1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,280 So let's talk about the business. 2 00:00:02,280 --> 00:00:05,960 Explain to me a little bit more about the real business connections 3 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:07,680 and, or your podcast. 4 00:00:07,720 --> 00:00:09,080 I'm open to hearing it all. 5 00:00:09,760 --> 00:00:10,020 Yeah. 6 00:00:10,020 --> 00:00:15,220 So real business connections started as Rochester business connections. 7 00:00:15,220 --> 00:00:16,840 Again, I'm from Rochester, New York. 8 00:00:17,320 --> 00:00:21,140 And when the pandemic hit, um, I was a music fan. 9 00:00:21,180 --> 00:00:23,660 I had a music podcast in my city. 10 00:00:24,020 --> 00:00:25,380 Uh, and I was a marketer. 11 00:00:25,380 --> 00:00:28,240 I was actually a sales executive for a marketing company. 12 00:00:28,240 --> 00:00:30,760 And I had just started in this brand new role. 13 00:00:31,240 --> 00:00:39,200 So COVID hit, I was the last one in first one out, got furloughed and music. 14 00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:46,160 Ben was unemployed music industry was nonessential and I was pretty darn broke. 15 00:00:46,400 --> 00:00:52,680 So I had to reinvent music, Ben to business, Ben and business, Ben's an entrepreneur. 16 00:00:53,280 --> 00:00:57,720 And I already understood marketing and I already had this side passion project 17 00:00:57,720 --> 00:01:00,360 with music podcasting and music marketing. 18 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:06,880 So I transitioned from a Rochester music show to a Rochester business show 19 00:01:07,040 --> 00:01:12,480 where I highlight local leaders started Balbert marketing and Rochester business 20 00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:18,720 connections, which was a rinky dink, small local podcast grew rebranded. 21 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:20,720 And now it's listened to globally. 22 00:01:20,720 --> 00:01:26,040 So you have to pinch yourself because it's been many years since I began all this. 23 00:01:26,040 --> 00:01:31,320 But, uh, that's a whole new, the start of a whole new chapter in my life, Javanka. 24 00:01:31,840 --> 00:01:32,320 Yeah. 25 00:01:32,320 --> 00:01:36,520 And, and you know, it's, um, I've spoken to several, several entrepreneurs, 26 00:01:36,520 --> 00:01:43,200 business owners and the pandemic COVID had a really, really big impact. 27 00:01:43,200 --> 00:01:47,640 And I, all the audience will say it over and over again, it either 28 00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:52,920 make you or break you and to those that needed to take a shift of such as 29 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:57,640 yourself going from music into the business, it had to sit down and actually 30 00:01:57,640 --> 00:02:00,240 think things through, especially being furloughed. 31 00:02:00,240 --> 00:02:01,560 And I'm sure that wasn't fun. 32 00:02:02,080 --> 00:02:07,600 Um, at that time that you decided to go into the business mode, uh, how 33 00:02:07,600 --> 00:02:09,440 did you, how did you get started? 34 00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:13,080 What was that shift and what did it feel like to make that shift? 35 00:02:13,680 --> 00:02:15,800 Yeah, I started asking for help. 36 00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:21,200 Ah, a lot of people don't want to ask for help, but you know, this is vision 37 00:02:21,200 --> 00:02:24,920 pros, I, I want, I almost said it. 38 00:02:24,920 --> 00:02:26,200 I'll just say it anyways. 39 00:02:26,720 --> 00:02:28,600 I, I felt visionless. 40 00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:34,520 And the reason I didn't want to say that is I had some glimpses, like I had skills. 41 00:02:34,520 --> 00:02:39,240 I liked podcasting, I liked marketing, but I definitely felt visionless. 42 00:02:39,240 --> 00:02:44,200 I don't think I was visionless, but I felt visionless because everything I had 43 00:02:44,200 --> 00:02:48,040 worked up to was stripped away from me. 44 00:02:48,040 --> 00:02:51,760 And, you know, I didn't have that much going for me. 45 00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:57,640 I'm just living at home, applying for jobs, not knowing what my next move was. 46 00:02:57,920 --> 00:03:01,680 And I started the business podcast in essence to ask for help. 47 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:05,520 I didn't know that I was going to be a long-term entrepreneur, 48 00:03:05,680 --> 00:03:07,720 start a podcast agency. 49 00:03:08,040 --> 00:03:11,560 I just knew that if I talked to business owners, I'd learn things 50 00:03:11,560 --> 00:03:12,800 that I didn't already know. 51 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:17,600 And every little thing that you overlook when you're just working in a role in a 52 00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:22,320 company, like you got to know CRMs, you got to know accounting, you need to know 53 00:03:22,320 --> 00:03:25,000 sales, but you also need marketing and acquisition. 54 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:27,160 You need to make sure your customers are happy. 55 00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:28,320 You need to give referrals. 56 00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:32,320 And there's so many different moving parts that I didn't know every single 57 00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:38,680 aspect, but by podcasting, by revamping my LinkedIn profile and starting 58 00:03:38,680 --> 00:03:44,560 discussions with thought leaders that I was looking up to online, that was my 59 00:03:44,560 --> 00:03:51,600 version of asking for help and a bunch of little nibbles leads to an entire birthday 60 00:03:51,600 --> 00:03:52,160 cake. 61 00:03:52,160 --> 00:03:54,720 So now I feel like I got the whole birthday cake going. 62 00:03:55,360 --> 00:04:01,240 So it's, it's since you felt visionless, tell me about your vision. 63 00:04:01,920 --> 00:04:02,120 Yeah. 64 00:04:02,120 --> 00:04:03,760 Because no longer visionless. 65 00:04:03,760 --> 00:04:08,480 Well, and I've learned through a mentor of mine, Brian Bogert always says there 66 00:04:08,480 --> 00:04:12,840 is no end destination, only constant evolution of self. 67 00:04:13,560 --> 00:04:20,040 And I feel like I'm still evolving right now in this moment, to this day. 68 00:04:20,280 --> 00:04:25,360 And when I felt visionless and when I was asking for help and when I didn't know 69 00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:32,600 what my next move would be, I started to realize that like, I was, I was, I was 70 00:04:32,600 --> 00:04:37,520 realizing that like a big expense in life is learning from the wrong people. 71 00:04:37,880 --> 00:04:41,760 It's being stubborn and running really fast in the wrong direction. 72 00:04:41,760 --> 00:04:43,200 And then guess what happens? 73 00:04:43,760 --> 00:04:45,560 You got to turn around and run back. 74 00:04:45,920 --> 00:04:51,640 Um, so my goal and my vision has become to get the knowledge and the wisdom from 75 00:04:51,640 --> 00:04:54,560 the people who have it to the people who need it. 76 00:04:55,280 --> 00:04:59,480 And the beauty is Ben was in the need it category. 77 00:04:59,480 --> 00:05:04,800 Yes, so I got to learn every single day and I document with the podcast and the 78 00:05:04,800 --> 00:05:08,360 social media, I document my learning process. 79 00:05:08,680 --> 00:05:11,800 Now I'm at, I'm at a point where I'm not at the top of the hill. 80 00:05:12,080 --> 00:05:13,440 Rome wasn't built in a day. 81 00:05:13,440 --> 00:05:17,000 I was just in Rome recently and that was not built in a day. 82 00:05:17,640 --> 00:05:22,600 And I'm still learning every single day, but as I learn and as I level up and as 83 00:05:22,600 --> 00:05:27,160 I gain more wisdom, I pass that down to others at the same time. 84 00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:31,040 So if every day in every way possible, we can just get the wisdom from the 85 00:05:31,040 --> 00:05:33,800 people who have it to the people who need it. 86 00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:38,000 I think we can all run in the right direction together. 87 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:41,840 Yeah, we're going to make mistakes, but we don't have to waste our time with 88 00:05:41,840 --> 00:05:47,040 fake gurus and scams and false promises that everybody at some point has been 89 00:05:47,040 --> 00:05:50,200 burned by and I don't want that to happen again to anybody. 90 00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:54,360 You know, Ben, you said something that's truly, truly important. 91 00:05:54,360 --> 00:06:00,800 And you said it a couple of times, asking for help and people just don't, you know, 92 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:05,960 and you starting a podcast was probably a little different way of asking for help. 93 00:06:07,760 --> 00:06:13,440 How do you, how do you think that actually helped you to be able to, to be 94 00:06:13,440 --> 00:06:14,840 where you are right now? 95 00:06:15,160 --> 00:06:19,000 And then what do you say to entrepreneurs or business owners that are listening 96 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:20,560 that have never asked for help? 97 00:06:20,560 --> 00:06:25,760 Yeah, so the podcast was a tremendously sophisticated way to ask for help. 98 00:06:25,800 --> 00:06:30,360 Because if you're like a high school student or in college and you want a 99 00:06:30,360 --> 00:06:34,760 mentor, you can send me a DM and say, Hey Ben, I would love to pick your brain. 100 00:06:34,760 --> 00:06:40,680 I'm writing a research paper and I'm down, but truly the term pick your brain 101 00:06:40,920 --> 00:06:44,880 is not my favorite because I don't know if I get the brain cells back. 102 00:06:45,200 --> 00:06:47,440 I definitely don't get the time back. 103 00:06:47,440 --> 00:06:50,880 And my time's more valuable than a cup of coffee. 104 00:06:51,280 --> 00:06:58,600 So podcasting was a sophisticated way to ask for help because I found a way to 105 00:06:58,600 --> 00:07:00,160 share mutual value. 106 00:07:00,960 --> 00:07:04,960 And I guess that's really the answer to your question is someone doesn't know how 107 00:07:04,960 --> 00:07:07,080 to ask for help or they're just getting started. 108 00:07:07,080 --> 00:07:11,040 They're have uncertainty, find ways to provide mutual value. 109 00:07:11,680 --> 00:07:16,000 So if I have a question for you, maybe I put it in a research paper. 110 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:17,800 Maybe I put it in a blog. 111 00:07:18,040 --> 00:07:19,840 Maybe I make some introductions. 112 00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:21,800 Maybe I refer business to you. 113 00:07:21,840 --> 00:07:27,160 One thing I've done to get great podcast guests, it's not that complicated. 114 00:07:27,400 --> 00:07:28,600 I buy from them. 115 00:07:29,080 --> 00:07:34,120 I joined their mentorship program because then you can gain access to anyone, 116 00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:36,160 but it's about providing mutual value. 117 00:07:36,480 --> 00:07:43,520 So I was a small podcaster in a smaller city, but I was the top Rochester 118 00:07:43,520 --> 00:07:48,760 business podcast and beauty of the pandemic is CEOs could show up in their 119 00:07:48,760 --> 00:07:55,400 pajama pants and so it's a sophisticated way of asking for help. 120 00:07:55,400 --> 00:07:59,040 So the question is how can you provide mutual value? 121 00:07:59,320 --> 00:08:02,880 Because if you help others, they're going to help you back. 122 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:04,360 That's just how it works. 123 00:08:04,920 --> 00:08:05,320 Yes. 124 00:08:05,320 --> 00:08:10,640 And it's that that give and then she'll, it should be given unto you statements. 125 00:08:10,640 --> 00:08:11,840 And I won't say that again. 126 00:08:11,840 --> 00:08:17,480 I'll give you a statement and I won't go as far as to say anything else, but you're 127 00:08:17,480 --> 00:08:22,760 right, you know, providing value, but a lot of people, I won't say a lot of people, 128 00:08:22,760 --> 00:08:28,760 so many individuals that are starting entrepreneurship is really focused on 129 00:08:28,760 --> 00:08:30,440 someone else's vision, right? 130 00:08:30,600 --> 00:08:34,720 And they just get into the business and it's, it's about the money. 131 00:08:34,960 --> 00:08:40,160 So giving value and then being able to receive isn't really as big. 132 00:08:40,160 --> 00:08:42,280 As it, as it should be right now. 133 00:08:42,320 --> 00:08:49,160 When I speak of that, how would someone give value if they're just really just 134 00:08:49,160 --> 00:08:51,640 trying to make money or is that even possible? 135 00:08:52,640 --> 00:08:56,200 I want to address someone sharing someone else's vision. 136 00:08:56,440 --> 00:08:56,720 Yeah. 137 00:08:57,080 --> 00:08:58,520 Now we, we know this. 138 00:08:58,520 --> 00:09:02,920 I know most of the listeners probably know, like you can work really hard at 139 00:09:02,920 --> 00:09:07,440 someone else's vision and if you're miserable, it's just going to eat away at 140 00:09:07,440 --> 00:09:09,880 you because you're like, I'm not passionate about it. 141 00:09:09,880 --> 00:09:10,920 We're not aligned. 142 00:09:10,920 --> 00:09:12,640 The culture doesn't appreciate me. 143 00:09:13,240 --> 00:09:15,720 What happens when the culture does appreciate you? 144 00:09:16,120 --> 00:09:17,960 I think that, so I'm an entrepreneur. 145 00:09:17,960 --> 00:09:22,600 I think entrepreneurship is glorified and there's nothing wrong with being the 146 00:09:22,600 --> 00:09:27,600 number two, there's nothing wrong with being the number three in a valuable 147 00:09:27,600 --> 00:09:29,440 shared vision there. 148 00:09:29,440 --> 00:09:30,400 It's a Ted talk. 149 00:09:30,400 --> 00:09:35,520 Y'all can look it up, but the short version is it was like a high school rock 150 00:09:35,520 --> 00:09:41,520 concert and there's just one crazy dude dancing like a maniac up in the front. 151 00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:44,600 And he's just dancing like a cuckoo person. 152 00:09:44,600 --> 00:09:51,000 Like it's kind of like funny and weird, but then one person joins him and that 153 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:55,040 second person starts dancing like a weirdo as well. 154 00:09:55,520 --> 00:09:58,640 And once you have two people, now we're starting a crowd. 155 00:09:58,640 --> 00:10:03,160 It was that second person that took a crazy person and made them look cool. 156 00:10:03,160 --> 00:10:08,600 So then the third person joins in and before you know it, it's like a stampede 157 00:10:08,600 --> 00:10:10,000 out of the lion King. 158 00:10:10,360 --> 00:10:15,080 Everyone's running to the front to laugh and dance when everybody was at one 159 00:10:15,080 --> 00:10:16,000 point sitting down. 160 00:10:16,720 --> 00:10:21,640 Now people celebrate the person with the big vision, the crazy dancing person, 161 00:10:21,640 --> 00:10:27,240 but it's really the number one follower, the first person that jumped on board. 162 00:10:27,760 --> 00:10:29,880 Then actually started that movement. 163 00:10:29,880 --> 00:10:35,720 The person, the crazy dancing person gets the credit, but it's the helper that 164 00:10:35,720 --> 00:10:37,520 actually made it all possible. 165 00:10:38,240 --> 00:10:44,080 So if someone feels like they don't have a perfect vision or a perfect product or 166 00:10:44,080 --> 00:10:47,520 a perfect plan, partner with someone who does. 167 00:10:48,960 --> 00:10:51,240 And that's a big thing of what I do. 168 00:10:51,240 --> 00:10:55,200 I don't know what I'm doing half the time, but as a marketer, I get to partner 169 00:10:55,200 --> 00:11:00,320 with brilliant people, amplify their vision, and then the world's a better 170 00:11:00,320 --> 00:11:03,120 place for it, even if I don't get all the credit for it. 171 00:11:03,960 --> 00:11:04,480 Yeah. 172 00:11:04,480 --> 00:11:04,720 Yeah. 173 00:11:04,720 --> 00:11:06,960 Well, you know, that's a, that's a great point. 174 00:11:06,960 --> 00:11:11,120 I'm going to definitely have to look that up, but I don't think that I've ever 175 00:11:11,160 --> 00:11:14,000 visualized it like that, you know, you're, you're right. 176 00:11:14,000 --> 00:11:17,560 The person that looked crazy is now known, right? 177 00:11:17,560 --> 00:11:22,440 But the second person that came in and you know, it's often been that most 178 00:11:22,440 --> 00:11:27,400 business owners and entrepreneurs say, find someone that could help you. 179 00:11:27,400 --> 00:11:32,240 But then there again, not a lot of people ask for help at all. 180 00:11:32,240 --> 00:11:36,800 So they're pretty much, you know, on their own, trying to figure things out themselves. 181 00:11:38,400 --> 00:11:39,840 What's your why? 182 00:11:41,680 --> 00:11:43,440 Those are such big questions. 183 00:11:43,440 --> 00:11:47,840 And I feel like I have a why in different areas of life. 184 00:11:47,840 --> 00:11:52,280 Um, okay. 185 00:11:53,040 --> 00:11:53,640 We're back. 186 00:11:54,120 --> 00:11:54,680 We're back. 187 00:11:55,040 --> 00:11:55,640 We're back. 188 00:11:56,360 --> 00:11:56,760 Yes. 189 00:11:56,760 --> 00:11:59,480 We both froze and started turning, but we're good now. 190 00:12:01,040 --> 00:12:07,000 I have trouble, um, answering what's your why, because I feel like my why shows up 191 00:12:07,480 --> 00:12:11,240 in different ways in different areas of my life. 192 00:12:11,760 --> 00:12:17,480 Like my why at home is that I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not 193 00:12:17,480 --> 00:12:20,880 my why at home is just to be the best partner I can be. 194 00:12:21,360 --> 00:12:21,640 Yeah. 195 00:12:22,160 --> 00:12:27,880 My why at work is to help amplify brilliant people. 196 00:12:28,040 --> 00:12:32,440 Um, so they don't feel silent so they can reach more people so they can help more 197 00:12:32,440 --> 00:12:32,960 people. 198 00:12:33,320 --> 00:12:40,000 Um, really my why at the core is just to be the best Ben that I possibly can. 199 00:12:40,760 --> 00:12:42,680 And to share that with the world. 200 00:12:42,680 --> 00:12:48,200 So whether it's being the best, you know, partner, I can be at home being the best 201 00:12:48,400 --> 00:12:54,600 marketer I can for my client or taking care of my body, taking care of my soul, 202 00:12:54,760 --> 00:12:57,920 doing it for a higher purpose beyond just me. 203 00:12:59,200 --> 00:13:01,360 I have trouble with the why question. 204 00:13:01,360 --> 00:13:07,640 I know it's like a common question, but my why evolves as I evolve. 205 00:13:07,640 --> 00:13:12,480 And I just want to show up and do the best job I can everywhere I go. 206 00:13:12,840 --> 00:13:16,360 You know, and that's, that's, that's so fair to answer it that way. 207 00:13:16,400 --> 00:13:18,880 Um, why is a big question? 208 00:13:19,880 --> 00:13:24,480 I don't even know why I want to be happy or something, you know? 209 00:13:25,120 --> 00:13:25,600 Yes. 210 00:13:25,600 --> 00:13:29,600 And I want everybody else to be happy, but it's so funny because we can't say 211 00:13:29,600 --> 00:13:31,040 that cliche stuff, right? 212 00:13:31,160 --> 00:13:33,520 I want to be happy and I want you to be happy. 213 00:13:33,520 --> 00:13:37,560 So let's talk, let's go into your marketing side of the business. 214 00:13:37,880 --> 00:13:40,400 Um, tell me more about that. 215 00:13:41,080 --> 00:13:41,560 Yeah. 216 00:13:41,600 --> 00:13:45,040 Um, I mean, there's a lot of categories. 217 00:13:45,040 --> 00:13:46,880 You want to talk about podcasting. 218 00:13:46,920 --> 00:13:48,640 We'll, we'll just talk about podcasting. 219 00:13:48,680 --> 00:13:49,480 Let's do it. 220 00:13:50,200 --> 00:13:56,560 Um, because it's, I started with a marketing company where we did the works, web 221 00:13:56,560 --> 00:14:02,640 design, social media marketing, search engine optimization, content video. 222 00:14:02,640 --> 00:14:03,800 We did all of it. 223 00:14:03,960 --> 00:14:09,320 So when I started my company, I just started doing all of it because I was 224 00:14:09,320 --> 00:14:14,280 just doing what I know, but on the side, I was podcasting for fun, doing the 225 00:14:14,280 --> 00:14:16,680 music podcast and the business podcast. 226 00:14:16,800 --> 00:14:19,560 I had no products for podcasters at all. 227 00:14:20,240 --> 00:14:25,880 I was doing the podcast to network, meet brilliant people, ask for help, 228 00:14:25,880 --> 00:14:27,400 get answers and share it. 229 00:14:27,400 --> 00:14:32,280 But since I had a traditional online marketing background, I understood the 230 00:14:32,280 --> 00:14:37,840 websites, I understood the SEO, I understood the content and it took a lot of like 231 00:14:37,840 --> 00:14:41,720 pinches and I feel like a couple of slaps in the face where people are like, 232 00:14:41,720 --> 00:14:43,360 Ben, you're the podcast guy. 233 00:14:43,760 --> 00:14:49,680 And I'm like, yeah, I podcast for content and relationships, but I sell X, Y and Z. 234 00:14:50,800 --> 00:14:54,960 And my friends like you sell X, Y and Z, but you do A, B and C. 235 00:14:54,960 --> 00:14:58,200 In order to get clients for X, Y and Z, why don't you just help your 236 00:14:58,200 --> 00:14:59,680 clients with the podcast? 237 00:14:59,880 --> 00:15:01,320 You're making it complicated. 238 00:15:01,680 --> 00:15:05,640 So I was able to take those traditional marketing skills because I'm just going 239 00:15:05,640 --> 00:15:06,720 to be transparent. 240 00:15:06,880 --> 00:15:11,880 Podcasting is super popular and a lot of people roll out of bed and go, I'm going 241 00:15:11,880 --> 00:15:16,280 to start a podcasting agency, but they don't understand the fundamentals of 242 00:15:16,280 --> 00:15:17,320 online marketing. 243 00:15:17,800 --> 00:15:23,240 So what I do is I just apply the fundamentals to online marketing and 244 00:15:23,240 --> 00:15:27,280 fundamentals to online marketing, to podcasting. 245 00:15:28,280 --> 00:15:30,040 And then I get to do that every day now. 246 00:15:30,960 --> 00:15:31,600 Wow. 247 00:15:31,600 --> 00:15:32,320 Okay. 248 00:15:32,320 --> 00:15:36,360 So your marketing is teaching people how to be a podcaster. 249 00:15:37,080 --> 00:15:39,640 Most of what I do, so all that stuff's free. 250 00:15:39,680 --> 00:15:41,560 We talk about it on my show all the time. 251 00:15:41,720 --> 00:15:44,560 What I mostly do is the agency end. 252 00:15:44,880 --> 00:15:50,120 So there's a thought leader who's way too busy shaking hand, taking names, 253 00:15:50,120 --> 00:15:56,840 how fires and we partner with them to be their number two and do their podcast 254 00:15:56,840 --> 00:15:58,920 production and marketing for them. 255 00:15:59,400 --> 00:16:02,520 So I don't have any products on the education side. 256 00:16:02,520 --> 00:16:04,200 You can get all of that for free. 257 00:16:04,520 --> 00:16:08,320 I'm for the super busy thought leader that can't do it on their own. 258 00:16:08,320 --> 00:16:09,280 That's where I come in. 259 00:16:10,280 --> 00:16:11,000 Interesting. 260 00:16:11,040 --> 00:16:14,480 I mean, because it's totally just blows my mind. 261 00:16:14,520 --> 00:16:19,240 Like you said, people just roll out of bed and say, I want to have a podcast. 262 00:16:19,240 --> 00:16:21,560 Never having any thought process to it. 263 00:16:21,560 --> 00:16:29,640 Also having a business, realizing that podcasting can actually expand the business. 264 00:16:30,000 --> 00:16:36,080 And so when you do get someone and it's an idea, where do you take them in order to begin? 265 00:16:36,960 --> 00:16:42,520 Um, we just, I mean, I don't want to get super technical, but we just get started. 266 00:16:42,520 --> 00:16:42,920 You know, 267 00:16:42,920 --> 00:16:47,960 you make things Ben, like you make these just sound so smooth and so easy. 268 00:16:48,640 --> 00:16:52,880 Um, it really is though, because when you're picking up your phone and you go to your 269 00:16:52,880 --> 00:16:59,840 favorite podcast app, you're going to look for a cover art that catches your eye. 270 00:17:00,400 --> 00:17:01,960 And then you're going to listen to it. 271 00:17:02,400 --> 00:17:06,520 And then you're going to hope for good quality audio and a good 272 00:17:06,520 --> 00:17:08,120 topic and a good conversation. 273 00:17:08,320 --> 00:17:10,240 Now there's a lot of technical stuff. 274 00:17:10,240 --> 00:17:14,800 But I don't want to, I want to not get super technical with somebody. 275 00:17:14,960 --> 00:17:16,760 I just want them to show up. 276 00:17:17,720 --> 00:17:22,440 It's their podcast and I'm just the bridge to get them to a more audience. 277 00:17:22,440 --> 00:17:25,360 You know, do the technical stuff to get them to more people. 278 00:17:26,360 --> 00:17:26,960 Wow. 279 00:17:27,280 --> 00:17:33,720 I mean, like I'm truly blown away because I've never thought of marketing in, in that aspect. 280 00:17:34,040 --> 00:17:37,680 And so with that being said, what advice would you give someone who's 281 00:17:37,680 --> 00:17:40,280 just starting a podcast to build their brand? 282 00:17:40,640 --> 00:17:45,000 I know you say just start, but what more would they need to do to start? 283 00:17:45,920 --> 00:17:49,920 Yeah, this is a great exercise that you probably only have to do once. 284 00:17:50,440 --> 00:17:55,320 Um, I would take a sheet of paper and I would draw a two lines. 285 00:17:55,320 --> 00:18:00,960 So you have three columns and I would write a plus, I would write a minus 286 00:18:01,280 --> 00:18:02,480 and I would write an equal. 287 00:18:02,480 --> 00:18:07,400 So you have three columns, a plus column, a minus column, a plus column, 288 00:18:07,400 --> 00:18:09,800 a minus column in equals column. 289 00:18:10,040 --> 00:18:12,280 You can obviously do it on a desktop as well. 290 00:18:12,560 --> 00:18:15,480 And your pluses are your mentors. 291 00:18:16,920 --> 00:18:19,000 Those are the people you want to learn from. 292 00:18:19,040 --> 00:18:23,920 And those are the people that your target audience also wants to learn from. 293 00:18:24,360 --> 00:18:28,000 So you make a list of all your dream guests, your dream mentors, the 294 00:18:28,000 --> 00:18:29,640 people that know things that you don't. 295 00:18:30,280 --> 00:18:32,840 Your minus is your mentees. 296 00:18:34,040 --> 00:18:35,880 These are audience members. 297 00:18:35,880 --> 00:18:39,600 What do they, I write actual names, but what do they look like? 298 00:18:39,600 --> 00:18:40,640 What do they need? 299 00:18:41,560 --> 00:18:43,280 Um, how can I help them? 300 00:18:43,520 --> 00:18:47,520 So I understand who I'm going to learn from, who I'm going to teach. 301 00:18:47,880 --> 00:18:52,160 And the last category year equals that's the peer to peer support. 302 00:18:52,840 --> 00:18:59,280 So if I'm an online, uh, web designer, but I don't do social media marketing, 303 00:18:59,640 --> 00:19:02,640 I want to build a network of social media marketers. 304 00:19:02,640 --> 00:19:07,920 If I'm a podcaster that does audio, but I don't do a ton of video, I might bring 305 00:19:07,920 --> 00:19:11,440 someone on who does video and learn about that from a roofer. 306 00:19:11,440 --> 00:19:13,200 I'm going to bring on a landscaper. 307 00:19:13,200 --> 00:19:16,840 If I'm a CPA, I'm going to bring on a financial advisor. 308 00:19:17,160 --> 00:19:18,840 I'm going to find equals. 309 00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:23,520 So if I understand who am I learning from, who am I teaching and who are the 310 00:19:23,520 --> 00:19:28,360 peer to peers that maybe we're not spending money on each other, or maybe 311 00:19:28,360 --> 00:19:30,800 we don't even listen, but like we can collaborate. 312 00:19:30,800 --> 00:19:34,160 Then I have clarity on exactly who I serve. 313 00:19:34,640 --> 00:19:38,840 And I took me forever to figure this out. 314 00:19:38,840 --> 00:19:41,080 Like you can have clarity from day one. 315 00:19:41,400 --> 00:19:45,000 If you just know who am I going to learn from who's my peers? 316 00:19:45,160 --> 00:19:46,240 Who am I going to teach? 317 00:19:46,440 --> 00:19:50,240 Let's build a podcast around those three categories of people. 318 00:19:52,040 --> 00:19:54,520 Again, Ben, you make it sound so easy. 319 00:19:54,640 --> 00:19:57,680 And I'm telling you, my mind is just going and going. 320 00:19:57,680 --> 00:20:02,280 And I know that half of the audience that is listening will 321 00:20:02,280 --> 00:20:04,360 definitely have an understanding. 322 00:20:04,600 --> 00:20:09,720 But interesting enough, I just fell into the podcasting life, you know? 323 00:20:09,920 --> 00:20:12,800 And I didn't have any background. 324 00:20:12,840 --> 00:20:14,200 I love people. 325 00:20:14,520 --> 00:20:19,880 I love speaking to someone who's just as knowledgeable in areas that I'm not. 326 00:20:19,880 --> 00:20:23,360 So interesting enough is that you're saying for people to do that. 327 00:20:23,360 --> 00:20:27,200 Intentionally, I've done this unintentionally. 328 00:20:27,200 --> 00:20:31,600 I get to talk about Ben's vision and how he got where he got. 329 00:20:31,600 --> 00:20:37,200 And so interesting enough is maybe someone just falls into it, but I love 330 00:20:37,200 --> 00:20:44,200 the fact that you have an intentionality about that in teaching people how to 331 00:20:44,200 --> 00:20:47,080 get to where you are and what I fell into. 332 00:20:47,400 --> 00:20:51,160 And before we leave, I actually have a really interesting question. 333 00:20:51,160 --> 00:20:55,840 What was your most significant learning experience in this all? 334 00:20:56,960 --> 00:21:00,160 We got so many of these significant learning experiences. 335 00:21:00,480 --> 00:21:04,760 You know, I think the biggest one we already talked about, like you 336 00:21:04,760 --> 00:21:12,920 might feel visionless, you might feel lost, you might be broke, you might be struggling. 337 00:21:13,360 --> 00:21:18,280 And there's a narrative that you have to grind and pull yourself up from your 338 00:21:18,280 --> 00:21:23,800 bootstraps, no, but you can't, someone made the boots. 339 00:21:25,120 --> 00:21:30,400 So like we can't do anything without a collective help. 340 00:21:32,080 --> 00:21:33,280 I might be wearing clothes. 341 00:21:33,280 --> 00:21:34,400 I didn't make the clothes. 342 00:21:34,480 --> 00:21:35,720 We do nothing alone. 343 00:21:36,120 --> 00:21:40,400 We do everything with a community, making it possible for each other. 344 00:21:40,720 --> 00:21:42,920 So if you feel lost, you don't know what to do. 345 00:21:43,120 --> 00:21:44,440 That's how I fell. 346 00:21:44,440 --> 00:21:47,680 Start reaching out to people that might have answers. 347 00:21:48,640 --> 00:21:52,440 And still to this day, I don't know. 348 00:21:52,640 --> 00:21:54,800 I don't have this perfect people come on. 349 00:21:54,800 --> 00:21:56,200 I'm sure they come on this podcast. 350 00:21:56,200 --> 00:22:00,800 They're so confident about exactly what they're here to do and why to do it. 351 00:22:01,160 --> 00:22:02,520 I'm not a hundred percent sure. 352 00:22:03,040 --> 00:22:07,600 I'm here to learn and I'm here to collaborate and ask for help on every 353 00:22:07,600 --> 00:22:12,760 single day, because in those darkest moments, I'm not 100% sure. 354 00:22:12,760 --> 00:22:19,240 In those darkest moments, I know that I'm just a DM or a phone call away for 355 00:22:19,240 --> 00:22:20,680 someone that can bring some light. 356 00:22:21,120 --> 00:22:21,480 Yeah. 357 00:22:21,560 --> 00:22:21,960 Yeah. 358 00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:23,240 And I love that. 359 00:22:23,280 --> 00:22:28,720 I just love how you're just easy going and you're going with the flow and your 360 00:22:28,720 --> 00:22:32,160 answers are so authentic and genuine. 361 00:22:32,160 --> 00:22:35,320 Ben, I truly appreciate that about you. 362 00:22:35,320 --> 00:22:42,280 And I tell you as from your shift to music, to where you are now, I'm super 363 00:22:42,280 --> 00:22:43,080 proud of you. 364 00:22:43,080 --> 00:22:44,320 You made it work. 365 00:22:44,440 --> 00:22:45,320 You know what I mean? 366 00:22:45,320 --> 00:22:49,880 And when you didn't have a vision and now you're giving other people vision and I, 367 00:22:50,320 --> 00:22:51,360 I respect that. 368 00:22:51,360 --> 00:22:56,040 And I applaud you for taking something that didn't feel so good to making it 369 00:22:56,040 --> 00:23:00,440 feel better, not only for yourself, but those that listen in to your podcast. 370 00:23:00,680 --> 00:23:03,280 Um, please share with the audience where they can hear your 371 00:23:03,280 --> 00:23:05,520 podcast that and your website. 372 00:23:06,200 --> 00:23:07,840 I'm going to give a two part thing. 373 00:23:07,840 --> 00:23:09,760 Part one's most important. 374 00:23:09,760 --> 00:23:15,400 If you guys haven't like hit subscribe here, if you haven't hit five stars here, 375 00:23:15,680 --> 00:23:20,080 bonus points, if you actually leave a written review, like none of this is 376 00:23:20,080 --> 00:23:23,160 possible without the team at vision pros. 377 00:23:23,720 --> 00:23:28,320 So show some love here first, because if you just type in the words, real 378 00:23:28,320 --> 00:23:33,280 business connections into Google, realbusinessconnections.com real 379 00:23:33,280 --> 00:23:37,360 business connections, any podcast staff, you can find me, but you would have 380 00:23:37,360 --> 00:23:40,480 never had the vision to find me if you weren't here first. 381 00:23:40,680 --> 00:23:46,480 So show some love here and then type in the words, real business connections. 382 00:23:47,040 --> 00:23:47,840 And that's where I'll be. 383 00:23:48,200 --> 00:23:49,480 Thank you for being here today. 384 00:23:49,560 --> 00:23:52,000 I'm really happy that you tuned into vision pros live. 385 00:23:52,040 --> 00:23:55,160 I'm looking forward to seeing your reactions as these 386 00:23:55,160 --> 00:23:56,960 episodes continue to move forward. 387 00:23:56,960 --> 00:23:58,640 This is going to get more and more fun. 388 00:23:58,680 --> 00:24:00,480 We'll have more and more engagement as well. 389 00:24:00,480 --> 00:24:03,960 We'll invite people to participate in the show and thank you for giving us 390 00:24:03,960 --> 00:24:07,200 your time and attention, have an excellent time building out your 391 00:24:07,200 --> 00:24:09,120 vision and becoming a vision pro yourself.