Tips for Starting a Podcast

This blog post is super special because it is all about our 200th podcast episode.

Breaking it down that is…

200 episodes

Over 100 guests

Almost 6,000 minutes of content

And a whole lot of lessons learned along the way. 

I thought it would be fun to share the story of how the podcast came about (in case you wanted to create one yourself), why it is my favorite platform, and some lessons learned along the way. 

How I got started with the podcast

This podcast was honestly created on a whim, like an idea in the shower on a Saturday morning. I think some of life’s best ideas come from these sort of situations. I was about two months into my one-year challenge of starting a new business and was fresh into working with a new business coach with an assignment to think about what I wanted to offer. You know to actually make money. 

I could NOT for the life of me figure it out. So I decided that in order to offer the right service, I needed to build a community first. Because at the time I was working full time and couldn’t finish a book to save my life, the way I learned was from podcasts. It made sense to try to build an audience and community based on what I enjoyed and what fit into my current season of life. 

That’s where it started and here's the fun fact: I had this idea on a random Sunday and just two weeks later we had our first episode. I say we, but it was just me as no "team" existed. I binged listened to a free course, bought a microphone on Amazon, paid for some intro music and we were off. 

I had NO idea what I was doing. I didn’t follow any launch strategy. There was no fancy trailer or graphics. I just did it. 

Three tips for starting a podcast

1. Do it messy. Just put it out there. It doesn’t have to be fancy with all the bells and whistles at first. Over time of course we added graphics and now have a team helping us edit, but at the beginning, it was me on a Saturday morning hanging out in my closet. It doesn't have to be perfect to get started.
   
   
2. Teaching is actually a learning experience. As I started to think about episodes to share I did research. And the writing. And brainstorming. I have actually learned SO much in the process.  The lesson here is serving others is actually a great way for your growth as well. Embrace it.
   
   
3. Community is VERY powerful. I learned this very quickly. I would have a guest on the show and then they would connect me with other guests who would then connect me to additional resources. When you multiply that by 200 episodes, it became the most powerful growth tool in my business. I had no idea we would be where we were now, but I embraced the community that the podcast created. 
   
   What if you connect just one person with another person that would help them? And then they referred you to someone that they thought you could help? It is old school networking at its finest and it worked and is still working.
   
   Before I knew it I had podcast editors pitching me with some pretty big guests, found myself in entrepreneur.com magazine, and more. It was all because of networking, not a fancy website or daily social media strategy.
   
   
   
4. You have to show up. Whether it is podcasting or anything in my opinion. Can you imagine if I sometimes put a podcast out every week? Not an option. It has to be every. week. And not once but twice each week. Consistency was what I went all-in with. It was so successful that it is now one of the pillars I teach.  

Do you love these tips? Take the Productivity Personality Quiz to get a Netflix-style binge-worthy resource list to help you find your focus and is customized to you! Take the quiz here. 

What if you followed through with what you said you were going to do for one full year? What would that look like? 

Maybe it is walking every day. 

Or getting 8 hours of sleep. 

Or if you have been following along on my 8-hour workweek schedule, showing up to work one hour a day. 

What kind of results would you have if you followed through with what you actually planned? 

200 Episode Recap 

Recapping all the things in 200+ episodes, I want you to start messy. Learn from the messy experience. Realize that you don’t have to do business alone and there is an amazing community out there waiting to support you (p.s. We have a pretty awesome one you can join!) and actually follow the plan you put together. Where can you be a year from now if you are messy and open to learning and really freaking consistent?

My guess is pretty far along. 

So the last lesson learned in 200 episodes is this:

Think about what makes you happy.

I pivoted and started this business because I wasn’t happy. I was burnt out. Going through the motions and not seeing progress. If you are stuck, not seeing results, not happy, what are you doing? 

I sit and write podcast episodes at 6 am on Saturday mornings because I LOVE it. It brings me SO much joy. It is hands down one of my favorite activities. 

Are you running a business that you feel like you have to because you are so far in it or because you love it? The answer will make a difference. As soon as I was able to merge a business that brought me joy and happiness, everything changed.

It doesn’t feel like work writing this blog post. I hope you can see that and know that you can create this as well.

So here we are. Podcast episode 200. I hope to create 500+ episodes and for my podcast and this blog to live on forever. I’d love to know what blog has been your favorite. Send me a DM, what do you like reading? What would you like to read more of? 

I have a feeling this is just the beginning. Thanks for reading! 

Looking for more on this topic and your High-Level Action items? Check out the Strategy Lab in the Crush the Rush Club!