When Your Audience Needs More Than Inspiration — They Need a Blueprint
Kiersten Hathcock | Keynote Speaker for Corporate & Business Events
Most keynote speakers will tell you what's possible.
Kiersten Hathcock will show you exactly how she did it — and hand you the tools to do it yourself.
She is not a theorist. She is not a consultant who has studied success from the outside. She is a former television marketing executive who walked away from a stable career, taught herself an entirely new craft, built an internationally recognized brand from her garage with zero funding and zero formal training, and then sat across from some of the most intimidating investors in America on national television — and won.
What she learned along the way about brand building, pitching, resilience, and the kind of gut-level decision making that separates businesses that survive from businesses that thrive — that is what she brings to your stage.
Who Books Kiersten for Business Events
Corporate conference and event planners book Kiersten when they need a keynote that does something rare: tells a story so compelling the room goes completely quiet, then delivers insight so practical the audience immediately starts taking notes.
She has spoken to:
Corporate Teams & All-Hands Events — bringing a message of resilience, adaptability, and trust in collective instinct that resonates from the C-suite to the front line.
Business Associations & Chambers of Commerce — delivering keynotes that celebrate entrepreneurial grit while offering concrete, actionable frameworks their members can apply immediately.
Startup Ecosystems & Pitch Competitions — drawing on her Shark Tank experience and 20+ years in the entrepreneurial trenches to give founders the mindset and tactical edge they need to compete.
University Business Programs — consistently earning some of the highest audience engagement scores faculty have ever recorded, including standing Q&A sessions that run well past the allotted time.
Women in Business Summits — speaking with rare authenticity about succeeding — and leading — in industries that weren't designed with women in mind.
Her Business Keynotes
"Build Anyway"
The story of what happens when you have no blueprint, no funding, and no backup plan — and you build anyway.
This is Kiersten's flagship business keynote — and the one audiences talk about longest after they leave the room.
Drawing on her journey from television executive to self-taught carpenter to Shark Tank winner to Simon & Schuster author, Kiersten dismantles the myth that you need the perfect conditions, the right credentials, or someone else's permission to build something extraordinary.
What she gives your audience instead: a framework for moving forward with clarity and confidence when the path ahead is anything but clear.
Ideal for: Corporate all-hands events, entrepreneurship conferences, business association keynotes, commencement addresses, leadership summits
Your audience will leave with:
A reframed understanding of what qualifies someone to lead, build, or begin
A concrete decision-making framework rooted in both data and instinct
The permission — and the tools — to start before they feel ready
"The Gut Knows First"
Why the most successful leaders trust their instincts — and how to develop yours into a genuine competitive advantage.
In a business culture obsessed with data, analytics, and consensus, Kiersten makes a contrarian and rigorously argued case: your intuition is not the opposite of good business judgment. It is the most sophisticated business tool you own — and most leaders are leaving it entirely on the table.
This keynote weaves together Kiersten's own experience — the decisions she made by instinct that defied conventional wisdom and proved right, and the ones she ignored her gut on that cost her dearly — with research-backed insight on how high-performing leaders actually make their best decisions.
Ideal for: Leadership conferences, executive retreats, innovation summits, women in business events
Your audience will leave with:
A new and practical understanding of intuition as a leadership skill
Specific techniques for accessing and trusting their own instinctive intelligence
A framework for balancing data-driven and instinct-driven decision making
"Surviving the Tank"
What pitching to the Sharks taught one entrepreneur about pressure, preparation, and performing at your absolute best when everything is on the line.
Kiersten has been in the room where the stakes could not be higher — standing in front of a national television audience, pitching her business to investors known for their ruthlessness, with no second chances and no safety net.
She walked out with a deal.
This keynote is for any audience that needs to perform under pressure — whether they're pitching investors, presenting to a board, selling to a skeptical client, or leading a team through a high-stakes moment. Kiersten breaks down exactly what she did, what she wished she'd known, and what she learned about human psychology, persuasion, and grace under fire that she could not have learned any other way.
Ideal for: Sales conferences, pitch training events, startup competitions, business schools, leadership development programs
Your audience will leave with:
A behind-the-scenes breakdown of how to prepare for a high-stakes pitch or presentation
Practical techniques for managing nerves and projecting confidence under pressure
An understanding of what investors, decision-makers, and skeptical audiences are really looking for
"No Blueprint Required"
A masterclass in brand building for entrepreneurs, founders, and anyone who has ever had to make something from nothing.
Before there were influencers, before Etsy, before the era of the garage startup — Kiersten Hathcock was building a brand by hand, one piece of furniture at a time, in her Los Angeles garage. She figured out how to get press without a publicist, build an audience without an ad budget, attract celebrity clients without an agent, and land international retail distribution without a single industry connection.
This keynote is a practical, honest, and often funny masterclass in brand building from the ground up, with hard-won lessons that apply whether you are launching a startup, repositioning an established company, or trying to cut through the noise in a market that is louder than ever.
Ideal for: Entrepreneurship conferences, marketing and brand summits, chambers of commerce, small business associations, startup ecosystems
Your audience will leave with:
A repeatable framework for building a brand with authenticity and intentionality
Specific strategies for earning attention, trust, and loyalty without a massive budget
The mindset shifts that separate brands people remember from brands people forget
What Event Planners Say
"Kiersten delivered the keynote at our High Point Market Dinner. She was very well prepared, well spoken, genuine, and inspiring. We received rave reviews from seasoned professionals — it was one of the best presentations in recent years." — Katie Hatch, VP, Rooms to Go · Former VP, American Society of Furniture Designers
"She explained, in her engaging style, how to conduct a successful personal pitch. Students are still talking about Kiersten's advice. She is a highly capable speaker and I enthusiastically recommend her." — Eric Dieterle, Assistant Professor of Practice, Northern Arizona University
"Kiersten is a superb speaker with the ability to connect with an audience and deliver a meaningful message. The students said they were persuaded and inspired by her message and her positive energy." — Theresa Bierer, Professor of Practice, MBA Program, Northern Arizona University
"We can't get over how many students asked questions. They are never this engaged with a speaker." — Amanda Hubbert, Director, Business Week Program, Lewis County, WA
What to Expect When You Book Kiersten
Every engagement begins with a conversation. Kiersten takes the time to understand your audience, your event goals, and what success looks like for your organization — and she customizes her content accordingly. You will never get a canned talk delivered to the wrong room.
She arrives prepared, professional, and ready to make your event memorable. She is known for her warmth with event staff, her generosity with audiences during Q&A, and her ability to make a room of five hundred people feel like she is speaking directly to each one of them.
Speaking fees for corporate and business engagements begin at $10,000.
Ready to Bring Kiersten to Your Event?
Kiersten is selectively booking corporate and business keynotes for 2026 and 2027.
Not sure which talk is right for your audience? Reach out anyway — Kiersten's team will help you find the right fit.