speaks the truth

What speaks the truth does

Colette Carlson operates as an individual keynote speaker and human behavior expert, trading under the personal brand "Colette Carlson" and sub-brand "The Human Edge™." Founded in 2003 and based in the United States, the business delivers paid keynote presentations and workshops to enterprise audiences on leadership, team collaboration, sales performance, and resilience. Core offerings include five thematic keynote/workshop programs—Impactful Leadership, Thriving Teams, Sales Success, Resilient Performance, and Women's Leadership—plus a free Human Edge Blind Spots Assessment used as a lead-capture mechanism.

The proprietary "The Human Edge™" methodology frames the value proposition around human skills—trust, empathy, presence, and influence—that, per the company's positioning, AI cannot replicate. The offering is built on Colette Carlson's individual expertise: 20+ years of corporate speaking experience, Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) and Council of Peers Award for Excellence (CPAE) credentials from the National Speakers Association, and Hall of Fame speaker recognition. Service is delivered through in-person interactive presentations, with pre-event research and content customization cited as a key differentiator; documented audience sizes range from 150 to 2,300+ attendees.

Revenue is generated through professional-services speaking fees billed per engagement on a quote-based, multi-year contract cadence. Go-to-market is event-driven and entirely direct: bookings originate from meeting-planner inquiries, outreach to HR and people leaders, and client referrals. The named client roster spans 25+ Fortune 500 and global brands across beverage, technology, financial services, aerospace, energy, healthcare, and consumer goods (PepsiCo, Microsoft, Boeing, FedEx, PwC, Accenture, ExxonMobil, Nestlé, Procter & Gamble, Genentech). No public pricing tiers, revenue figures, or headcount are disclosed; the firm is bootstrapped, founder-owned, and operates as a sole proprietorship with no external investment.

Name

speaks the truth

Legal name

Colette Carlson

Website

https://colettecarlson.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Colette Carlson is an independent Hall of Fame keynote speaker and human behavior expert who delivers The Human Edge™ presentations on trust, connection, and resilience to enterprise audiences at companies such as PepsiCo, Microsoft, Boeing, FedEx, and PwC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Speaking and Leadership Development Services

NAICS

Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (71151), Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (7115), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

akta.pro primary industry

Organizational Culture & Values-Based Leadership (EDABAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Thought Leadership & Executive Visibility (BPAFADAG), Executive Summits & Invitation-Only Forums (MPAGAGAK), Corporate Reputation & Thought Leadership (MPAAAOAF)

Keywords

• Keynote speaking services
• Corporate leadership workshops
• Human connection training
• Sales keynote presentations
• Executive speaking engagements

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Keynote Speaking Engagements: Colette Carlson earns revenue through speaking fees for keynotes at corporate events, conferences, sales summits, and annual meetings. These are typically one-time professional service engagements with enterprise clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

speaks the truth is the brand under which Colette Carlson operates a solo keynote speaking and workshop facilitation practice. The business delivers on-stage interactive keynotes, breakout sessions, and pre-event leader engagement for enterprise organizations, centered on The Human Edge™ methodology covering leadership, team collaboration, sales connection, resilience, and women's leadership development.

Product overview

Colette Carlson offers a keynote speaking and workshop service centered on 'The Human Edge™' methodology. The core offering consists of five keynote/workshop programs: Impactful Leadership, Thriving Teams, Sales Success, Resilient Performance, and Women's Leadership. These programs focus on building trust, connection, and resilience in workplaces. The portfolio also includes a free Human Edge Blind Spots Assessment tool. The service is delivered through on-stage interactive presentations, pre-work engagement, breakout sessions, and personalized experiences for conference attendees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Human Edge™: Keynote and workshop program focused on building trust, empathy, presence, and influence in leadership, teams, sales, and resilience contexts.

Products and services

• The Human Edge™ Keynote Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Teams collaborate and innovate when trust is established
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers26 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• National Speakers Bureau: Leading speaker bureau that books and represents keynote speakers for corporate events. Comparable to Colette Carlson as a key distribution channel and competitor for the same enterprise meeting planner buyers, though NSB is a marketplace/broker rather than a speaker.

Direct peers

• Brené Brown: Premier research-based keynote speaker and author focused on vulnerability, courage, and leadership. Highly comparable to Colette Carlson as both monetize personal brand through corporate keynotes and workshops on human-centered leadership with Fortune 500 clients.
• Mel Robbins: Top-tier keynote speaker and author monetizing a personal brand through motivational, behavior-change keynotes. Comparable to Colette Carlson as both are individual practitioners selling keynote and workshop engagements directly to enterprise and corporate event audiences.
• Simon Sinek: Global keynote speaker and bestselling author on leadership, trust, and team dynamics. Directly comparable to Colette Carlson as both deliver high-fee corporate keynotes centered on trust, leadership, and human connection, with similar enterprise client profiles.
• Marcus Buckingham: Strengths-based leadership researcher and keynote speaker whose work focuses on team performance, leadership, and sales productivity. Comparable to Colette Carlson as both sell leadership and sales keynotes targeting enterprise HR and sales leader audiences.
• Kim Scott: Author and keynote speaker on radical candor, leadership, and organizational trust. Comparable to Colette Carlson as both sell personal-brand keynotes and workshops to enterprise audiences on trust, communication, and leadership effectiveness.

Emerging players

• Jay Shetty: On-demand keynote speaker and former monk who built a personal brand at the intersection of purpose, mindfulness, and performance. Comparable to Colette Carlson for the personal-brand-driven keynote business model, though Shetty's center of gravity is more media and content.
• Marie Forleo: Speaker, author, and online educator monetizing leadership and entrepreneurship content through courses and keynotes. Comparable to Colette Carlson as both monetize personal expertise on human performance and offer ongoing content products alongside speaking engagements.

Broad incumbents

• Dale Carnegie & Associates: Established global training and professional development organization offering leadership, sales, and communication courses for enterprise clients. Comparable to Colette Carlson as both sell corporate leadership and interpersonal-skills training, but Dale Carnegie is a much larger incumbent with a multi-trainer, licensed model.
• FranklinCovey: Global performance improvement company delivering leadership, culture, and execution training via workshops and keynotes. Comparable to Colette Carlson as both target enterprise leadership training budgets, though FranklinCovey operates a scaled, multi-product platform rather than a single-speaker practice.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ColetteCarlson
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/motivationalspeakercolette
• Instagraminstagram.com/colettecarlson

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 speaks the truth