Western Grads Martin and Farah Perelmuter have carved a niche
in the public speaking business.
Well Spoken
by Jeff Brooke BA '87
 Western
grads Martin and Farah Perelmuter didn't wait until they were in
their forties to decide that climbing the corporate ladder wasn't
for them.
At age 25, the married Toronto couple quit their high-paying jobs
to launch their own business, Speakers' Spotlight, an agency that
represents professional public speakers.
Three years later, the agency handles such celebrity speakers as
astronaut Roberta Bondar and hockey hero Paul Henderson, and its
financial success has far exceeded the couples' expectations.
Martin (BA'90) had been a lawyer with the prestigious Bay Street
firm Goodman Phillips & Vineberg, while Farah (BA'91) was an advertising
executive with a small Toronto company, LMA.
But neither was particularly enamored of the white-collar world
because the long hours at work kept them apart and the rewards of
their labors went largely to someone else.
“I think I can sum it up in one word,” says Farah, now
28, when asked why the couple made the bold move to self-employment.
“Control. We wanted more control of our lives.”
Farah got the idea of starting a speakers’ agency in 1994
while working on a promotional campaign for a speaker.
She discovered a vast industry in which corporations and other
organizations hire public speakers at $3,000 to $10,000 a shot to
pep up the troops with a motivational talk or inform them about
the latest social or business trend.
“We felt there was opportunity there for one more (agency),” Martin says.
After researching the market and saving $25,000 to buy equipment,
office supplies and promotional materials, they took the plunge
in June 1995 - they quit their jobs and hung out the Speakers’
Spotlight shingle in Toronto’s Forest Hill Village neighborhood.
“I think all our friends thought we were crazy,” Farah
recalls. “We went from a pretty healthy income to pretty much
zero.”
Coincidentally, June 1995 was also the month they got married. “Within that one month, we got married, we moved, we quit our
jobs and we started the business,” says Martin, who met Farah
after they graduated from Western. “All the major stressors,” Farah adds.
But the gamble paid off.
They broke even in the first year and saw their sales grow 400
per cent between the second and third years. This year, the speakers
they book are expected to charge a total of $1 million or more.
(Martin and Farah are paid a 25-per-cent commission by the speakers
for each booking.)
The company’s core roster of speakers has also blossomed,
to about 50. Some of the other big names on board are Margaret Trudeau,
“Man in Motion” Rick Hansen, broadcasters Ron MacLean
and Mike Duffy, demographics guru David Foot, basketball coaching
legend Jack Donohue, comedian Dave Broadfoot and author Peter C.
Newman.
The clients who’ve booked speakers through them are a Who’s
Who of corporate Canada — from Bank of Montreal and Xerox Canada
Ltd. to the Conference Board of Canada.
Their biggest coup came in arranging a $40,000 (U.S.) speech by
Nicholas Negroponte, director of the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology’s media lab.
The speakers the couple deal with say they aren’t surprised
by the Perelmuter’s success.
Martin and Farah still work long hours and they admit it’s
a challenge to separate work life from home life, but they’ve
achieved their personal goals of spending more time together and
getting enjoyment out of work.
“We’re having a lot of fun doing it, absolutely,”
Farah says. “Somehow it doesn’t feel like work.”
Visit Martin and Farah Perelmuter on the World Wide Web at: http://www.speakers.ca
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
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