Speaking Engagements: Faizun Kamal’s 7-Figure Business

From the beginning, speaking engagements were integral to Faizun Kamal’s success.

Her business, The Franchise Pros, was already on a healthy trajectory, consistently growing year after year.  Using speaking engagements to help with that growth, Faizun often found herself telling the story of how she got into franchise consulting. 

“I built this business on speaking,” Faizun said with a hint of nostalgia. “I began speaking the first month I started this business. This is how I built local credibility.” 

Revenue Streams and Speaking Engagements

Pounding the pavement each morning, Faizun went door to door at local organizations. She inquired to see if they had any need for speakers who focused on franchising. If they did, she offered to host workshops for free if they’d host her. 

During those speaking engagements, she found herself telling the story of why she started her franchise consulting business. She wanted to live life on her own terms. As she told this story during these speeches, she noticed a trend. Everyone she met wanted to live life on their own terms, too. 

“I said, ‘Wow, this is really inspirational. But more importantly, it seemed to be very impactful on a lot of people.’ How do I get this story out in a much larger way?” Faizun thought.

That wondering of how she could use these immediate points of connection to build trust with her clients led her to writing a book. 

Not only would it allow Faizun to share her motivating story with a wider audience, but it would also set her apart from competitors.

“I looked around at the industry that I’m in, and I said, ‘Hmm. I think this would be a really amazing way to be a differentiator where I rise above the noise in the industry, and it allows me to establish expertise and credibility in a way few people in the industry were doing,’” she explained. 

Faizun had once heard Dr. Angela Lauria speak before about the power of writing a book to support a business. The passion and authority with which Dr. Angela spoke always stuck in the back of her mind. So, when the time came, the natural choice for help writing a book was Difference Press. 

Indie Publishing

It was Dr. Angela’s hands-on approach and structured process that gave Faizun the perfect blueprint.

“I remember the outlining process, the editor Moriah—I remember she was invaluable. There was a process, you know. I live in the world of processes. A franchise is all about processes,” Faizun explained. 

Dr. Angela’s process allowed Faizun to break down the huge task of writing a book into manageable pieces. As if Faizun wasn’t busy enough, she was simultaneously raising her two-year-old daughter. This led her to wake up before dawn and chip away at sections using the chapter outline as her guide. 

“I couldn’t finish a chapter in an hour and a half in the morning, but at least I could map out the big sections in that chapter,” she said. “If you want to eat an elephant, start with a small piece.” 

With guidance from her editing team every step of the way, Faizun published her first book. The Right Franchise for You: Escape the 9 to 5, Generate Wealth, and Live Life on Your Terms was released in 2019. The support she received from Difference Press gave shape to the story waiting to emerge from within her.

With help from her new book, she continued to grow her speaking career. And with each speaking engagement, she knew it would lead to even bigger speaking engagements. 

“As the business grew, as my reputation within the industry grew, as my client base grew larger, I started to get opportunities from bigger and bigger organizations, and many of them started to be paid speaking opportunities which was never really a thing before. I was just doing that to be able to get clients.” 

Building Authority

Seven years from the inception of her business, her speaking strategy has evolved drastically, helping her develop authority in the industry as the go-to expert on franchise investing.

“I have complete strangers reach out who have never met me, and they say, ‘Faizun, yours was not the first franchise book I read in my journey. However, yours was, and continues to be the only one that I felt compelled to reach out to the author about,’” Faizun shared.

It was that initial desire to live life on her own terms that deeply connected with her readers. 

Colleagues have recommended the book, industry consultants have used the book, and franchisors interested in working with The Franchise Pros have caught the attention of the book.

“I now have a book that is used by industry consultants. These are my competitors and they’re using my book with their clients,” Faizun marveled. “There are franchise brands that reach out to me and want to work with me because they have seen my book.”

Get Paid to Write and Speak

Faizun credits her book for the impressive growth of her business over the last seven years. 

“Since the book came out, the business has grown in leaps and bounds,” Faizun said. “It’s become like an octopus, growing a tentacle in almost every direction every year. We started out doing what is called franchise consulting—helping people find the right franchise to get into. We have now moved into franchise development, which is helping businesses turn into franchises. And we are getting ready, in the fall, to launch our newest vertical, which is to help the brands we have helped turn into franchises grow by becoming their in-house sales teams.” 

When asked what advice she would give other entrepreneurs who want to write a book to grow their business, Faizun emphasized first getting clear on your objectives.

“A book in and of itself does nothing if you do nothing with the book,” she noted. “All you will have is a book that will sit on a shelf.”

Instead, Faizun recommends having a strategy to actively promote and leverage your book as part of your overall brand and business goals—something Difference Press teaches its authors. 

In just a few short years, Faizun has published a bestselling book, become a sought-after speaker, and grew her consulting firm’s revenue to over seven figures. 

“That’s been the evolution of this company,” Faizun said with a smile. “And I will tell you, I believe the book has played an integral role in that.”