Why did I start a podcast? Do I even know what I'm doing? What do I have to talk about? Well, first and foremost, I'm a yapper. I love to talk and I am exceptionally passionate about small business development. When it comes to tackling a new project or learning a new system, I am usually jumping in with two feet before I even think about it. This podcast came about in a similar fashion.
I love podcasts and listen to quite a few. I value humor above all else, so I am listening to entertainment type podcasts on my drives and in the studio. I should really listen to more educational pods, but I find that I need to be able to zone in an out when I'm working, and learning requires active listening that I just cannot commit to in those spaces. A few of my absolute favorites are Armchair Expert - anything under their umbrella, but particularly the Armchair Anonymous or Flightless Bird. I also enjoy We're Here to Help, Nobody's Listening, Right?, and Conan O'Brian Needs a Friend. If you have a podcast you love, I'd love you to leave a comment and tell me about it!
Which brings me to why I started a podcast. I had a few different friends who had suggested starting a podcast with me, as a partnership, and although I was enthusiastic to do those things, they didn't work out initially. I had a marketing client who needed help producing and publishing her podcast and I felt compelled to educate myself. I wanted to help my client if she should want to hire me to produce her podcast, but I needed to make sure I could do it. I mean, how hard could it be? I also had the idea of a dating nightmare story podcast in the back of my mind, and was interested in seeing how I could actually share stories if I should decide to follow that path. I took to the interweb to educate myself and quickly found a TON of resources. There are websites for hosting, publishing, recording, editing, and everything in between. In almost every case, the website you choose to use will have an extensive educational system and live chat for help. I looked into so many of these companies and found each one to be eager to help you be as successful as you can be in producing your show. I'll share some of the helpful information I found below.
Now, to the inspiration behind this show, Brazen Business Podcast. I had long been meeting with small business owners and chatting with them about collaborating, seeing what they are trying that they are excited about, ask how their marketing efforts are working and get into the nitty gritty about how entrepreneurship was treating them. I met most of these small business owners organically, through vendor shows, or other local business connections. In some cases, we would get a group of us together to converse in the same way. A small community grew from it. I was recently reminded of a "Staff Christmas Party" that I organized comprised of all of us business owners who were our entire company and didn't have employees to celebrate the holiday with. We ate a great meal and reflected back on the year; the wins, the losses, and the unbelievable that occurred. As I have moved forward with my career, a lot has changed, but I still can't get enough of small business discussion and learning. I still dive into what's working, what isn't and how everyone is progressing in their own way. Learning about how other people followed their passion is always so informative and inspiring, I just can't get enough. Which brings me to this podcast!
When I started my small business consulting business, Brazen Reputation, back in February of 2022, I found myself, once again, surrounded by small business owners. I found myself back in the same discussions and conversations I was having before and I wanted to see if I could share some of the wonderful insight and inspiration I always got out of them with the masses. The small step to podcast seemed like the logical answer.
The format is simple. A couple of business owners, sitting down in conversation, and whatever comes to mind is shared. I go into each interview with a loose line of questioning based on the guest. I try not to research too much before I start, because I want to be asking questions that come from genuine curiosity and learning more about the story at hand. I start out talking about what I know about the business my guest runs, and maybe a brief history on how we met. The rest just flows from there. These folks know the story without rehearsing because it is their story. We find common ground and share in joys and trials of business ownership and the conversation is always enlightening in some way. I edit for time and background interference, but for the most part, I share the entire conversation. I have interviewed people all over the country, virtually, and some local stars in person. We have about 13 episodes live right now with more to come!
So what do I hope people take away from this project? Why am I doing it? Inspiration and community. Every time I hear that others are going through some of the same growing pains I am or have been in similar situations that I have been, it inspires me to keep going. When I learn that others had to struggle and fight and adapt to keep growing, it encourages me to fight harder, work smarter and get back to the reason I started this endeavor to begin with. People are brilliant. Resilient. Smarter and wiser than I. Hearing their journey to entrepreneurship always leaves me feeling inspired. Above all else, I am doing it for the sense of community we all get from feeling like we are part of a group of like-minded individuals. Lifting fellow businesses up and the ripple effect that can come from spreading positivity is something I have always tried to facilitate and this podcast is one of the ways I can do that.
Now, if you're looking to start a podcast for yourself, here are some helpful tips I have learned:
Start reading now. There is a ton of information out there to help you, and it is all readily accessible. Multiple sites have informational videos on equipment, recording, how to market, being successful and so much more. All you need is the time to read it.
You don't need to invest in fancy audio/visual equipment right out of the gate. Your phone, your laptop, a room with good acoustics and some cheap pop mics will make any podcast sound pretty darn good. You can improve over time. Here are the $20 mics I have been using since day one. I recommend them highly.
Things you need to consider before you start:
What will your hook/topic be? There's a million pods out there, how will yours be different?
What streaming services do you want your pod to show up on? All of them is the short answer, but what ones specifically? Make a list!
Video or Audio only format? There are pros and cons to each of these. I'm old school and listen to all my pods, so I tend to prefer audio only. It's like reading the book before watching the movie. I want all my senses focused on the message, not the way someone looks. Everyone has their preferences.
How often will you publish an episode? Weekly? Bi-monthly? Be careful not to set up too rigid or too frequent of a schedule. You need to be able to keep up.
Will it be just you, you and a co-host, or you and guests that rotate out? Depending on your topic, any of these are the right choice, you just have to decide for yourself!
How will you promote and talk about your podcast? Social media is the short answer, but how? What does that look like?
Depending on your answer to some of those questions, you will need to look for a hosting site, an audio/video editor app and in most cases, you can find a combo that does both. All of these sites have extensive educational resources. They want you to do well. They want your podcast to be a hit and make them lots of money as a result. You just have to seek the help out.
Recording in a sound friendly environment is probably the biggest move you can make to ensure quality sound. I have recorded virtually through my computer, in my podcast studio, and in public locations like coffee shops. The pop mic help, but the best thing you can do is be in a room with furniture/carpet/fabrics to absorb some of the bouncing sound and make everything crisper.
Additional tips:
Favorite recording apps:
Samsung Audio Recorder- this one is the default on my phone and after months of trying out other apps, this one is my favorite! It doesn't have a time limit, is recorded directly to my phone, so no downloading and I can transfer it to any editing app out there.
pros: default on my phone, easy to use, no time limit
cons: not on iphones (although I am sure there is a comparable apple app), you can't edit on the app
Cost: free
Riverside- this is Spotify's new partner and the leading podcast recording and editing software. The editing is unmatched in this app, as it translates the entire file to a text format and you can edit your video/audio as a word document. There are also other modifications that are specific to podcasting that you can't find elsewhere or you have to use multiple apps to cover.
pros: made for podcasters, easiest editing capabilities, free options, integrated with Spotify, background music available through Spotify
cons: best features are on paid versions, it is your only recording option if you're using Spotify to record. They no longer have their own recorder/editor
Cost: free to $29/month
Podbean- this is a leader in recording/publishing podcasts and I have used it some. I use it to record only, and then export my fully formed episodes for publishing. The editing can be clunky, but their app is improving all the time
pros: made for podcasting, easy editing and quick exporting, background music available for use
cons: there are some blips on clip transitions that I haven't been able to edit around
Cost: free
Favorite editing apps:
Riverside- there are still some hiccups here in this app, but for the most part, it is the easiest to edit on. Some of the better sound quality edits are in the premium package, but you can still produce a pretty good sounding podcast with the free version.
pros: the editing is supreme; in word form it makes it a breeze, you can record remotely with multiple guests for video/audio format, social clips are AI generated for social media sharing
cons: most good audio editing features are only available on the paid versions, exporting takes a long time, AI clips always need adjusted
Cost: free to $29/month
Podcastle- This is good for visual pods and for creating social media clips with fun audio integrations like sound bars.
pros: tons of editing tools and fun additions to the audio/visual components
cons: to export in a high resolution, you must have a paid account
Cost: free to $14/month
Favorite publishing apps:
Spotify- you can create a free Spotify for Podcaster's account and publish your podcast directly from there. From that service, you can add you podcast to other streaming services, but there are some that aren't available as options. One of my podcasts uses this for all publishing and analytics and their reporting is pretty solid. It doesn't update as often as I would like, but it does offer helpful analytics.
Podserve.fm- this is my preferred publishing platform and where I host all of my individual podcasts. They offer as many podcasts as you can host, full backend management, free podcast websites for each podcast and so much more. Bonus for this company is the HR/chat representative Tyler is super quick and full of humor. 10/10 recommend
If all of this sounds like a lot, but you still have a unique and fun message to share, let's chat! I produce a number of podcasts now and can offer assistance, train you, or produce the project for you! Thanks for reading!!
My personal podcast projects can be found here:
and coming soon.... The Long Haul Podcast
Sarah
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