Mic Drop Workshop

What Mic Drop Workshop does

Mic Drop Workshop is a US-based e-learning company founded in 2018 by Jess Ekstrom and headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina. The company operates as a vertically specialized online education business targeting women who want to build careers as paid public speakers, addressing the structural underrepresentation of women in the keynote circuit (only 32% of professional public speakers are women, falling to 25% in technology keynotes). Mic Drop Workshop delivers a tiered product portfolio built on a HubSpot/Kajabi-based course delivery platform: a free training funnel (the "Break the Glass Ceiling" webinar and 5-day bootcamp), the flagship self-paced Mic Drop Workshop course at $1,497, the Speak and Write Course Bundle at $2,497, the recurring Mic Drop Club membership, and the application-based Mic Drop Academy (a 10-week live coaching program with small-group sessions, office hours, and 1:1 coaching). The company has expanded into B2B corporate training via Mic Drop Workforce and into adjacent content areas (book publishing, podcast hosting, personal branding) through its MD Series of specialized courses.

The business model is predominantly direct-to-consumer with one-time course purchases supplemented by a live coaching program, newsletter advertising, and corporate training. Distribution is anchored by a 189K-subscriber weekly newsletter with a 36% open rate and a 2,600+ member private Speaker Sister Facebook community. The go-to-market motion is community-led and event-driven: founder-led free webinars convert to paid courses, public speaking engagements (including a TEDx talk with 1M+ views) generate top-of-funnel leads, and earned media (Forbes, TIME, TODAY, Good Morning America, Vanity Fair) drives credibility. Strategic partnerships with TED Education, LinkedIn Learning, and eSpeakers extend distribution and provide third-party validation.

The company is bootstrapped and founder-owned, with no external institutional investment disclosed. Jess Ekstrom is the sole named executive and the public face of the brand. The operating team is small (~24 employees per a podcast interview, contradicting the 1-10 firmographic figure), with a predominantly female workforce. The company is governed by North Carolina law and operates primarily in the United States, though its digital products are globally accessible.

Name

Mic Drop Workshop

Legal name

Jess Ekstrom

Website

https://micdropworkshop.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Mic Drop Workshop is a US-based e-learning company founded in 2018 that delivers online courses, live coaching, and a private community to help women build careers as paid public speakers, with a content portfolio spanning keynote training, book publishing, and corporate workforce development.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Speaking Training

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Fine Arts Schools (61161)

akta.pro primary industry

Online Tutoring, Conversation Exchange & Language Coaching Platforms (EDAFAOAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Conversation Clubs & Speaking Practice Groups (EDAMAFAB)

Keywords

• Public speaking training
• Online speaking courses
• Keynote speaker coaching
• Women speaker education
• Professional speaking programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Raleigh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Online Course Sales: Self-paced and cohort-based online courses sold directly to consumers at one-time price points. Core courses include Mic Drop Workshop ($1,497) and the Speak and Write Bundle ($2,497). Revenue is one-time upfront with no recurring subscription required for course access.
2. Live Coaching Programs: Mic Drop Academy is a live 10-week coaching program with small group sessions, office hours, and 1:1 coaching. Applications are required and pricing is determined through an individual consultation.
3. Newsletter Advertising: The company sells advertising placements in its weekly newsletter which reaches 189K subscribers with a 36% average open rate. Advertisers include Canva, HoneyBook, Earfluence, Talkadot, and Yoodli.
4. Speaking Engagements: Jess Ekstrom and Mic Drop Workshop alumni generate speaking engagement fees from keynotes and workshops at conferences and corporate events. The company also maintains a speaker directory for booking alumni speakers.
5. Amplify Podcast: The Amplify podcast (available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify) serves as a content marketing channel. Episodes feature guests and thought leadership topics that drive audience engagement and course conversions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Mic Drop Workshop sells online courses, live coaching programs, and a paid membership community that teach women how to build profitable public speaking careers. Its core products are the self-paced Mic Drop Workshop signature course, the Speak and Write course bundle, and the application-based Mic Drop Academy 10-week live coaching program, supplemented by a private Speaker Sister Facebook community for ongoing peer support and gig referrals.

Product overview

Mic Drop Workshop is a course platform offering a portfolio of public speaking training products designed for women. The core offering is the Mic Drop Workshop signature 12-week course ($1,497), supplemented by the Mic Drop Club membership for ongoing practice, and Mic Drop Academy for intensive live coaching. The company also offers a Speak and Write Course Bundle combining multiple courses for thought leaders. Individual specialized courses (series offerings) cover topics including speaking business development, personal branding, workshop creation, presentation delivery, and emcee skills. Free entry-level training is provided to attract customers into the paid course ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mic Drop Club: A women's club for building public speaking skills, offering virtual monthly live meetups, quarterly in-person meetups in select cities, feedback from experienced speakers, and a supportive community.
• Mic Drop Academy
• Mic Drop Workforce
• Amplify Podcast
• Speak and Write Course Bundle
• Break the Glass Ceiling and Break Into Public Speaking

Products and services

• Mic Drop Workshop (Signature Course) The flagship self-paced 12-week online course that teaches women how to build a profitable paid public speaking business, from crafting a keynote to landing paid engagements. Includes lifetime access to video modules, workbooks, checklists, roadmaps, templates, contracts, Speaker Sister community access, and live monthly Q&As with Jess Ekstrom.
• Mic Drop Club A membership club offering monthly virtual live meetups, quarterly in-person meetups in select cities, feedback from experienced speakers, and a supportive community for women to practice and refine public speaking skills.
• Mic Drop Academy A live 10-week coaching program featuring weekly coaching sessions, bonus sessions, office hours, 1:1 coaching, a private LinkedIn group, a free eSpeakers account, and a free one-year Mic Drop Academy Directory listing with certification. Applications are required.
• Speak and Write Course Bundle A comprehensive course library for thought leaders combining Mic Drop Workshop with Book Pop Workshop, Platformula, One-Line Wonder, Launch Your Book Course, and Host Your Own Virtual Event, plus lifetime Speaker Sister community access.
• Free Public Speaking Training (Break the Glass Ceiling) A free one-hour online training that teaches women how to craft a keynote speech, position themselves as speakers, and create income from public speaking. Used as a lead magnet for paid programs.
• Bookable Keynote Framework An entry-level guide to help women turn lived experiences into a compelling, bookable keynote presentation. Functions as a free lead magnet and foundational framework for the full course.
• Build Your Speaking Business 101 (Kate Rosenow) A self-paced course by Kate Rosenow focused on eliminating barriers and focusing time on important tasks to grow a thriving speaking business.
• How to Craft Your Authentic Personal Brand (Jen Hogan & Dr. Kristine Sickels) A self-paced course teaching how to define personal brand identity, values, target audience, and unique positioning.
• How to Craft a Compelling Workshop (Katie Quesada) A self-paced crash course by Katie Quesada on transforming ideas into sellable workshops for corporate teams.
• Dynamite Delivery (Lindsay Boccardo) A self-paced course by Lindsay Boccardo teaching five essential skills for delivering energizing, connected presentations including eye contact, facial expressions, gestures, stage movement, and voice.
• Emcee Success (Rachel Sheerin) A comprehensive self-paced course by Rachel Sheerin covering emcee roles, signature style development, package creation, sales pitching, negotiation, contract provisions, event delivery, and client follow-up.
• Amplify Podcast A weekly podcast hosted by Jess Ekstrom helping women speak with confidence and find their zone of influence, featuring interviews on speaking, writing, and leadership topics. Available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
• Mic Drop Workforce A business-focused program that brings Mic Drop Workshop's public speaking training to corporate organizations for employee development. Contact form available for corporate inquiries.

Quantifiable outcome

• Take women from free-pizza gigs to paid keynotes within 12 weeks
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TED EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJess Ekstrom has been tapped by TED Education to teach millions of people about the art of public speaking. This partnership validates her expertise and provides broad reach for her methodology.
• LinkedIn LearningcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJess Ekstrom has been engaged by LinkedIn Learning to create educational content on public speaking for their platform, reaching millions of professionals globally.
• eSpeakerscoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership provides Mic Drop Academy students with a free eSpeakers account and a free one-year listing in the Mic Drop Academy Directory. The company also maintains a speaker roster on the platform for event planners to book alumni.
• CanvaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCanva is an advertising partner that appears in Mic Drop Workshop's weekly newsletter, reaching 189K subscribers. Canva targets the same creative, entrepreneurial women audience.
• HoneyBookminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHoneyBook advertises in the Mic Drop Workshop newsletter, targeting entrepreneurial women speakers who need client and project management tools.
• TalkadotminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTalkadot is an advertising partner in the Mic Drop Workshop newsletter, reaching the company's audience of ambitious women speakers and entrepreneurs.
• YoodliminorGTM or Marketing PartnerYoodli is an AI-powered speech coaching platform that advertises in the Mic Drop Workshop newsletter, aligning with the company's audience of public speaking learners.
• Magnolia NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChip Gaines (co-founder of Magnolia Network with Joanna Gaines) has given a public testimonial for Jess Ekstrom and Mic Drop Workshop, appearing on the company's website as social proof.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mel Robbins: Mel Robbins sells books, courses, and digital training programs focused on motivation, confidence, and personal development to a predominantly female audience. Comparable founder-led media presence, premium course ecosystem, and newsletter community.
• Chalene Johnson (SmartLife): Chalene Johnson sells fitness, business, and lifestyle courses and coaching programs targeted at women entrepreneurs through a podcast and membership-driven model. Similar founder-led, women-focused, multi-tier course ecosystem.
• Amy Porterfield: Amy Porterfield sells online marketing and list-building courses (Online Marketing Made Easy) to predominantly female entrepreneurs using a similar self-paced premium course plus live program model. Founder-led, podcast-anchored, similar price points, similar GTM through free webinars and list-building.
• Jenna Kutcher (Goal Digger): Jenna Kutcher sells online business courses and coaching to female entrepreneurs and creatives via the Goal Digger podcast and membership programs. Overlapping audience, founder brand, podcast-driven GTM, and premium course pricing.
• Marie Forleo (B-School): Marie Forleo runs B-School and MarieTV, an online education brand targeting ambitious women entrepreneurs with cohort-based courses and a premium newsletter/community. Closely mirrors Mic Drop's model: founder-led brand, women's professional development curriculum, premium pricing, and community moat.

Emerging players

• Yoodli: Yoodli is an AI-powered speech coaching platform that provides automated, on-demand feedback on pacing, filler words, and delivery. Already an advertising partner inside Mic Drop's newsletter; represents a low-cost scalable alternative for core delivery skills.

Others

• eSpeakers: eSpeakers is the speaker bureau and directory platform that powers Mic Drop Academy's directory listing and alumni booking. Functions as ecosystem infrastructure rather than a direct competitor; comparable insofar as both facilitate paid public speaking engagements.

Broad incumbents

• Dale Carnegie Training: Dale Carnegie Training is the long-established incumbent in public speaking and leadership training, offering in-person and corporate courses globally. Competes with Mic Drop Workforce for the corporate training budget and represents the traditional alternative to modern online speaker training.
• Toastmasters International: Toastmasters International operates a global member-run club network for practicing and improving public speaking skills. Comparable learning objective (public speaking proficiency) and similar community-led structure, though delivered through free/low-cost in-person clubs rather than paid online courses.
• Brendon Burchard (High Performance Institute): Brendon Burchard runs the High Performance Institute offering speaker training, certification programs, and online courses for coaches and aspiring high-performance professionals. Operates in the same broader speaker-coaching category as Mic Drop but without the women-only focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/micdropworkshop
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mic-drop-workshop
• Instagraminstagram.com/micdropworkshop/?hl=en
• TikToktiktok.com/@micdropworkshop?lang=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mic Drop Workshop