Reaching the Half-Century Mark

It's hard to believe, but the big 5-0 is just around the corner for me. On February 20th, I'll be celebrating my 50th birthday, a milestone I never imagined would come so quickly. This week, my 17-year-old daughter surprised me by describing the eggs-over-waffle breakfast I made her as "bus."

Confused by the term, I asked her to explain, and she said it meant the food was excellent. It turns out that "bus" is just the latest slang, short for "bussing." (Check out this quick 15-second video to learn more.)

I even consulted my new media team to stay in the loop with these trends. They confirmed that language is evolving, and words are getting shorter. That's just the way it is! 

Facts!

On the same day, I was busy setting up our new video equipment for taking the Measure Success Podcast to the next level. This required a complete office makeover and some close work with equipment manuals written in tiny font sizes.

Later, my eye doctor confirmed the reason behind my struggle to read those small writings. The golden jubilee celebration sure comes with some surprises!

(Borrowing reading glasses from wife)

Podcast - Measuring Success

In September 2020, fresh out of the hospital after recovering from a burst appendix, I set three ambitious goals for myself:

• Launch a Podcast

• Run a Marathon

• Write a Book

All three seemed daunting at the beginning, as I had no prior experience in any of these areas. But I was determined, so I delved into reading, research, and even hired consultants to help with the podcast and book.

To kick off the podcast, we partnered with Rise 25, led by Dr. Jeremy Weisz. His expertise helped us navigate the podcasting world successfully. Later, we joined forces with Relic Labs, and together, we released 153 podcasts with over 300,000 downloads in the past 3 years. We now have a 3-month backlog of incredible guests and have received 160 5-star ratings, and an award-winning podcast.

Capitalizing on Social Media Trends

Now, it's time to push our boundaries once again. In our CAPTAIN Strategy Process, our 7th Principle is "Next." Accomplishing something great requires deciding whether to stop or strive for more. For our podcast, we've chosen to aim higher.

We have two key goals for the Measure Success podcast in 2024:

1. Break into the Top #100 US Business Podcasts

Currently ranked at #367, we've come a long way from #1,505 a year ago. To reach the next level, we're stepping up our marketing efforts. It's not enough to have a great podcast; we need a broader audience.

(By the way, I highly recommend checking out the 'Testing Your Limits' episode with former ski champion Wendy Fisher. We've seen record downloads in just 7 days!)

We've partnered with a new marketing firm that's set to take us to new heights. While we already have a strong following on LinkedIn, boasting 17,000+ followers, we recognize the need to expand to platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and yes, even TikTok. We don't have a TikTok account yet, but we're working on it!

Why the shift? Here's a snapshot of where US adults spend their time on social media in 2024, according to Mixbloom data:

• YouTube - 42 minutes

• Facebook - 35 minutes

• TikTok - 33 minutes

• Instagram - 29 minutes

• Twitter - 6 minutes

That is 145 minutes per day, nearly 2 ½ hours. Shift your lens to the eyeballs.

We're ready to embrace these trends. Stay tuned for exciting updates!

2. Monetize the Podcast

Today, our podcast has been primarily centered around achieving our goal of positively impacting 1 million people and 10,000 organizations. We are thrilled that it has been instrumental in helping us move closer to that objective. However, it's important to note that the podcast isn't cost-free, and it generates value in multiple ways.

First and foremost, we invest significant time and resources to ensure we produce a high-quality podcast. Secondly, we express our appreciation to our guests by providing valuable swag. Third, we share valuable insights on how to grow your business with the help of experts, and we offer motivational thoughts on measuring success in our personal lives.

Learning from our experiences, we've decided to enlist the expertise of professionals in the field of podcast monetization.

The exciting news is that we are now at a point where we've built a strong subscriber base with valuable demographics. Among our regular listeners and guests, we have decision-makers ranging from entrepreneurs to executives in larger corporations, leaders, authors, and crazy-high achievers. This presents an opportunity for the right partners to find value in our podcast and become a part of our growing network.