Back in 2008, I was a broke youth pastor who didn’t really know what I wanted to do in life. Through a few twists and turns, I decided to start a speaking business. I worked hard to build my business and get paid to speak, all while trying to figure things out on my own because there weren’t a ton of great resources out there.

Despite starting my speaking career during a financial crisis in 2008, I’ve earned over $2 million from 500+ paid engagements all over the world. I’ve done everything from closed-door workshops to keynotes in front of 13,000 people.

But here’s the thing — I’m just a normal dude. I don’t have a crazy backstory or celebrity following. I just had a message to share and a dream to make it happen, and 14 years and thousands of paid presentations later, I’m happy to say I did.