How to Make a Podcast and Get it to #1 In Your Podcasting Category

Podcasting can be very profitable .
Learn to do it the right way!

Do at least five shows by yourself. Let your audience get to know you. Who cares if your show sucks at first?

Maybe you sound bad, maybe your audio editing is horrible, maybe you need another mic, maybe the sound of your voice puts people to sleep... so what?

Just get started! The more shows you have the more subscribers you will get. PERIOD.

Start NOW! 

The number one mistake people make is NEVER GETTING STARTED. Don't be one of those people....

You can start for free on Podomatic.com (it's the site I use) but you there are hundreds of other free sites that work just fine.

2. Getting Interview Guests for Your Podcast

Post on HARO (Help A Reporter Out) as a journalist looking for experts in your niche to interview.

You are now a media producer - the owner of the new hit podcast show in your expert arena.

WARNING: YOU WILL HAVE HUNDREDS OF EMAILS FROM EXPERTS AND WANNABE EXPERTS USING THIS TECHNIQUE.


Ok great, now that we've got that out of the way... what do you do when you book interviews?

3. Build Relationships with Experts in your Niche using your Podcast

Build relationships with the people you interview. Some of them will have huge lists and influence and can promote your show and products... this is the secret power of podcasting that no one else talks about.

You're now a large media company and the connections will astound you.

Let your guests know they can embed your show on their websites to promote themselves (and promote your show at the same time.)

**Also ask them to send the interview to their lists** (cha-ching! This is how you get massive traffic. When someone who has 10,000 people on their email list is interviewed on your show and then sends the interview to their list, you will see your podcast ranking and subscribers fly through the roof).

Your guests who are not as experienced will be thrilled to have had a professional interview and you should recommend they use it in their media kits and in the press section of their websites.

Connect your guests with each other - they'll never forget you if you go out of your way to help them. If you have two people who are both best-selling authors on your show, and they don't know each other.. when you introduce them you look like a hero.

It's good to have successful friends and people in your network. This is the power of media (podcasting)...

Give your interview guests advice on how they can improve their websites, list building efforts or marketing in general. If you don't know much about marketing... then start learning! And then share what you learn with your guests. They will LOVE you for it!

4. How to Conduct a Podcast Interview

• Have your guests send you THEIR list of interview questions. They love it because they'll be prepared and ready to go. You'll love it because it takes NO WORK to do!

Don't try to wing it, even if you're great. I've done it before, and I've done fairly well with it, but it's much easier when they send you the questions (you could do it while sleeping with the questions written down ahead of time and so could they).

• Record your interview using a service like Audio Acrobat combined with a Free Conference Call - you and your guest both dial into the call and you dial into Audio Acrobat to start recording it AFTER you get to know your guest and ask them the three key questions...

• Always ask your interview guests personal questions before the interview starts and if you can talk more after the interview too. Ask them what projects they're working on and how you can help them.

The three key questions to ask are:

What projects are you working on?

How can I help?

What contacts do you need to meet?

Maybe you can't help them and maybe you don't know any good contacts for them... so what? 

You will soon! You've got hundreds of emails from top experts in your field - each of them BEGGING YOU to let them on your show. I'm guessing a few of them will be good contacts for this person...

Reciprocation is natural. When you help people and ask them these three questions, you will begin to receive so much from your guests and those in your network.

5. Ninja Podcasting Trick to Boost Subscribers

If you join a large network like PodOmatic it's not only a podcast hosting site it's also a social network! So socialize!

Hire a Virtual Assistant from a site like Odesk.com. It's very cheap! Ask them to add 20,000+ friends on the podcast social network. This will bring you lots of traffic and subscribers. It will probably cost you between $5 and $15 to do this. Well worth it!

Here are the instructions I sent to my VA:

Actual Email to my VA:

"Login to Podomatic [username and passcode deleted for obvious reasons]

Go to this address after logging in: http://www.podomatic.com/profile/friends/kas1970

Scroll through the list of people and click "add to friends" on the right side. Do this will all 18000 friends of kas1970. Thanks! Tom"

I also had my VA add all the friends of a few of the other top podcasters on Podomatic. Now I have over 5,000 Podomatic friends! Cool, huh?

You can even add all of my friends if you podcast on Podomatic to save you some more time. http://www.podomatic.com/profile/tom26154

6. Super Secret Mega Magical Podcasting Trick

Post more shows.

It's the single fastest, best, easiest, most reliable way to get more subscribers.

I dare you to try it and prove me wrong!

Ok, you're right, it's not all that secret. But the simple truth is that if you just post more podcast shows, you will get more subscribers, downloads, backlinks, and higher rankings.



    
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Living Consciously

I'm reading The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem by Nathaniel Branden and found the author's definition of living consciously incredibly insightful so I thought I'd share it with you:

"Living Consciously entails:

A mind that is active rather than passive.

An intelligence that takes joy in its own function.

Being "in the moment," without losing the wider context.

Reaching out toward relevant facts rather than withdrawing from them.

Being concerned to distinguish among facts, interpretations, and emotions.

Noticing and confronting my impulses to avoid or deny painful or threatening realities.

Being concerned to know "where I am" relative to my various (personal and professional) goals and projects, and whether I am succeeding or failing.

Being concerned to know if my actions are in alignment with my purposes.

Searching for feedback from the environment so as to adjust or correct my course when necessary.

Persevering in the attempt to understand in spite of difficulties.

Being receptive to new knowledge and willing to reexamine old assumptions.

Being willing to see and correct mistakes.

Seeking always to expand awareness - a commitment to learning - therefore, a commitment to growth as a way of life.

A concern to understand the world around me.

A concern to know not only external reality but also internal reality, the reality of my needs, feelings, aspirations, and motives, so that I am not a stranger or a mystery to myself.

A concern to be aware of the values that move and guide me, as well as their roots, so that I am not ruled by values I have irrationally adopted or uncritically accepted from others."

I highly recommend the book to anyone who wants to live a more fulfilling, happier, successful life.

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Notes from Peak Potentials Ultimate Leadership Camp

I recently attended the Peak Potentials Ultimate Leadership Camp and learned so much about what it takes to be a great leader so I thought I'd share some of my notes and breakthroughs with you.

In life you can choose between two pains - you can either live with the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. Leaders choose discipline. Where could you add more discipline in your life?

Leaders ask "How can we do this?" and focus on solutions. They don't focus on problems.

Leaders ask the RIGHT questions. Here are 10 great leadership questions.

1) What's my objective?

Leaders pick a goal, an objective and state it clearly. They commit to achieving their objective and make sure everyone on the team understands it clearly. You can't hit a target you can't see!

2) What's my plan?

Leaders create a plan or strategy to achieve their objective. It doesn't have to be extremely detailed, depending on the situation, just enough of a plan that everyone understands what to do.

3) What resources do I have and what resources do I need?

Great leaders are great at utilizing their resources and finding new resources to achieve their objective. What resources do you already have in place to help you achieve your goal? What resources could you get access to that would make it much faster and easier to achieve your goal?

4) What challenges or obstacles might come up?

Leaders prepare for obstacles or challenges ahead of time. They don't focus on them, they simply acknowledge them and take action to get around them.

Here's a great leadership mantra - "Over, under, around or through - whatever it takes, I'll do!"

5) What is my ongoing system for giving and receiving feedback?

Leaders always create systems to give and receive feedback. Without feedback, you'll never be able to make the adjustments and changes you need to achieve big goals and objectives. Everyone makes mistakes - leaders use feedback from mistakes to improve and get feedback from their team.

6) Am I communicating clearly? How can I communicate clearly?

You might have a clear objective and the best plan in the world, but if you can't communicate it clearly to your team, they won't be able to help you get there. Leadership requires great communication, which first of all means to listen and then to speak clearly and get feedback. Make sure you get confirmation from everyone on the team that they understand the objective and plan.

7) What's my next step?

Leaders take ACTION! What's your next step? Leaders always focus on the next step. Too many people never go for their goals because they focus on the 1000 steps it will take instead of just taking the first step.

8) What adjustments can I make?

Leaders always make adjustments. There's a saying in the military that a combat plan changes 5 minutes into battle. Plans will change as obstacles, challenges, and circumstances come up - making the right adjustments at the right time is where great leaders excel.

9) How do I celebrate?

Leaders celebrate success when they achieve their objectives. They give praise and acknowledgment to their team members. No one wants to work for someone who doesn't appreciate them - show your appreciation through celebration and acknowledgment. Remember, leaders praise publicly and criticize privately.

10) What's my next objective?

As soon as you accomplish your objective, pick a new objective! When the first astronauts came back from landing on the moon, they experienced depression, anxiety and "hopelessness." After you travel to the moon, what else can you do? They had no new objective and their life became meaningless. Now NASA trains all astronauts to create new goals when they get back - so that they can continue to live happy, fulfilling lives even after accomplishing incredible goals.

What's your next goal?



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How to Create a Pitch Presentation for Investors

So you want to pitch investors on your hot business start up? Great! You're in the right place.

Here are some helpful guidelines on how to create a great PowerPoint presentation for pitching investors (and an example below from my company American Asset Solutions). Feel free to use this same template for your investor pitch slide show.


1) Put your website and name on the first or last slide.

Too many entrepreneurs forget this vital information. If there's no contact info and the slides get passed around to a new investor, how will they find you? Unless they are very, very interested, Google you, find your website and then find your contact info, they'll never be able to contact you. Make it easy for them - put your contact info in the slide show.


2) Demonstrate Your Value Proposition

How do you add value to the market? That should be the first slide immediately after the intro slide. Clearly state how you help customers either 1) save money 2) save time and/or 3) get what they want (feel better, have fun, etc.)

3) Management

"Money follows management" so they say. It's true! Make sure you explain who the management is, what their background is, and who your advisors or directors are. Serious investors look at the management before they look at the deal.

4) Market Size and Potential

Most professional investors these days are always looking for that "next big one." They want companies with the potential to dominate a very large market space so they can earn 10x to 100x return on their investment. Let your investors know up front how big the market is and what your potential is.

Make sure you actually list the market size of your specific niche, not just the entire market. For example, my company is in the business of buying bad loans. But we only purchase fresh credit card charge offs - not delinquent mortgages, judgments, auto loans, business credit cards, or any other assets. Just fresh charged off credit cards. We're very niche. You should be too - focus on one thing, master it, and then once you have the resources and expertise, feel free to expand if you want to. Let your investors know how big that niche is.

5) Use Charts and Graphs

Most people are visual - meaning they learn most easily, readily and quickly through visual information. Charts and graphs are the best way to display information about market size, potential, profitability, and other financial metrics. Make sure to use good, accurate charts and graphs in your slide show and not just a ton of text.

6)  Customers, Customer Relationships, and Target Customers

If you have customers or current relationships, let your investors know. That's a good thing! Most start ups never get a customer. If you have them, get testimonials from your customers. Also explain who your target customer is. Be specific - not just "Women" - you need to know everything about your customer.

How old is your customer?
What gender?
What do they do for a living?
What's their average income?
Who do they currently buy from?
What are some of their hobbies and interests?
What do they really want in the product/service that you offer?
How can you help them in a way no one else can? Or better than anyone else is currently doing?
What does your customer really want? What do they value?
Why do they buy your product/service?

7) Business Model

Make sure you have a slide that describes your business model. What's the supply chain? How do you deliver the product or service? What's the revenue model? Are you charging a subscription, selling a product, or a service? If you're selling a product, how are you distributing it? Are you selling add-ons like service contracts or up-sells?


8) Financials

Show your financials. Either the actual financials, or, if you're brand new, show your projections. Investors want to know you understand the financials. No one will believe your projections - but they want to see you try and think it through. No one can predict the future - but if you plan well, you can control it a little better.

9) Operations

Describe your operations. What do you do and how do you do it? How do you guarantee that your customers are served? That they're happy? How do you make them come back for more? Do you need staff? An office? A warehouse? Do you need vendors, joint venture partners, or distribution outlets?

10) Customer Testimonials

Having a slide dedicated to customer testimonials is powerful. It shows your investors that a) you have customers, b) they're happy customers and c) you actually care enough about the business and your customers to collect, save and share their testimonials with others. Nothing is more powerful than third-party validation. If you say your business is great, that's one thing. If your customer says your business is great, that's an entirely different thing. Investors don't want to be the first ones to see the potential of your business - they want your customers to see it first.

11) Financing

Tell them what you want! How much money do you want to raise? On what terms? Is it debt or equity? How soon do you need it? Do you need one big lump sum or multiple draws? What's your burn rate? Are you cash flow positive? Let your investors know exactly what you need, when you need it and how you need it.

Other Tips on Investor Slide Shows:

Don't put too much text on any one slide. Keep it simple and readable. Anything below type 12 font is too small. As Buckminster Fuller said, learn to "Do more with less." Less words make you sound and look more professional - too many and you bore people with unimportant details, or details that would be better covered in your verbal presentation not on your visuals.

Enjoy the Sample Investor Slide Show!

American Asset Solutions Pitch Deck

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Integrity: Always Do What You Say You're Going to Do

Successful people have integrity. They do what they say they're going to do. Have you ever heard the saying, "If you want something done fast, ask a busy person to do it!"

It's true! Because people who are active and get things done always find a way to get that one more thing done. They do whatever it takes to succeed. Just imagine yourself and your life - imagine if you did every thing you said you would do each and every day. Do you think you'd have better results in your life? Of course!

So make a commitment to do what you say you're going to do. You can have reasons and excuses or you can get results in life. The choice is up to you: Always do what you say you will do!

Integrity: Always Do What You Say You Will Do

Let me tell you a story of two men with great intentions, Bob and John. Bob has big dreams, huge dreams. He writes his goals down and he plans to be a Billionaire. He tells his wife, “Don’t worry about a thing, hunny. We’re going to be rich!” He even has all these brilliant business ideas and has several side businesses going. Everyone around thinks Bob really is going to be rich. Look at all the things he’s doing! Bob has so much going for him. He just has one little problem – he doesn’t always do what he says he’s going to do. He told a big client he’d get their product completed and delivered in 2 weeks, but it ended up taking 7 weeks due to a mistake and some procrastination and he lost the contract. He said he would call on 5 new prospects every day, 5 days a week, and he did for the first week, but after that he quit calling on new prospects. Bob had great creativity and inspiration, but he lacked a certain persistence and commitment. He always jumped around from one thing to the next. He’d tell people he was going to take his new company to a million dollars in revenue in 6 months flat, and 3 months later if you asked him about it, he’d say “Oh that company. No, no, no – that’s old news. Let me tell you about this NEW company!” Bob was always on the cutting edge of things.

Everyone seems to like Bob. He’s charismatic, energetic and exciting to be around. People just have a problem trusting Bob. Not that he’s an unsavory character. Bob’s an honest guy. He just doesn’t keep his word, that’s all. If Bob tells you he’ll be at the wedding, it’s 50-50. He might show up, or he might be off schmoozing with some new business contacts. You never really know with Bob. I guess that’s the problem – no one really knows. No one really knows if Bob will keep his commitments. The successful business people and investors that Bob runs into start to distrust Bob. They don’t tell their friends and colleagues about him because they don’t want to look bad if he doesn’t follow through. Bob doesn’t get to hear about the new, incredible business and investment opportunities because Bob isn’t thought of well in the business community after all those let-downs.

Oh sure, Bob’s a brilliant guy. Heck, he can regale you for hours about the intricacies of a lithium-ion battery and how paradigm-shifting the whole green energy revolution is. Bob even invented this technology that has the potential to change the energy system for the entire world. It could potentially single-handedly end our reliance on fossil fuels and create a new era of clean, green energy. The problem is, Bob’s let down his investors too many times. They just don’t trust him anymore after he spent so much of his investors’ money on a 5-star vacation to Hawaii and failed to deliver the results he said he would. Bob just can’t seem to get that “lucky break” he’s always been looking for. In the end, Bob ended up dead broke. He and his wife had to downsize their homes at age 65 and live off Social Security. Bob never really did manage his money well. He always said he’d save 10% of his income, but he just had too much fun taking luxurious vacations or buying new toys and gadgets. Heck, you can’t blame him, can you?

John, on the other hand, has modest dreams. He just wants a nice home, a loving family, and a good life with his children and grandchildren when he’s older. No one really thinks John is going to be rich. He tells his wife he’s going to provide for their family and make sure their children are raised well and have a fantastic life ahead of them. Everyone agrees that John is modest. He’s a nice guy, genuine, and he always does what he says he will do. John has some good habits. He always saves at least 10% of his income to invest it and he always makes one phone call every day to connect with a new person or reconnect with an old friend. At work, when John’s boss asks him to do a project, he always gets it done before the deadline. If he has to stay late or just buckle down and focus all day long, he’ll do whatever it takes to keep his promise. The funny thing is, he also keeps his promises to his family. He’ll always show up to the kids’ soccer games when he says he will. He might do work in the bleachers, but he’s there as he said he would be. Some people think he’s a little strange – the say things like, “John, why do work that hard? How come you always show up to your kids soccer games, even though half the time you’re clearly working?” Some people think John is just naïve – if he knew any better, he wouldn’t work that hard or keep those promises…

John’s boss just loves him. John eventually becomes the go-to guy for any major projects. Why? Because John will get the job done NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS! John always keeps his word, and the boss notices. Even the head honchos at corporate start to notice when John delivers above and beyond what’s expected of him. John starts to get promoted, and eventually he becomes the vice president of his company, big company, with lots of growth opportunities. John starts to meet all kinds of successful, wealthy people. They tell John about new investment opportunities, business partnerships, and John gets involved in a few, wise investments and businesses. All the successful business people love John – because he always does what he says he will do. If they ask John to read over their prospectus for an investment and give them feedback, John says he’ll do it by Thursday and by Thursday they’ve got a detailed response from John. They start to tell their friends, and before long, John’s swarmed with all kinds of successful people who just can’t wait to meet him. They say, “you’ve got to meet this John guy. He’s nice, humble, real smart, and he always does what he says he will do.” John ends up getting a special private investment in a pre-IPO technology company because everyone is raving about how great a guy he is and the founders wanted him on board.

Twelve years later, at the young age of 42, John’s net worth is over $500 Million after his investment in that start up produced an over 30,000% return on his investment. He never set out to be rich, he just wanted a nice home, a loving family, and a good life with his children and grandchildren when he got older. Every single one of his successful friends agree – John became so successful because he always did what he said he would do. He always kept his word. Everyone could count on John, because they knew that no matter what happened John would follow through. John was dependable, consistent, and persistent. That’s why he became so successful and so well liked and admired by his colleagues, friends, and family.

If you had met both John and Bob at age 25, you probably would have thought Bob would be the successful one. He had already started his own business and was an energetic guy. He was real charismatic too! John, on the other hand, was a real nice guy, but he didn’t seem to have any real spark to him. Heck, he just seemed like a regular guy. The difference between the two that made all the difference was that John always kept his word. He saw his word as his bond. When he committed to something, he always followed through or he let the person know that he had to de-commit when something very important came up. If you want even more success in your life, be like Bob – always do what you say you will do. Everything else is just lip service.

Remember, the difference that makes all the difference is Integrity – Always Do What You Say You Will Do


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Tony Robbins TED Video: Why We Do What We Do

Here's another awesome video from the TED Conference with Tony Robbins. His 18 minute speech is called "Why We Do What We Do." Tony presents his unique and very insightful perspective on what motivates people, what holds us back from achieving our dreams, and what we can do about it.



For more awesome videos from TED, check out the Top 10 Best TED Videos.



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What Makes Great Leaders

What makes great leaders? How come some people seem to do things that others say are impossible? What makes Apple such an amazing company? Check out this awesome video that will show you WHY great leaders get great results and how you can too.




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