The small business speaker who has run the business

Joe Hammer turns decades of hands-on entrepreneurship into customized keynotes and workshops your audience can put to work the next morning.

Most speakers teach or entertain. Joe was trained to do both.

Joe has been self-employed since he was 17. He has run an auto collision and customizing shop, a graphic design firm and a hypnotherapy practice, and he has advised owners from hair salons and chiropractors to plumbers and insurance agents. What he teaches comes from running real businesses, not from a textbook.

He also spent years on stage as a comedy magician, stage hypnotist and improv player, and founded The Outcasters improv training center in Scottsdale. He knows the difference between dazzling an audience and putting it to sleep.

Self-employed since 17
Built and ran businesses across many industries

Author of three books
The Improv Edge, The Unconscious Authority and Blank to Brilliant

Founder of The Outcasters
Improv troupe and training center in Scottsdale

Endorsed by Robert Allen
New York Times best-selling author

Programs built around three things every owner needs

Every program is customized to your audience, your industry and your event theme. Choose one, or combine them for a multi-session event.

Get Noticed

S.M.A.R.T. Marketing System™
How small businesses stand out and get chosen: differentiation, direct-response advertising that has to prove its return, and being found on Google and AI search.Includes: Stealth Success, It Goes Without Saying, It’s All Greek to Me, Off the Fence and Through Your Door, Signed, Sealed and Delivered

Build It Right

Business EXCELeration™
Start-up strategy plus practical AI and systems, so the business grows without burning out the owner. Includes the ten reasons most businesses never reach their potential, and how to avoid every one of them.Includes: Pulling the Diamond from the Rough

Lead and Persuade

Influential Interactions™
Interactive, improv-based training that builds listening, quick thinking, confidence and teamwork. Expect the room to laugh and to participate.Includes: Improve with Improv

Persuasive Presenting™
Gestures, pacing, humor and the psychology of what makes an audience lean in, so owners pitch and present in ways that move people to act.Includes: Speak for Yourself

Subconscious Motivation™
Why “just try harder” fails, and how to spot and change the unconscious patterns that actually drive results.Includes: The Blind Leading the Mind, You’d Better Believe It!

Want the full outlines? See all program details

Built around your event, not a canned script

Before he takes the stage, Joe researches your industry, your organization and your competition. He interviews a few attendees by phone, reads your trade publications and works your event theme into the program. Attendees also get post-program support material to help them put the ideas to work.

Keynote or breakout Up to 90 minutes

A fast-paced, high-energy session that leaves the whole room with clear next steps. Easily adjusted to fit your time slot.

Workshop 3 hours

Hands-on time for attendees to apply the strategies to their own businesses, with handouts that turn ideas into an action plan.

Seminar 6 hours

A full day for teams and owners who want to leave with a complete plan, not just a page of notes.

Two programs, one trip Best value

Pair a workshop with a breakout or entertainment program at the same event. The second program is discounted and you cover only one set of travel costs.

What meeting planners and audiences say

“Since attending Joe Hammer’s workshop nearly a year ago, I have put many of his marketing techniques into practice and have increased our membership revenue by 23%!”

Beth Alban, Massillon, Ohio

“Joe’s 50 minute program was the best of the convention!”

Kay Jacobson, Reisterstown, Maryland

“Joe’s program was the most lively and attention-keeping program I have seen. His message was a no-nonsense approach to effective marketing.”

Dennis Loreman, Bristol, Pennsylvania

“Joe Hammer magically weaves together universal principles, scientific data about how the mind works, and loads of contemporary humor. A gem!”

Rev. Karen Russo, Scottsdale, Arizona

“Your program alone was worth the price of the entire conference.”

JD Carr, West Haven, Connecticut

“Joe used humor to point out weaknesses in our advertising without making us feel unintelligent!”

Pat Sievert, Strongsville, Ohio

“Joe has amazing energy and speaks of real life experiences. All of his examples and analogies made the subject matter approachable and applicable in everyday life.”

Colleen Frisbie, Phoenix, Arizona

Questions meeting planners ask

Straight answers for meeting planners, associations and conference organizers, so you can book with confidence.

Do you customize your programs?

Yes, thoroughly. Joe researches your industry, your organization and your competition, interviews a few attendees by phone, reviews your trade publications and builds the program around your event theme. It goes well beyond putting your logo on a slide.

How long are the programs?

Programs run from a keynote or breakout of up to 90 minutes, to a 3-hour workshop or a full 6-hour seminar. Most can be fitted to your time slot, and Joe adapts smoothly if the schedule changes on the day.

What kind of humor do you use?

Clean, non-offending humor. Joe has worked comedy clubs as a comedy magician, stage hypnotist and improv player, and he knows the difference between their stage and your platform.

How can we get more value from one booking?

Book a workshop plus a breakout or entertainment program at the same event. The second program is discounted and you pay only one set of travel expenses. Joe also helps with room set-up and timing, and attendees receive post-program support material.

How do you handle travel and expenses?

Joe flies coach and keeps expenses to a minimum: no extravagant meal charges, no rock-star extras and no invoice surprises. If he is already in your area for another program, airfare is split between the clients.

What do you need from us to book?

Once you confirm, you complete a short pre-program questionnaire and Joe schedules a brief phone call to start his research. A 50% deposit holds your date, with the balance due on the day of the program.

Check Joe’s availability for your event

Share your date, audience and goals, and Joe will follow up to talk through format and fit. Prefer the phone? Call 480.614.5596.

Own a business and want Joe’s help with it directly? Book a strategy call.