One of my listeners, a connection from LinkedIn, Tejeshwer Singh, Founder and Co-President at Learning Square, asked me the following questions. Instead of answering a private message, I decided to answer him in a public post.
1- What inspired you to create your own podcast?
About 15 years ago, I was the owner of a dance school. I started listening to marketing podcasts in order to find ways to better market my business. I found valuable information which I implemented every week.
My dance school went on to be one of the most profitable schools in the city. The only downside to my marketing success was that I didn’t know how to delegate so after seven years of growth, I burned out and I closed my school (with a nice pile of money) and I went into something else.
The habit of listening to podcasts stuck with me and it’s something that I do every day. Eventually, I got curious about creating my own podcast. I thought about it for about two years, and finally, three years ago I created my own podcast.
2-How did you organize yourself and expand the company?
I don’t organize myself very well, I am super unproductive. I get distracted very easily. I work in between distractions.
Maybe the biggest productivity hack is that I don’t have a TV. I haven’t owned a TV in the past 22 years, so eventually I run out of distractions and I do the work. If anyone would listen, I suggest getting rid of your TV. It seems radical, but after a few months, you will be happy you did.
Another productivity secret is not to be afraid to ship unfinished or imperfect work. I suffer from impostor syndrome because English is not my first language and I also compare myself with the best podcasters of the industry, but regardless of my fears and insecurities, I ship every day, I do a little prayer to the podcasting gods and I hit the publish button when a new episode has to out.
3-What strategies did you use for marketing and advertisement?
The most difficult part about selling a product or a service is to have patience. Starting with low overhead is extremely important because most businesses take a long time to develop. Whatever time you imagined it would take, it can easily take three to five times as long.
I started my podcast three years ago and it still is not profitable. Yes, it makes a little bit of money, but not enough to pay my own salary.
Consistency is very important as well. You continue showing up, even when you think no one cares someone does care, and then another person, and then another, and eventually you will have a business.
As far as advertising, I don’t believe in social media. I believe that it’s intrusive. I have ad blockers and I resent social media advertising because they interrupt my scrolling. As far as promoting your business in social media, people spend too much time trying to engage in social media. If they value their time at $20/hour, and they calculate how much time they spend on social media, they would be surprised by how much money they are losing.
One form of advertising I find worth it is SEO. You learn a little bit of SEO, you work on it, and people will land on your website when they are looking for your services. Your SEO work will last for years while your social media post will be buried in minutes. I have articles on my website that still bring readers to my blogs several years after their publication; that’s not the case with any social media post.
In your case, Tejeshwer, I don’t know your business, but It seems to me that free sample workshops would go a long way. Let’s say there is a math exam coming on. If you offer a free workshop on how to solve a particular mathematical problem, people would come and those who can pay, will book your services. When I used to be the owner of a dance school, we used to give free classes every week-end, the word got around, my free classes were full and then my paid classes were full as well.
4- Are there any resources you would recommend to someone trying to expand their own startup?
Get way from naysayers. A big part of your success is your environment. Look for people who have similar ambitions as you. Share your successes, encourage each other, etc. If you cannot find people who think and act alike, then surround yourself with podcasts, YouTube videos, and read a lot of books.
When you listen, watch, and read those positive messages every day, you’ll become part of the message. The message will slip into your subconscious and you begin to think and act like the characters in the books, videos, and audios. At times you will surprise yourself with your own thoughts.
5- What advice would you give to someone entering the entrepreneurial world?
Entrepreneurship is an act of love for humanity. Everything around you was the creation of an entrepreneur. Many of those entrepreneurs never made a profit but they had to give it a try anyway. They saw a problem, they created a solution, and they gave it to the world. Only a small percentage got compensated. Also, their products or services continue servicing humanity long after the entrepreneurs are gone. Gutenberg invented the printing press in 1440, and today we are still reading printed books, 580 years after his gift to humanity.
Consider entrepreneurship as an act of love and generosity. If you don’t love what you are doing, just don’t do it. My podcast hasn’t made much money in the three years it has been running, but tomorrow you can expect another podcast episode from me. Above all, my podcast is an act of love towards my guests and my listeners. The marketplace will recognize my patience and consistency and one day it will compensate me economically.
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