaries: Speaking Across Cultural Boundaries",
by Martin Perelmuter
The Financial Post Magazine (January, 1997)
"Power Talks",
by John Greenwood
The Toronto Sun (August 18, 1996)
"Two by Two: Lessons for Couples Living and Working
Together",
by Sandy Naiman
Association Magazine (June/July, 1996)
"Helpful Hints on Booking a Speaker",
by Farah Perelmuter
The Toronto Star (November 27, 1995)
"'Canadian' the New Word in Public Speaking",
by Oscar Rojo
|
