Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in podcasting, but not sure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with David, the founder of Something on My Mind Podcast.
Tell us all about your business...
Something on My Mind Podcast , Podcast platform - adding merch, patreon and working on two book projects. Also have/had many side hustles.
What's your background and motivation to grow as a solopreneur?
I wrote a book 15 years ago on personal finance for laymen's people. Then I met my wife and we built wealth together over the last 10 years with side hustles and the podcast platform: Here is our story in a nutshell.
When I met Cindy she was destitute: bankrupt, in foreclosure, homeless and abused by her ex-husband; and she was paying him alimony! As for me, I was out of work and had to pretend to be the HR department by forwarding an 800-number to my phone at my former job so that I could refinance my home just before the financial crisis during my divorce.
We both had custody of our kids and we had a lot of "fixing" to do with our lives. We raised our kids successfully and built up portfolios to successful financial wealth over the last 10 years.
In time, Cindy went from the processing department to COO of a national financial wealth management firm with no formal college and I became a published author in personal finance.
We have also survived the unexpected with Cindy being hit by a car walking across the street along with two bouts of COVID. So we've been through things.
With our podcast we cover all things finance, relationships and we mix-in personal and offbeat stories. So we are realists but we’re always mixing humor into the equation.
Hence, we like to give back with our stories while helping people achieve their financial goals
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Having a solid team with a collaborative workspace. Our kids work on our platform which makes the experience enriching for their future careers and entrepreneurship.
They are many years younger; however, their perspective on their view of the world helps us to learn how other demographics think and make decisions.
It also allows Cindy and I learn - no one knows everything.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a solopreneur?
We always want things as soon as we can; however, building a business takes time and patience.
Many times the mentality becomes "I can do this quicker myself." You need to grow to a point to rely on your team to self-manage their roles and grow organically.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run or grow a small business today?
- Have a plan and be patient in developing it.
- Take time to research what else is out there.
- What is your niche? What can you do to be better than the competition. Maybe that doesn't exist, it may just be better customer service or marketing. (Marketing can be more important than the product - the media landscape just continues to grow)
If there was one thing you could do repeatedly to help grow your business, what would it be?
Create effective and efficient social media content. This is a very time consuming aspect of the business
What are some of the things you put in place to maintain a healthy work/life balance and to keep it all together?
Find more efficient ways to complete work. Listen to the pain points of the team and implement strategies - everyone likes to be heard.
Occasionally, give someone the afternoon off or a little bonus or some gesture for hard work. The little things make a huge difference to people.
Who are some of your favorite entrepreneurs? Do you have any must not miss business resources that you'd recommend?
Blueland - Sarah Paiji Yoo. She found a common solution to a problem:
My journey to use less single-use plastic began when I became a new mom. I was horrified to learn that all the plastic I was throwing away was contaminating our water supply and generating hundreds of microplastics in the water and food I was feeding my baby. I wanted to do my part to help, but it was impossible to find household products like window cleaner, lotion, and toothpaste that didn’t come packaged in plastic. From there, Blueland was born.
She was is an everyday person who made the world a better place with providing jobs and helping the environment.
Where can people find you?
https://www.somethingonmymind.net/
https://www.instagram.com/somm.podcast/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChec5qcZBcGkIhUU3belNDw
https://www.tiktok.com/@somm.podcast?lang=en
https://www.facebook.com/somm.podcast
https://twitter.com/Somm_podcast
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share then email community@subkit.com, we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.