About Steve

For Left-Brained People

Height:
5’10”
Weight:
170 lbs.
Years speaking full-time:
15
Paid presentations:
841 and counting
Steve in one word:
Funny
Street cred:
Awarded CSP from the National Speakers Association (earned by only 10% of speakers worldwide)
Earlier career:
Co-owner of a 40-person ad agency
Best known for:
Giving people permission to be awesome
Education:
BA in French Lit. (KU) + MBA in Marketing (Washington U. in St. Louis)
Not afraid to:
Blow an audience away (figuratively)
No other speaker:
Combines Steve’s high-end content with down-to-earth humor
You can expect:
Steve to make you look good for hiring him
Favorite kind of client:
Anyone with a budget
Least favorite phrase:
“meteoric rise” (think about it)
Hidden talent:
He’s exceptionally gifted at parallel parking
Travels from:
St. Louis
Wishes he lived in:
The French Alps (Annecy to be exact)

For Right-Brained People

I’m Steve Hughes, I’m a professional speaker, and I absolutely love what I do. I love the stage. The travel. The challenge. And most of all, I love seeing the eyes of my audience light up when they make a personal breakthrough.

My unexpected journey to professional speaking began when my brother-in-law issued a dare while we were enjoying a breakfast frittata. Yes, a frittata.

It was April 2003 and he dared me to do five minutes of stand-up comedy at local comedy club. I never considered doing stand-up and the prospect was daunting. But I accepted his challenge and that decision changed my life. While the “The Tonight Show” never called, a lawyer in Chicago did. He heard about me on the comedy circuit (I kept doing it “on the side”) and asked me this career-altering question, “Hey, Steve, could you come up to Chicago and make our lawyers funny?” I told him I couldn’t make someone funny anymore than I could make him/her taller. But what I could do was show them how to add humor to a presentation, how to tell a better story, and how to get people to pay attention when they talked. He said, “Okay,” and flew me up to Windy City.

After speaking at the law firm I returned home and said to my wife, “I think I found what I want to do for the rest of my life.” Happily, she was 100% supportive (but that’s no surprise, she’s the best person ever). So, I immediately quit the advertising agency and never looked back. So you could say that professional speaking found me (which is a heck of a lot better than being found by an IRS audit).

Which brings us to today. When I’m not on the road speaking at a conference, association, law firm, or Fortune 500 company, you can find me at one of my daughters’ tennis matches or cheerleading competitions. I’m also obsessed with home-improvement shows, really good BBQ, and the Kansas Jayhawks.

The moral of the story? The next time you’re out at breakfast and someone gives you a dare, do me a favor and say “yes.” You never know where it might lead.

I’d love to learn more about you. Let’s talk. 314-821-8700

Top 10 Reasons to Hire Steve

10
Steve is easy to work with. He’s happy to come early, stay late, attend conference happy hours, and his green room demands are fairly tame.
9
Steve is a Certified Speaking Professional. The CSP is the highest earned designation from the National Speakers Association and it is awarded to only 10% of speakers worldwide.
8
This is ALL he does. As opposed to other conference speakers who claim to be “experts” in a wide variety of topics, Steve is 100% focused 24/7 on helping people be more influential when they talk.
7
700+ paid presentations since 2006.
6
Steve watches his business expenses like a hawk and imagines you do, too. So he doesn’t expect to fly first class or stay at the Ritz. (Keep in mind, if your event is at the Ritz, he will gladly be a team player and stay there with your group.)
5
Three words: interactive, interactive, interactive. Every program (especially keynotes) includes opportunities for your audience to ask questions, discuss key points, and do small group exercises. It’s all about learning transfer.
4
Moneyback Guarantee: Steve offers a no-questions-asked-money-back-guarantee. If you’re not completely satisfied with his program, he will refund the fee. Note: This has never happened.
3
Every program is customized for your event. No program is the same. In fact, the words “off the shelf” are not even in Steve’s vocabulary. (He had to look it up.)
2
Crowd pleasing awesomeness. More than 85% of Steve’s business is from repeat or referral clients. Many bring him back year after year.
1
You will look good. And you’ll be glad you brought him in. You’ve got a lot of things to worry about and wondering if your speaker will deliver a show-stopping program shouldn’t be one of them. In fact, Steve often says, “If the meeting planner ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.” He wants to make you happy.