Podcasting to Build
Your Business
News and notes on the
art and business of speaking
THE CHANGING
LANDSCAPE OF
TAXATION FOR
SPEAKERS
By now the dust has settled
and some of the major tax
law changes made in late
2017 are better understood.
This law impacts sole proprietorships, S corporations,
partnerships, and LLCs
di;erently, and, as this issue
goes to print, the devil is
in the details. Even the tax
professionals have not had
time to completely understand it because the IRS has
not had time either.
There is a provision,
though, that does not allow
the QBI deduction for any
trade or business where
the principal asset of such
trade or business is the
reputation or skill of one or
more of its employees. That
most certainly describes
the businesses of most NSA
members.
What’s a speaker to do?
¢ PLAN TO USE A PAID TAX
PREPARER this year, even if
you have prepared your own
taxes in past years.
¢ If your company is an
S corporation, partnership,
or multi-owner LLC, SEEK
PROFESSIONAL ADVICE
now to be sure your wages
meet any requirements for
reasonable compensation
or your guaranteed payment
amounts are well planned.
¢ Read a related blog post
at speakermagazine.com/
speakers-and-taxes to see
a few examples of how this
change might impact your
taxes.
Podcasts can grow your speaking business by helping to build content, promote a book, and get people to
book you.
That’s how it’s working for John Garrett,
CPA. He began recording interviews for a
book he was writing and figured he might
as well turn them into weekly podcasts. That
decision has driven new business in a few
ways, including:
¢ While researching him, his guests
sometimes discover that he’s a speaker,
which has led directly to bookings.
¢ He asks his guests if there are meetings or conferences where they could share
the podcast.
WITH JOHN GARRET T, CPA
¢ After the interview has been recorded,
John asks the guest for pictures, a bio, and
links. When the podcast comes out, he sends
them an email and promotes the podcast on
social media.
¢ He sends a $20 gift card two weeks
after the episode airs to thank his guests for
their time, and suggests they use it to buy
his book. He then periodically sends articles
and other useful information to keep the
relationship alive.
John’s advice, “Just do it. If it doesn’t
work you can always change it or start over.”
For more of John’s advice on podcasting, listen to the September 2017 Voices of
Experience® (VOE) interview.
In;uence 2018 Registration Grants
NSA’s grant program is designed to assist members who cannot afford the cost of
registration to attend Influence 2018 because of financial hardship and/or health issues.
Travel to/from, hotel, and other expenses are the responsibility of each recipient. For
more information and an application, please email Kim Cook at Kim@NSAspeaker.org.
Application deadline is May 31.
