The Speaker LabReviews of thespeakerlab.com

I went into The Speaker Lab’s VIP Accelerator with clear intent and realistic expectations. I was not trying to become a full time professional speaker. I already speak regularly inside my company. My goal was simple. Add a small number of paid keynote engagements per year that align with my work in product leadership. What follows is an honest assessment of fit and outcomes from the perspective of a senior operator. My goal now, as I still feel the sting of the monthly payment on this sunk cost, is to save a few others from wasting their money. I expected the program to cost between $5,000 and $6,000. When I spoke with the salesperson, I was shocked to hear the price was $15,000. The pitch leaned heavily on the founder’s story. He seems like a good person, but I never met him or saw him live. He appeared mostly in recorded content, some of it years old. The salesperson cited claims like 5,000 paid speaking gigs per day in the US. That may sound compelling if your goal is volume. I was explicit that it was not mine. I wanted a handful of high quality, well paid engagements per year. Another line that resonated at the time was “there are no tariffs on speaking,” which landed given the broader economic climate. I was told most students make money by the midpoint of the program and that I could likely sell a $15,000 keynote. When a $2,000 tuition “grant” was introduced, bringing the price to $13,000, it softened the blow. It was an effective sales tactic, especially given my original expectations. There was also a money back guarantee. It sounded reassuring until you read the fine print. Full completion, strict participation requirements, and only after all payments were made could you request a refund at the one year mark. When I hesitated, the salesperson became pushy. That should have been my signal. Despite reservations, I proceeded. The program is positioned as a six month, high touch accelerator, though payments span twelve months. Monthly flexibility was appealing. The promise included coaching, curated leads, cohort sessions, workshops, a rebuilt speaker website, and a demo video. On paper, it looked comprehensive. In practice, the experience was uneven. The first two modules were genuinely valuable. Selecting a problem to solve and preparing your talk were structured, thoughtful, and helpful. The decline began with establishing your expertise. Website and demo reel creation felt like an assembly line. Everything flowed through forms. Feedback was slow, impersonal, and at times rude. The final website was a generic Wix template that did not reflect a premium or VIP experience. For the price, this was deeply disappointing. The core failure came in acquiring paid speaking gigs. By this point, I had paid roughly $6,000. This module should have been the most rigorous and strategic. Instead, it boiled down to searching Google, mining your network, and building a list of 25 leads. CRM and email guidance was basic. The Google driven approach did not work for my industry, even after hiring two separate people to test it. One coach discouraged cold outreach entirely, leaving no clear starting point. I expected a strategy, not spray and pray. The final module on scaling added little value without solving acquisition first. The coaches were kind and supportive early on, but could not help with my core problem. Cohort sessions mirrored the modules and did not materially move the needle. I executed fully. I completed modules, attended sessions, built lists, ran outbound experiments, and launched the website and demo. I booked zero paid engagements through the program. My domain is enterprise, B2B, and ecosystem driven. Speaking opportunities here are relationship based and platform adjacent. The accelerator’s outbound frameworks did not align with how this market works. Intel Engine leads and templated outreach produced zero qualified conversations. I did not qualify for the refund because I did not complete 80 percent of coaching calls. By the time the misalignment was clear, continuing to check boxes felt irrational. About 75% in, a new version of the program was announced. My assumption is that others raised similar concerns. It was too late for me. On legal advice, I requested cancellation and a clean resolution. I have paid $7,583, with $5,416 remaining. The response was another form and a denial of cancellation. If this saves even a few people from spending over $13,000 on a poor fit, the loss I took makes it worth it. At this price point, the lack of personalization makes the VIP label misleading and value for cost highly misaligned.

Be VERY VERY careful with TSL. Read all of the information in detail and do not expect a lot of help as they state at the very beginning of the process. Also note some coaches are far better than others as is to be expected. Overall not pleased with TSL.

Scam. They outright lie about what you are purchasing. Send you blank workbooks. You pay for a specialized niche result and then they send you to a phone call with one of their sales reps. They ignore all emails you sent them templates or refunds. Update: I wrote to the CEO and he kindly refunded me however I still believe that their sales tactics make it really difficult to get any real information because they upsell you every time you you purchase the next level -well, withholding the information and templates you thought you were buying . And now I have to pay another $497 to get a simple email template, after attending an hour long seminar.

I've read the Book, and talked to sales reps at least twice. I've done the steps in the Book with little success. Now there are some steps I've not done yet but this seems like another cult or misinformation diploma mill. When I ask grads of the program they are very quick and basic in their information. Does not instill confidence or trust. In Grant's own words, I only do business with those I like, know, and trust. Impossible to get the first two with TSL.