By Jason Harris

If you’ve ever spent any time around aviation, you know there’s one rule pilots repeat so often it becomes muscle memory:

Aviate. Navigate. Communicate.

It’s the principle we fall back on when things get bumpy or when the fit hits the shan at 3 a.m. over the Atlantic Ocean. It’s what keeps us alive when something unexpected happens. We fly the airplane first, we get pointed in the right direction second, and only then—once the situation is under control—do we communicate our plan.

I discovered early in my speaking journey that this same rule applies off the runway.

Aviate the business. Navigate the opportunity. Communicate with the people who matter.

It applies to the brand you’re building.
It applies to your clients.
And it absolutely applies to your leadership in your 9–5 job and at home.

Because the truth is, anyone can chase the dream of speaking on the biggest stages. Anyone can chase paid keynotes, bureau representation, sold-out workshops, and business-class travel. But here’s the part most people don’t talk about:

If you don’t have your life, your family, and your systems under control, the turbulence will take you out faster than the opportunity can lift you.

Like the great philosopher Biggie once said:

“Mo money, mo problems.”

Turns out the same is true with bookings.

The Beginning of the Journey

I didn’t start my speaking career as a full-time speaker. I didn’t even start with momentum. My first year in business was 2018. I did two speeches—one for free and the second for $500. I delivered that second one during my lunch break from my military job, under a park pavilion.

But I went all in. I joined NSA Colorado’s Speakers Academy. I refined my mission, message, and brand. I built the business one flight at a time. And before I knew it, the bookings grew. Today, I am a fully professional speaker who has built a thriving brand while working simultaneously as an international pilot for a major airline.

In 2024, I delivered more than 35 keynotes.

This year—arguably one of the most unpredictable we’ve seen for speakers—I’ve already delivered 21+ events. Most have been in person. Most through speaker bureaus. And yes, all while maintaining my career as a commercial airline pilot.

My success wasn’t luck. It was clarity and discipline.

The Myth

At one point, I believed I needed to walk away from aviation and the military to prove that I was “serious” about speaking. I even had people tell me (and tell other people) that I wasn’t a “real” professional speaker because I kept my W-2 job.

But here’s what I learned: There is no one way to build this business.

Everyone’s journey is unique. And for me, being a pilot is an asset—not a limitation. It gives me flexibility and freedom. Not every career allows that. Most jobs don’t let you take off the first four months of the year, but I can. It doesn’t mean I work less. It means I built the business to fit my life, my family, and my priorities.

And let’s be honest: speaking is my purpose and passion. It is my ministry. The pilot job is not a fallback—it’s part of who I am and part of my brand.

When You Don’t Communicate, You Crash

Let me share a moment of vulnerability: when I started my speaking business while being a pilot, serving in the Air Force Reserves, and raising a family, my wife was not thrilled.

Not because she didn’t believe in me—but because I didn’t communicate. I was adding another identity and leadership role into my life without a clearly communicated plan. The friction wasn’t because of the business. It was because I wasn’t navigating the situation clearly and I wasn’t communicating the mission to my copilot—my spouse.

Aviate. Navigate. Communicate. It works at home, too.

No One Builds Your Business for You

One of the biggest myths in the speaking world is that someone else will build your speaking business for you.

Some people think a bureau will do it. Some think an agent, a salesperson, or a marketing firm will do it. Some think momentum happens because you get “discovered.”

Let me be direct: No agent, salesperson, or bureau will build your business. You have to build your business.

As a pilot, I have to fly the airplane—not someone else. I have to know how to fly it properly before I can rely on the autopilot. And even when the autopilot is engaged, I still have to be prepared to take over at a moment’s notice.

Here’s the kicker: the autopilot doesn’t work if I don’t input the right information. Business is the same way.

Speaker bureaus are powerful partners. I focused early on earning their attention and building relationships with them. And they have helped me accelerate visibility and momentum. But it wasn’t one bureau or one speech that changed everything.

It was:

• discipline,
• consistency,
• delivering on the big and small stages,
• and putting in the work.

Bureaus can amplify your momentum, but they don’t create it. They don’t replace your responsibility to show up, execute, and keep the plane pointed in the right direction.

The success of your business starts with you.

And just like aviation, there is no substitute for taking control of the controls.

Discipline, Not Dreams, Pays the Bills

People want the big stages and the big numbers. They want the momentum and the breakthrough. But before the breakthrough comes the systems.

Here are the systems that saved me:

• I treat my speaking business like a business.
• I had a detailed calendar system before I ever had a pipeline.
• I use CRM tools, scheduling tools, and project management tools.
• I built a team early, not late. (My Executive Assistant is the MVP of my business.)
• I protect the day before, the day of, and the day after events.
• I work on layovers, in hotel rooms, and sometimes at 4:00 a.m. in another time zone.

I once led a workshop from a hotel room in Tel Aviv and took a client call in South Korea at 4 a.m. No weekends off. No shortcuts. No excuses.

Jay-Z said it best:

“I’m not a businessman, I’m a business, man!”

Mindset and Identity: The Runway to Success

Many speakers believe they should quit the day job immediately. Some should. But not all.

Here’s what changed everything for me:

I stopped comparing my journey to someone else’s.

Comparison kills clarity. And clarity is the difference between a hobby and a business. I got clear on:

• my brand,
• my audience,
• my voice,
• and my mission.

I stopped trying to be anyone other than Jason O. Harris. No one else is flying my airplane.

The Permission Slip You Don’t Need

If you want to build a speaking business while keeping your job, let me give you the honest truth:

You don’t need permission from anyone.
But you do need systems.
You do need clarity.
You do need discipline.

And you need to understand the consequences, responsibilities, and expectations that come with growth. Especially when clients are paying you serious money to show up and show out. (It doesn’t matter if a client is paying you or if it’s fee-waived—you have to be ready to perform and you have to treat every event with reverence and respect!)

Never let a client wonder whether you’re a pilot, a speaker, or both. When I walk on stage, my goal is simple:

Be so good they assume speaking is the only thing I do.

Wheels Up

You can build a powerful, profitable speaking brand while staying in your full-time role. It’s possible. I’m living proof.

It takes clarity. It takes courage. It takes systems. And it requires that same mindset we use in aviation:

Aviate. Navigate. Communicate.

You have the aircraft. Now it’s time for you to maintain aircraft control, analyze the situation, and take the proper action that’s meant for you and your success.

The sky isn’t the limit. It’s just the beginning.

Blue Skies, Fair Winds & All the Best,
Jason O. Harris