Welcome to Milestone Moments, the show where
we explore the journeys that lead to success.
I'm Sheila Slick, your host and founder of Five
Milestones. In every episode, we will bring you
insights from the minds of entrepreneurs, leaders
and experts who will share not just their expertise,
but the milestone moments that have reshaped
their journeys and led to significant achievements.
So if you're looking for motivation, you're in
the right place. Subscribe now and discover the
milestones that mark the path to success. Welcome
to another episode of Milestone Moments in Business
and Leadership. I'm Sheila Slick, your host.
And today, my special guest is Harry Duran. Harry
is founder of Fullcast, where he helps thought
leaders grow their network and expand their reach
through podcasting. With over 10 years handling
all aspects from coaching to set up to launch
to marketing and promotion, he allows you to
focus on your genius. Welcome to the show. I
appreciate you having me on. What led you to
becoming a podcast strategist? So the agency
started in 2015, but prior to that, a year before,
I had started my own show. So that's Podcast
Junkies. was leaving and sort of ending my corporate
job. I'd been 20 plus years in marketing. I worked
for E -Trade, JPMorgan Chase. But as that was
winding down, I had heard about podcasting because
I was doing a lot of like working on a mobile
app with a friend of mine. And I have a passion
for electronic music and DJing. I grew up in
the 80s. I learned on vinyl. And so at the time,
I thought maybe I'd start a podcast so I could
promote this app that I was working on. with
a friend of mine, and I was listening to podcasts
about mobile app development. I'm like, wow,
I can learn. I was just fascinated that I could
learn through a podcast. And I went to a conference
called New Media Expo in January 2014. It was
blogging, YouTube, and podcasting. Those were
the three channels. And I said, okay, I'm going
to learn podcasting. And then I saw all these
podcasters there. Pat Flynn was there, Amy Porterfield,
all these OG podcasters. And I said, you know
what? It's going to be hard to track down DJs
for a podcast. Let me switch to podcasters because
they've got good mics and I want to meet people
in the community. And I think that was the most,
that was the key kind of aha moment, Sheila,
in that moment. I said. This is an opportunity
to talk to people and I'm going to be talking
to them for like an hour. And at the time people
were using just audio. This is 2014. And I said,
I want video, but there was not a lot of good
tools. So I had a piece together Skype with call
recorder so I could get the video. It wasn't
recorded, but I could see the person and we were
just recording audio because I knew there's something
that I knew that said, I want to develop this
relationship with this person. So fast forward
to present day, it's been 380 interviews. That
show's going on now 12 years of just having that
show. And what I realized is as I was having
these conversations, I would go to podcast conferences
and then you would see me in the hallway and
be like, oh, we just had an hour conversation.
So, you know, the face, Harry, how you doing?
It's nice to meet you, blah, blah, blah. So it
was just like it really strengthened this idea
of. podcast being your virtual stage you can
decide who you want to invite on to and what
type of relationship you want so because my job
was winding down in 2014 i did everything that
first year like i booked the guests i recorded
the show i edited it i i scheduled it i got t
-shirts i went to conferences i try to promote
it like everything you can think of i wrote the
show notes you know i was listening to the episodes
i created a website literally everything you
can think of it's like those guys you see who
are busking with the harmonica and they're playing
the drum and they're playing playing the guitar.
And it was like, I was like that for podcasting.
But then I realized there was a lot about entrepreneurship
that I didn't know. So I said, I'm going to hire
a coach. So I hired a coach for entrepreneurship.
And I, when I started going to these sessions,
these mastermind meetings, we'd have these three
-day meetings, man, it was crazy because I was
meeting these. business owners these six -figure
seven -figure business owners were blowing my
mind I didn't really know this world existed
coming from nine to five right I was like oh
you just get a paycheck and that's your life
and then here it was really interesting because
these people were like building businesses and
and I what I realized quickly is they they have
they know they understand the concept of opportunity
cost they know what an hour of their time is
worth and so I quickly realized all this podcasting
stuff that I was learning if I packaged it together
and to a done -for -you service, I could let
them focus on their genius. And a lot of times
for business owners, their genius is not. editing
graphics or editing audio and video or writing
copy or, you know, creating clips, you know,
they're focused on creating content or just being
behind the mic. So I quickly packaged it together
and my first clients came from that business
mastermind that I was in. And then I realized,
okay, this is resonating because people are understanding
how much value it is to have someone handle all
the challenging aspects of podcasting so they
could focus on the fun part, which is actually
the recording. I love how you turned it into
a business. And I had no idea you came from what
sounds like a financial background. More corporate
marketing. I was in the marketing department,
yeah. But for financial institutions. Yeah, financial
institutions. I started my career as a teller
in a bank. There's podcasts about everything,
but there's a lot of financial advisors that
are always podcasting. And I think the important
thing there is trying to figure out which one's
the best fit for me. And that could be one of
the advantages of having a podcast if you are
in that industry. What other industries do you
think really see great results from having a
podcast if they're using it as a tool to educate
or perhaps amplify that visibility? Yeah, there's
a lot of ways to think about the podcast and
it's really important and why primarily I work
with business owners when we're launching shows.
We don't do really a lot of like vanity shows
or these super high production value shows, you
know, that cost $50 ,000 an episode to produce.
Since I'm an entrepreneur myself, one of those
earlier conversations we have with business owners
is like, what's the one thing you want a listener
to do? As a result of listening to the episode,
what's your call to action? Do you have an email
list? Do you have a lead magnet? Are you moving
them into the next way that they continue to
work with you? Because it's very important. And
one of the things we talk about in the beginning
is make sure that everything you do around the
podcast is pulling people in with each step.
Even something as simple as the name of the show,
right? My first show is called Podcast Junkies.
In 2020, I started another show called the Vertical
Farming Podcast because I was interested. in
the industry. I did some research. I saw there
was a lot of funding coming in. So coming from
a corporate background and a marketing background,
I said, well, let me think like a marketer. I
made it the most obvious name possible, the Vertical
Farming Podcast. And the domain was available.
And if you Google those three words, Sheila,
my show is like nine out of the 10 listings on
the front page of Google for that show. The show
has generated over $100 ,000 in sponsorship revenue.
And I interview CEOs and founders. founders and
what that really showed me is the importance
of being very very specific about the creation
of the show the title of the show even the episodes
there's only three fields that are available
from an seo perspective on a podcast the name
of the show the author of the show and the title
of the individual episodes. And so it's very
important. And it's just something I think about
as we're developing shows. One of the exercises
we do is we have the business owners title their
first 12 episodes. And these should be outcome
-based titles because nowadays with Apple and
Spotify, now YouTube, people are searching for
solutions to their problems through podcasting.
So when they see that title and if it feels like
it solves a pain point for them, then you can
bet. that they're going to be clicking on that
episode. Wow, you gave me a whole new way to
see podcasting because sometimes we start it
as a hobby or we want to dig deep into a specific
topic, but you're a perfect example of how you
can find an opportunity. Sounds like you founded
passion in it combined with your skills and over
a decade later, helping others build their businesses.
The other podcast was about a topic that you
passionate about. Yeah. Well, it's interesting.
I was learning about the topic and I said, you
know, I just sort of reverse engineered the idea
because we actually got the first. sponsor for
the show before I even launched the episode.
It was like 2020. And I was talking to this marketing
department and I said, you know, it was COVID.
So nobody's traveling. I said, how much were
you spending at a booth for a booth at a conference?
Typically he's like, Oh, we spent like $20 ,000.
I was like, well, I did some quick math in my
head. I said for 9 ,000, you could sponsor the
first season of the show. We're laser focused
on this industry. These are the names of the
people that I'm going to be speaking to. And
he said, yes. And I hadn't even released an episode.
So it was like, you know, the light bulb went
off. I'm like, wow, if you think like a marketer,
you know, we release, you know, we do sponsorships
in quarters because that's how marketing teams
think, you know, this, you know, Q1, Q2, et cetera.
So it's been a really interesting. exercise in
thinking through the importance of why you do
a show. With that first show, I have this mantra,
it's like, treat your guests like gold. I always
wanted to put all my energy in making sure the
guests had a great experience from sign -up to
interview to afterwards. I made everything easy
for them to share. And then with my second show,
My mantra is treat your sponsors like gold. So
I would mention my sponsors everywhere I go.
I've spoken to Podcast Movement. I've shared
this story of the Vertical Farming Podcast. My
sponsors Cultivated, IGS, you know, they were
really believed in the concept of the show early
on. And one of my sponsors in 2023 texted me.
And he said, hey, Harry, do you want to go to
Dubai? And I was like, sure. He's like, well,
we've got a pavilion there for indoor farming.
We've already paid for it. We would love to fly
you out there, put you in a hotel. And they even
built the booth with Vertical Farming Podcast
all around it. I've got a picture of it. It's
really fantastic. And it was just... you know,
I went from zero visibility in vertical farming
and now I'm being flown to conferences. And I
just came back from a conference that I go to
every year called Indoor AgCon in Las Vegas.
So it's just building up relationships. And that
show itself has gotten over 180 episodes as well.
So I'm well over 500 plus with both episodes.
And it's just been this incredible experience,
and I'm sure you can relate to this, of just
having long form conversations. being comfortable
with having conversations. And you don't even
have to be a subject matter expert in the topic.
You just have to be curious. You have to be a
good listener. You have to learn how to pull
threads and just all these things that you get
better. And I think it's been a great journey
for me to learn all that. As entrepreneurs, we
all have ups and downs or obstacles or challenges.
What are some of the things that you feel that
you had to overcome? I think what was challenging
in the beginning is really like understanding
entrepreneurship. Like this is not something
you're taught. You know, when you get a job,
a nine to five job, your focus is of what your
boss tells you to do. And you show up and you
get that paycheck in your account twice, deposited
in your account twice a month. And thankfully,
I had good bosses who. helped me with promotions
and I learned a lot about how things work within
those businesses but the real like wake -up call
was like I said like getting into entrepreneurship
and realizing you have to be comfortable with
failure and you have to learn the things that
you weren't taught and you have to be all things
you know at least aware of them sales marketing
finance accounting like all these things that
you have to really like if you're serious about
being an entrepreneur and and there were early
things that i spent thousands of dollars on programs
marketing programs to try to grow an audience
You know, and which resulted in like zero results,
you know, and early on you start, you know, spending
this kind of money. You're like, this is crazy.
Like how, how are people selling you something
that's not providing a result? And it was just
like crazy. And I was like, I never wanted to
be in that position. And it helped me think about
also how I could be better with my sales and
in terms of what I promise and how I deliver
to my clients. But yeah, there were a lot of
experiences where I, you know, especially with
accounting early on, like I sort of like. Like
had someone else do it and I delayed, you know,
much longer than I needed to. And I paid the
price, you know, and then taxes and all that
sort of stuff. But it's like, you know, you can't
put your head in the ground and pretend everything
is going to work out. So you have to really like
push yourself. And then lately with sales is
like, okay, like how do you have a good sales
call? Like what, what, how do you handle objections?
You know, how do you, you know. talk about results
with people in a way that's helpful for them
and be results -driven. And so, yeah, there was
a lot of coaching that I spent on myself to learn
how to become a better entrepreneur, to learn
how to, you know, be a better agency owner. But
it's not easy. It's not for the faint of heart.
I mean, entrepreneurship is really... roller
coaster ride at times. And, you know, there's
days when you're like trying to make payroll
and pay your team and, you know, all these things
that, you know, you don't think about, but you
know, it's, I think if you persist and you, you,
you quickly realize if it's for you, if it's,
if it's not for you, but I think it's, I love
the freedom that it's given me. Um, I love how
it's pushed me in terms of like challenges to
become a better communicator, um, and a, and
a better boss. and a better partner for the people
that I work with. If you could give one key takeaway
or a piece of advice to somebody listening today
saying, Harry, I absolutely loved everything
you had to say about podcasting. Instead of just
being a listener, I want to start my own podcast.
What would that tip be? I think it's kind of
pulling it all together and saying, if you're...
considering having a podcast i think it's be
clear about your why and you mind if i tell you
like a quick story no when i was uh leaving my
corporate world and i had i i tried something
in um I went to go work for my half brother,
like in Atlanta with construction. I tried that
for like two years. And you know what they say
about family businesses, like it didn't work
out. So I had to go back home for a little while,
live with my parents. But I had tickets to a
flight to Thailand to visit a friend I had met
like a couple of years ago. And I was like, I
need a break. I'm going to go to Thailand. And
so I went to Thailand. It was like a 26 hour
trip. It was incredible. The first day there,
he picks me up on a moped and we go on this hike.
And we go up to this trail and there's like a
waterfall. So we go to the top of the waterfall
and we're overlooking the valley. And he's standing
on the other side of like the ledge. And he's
like, hey, Harry, come over here. The view is
even better over here. And I was like, of course.
I think I wasn't wearing like flip -flops or
something. So I step over to where he is and
there's a stream right in front of me. I didn't
even think about it, but I stepped into the stream
and the rock underneath was like super slick.
It's like. It was like stepping on a bar of soap.
So I go up in the air and I land on my back and
I proceed to be like carried towards the edge
of the waterfall. So this is happening within
seconds too. It's crazy. Like I felt like one
of those little paper boats you put like on the
street and it's like going into the sewer. Like
it was moving that fast. And I could see my friend
like standing at the edge, like watching me with
his eyes open. And there was a big boulder on
the left -hand side. And I instinctively just
stuck out my left leg. And thankfully that stopped
me from like going over like the edge of the
waterfall. And I'm in Thailand. So like, it wouldn't
have been pretty. I don't know if I would have
died or just been like, it would have been long
and painful, but it was just like crazy, like
scary. He pulls me over to the side. My heart
is beating like crazy. And I was just, we ended
up like having a good rest of the day, a good
rest of the trip. But it's one of those things
that. it starts to sit with you. And I got back
home, I got back to New York. And then over the
years, as I started developing like this idea
of like, you know, podcasting and finding your
voice, I thought, man, how sad would it have
been if I had died with my voice inside me? And
I was like, I was, it was, it just came to me.
I remember it coming to me one day. Cause I was
like, I was thinking about that moment and I'm
like, And it's always resonated with me with
podcasting because I truly believe that everyone
watching and everyone listening right now has
a story inside them that needs to be heard, that
needs to be told. And that's why I've made it
my mission to help as many people as possible
find their voice. Because I think it's important
because I think, you know, if we go to a restaurant
and there's a hundred people in that. In that
restaurant, there's a hundred stories. You just
have to be interested. You just have to be curious.
And so that's my message to people that are starting
a podcast. Pick a topic you love talking about
that you would talk about whether you had the
show or not. And realize that bring your own
story to the table as well, you know, because
it's really powerful. You know, stories are really
powerful and they all unite us. It goes back
to being around the campfire. So it's really
important to be. really clear and solid about
who you're speaking to and why you're doing it.
And that passion will come through and the listener
will hear it. I always say in a podcast conversation,
there's three people. There's the host, the guest,
and the listener. Singular. There's just one
person listening at a time to our conversation
right now. And that's why I always want to make
sure they're included in the conversation. And
as long as you don't lose sight of that, the
rest can come after that. You can think about
like, you know, how it affects your business
and, you know, get into the tactical stuff of
like what you're going to talk about and make
sure each episode delivers on its promise. But
at that core, you know, to be really dialed in
about your why you're doing the podcast is really
key. And you're able to help with everything
from the idea to honing down the name. Yes. To
coming up with the episode titles, the whole
package. Yes. Where can we learn more about you
online? Fullcast, F -U -L -L -C -A -S -T dot
C -O. And there you can book a time with me and
we can have a chat to see how a podcast can help
you. Thank you so much for joining me today,
Harry. Thank you for this opportunity to share
my story with your audience. I truly appreciate
it, Shil. And thank you all for tuning in to
another episode of Milestone Moments in Business
and Leadership. Until next time.