Startups and scaleups hire me as an interim head of sales to help them with strategy, build the pipeline and closing big deals.

I help professional speakers get more paid gigs by turning their expertise into a clear, bookable speaking business.

I’m a public speaker with 130+ paid gigs, and the founder of BecomeASpeaker, a speaker academy and one-stop growth platform for speakers who want consistency, not randomness.

Most speakers don’t struggle with talent.
They struggle with positioning, visibility, and sales.

That’s where we come in.

Through BecomeASpeaker, we help speakers:
	•	Clarify their positioning and keynote promise
	•	Build speaker reels, presentations, and bios that actually convert
	•	Turn LinkedIn into a speaker funnel instead of an online CV
	•	Create a simple sales and outreach system
	•	Work more effectively with agents and expand into new markets

I’m currently interviewing 100+ of the most successful speakers and speaker agents in Europe for my podcast, distilling what actually works into practical systems we implement with our members.

Before focusing fully on the speaking industry, I spent 12+ years building and scaling startups, holding roles such as Managing Director and Head of Sales, and leading teams of 100+ people. That background shapes how we approach speaking: as a business, not a hobby.

At BecomeASpeaker, we don’t sell motivation.
We build systems that make speaking predictable.

If you’re already speaking and want:
	•	more consistency
	•	better positioning
	•	higher fees
	•	fewer random bookings

you’ll probably feel at home here.

You can explore BecomeASpeaker through the links in my Featured section, or reach out if you’re curious whether it’s a fit.

Wow. I honestly have to pause for a second.

I’ve never had this many speaking gigs booked this far ahead. A full year in advance. Stages lined up. Audiences waiting. And even more in the pipeline.

In two weeks I’m standing in front of 400 leaders and managers in North Norway. Talking about how to better recruit lead and communicate with Gen Z. That still feels a bit surreal.

I’m incredibly grateful. And also very excited. This is the kind of momentum you don’t take for granted.

If you’re a speaker and you’re curious about how to book more gigs consistently I’m hosting a live webinar on the 7th of January.

We’ll cover
How to get speaker agents
How to work better with agents once you have them
How to contact conferences and events directly
How to position yourself so bookings come easier

It’s live. It’s practical. It’s fun. It’s entertaining.
And yes. There will be memes.

DM me if you want to join.

#publicspeaking
#keynotespeaker
#speakingbusiness
#speakerlife
#leadershipdevelopment
#genz
#futureofwork
#talentandculture
#professionaldevelopment
#personalbranding
#entrepreneurship
#linkedincreators

Max Gouchan

Help public speakers get more (and better-paid) gigs, and I coach new speakers who want to break into the industry. Co-founder of Forecastly AI/Granate AI and Become a Speaker. Angel investor and advisory board member.

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Do your slides suck?
Be honest… you’ve probably sat at a conference, watched a speaker with insanely beautiful slides and thought:

“WOW… how do I do THAT?”

Then you opened PowerPoint or Canva, tried for 20 minutes…
and quietly gave up.
(We’ve all been there.)

I’ve always gotten compliments for my slides on stage, those who’ve seen them know they’re clean, powerful, visual, and straight to the point.

And the truth is simple:

I have used professional designers for years.
And now I’ve hired one in-house at Becomeaspeaker.no, and she’s incredible.

We’ve already delivered a bunch of decks, and the reaction from everyone is the same:

“WOW.”

(Yes, three letters. Every time.)

So hey, if you want to upgrade your presentations, whether you’re:
a speaker who wants to look world class
or presenting internally and want your message to actually land

DM me.
Let’s grab a coffee and create that WOW feeling together.

#PublicSpeaking
#PresentationDesign
#SlideDesign
#KeynoteSpeaker
#LeadershipCommunication

Help public speakers get more (and better-paid) gigs, and I coach new speakers who want to break into the industry. Gen Z speaker: How to better recruit, lead and communicate with the younger generations.

How often should you actually meet your speaker agent?
Most speakers guess.
That’s why their gig flow is inconsistent.

I just recorded a value-packed podcast with Nils Apeland at the agency that represents me Talerlisten.no (Norways best speaker agency by far hehe and Nils is one of the best agents in Europe) (dropping the episode soon hehe it is at the editor now), and this came up:

👉 The sweet spot is 3–4 structured meetings per year.

Not monthly check-ins.
Not “we’ll catch up sometime.”

Intentional, strategic meetings.

Here’s how to make those meetings actually work:

• Come with clear availability
• Share what types of stages you want more of
• Bring warm opportunities you’ve already identified
• Make it easy for the agent to contact and pitch you

Your agent sells better when you help them sell you.

The best speakers don’t “wait to be placed.”
They co-create demand with their agents.

More on this (and a lot more) when the episode drops soon 🎙️

Do you have an agent and how often do you meet them?

#publicspeaker
#speakingbusiness
#keynotespeaker
#speakerlife
#speakercommunity
#speakeragent
#becomeaspeaker
#professionalspeaker

The opening of your talk decides everything.

And here’s where most speakers get it wrong:

They start by introducing themselves.
Their name. Their background. Their story.
Boom. Boring. You’ve already lost 90% of the room.


In the first 30 seconds, people decide
if they’re in
or if they’re back on their phones.


The opening is not about you.
It’s about them.

I usually start like this:

“Hey, I’m really excited to be here today to speak about a very important topic.
A very, very important topic.
How we recruit, lead, and communicate with Gen Z.”

Then I make it personal.

“I actually spoke to someone sitting next to you earlier,
and this is clearly already on your agenda. Your facing challange x y and z.”

Now they’re listening.
Because it’s relevant.

Then I set expectations.

“Today we’re going to go through three things. Boom. Boom. Boom.”

This is where you raise the energy.
Eye contact. Presence. Calm confidence.

You let the room know, without saying it out loud:

Put the phones away.

You’re in for a show.

The next 20 minutes matter.

If you own the opening,
you own the room.

If you’re a speaker and want me to look through your opening,
PM me.

#publicspeaking
#keynotespeaker
#speakingtips
#leadership
#genz
#communication
#conferences
#BecomeASpeaker

Sitting in a taxi from Harstad to the airport, surrounded by stunning northern lights, I had a moment of reflection.

How grateful I am for the thousands of hours invested into public speaking.

This job lets you:

• travel to some of the most beautiful places on earth
• speak about a topic you’re passionate about
• positively impact people, businesses and in many cases even the planet

Just like great speakers such as Elisabeth Nissen Eide and Sylvie Y. S. Chen do so well.

Was it easy to get here?
No, of course not.

But building a successful speaking business is actually easier than most conventional businesses.

You don’t need starting capital.
You don’t need inventory.
You don’t need to hire staff.

You just need to know what to do and be willing to put in the hours.

If you’re curious about stepping into the world of public speaking and getting paid to be on stage while traveling the world, send me a DM.

Happy to share the best, shortest and most cost-efficient path to get there.

#publicspeaking
#publicspeaker
#speakerlife
#speakingbusiness
#keynotespeaker
#becomeaspeaker
#leadership
#personalgrowth

Sunday funday! And Webflow developer wanted! Do you know anyone?☺️

Today in Sofia, Bulgaria recording content for our new website at Become a Successfull Speaker, and we are looking for a webflow freelancer!🤗 

I have used this studio and Pavel 3 times, highly reccomended and worth the trip plus Sofia is a beautiful city!

Happy Sunday everyone!😍

My number one travel hack for public speakers and entrepreneurs
That gives you instant lounge access:

Get Revolut Ultra.
Seriously. This has been life changing for me.

Last year I traveled across 17 countries, and many of those countries I visited multiple times. Norway 12 times, Malaysia 5 times, Thailand 4 times, Singapore 8 times.  

Last year alone I used airport lounges 4 to 5 times per month, minimum.

Here’s what I get for about 550 euros per year:

• Unlimited lounge access
• Premium access to Financial Times
• 20 ClassPass credits
Enough for one massage per month in Barcelona or a gym session when traveling
• Premium subscriptions included
Chess Premium
Headspace which I use every night for sleep
And yes, for those single, Tinder Gold

All in all, I pay around 550 euros a year, my subscription renews in two weeks, and this is one of the easiest no brainer decisions I make every year.

I’m literally writing this post from the lounge in Oslo, enjoying some good coffee and food hehe.

Tomorrow I’m on stage in front of 400 leaders in North Norway.

If you travel a lot for speaking, business, or work in general, I genuinely recommend it.

I’ll drop my referral link below.
If you sign up, we both get a little treat.
Why not?😏

#publicspeaker
#speakerlife
#entrepreneurlife
#travelhack
#businessonthego
#digitalnomad
#becomeaspeaker

Public speaking isn’t an opportunity.

It’s a responsibility.

Someone gave you:
• Their time
• Their attention
• Their trust

That’s not small.

Your job isn’t to impress.
It’s to serve.

The best speakers don’t chase applause.
They chase impact.

If people leave knowing:
• What to do
• Why it matters
• How to act differently

You did your job.

The world doesn’t need louder speakers.

It needs clearer ones.

A philosophy Josh Stinton shared in our latest podcast episode! Link in comments!

#publicspeaking
#leadershipdevelopment
#impact
#communication
#thoughtleadership

Quick thoughts about speaker branding: 
I walk past the same barbershop every day in Barcelona on my way to the gym.
The name makes me smile every time. Why?


“OK Haircut.”

Quick disclaimer.
I’m not a customer.
I have my barber. Tony. He’s amazing.

But the branding? Genius.

It’s cheap. Eight euros.
You’re not getting a masterpiece.
You’re not getting butchered either.
You’re getting exactly what they promise.

No hype.
No inflated claims.
No pretending.

And there’s a lesson here. Especially for speakers.

We often over promise.
We dress up simple value with big words.
Long bios. Long CVs. Long explanations. Long speaker reel videos.

Instead of just being clear.

What do you actually deliver on stage?
Who is it for?
What will people experience?

Always be honest in your branding.
Keep it simple.
Keep it straight to the point.

Let your speaker reel match the talk you give.
Let your website say what you really do and how you are on stage.
Let your pitch be exactly what you deliver.

Nothing more.
Nothing less.

#branding
#personalbranding
#speakers
#publicspeaking
#speakerbusiness
#authenticity
#clarity
#becomeaspeaker

Most speaking gigs are lost before they ever had a chance.

Not because the speaker wasn’t good enough.
But because they never picked up the phone.

One thing that really stood out in my conversation with Thomas Lone:

Speaking is a numbers game.

You can:
• Write great emails
• Polish your website
• Perfect your reel

But nothing replaces:
• Calling the right people
• Having real conversations
• Accepting that most calls won’t convert

Sometimes you’ll call 50 people and nothing happens.
Then one call changes everything.

That’s not luck.
That’s volume + relevance.

If you want more gigs, you don’t need better motivation.

You need more calls.

PS: Link to podcast episode in comments below

#speakingbusiness
#publicspeaking
#sales
#entrepreneurship
#personalbrand
#becomeaspeaker

Travel is no excuse for missing workouts. Here’s how I make it work in hotels and Airbnbs

2024: 92+ flights
2025: 17 countries

Most of them visited multiple times.

Honestly, I’m scared to think about how many flights that actually is.

Being constantly on the road makes it harder to stay consistent.

But it also makes it more important.

Here’s how I train when I’m traveling all the time:

• I use Freeletics Premium through my Revolut subscription
Most workouts can be done anywhere
Hotel room, hotel gym, or Airbnb

• I focus on strength and muscle, not perfect routines

• I’m very intentional about protein intake when traveling
Huge difference for energy and recovery

• I do a 7-minute ab workout on YouTube
Short, intense, and easy to fit in

• When I want proper gym access, I use ClassPass

No complicated systems.
No excuses.

If you’re in good physical shape, you’re better on stage.

You’re better in business.

You’re better in life.

It’s not always easy.

But it’s always worth it.

All links below 👇

#speakerlife
#publicspeaker
#businessonthego
#discipline
#healthandperformance
#becomeaspeaker

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