Speaker Profile Thumbnail for Rob Lawless

Keynote Speaker & Creator of Robs10kFriends Project

Rob Lawless Speaking Fee: $10,000 to $20,000

Keynote Speaker & Creator of Robs10kFriends Project

Speaker Profile Thumbnail for Rob Lawless
Speaking Fee:
$10,000 to $20,000

Travels From:
PHL - Philadelphia, PA

Primary Topic Category:
Business & Entrepreneurship

Secondary Topic Category:
Big Names / Headliners / Star Power

 

Rob Lawless Speaker Profile: At A Glance

Rob is a former salesman who set out on a journey to spend an hour with 10,000 strangers after being laid off from his job. Since then, he has met over 6,000 people from over 90 countries around the world, driven across the country six times, and has been featured by some acclaimed press sources, including Ryan Seacrest on his nationally syndicated radio show, “On Air with Ryan Seacrest,” as well as “Your Morning,” a national Canadian morning show and the TODAY Show with Hoda and Jenna. Rob has also appeared as a guest on the Kelly Clarkson Show alongside Jane Lynch and Jo Koy where the audience was made up of 100 friends from the project.

Rob Lawless is a 33-year-old originally from Norristown, PA, with a genuine passion for getting to know new people. Graduating with highest honors in May 2013 from Penn State University, he earned a Finance degree with minors in Accounting and Entrepreneurship. Rob then joined Deloitte Consulting as a Business Analyst in Strategy & Operations, fulfilling his dream job. However, after a year and a half, he made a typical Millennial move, accepting a significant pay cut to join RJMetrics, a $24 million venture-funded startup. At RJMetrics, Rob worked as a sales representative, engaging in daily cold emailing and requesting 30-minute phone calls to discuss the company's product offerings. Yet in his post grad life, he missed the authentic connection he'd experienced in college. As a result, he set off on a journey in November 2015, aiming to meet 10,000 people for an hour each for no specific reason. The responses were overwhelmingly positive, and he began meeting people from incredibly diverse backgrounds.  Following RJMetrics' acquisition on June 20, 2016, Rob, not having a position with the new company, committed full-time to his endeavor and has been making new friends ever since. To date, he's connected with over 6,000 individuals from more than 90 countries worldwide. His travels have taken him across the nation six times, and he has been featured in prominent media outlets, such as "On Air with Ryan Seacrest" and the "TODAY Show with Hoda and Jenna." He even appeared on the Kelly Clarkson Show, alongside Jane Lynch and Jo Koy, in front of an entire audience of friends from the project!  Rob Lawless remains deeply passionate about the value and adventure of connection, is excited to meet the next 4,000 of his friends and is eager to continue sharing what he's learned from his journey - that every human interaction holds the potential to change your life!
“Rob was EXCELLENT. Everyone loved him. He is such an engaging and energetic speaker with such a warm personality. I really think he enjoyed getting to know everyone during the welcome reception. The survey results were all positive!” - Ruthie Dent, Events & Marketing Manager, North Carolina Dental "I loved the active participation. I really enjoyed meeting colleagues that I otherwise would never have interacted with in my normal job duties.” - Meeting planner, Shell "One of the most impactful presentations I've seen this year. A clear call for improving communication, but more importantly making the effort to connect more deeply." - Credit Union National Association “Our president loved the event so much! They will be incorporating the breakout rooms into our next quarterly all hands meeting to keep the connections going. Just wanted to pass along the impact!” - Chemistry Agency “Love, love, love this presentation. So refreshing. So engaging. So human!! More of this!!!” - Attendee, SHRM Conference 2022
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