Fire Up Training
Fire Up Training is a privately held presentation skills coaching company serving enterprise leaders, sales professionals, technical presenters, and paid speakers via live training, executive coaching, signature keynote development, and media coaching, built around founder Tom McCarthy's proprietary FIRE-UP methodology.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1990
- HeadquartersRancho Santa Fe, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Fire Up Training does
Fire Up Training is a privately held presentation skills training and coaching company founded and led by Tom McCarthy, with David Hutchison serving as Co-Founder and Chief Training Officer. The company is headquartered in Rancho Santa Fe/San Diego, California, and serves enterprise leaders, sales professionals, technical presenters, and paid professional speakers who need to deliver high-stakes presentations with greater impact.
The company's offerings span in-person live training (sales presenter, virtual presentation, technical presenter, and leadership tracks), one-on-one executive coaching, signature keynote development, media coaching (delivered from a dedicated San Diego facility with on-camera simulation), and a tiered curriculum culminating in an Elite FIRE-UP program capped at ten participants. Underlying all programs is a proprietary methodology branded FIRE-UP, codified in part through the 2014 book 'Win the Presentation Game' co-authored by McCarthy and Hutchison. There is no software platform; the technical core is the methodology itself and the human coaching delivery model, supplemented by a San Diego media facility used for on-camera training.
Revenue is generated primarily through professional services (customized live training and executive coaching engagements sold via direct inquiry through the website and phone), supplemented by a $199 self-paced online course ('Presentation Mastery In Only 60 Minutes') and a free mini-course distributed through Teachable, plus book royalties from Amazon sales. The go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, with marketing relying on enterprise testimonials (Cisco, Microsoft, AIG, Berkshire Hathaway Properties, Tektronix, Nvidia, Dell, McAfee, ServiceNow, and others), content marketing, and the founder's personal brand. The company has not raised institutional funding and operates as a founder-owned independent business.
Fire Up Training firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Fire Up Training
- Legal name
- Fire Up Training
- Website
- https://fireuptraining.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1990
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Fire Up Training is a privately held presentation skills coaching company serving enterprise leaders, sales professionals, technical presenters, and paid speakers via live training, executive coaching, signature keynote development, and media coaching, built around founder Tom McCarthy's proprietary FIRE-UP methodology.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Fire Up Training industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Presentation Training Services
- NAICS
- Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- High-Potential & Succession Coaching (EDABANAC)
Keywords
Where Fire Up Training is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Rancho Santa Fe
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Fire Up Training business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Live Training Programs: In-person training programs including sales presenter training, virtual presentation training, technical presenter training, and leadership training. Delivered in formats ranging from half-day workshops to multi-day intensive programs.
- Online Courses: Self-paced online courses including Presentation Mastery In Only 60 Minutes at $199. Free mini course available for lead generation.
- Executive Coaching: One-on-one customized coaching programs for executives including media preparation, signature keynote development, and general executive communication coaching.
- Professional Speaker Coaching:
- Book Sales: Sale of 'Win the Presentation Game' book by Tom McCarthy and David Hutchison through Amazon.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Presentation Mastery In Only 60 Minutes - Online Course |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free Mini Course |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Fire Up Training product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Fire Up Training provides high-stakes presentation training and coaching through a proprietary FIRE-UP methodology developed by founder Tom McCarthy. The portfolio spans live in-person training (sales, virtual, technical, and leadership presentations), self-paced online courses, and one-on-one executive/media/professional speaker coaching, complemented by a published book (Win the Presentation Game) and a free mini course. Programs are delivered live at client sites, virtually, or at the company's San Diego media coaching facility.
Product overview
Fire Up Training is a coaching and training services company offering a portfolio of presentation skills development programs. The core offering consists of Live Training (in-person sessions covering sales, virtual, technical, and leadership presentations) and Online Courses (self-paced digital programs including the flagship Presentation Mastery In Only 60 Minutes course). These are complemented by targeted Coaching services—Executive Coaching, Signature Keynote Coaching, Media Coaching, and Professional Speaker Coaching—all delivered by lead coach Tom McCarthy. Additional specialized programs include Meeting Facilitation Mastery, Elite Fire Up Training (an advanced two-day intensive), and FIRE-UP Your Virtual Presentations. The company also offers a free Mini Course as a lead magnet and sells the Win the Presentation Game book. All offerings center on high-stakes presentation training, positioning Fire Up Training as a service-based training company rather than a software product platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Win the Presentation Game: A book by Tom McCarthy and David Hutchison featuring 52 Power Plays to Captivate, Energize and Activate audiences.
- Presentation Mastery In Only 60 Minutes
- Mini Course by Tom McCarthy
Products and services
- Live Training In-person, high-stakes presentation training delivered at client locations or Fire Up Training's facilities, covering sales presentations, virtual presentations, technical presentations, and leadership communication.
- Presentation Mastery In Only 60 Minutes A $199 self-paced online course delivered through the Teachable platform, designed to help participants get a fast start on becoming an outstanding presenter.
- Executive Coaching Personalized one-on-one coaching for executives to develop confident, charismatic communication skills and prepare for keynotes, media appearances, and high-stakes presentations.
- Signature Keynote Coaching Coaching program for leaders to design and rehearse a signature keynote presentation that establishes their personal brand as a subject matter expert.
- Media Coaching Training delivered at Fire Up Training's San Diego media coaching facility to help executives perform confidently on camera during interviews and video recordings, using simulation sessions with visual feedback.
- Professional Speaker Coaching Advanced coaching for paid professional speakers to refine their message and delivery skills to world-class levels, led by Tom McCarthy.
- Sales Presenter Training Training program designed to help sales professionals create energizing, captivating presentations that connect with customers and close more sales, incorporating research that only 14% of presentations move customers to action.
- Virtual Presentation Training Training focused on making virtual presentations as engaging and powerful as face-to-face presentations, addressing the challenge that 90% of virtual attendees typically multitask.
- Technical Presenter Course Training for technology experts to communicate technical concepts effectively to decision-makers, increase charisma, and motivate audiences to invest in technology solutions.
- Training for Leaders Comprehensive training programs for leaders including Fire Up Your Presentations, Advanced Fire Up Training, Fire Up Your Virtual, Elite Fire Up Training, Meeting Facilitation Mastery, and Media Coaching, designed for leaders who spend approximately 50% of their time in meetings.
- Meeting Facilitation Mastery One-day training (face-to-face or virtual, up to 12 attendees) designed to help teams conduct focused, energized meetings that produce breakthrough results, including pre-meeting communication optimization and accountability capture.
- Elite Fire Up Training Reserved two-day intensive training for graduates of basic and advanced programs who want to maximize their presentation ability to expert levels; limited to 10 participants and includes signature keynote development and social media video recordings.
- Win the Presentation Game Book co-authored by Tom McCarthy and David Hutchison containing 52 power plays to captivate, energize, and activate audiences, organized into sections on creating engaging stories, feeling confident, and energizing audiences.
- Free Mini Course A free mini-course from Tom McCarthy providing actionable tips and ideas for delivering winning presentations, curated from his live presentations and used as a lead magnet.
Quantifiable outcome
- 86% of presentations fail to move audiences to action
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Fire Up Training
Customer profileNamed customers20 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Fire Up Training technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Fire Up Training partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Fire Up Training competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Buckley School: The Buckley School is a public-speaking and presentation training firm offering courses and coaching for executives and sales professionals, closely mirroring Fire Up's core in-person presentation training offering.
- Ethos3: Ethos3 is a presentation agency providing training, design, and coaching for sales and keynote presentations — overlapping directly with Fire Up's sales presenter, virtual presentation, and signature keynote programs.
- SlideGenius: SlideGenius combines presentation design with training and coaching services for sales and executive presentations — comparable in its mix of content and live coaching targeting enterprise sales leaders.
- Duarte: Duarte is a presentation design and training firm (founded by Nancy Duarte, author of 'Slide:ology') offering workshops, coaching, and methodology around high-stakes presentations — directly comparable to Fire Up Training's presentation skills and signature-keynote focus.
Broad incumbents
- Dale Carnegie & Associates: Dale Carnegie is a long-established global corporate training provider with courses in presentation, leadership, and sales — a broad incumbent competing for the same enterprise L&D budgets Fire Up targets.
- Cision / PR Newswire Media Training: Cision's media training services target executives preparing for interviews and broadcast appearances — adjacent to Fire Up's media coaching program and indicative of the broader media-training competitive set.
- Zenger Folkman: Zenger Folkman delivers leadership development and communication-effectiveness training grounded in research — comparable to Fire Up's training-for-leaders and executive communication programs at a broader, more research-led scale.
- CommCore Communications: CommCore is a larger communications consulting firm offering media training, executive coaching, and crisis communications — a broader incumbent that overlaps with Fire Up's media coaching and executive communication services.
Emerging players
- ExecOnline: ExecOnline partners with top business schools to deliver online executive education including leadership and communication courses — an emerging player offering scalable digital alternatives to in-person executive training.
- Guru Accelerate: Guru Accelerate is a presentation and communication coaching firm specializing in tech-industry sales and technical presenters — closely mirroring Fire Up's technical presenter and sales presenter niches.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Fire Up Training social profiles
Digital presenceFire Up Training financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Fire Up Training leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Fire Up Training funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Fire Up Training M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Fire Up Training
What does Fire Up Training do?
Fire Up Training provides high-stakes presentation training and coaching through a proprietary FIRE-UP methodology developed by founder Tom McCarthy. The portfolio spans live in-person training (sales, virtual, technical, and leadership presentations), self-paced online courses, and one-on-one executive/media/professional speaker coaching, complemented by a published book (Win the Presentation Game) and a free mini course. Programs are delivered live at client sites, virtually, or at the company's San Diego media coaching facility.
Is Fire Up Training a public or private company?
Fire Up Training is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Fire Up Training founded?
Fire Up Training was founded in 1990. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Fire Up Training based?
Fire Up Training is headquartered in Rancho Santa Fe, United States, in the North America region.
How does Fire Up Training make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Live Training Programs are the primary driver. The others are online Courses, executive Coaching, professional Speaker Coaching and book Sales.
Who are Fire Up Training's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Buckley School, Ethos3, SlideGenius and Duarte. Broad incumbents are Dale Carnegie & Associates, Cision / PR Newswire Media Training, Zenger Folkman and CommCore Communications. Emerging players are ExecOnline and Guru Accelerate.
Does Fire Up Training have an API?
No public API is recorded for Fire Up Training.
What industry is Fire Up Training in?
Fire Up Training's product category is Professional Presentation Training Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDABANAC, High-Potential & Succession Coaching. Its NAICS code is 611430 and its SIC code is 8200.