Women hold only 33% of keynote slots due to "referral-only" loops. Speak Your Way to Sales (Eaton Press) is a tactical roadmap from 10 leaders to break this cycle, providing the "back-end" systems to turn stage appearances into scalable revenue engines.

WASHINGTON, March 25, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- While women now launch nearly half of all new U.S. businesses, they remain underrepresented on the big stage, holding just 33% of keynote slots at major conferences. To combat a "referral-only" culture that favors established insiders, a collective of 10 women leaders has teamed up to release a new tactical roadmap designed to break this cycle for professional speakers.

Debuting this Women's History Month, "Speak Your Way to Sales: Expert Strategies to Turn Speaking into Sales, Clients, and Growth" (Eaton Press) addresses the 65% of speakers who name "standing out" as their biggest hurdle. The collaborative book provides a high-leverage infrastructure that moves beyond the trap of "speaking for exposure" and into a scalable, sustainable business model.

"Women are starting businesses at a historic rate, but a stage appearance without a back-end system doesn't convert," says Meredith Eaton, Founder of Eaton Press. "We designed this book to provide high-level infrastructure that turns a 45-minute presentation into a long-term revenue engine. These nine authors are the specialists who build the systems that make speaking work."

A Full-Funnel Approach to Authority

The book moves beyond "public speaking tips" to focus on the high-leverage business operations required to scale. Led by Eaton, the featured specialists provide a "full-funnel" approach to authority:

• Brand Strategy: Jen Dalton (BrandMirror)
• Legal Protections: Nancy D. Greene, Esq. (N D Greene PC)
• Systems & Delegation: Tracy Walker (TW Creative Design) and Jennifer Crawford (Sparent)
• Social & PR: Karlyn Ankrom (Oh Snap! Social) and Heather McElrath (Sandbox Communications)
• Sales & Lead Management: Katie Nelson (Sales UpRising) and Mary Sue Dahill (Work Smarter Digital)
• Podcasting: Molly Ruland (Heartcast Media)

For additional information, learn more about the authors.

Why It Matters Now

Data from the 2025 Gusto New Business Formation report and the 2024 Wells Fargo Impact of Women-Owned Business report highlight a massive discrepancy: while there are 14 million women-owned firms in the U.S., the "referral loop" – where 70% of bookings flow through existing networks – acts as a glass ceiling.

Speak Your Way to Sales is a direct response to this bottleneck. By pooling their expertise, the authors are demonstrating the very strategy they preach: creating a shared platform to amplify reach rather than competing for the same limited stage.

About Eaton Press, LLC

Eaton Press helps entrepreneurs transform their expertise into books that build credibility, open doors, and move businesses forward.

Media Contact

Heather McElrath, Sandbox Communications, 1 202-642-0238, heather@sandboxcomm.com, www.sandboxcomm.com

Meredith Eaton, Eaton Press, meredith@eatonpress.com, www.eatonpress.com

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SOURCE Eaton Press, LLC