Last week at Audience Conference I did something I have never done before. No powerpoint, no panel, just me on a broadway stage giving a talk at an event headline sponsored by Ford Motor Company in front of hundreds of people.
The attendees were also a lot of my peers or people in high places. People like executives from Ford, ABC News, Warner Brothers Records, Jason Calacanis (former AOL Exec, Mahalo founder) and many other heavy hitters.
It was by far the most intimidating audience I have ever spoken to.
Right before I went on Loren Feldman looked at me and said, "you nervous?".
"Shittin bricks" I replied.
I had never been on a stage with tons of lights, velvet curtains on the side and behind me, and microphoens all over. It was pretty neat.
I gave a talk about how I built an audience at shoemoney.com. How I blog in the space of making money online – but so do hundreds of thousands of other people. Why is it that I built one of the largest audiences in the niche and others have failed to get an audience. Even people much more “successful” than myself.
I believe it all comes down to 3 key things. I will be posting the video from my talk as soon as Loren gets it to me 
(feel free to prod him on twitter @1938media)
This post isn’t about my talk though… it’s about facing your fears. I was scared shitless to take the stage and give my talk but what was the worst thing that could happen? I sucked? I tripped and fell? I fainted?
I remember back when I did my first appearance on SEO Rockstars radio show. I remember the first time I flew in an airplane. I remember when I gave my first keynote speech. I remember giving my talk at the Elite Retreat on conversion and seeing Seth Godin in the audience! All pretty scary experiences.
Are you doing things that scare you shitless? Or are you happy to live in your comfort zone?
Failure is something I can deal with. Regret is not.
November 14, 2009 at 1:23 am
Yes, the comfort zone has been far too comfortable for me lately. Got to liven things up a bit and get out there! Reminds me of a motivational speaker I went to a while back where he was describing a period of his life where he was “Parked” in life. Took him a while to engage the gears and get moving to take on challenges again. Your articles reminds me that I need to do the same!
November 13, 2009 at 10:31 pm
Love the pic. You are right about the “comfort zone”. I find myself fighting it all the time. It’s always easier to stay with what you know then to try something new, but if we don’t later on we may regret that we never gave it a shot. Better to try something and fail to have never tried at all. Regrets suck.
November 13, 2009 at 10:29 am
The best part about this post is the pic!
November 12, 2009 at 7:26 pm
I have been in a similar situation. It really is freaky
November 12, 2009 at 1:33 pm
Definitely true. I would much rather be nervous and get it over with (even if it doesn’t turn out to be spectacular) than feel anguished because I was too nervous to even face up to a challenge. Also, by trying something new, you learn what you need to do to succeed at that thing the next time. Did my speech need to be more direct, more detailed, more enthusiastic? How can I improve next time around?
November 12, 2009 at 9:30 am
I was scared crapless once, it was the first time I ever had to bat against (baseball) someone who pitched faster than 90 mph. It was absolute gas, and after that at bat I was never scared of anything moving at me again.
November 11, 2009 at 6:33 pm
Cool photo man…haha
November 11, 2009 at 1:06 pm
Would you be scared shitless to live in Britney Spears’ comfort zone?
November 11, 2009 at 10:31 am
If you don’t stretch yourself a little every now and then how would you know what you are capable off. Cool picture.
November 11, 2009 at 1:40 am
This situation is not the rare case. Everyone should pass the situation. Before the final you have to pass the qualifying rounds.
November 11, 2009 at 12:50 am
I was there. You were great. You didn’t seem nervous to me, and I liked your honesty and your story. Great job.
November 10, 2009 at 5:28 pm
Not the most flattering photo
November 10, 2009 at 4:30 pm
Ahhh….yes discomfort is so much a part of real growth…I once heard a speaker say: If 20% of what you are doing everyday isn’t uncomfortable, you not growing. I am not sure I agree with the 20% or the everyday…but the principle of his comment run true anyhow..
November 11, 2009 at 8:16 pm
Cheers to that. Bo Shembeckler (sp) Michigan FB coach always said “you’re either getting better or you’re getting worse”.
Words to live by.
November 10, 2009 at 4:26 pm
It’s not always easy to find opportunities to confront your fears, though, is it?
I can imagine that many would quite like the chance to be scared shitless because they have to give a talk to a huge audience. ^^
But the point you make is definitely a valuable one.
November 10, 2009 at 3:20 pm
Jeremy,
I think you make an excellent point in saying that in order to succeed, you need to overcome your fears. It is so true, and I hope to remember your advice the next time I am presented with a similar situation.
November 10, 2009 at 3:17 pm
Nice to see you do that Jeremy!
November 10, 2009 at 2:32 pm
Great post shoe! From the heart!
November 10, 2009 at 1:53 pm
I remember my first webinar… 300 people signed in and I was doing it on building landing pages. Literally coding html and css live… it sucked so bad… everything fell apart and of course none of it worked… Talk about shitting bricks.
Since then, I have done about 10 more and all of them gradually got better and better. I’m comfortable now and the students at PPC Classroom give me good feedback now. It’s nice b/c there’s a lot that goes into these webinars and i’m much more of a coder and aff marketer than I am a presenter…
Sometimes you just gotta show a little sac…
Corey
November 10, 2009 at 12:46 pm
i think this is normal right?
if we not usually speak on stage normally we will little scare. but if the audience very intimidate can make your cloths wet
November 10, 2009 at 10:48 am
Orbital fans will know the quote “It is better to regret something you have done than something you haven’t done”.
It’s not black and white though, I’m sure we can all think of things that I bet people wish they had never done!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/south_yorkshire/8342191.stm
November 10, 2009 at 9:21 am
I can understand how you felt. With all the attention focused on you, especially with top and important people around, it will really get you nervous. I’m sure the next round will be smooth… hey, after all you are jeremy schoemaker
November 10, 2009 at 8:27 am
First time is like Oh my God. Where am I. The next time its better and as you get comfy you just love it!
November 10, 2009 at 8:08 am
This one is telling that we are still human and we still have butterfly which fly every times when we do anything at first.
Do you still remember your first kiss Jeremy ?
November 10, 2009 at 6:52 am
Damn love that quote:
Failure is something I can deal with. Regret is not. There is another one ‘Failure is never quite so frightening as regret.’ But your sounds better lol.
Gonna implement that as one mantra in life…hope that more and more people implement this quote in their lives too.
November 10, 2009 at 6:44 am
Failure is something I can deal with. Regret is not…. Fuck ya.
November 10, 2009 at 5:41 am
I have heard a bunch of times that public speaking is the number one thing which is feared by most people, and feared so much they would rather die! Now that’s pretty crazy. If you are up for small daily advices, which makes life interesting you should check out this book from Paul Arden – “It’s Not How Good You Are, Its How Good You Want to Be”.
November 10, 2009 at 5:02 am
No doubt, speak to public is very difficult for shy persons and Some people love to talk to public. But the thing is that what are you saying is clear to audience or not? Are they listen you with interest or not?
I appreciate your try and wish you a good speaker
November 10, 2009 at 1:58 am
great post and so true, lol with your face expression !
November 10, 2009 at 1:06 am
I wouldn’t do it. I hate public speaking.
November 10, 2009 at 12:22 am
Jeremy: You just hit on the one central point that keeps most people from turning their ideas into businesses. They are afraid of exposing themselves to criticism. It is much easier to sit back and do more planning and research and wait for the “right time” to move forward with the business.
The “right time” never comes and the business is never launched, all because the individual did not have the courage to step into the unknown.
Jeremy, your post has resonated with me on a very deep level because this is an issue I battled for years.
November 10, 2009 at 12:09 am
Jeremy: You just hit on the one central point that keeps most people from turning their ideas into businesses. They are afraid of exposing themselves to criticism. It is much easier to sit back and do more planning and research and wait for the “right time” to move forward with the business.
The “right time” never comes and the business is never launched, all because the individual did not have the courage to step into the unknown.
Jeremy, your post has resonated with me on a very deep level because this is an issue I battled it for years.
November 9, 2009 at 11:33 pm
Wow awesome experience, seems to be very true, shoe.
November 9, 2009 at 11:21 pm
Right on! I agree you gotta face your fears.
I’m a big believer that you don’t learn by staying in your comfort zone. All great learning comes from emotion. And, there is no better motivator than fear.
November 9, 2009 at 10:49 pm
I love the way that you distinguished between failure and regret. So true.
November 9, 2009 at 10:25 pm
You are a better man than me. I have terrible stage frieght. (sp?) All I do when I’m in front of a crowd is knock me knees together and studder like crazy. hahaha
November 9, 2009 at 8:41 pm
Face them all too often. It gets easier, but as soon as it is easy then you want that “feeling” more and more, so you keep pushing to do more…
November 9, 2009 at 7:05 pm
nice experience shoe
November 9, 2009 at 5:59 pm
The most inspiring part of this was that you, Jeremy Shoemaker, with one of the largest audiences in his niche, were scared shitless. I ask; who are we not to be? If that didn’t stop you then we shouldn’t let it stop us either. I’m doing crazy things that scare me when I stop to think about them; then I stop thinking about them and keep on. I believe if you’re scared of heights, then you should go up to the highest building and jump off. Alanis was right; bite off a little more than you can chew; that’s the only way to grow and learn.
November 9, 2009 at 5:24 pm
Very cool!
Unemployment tends to stiffen one’s spine as well. Having to build a business by building it and then telling people is terrifying. Unemployment is worse! You have to believe in your value though!
Thanks very much… enjoyed this!
MAS
November 9, 2009 at 5:21 pm
I loved this post. Its so important to step out of your comfort zone and go for it when opportunities come up.
Failure is the worst thing that can happen…and that’s rarely ever that bad.
November 9, 2009 at 4:54 pm
Gradually increasing challenges and skills
is a life long rewarding process.
November 9, 2009 at 4:31 pm
So true. Great post.
I look forward to viewing the post!
November 10, 2009 at 8:12 am
Hey Jonathan …
You also comment like spammy … lolzz
November 11, 2009 at 1:57 am
your smile matches with Jonathan.
November 9, 2009 at 4:22 pm
I used to be terrified of public speaking… i avoided it all costs whenever possible. Pretty soon it became almost impossible to avoid it, and after a while it was something I was expected to do on a regular basis. I was awful at it too, because i was so nervous. I think my brain just shut down all together. But I am here to tell ya, that anyone can conquer this fear — cause if I did, anyone can. I actually enjoy public speaking these days. I’m not the very best at it, but i feel pretty darn great when I get the job done. =)
November 9, 2009 at 3:46 pm
the 50th law of power – fearlessness. it’s a great read or, for those less inclined, a great listen.
“the 50th law”
look it up – no douchey amzn affiliate links here
November 9, 2009 at 3:30 pm
Shoe first of all I’m sure you did an excellent job presenting, simply because you are good with talking and expressing your self. Secondly if I was in your shoes (lol in shoe money’s shoes) I’d probably faint haha, I still to this day get really nervous presenting in front of people and just don’t know how to over come that but I guess time will heal my fear. anyhow congrats man!
November 9, 2009 at 3:21 pm
Like Michael Jordan said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” Back at PwC partners always used to talk about getting out of your “comfort zone” and I guess getting up on stage in front of all those heavy hitters from industry would definitely qualify.
November 10, 2009 at 12:32 am
Wayne Grezky
November 9, 2009 at 2:28 pm
You did a great job.
November 9, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Awesome!
Im feeling a bit the same way oday. This is the first day of me having quit my job and starting my own buisness. A little scary, but mostly exciting.
Thanks for the great post.
November 10, 2009 at 8:29 am
Hey Casey
But before quitting your day time job I am sure you had discuss with your family members and thought about everything.
Such kind of decision you can not take within an hour.
November 9, 2009 at 1:22 pm
that’s why I love you! Whether you land on the moon, or wake up face down in the grass, you WENT FOR IT!
Both online and in person, truly inspirational courage.
November 9, 2009 at 1:16 pm
Inspiring post. I love it when I managed to push myself out of my comfort zone although it’s a pretty tough thing to do. I think I need to it again soon, not just for blogging but for all manner of other aspects in my life. I like the motto “fortune favours the bold”!
November 9, 2009 at 12:42 pm
It is always great to push yourself in order to grow your capabilities. These excersizes also give you much mire credibility in the blogosphere because it makes you appear more human and therefore connected (to the users) which is one of your biggest points of advantage.
Glad to see you busted it out, I am looking forward to the video!
November 9, 2009 at 12:40 pm
I guess it’s just part of the territory. I’ve just recently started speaking on the circuit and have a mega panel this Wednesday at Pubcon with some of the top names in SEO. I’m not scared, because I’m prepared, however it is pretty much one of my first major speaking engagements. (I just did Blogworld/Wordcamp and 140char conf)
It’s one thing to be comfortable and able to ‘wing’ things, but another to have to present your ideas and new information to a relatively advanced technical crowd, while being moderately entertaining.
See some of you there! (nov 11 4:15)
November 9, 2009 at 12:00 pm
What a timely post. I just had a gestalt shift over the weekend about this very thing. I face a major regret I had, and it smacked me in the face. No more regrets from now on.
November 9, 2009 at 11:43 am
Trying new things is one of the best ways to grow. Those who embrace those moments reach success at a much greater rate!
November 9, 2009 at 11:33 am
You have to admit, It’s always great to be able to face these types of fears, right? So, how do you think you did last week?
November 9, 2009 at 11:30 am
You’re a douchebag!
November 9, 2009 at 11:07 am
I thought it was a great venue for you – so much more natural than relying on slides.
To me, it was the real you speaking – telling a story, rather than delivering a presentation, and that made it a whole lot more interesting.
November 9, 2009 at 10:42 pm
He’s definitely a better story teller than a presenter. Comes across way better. I should do more of that myself.
November 9, 2009 at 10:59 am
I bet it was tough but you are a good speaker so I don’t think I would worry. In my opinion some people are much better at conferences when they go with a power point and many are much better when they don’t prepare much because you get a lot less BS and more truth.
November 9, 2009 at 10:53 am
Couldn’t agree more, Jeremy. It amazes me how many people in the business world SAY they want huge success, talk big, yet aren’t willing to actually do any difficult, scary work. Launching yourself out of your comfort zone, taking risks, is the only true way of growing. Not only ourselves but our businesses.
“Keep doing what you’re doing and you’ll keep getting what you’re getting.”
Looking forward to the video!
November 9, 2009 at 10:21 am
Haha, and what a great photo to top it off!
November 9, 2009 at 10:10 am
Wow, I can imagine how you felt. I always get nervous just before I have to go up in front a large group of people. But in life I enjoy doing this that I am afraid of. It means that I am living life, bettering myself and growing.
Good Job Jeremy!
November 9, 2009 at 9:50 am
It is a matter of getting used to to speak in public, I’m afraid. A trick that works fine to me it’s not to think in the audience. I speak as if they where one entity.
November 9, 2009 at 9:44 am
I’m also taking on a very crowded niche–fitness and weight loss.
I’ve learned to take risks. I rarely regret failing, but I regret things I didn’t try.