We launched our podcast on Wednesday this week. Over the course of the day, I checked our website and downloads probably twice….per hour. I couldn’t focus on anything else but that. When I was working, my phone, like a drug dealer on the corner of my desk, kept going, “psst…hey…wanna see some stats?”
I have no reasonable justification for this. We only have 39 likes on Facebook and 19 followers on Twitter. Our largest social media platform is Instagram, which is about 300. I had no reason to believe that we would be an instant success. There were no numbers to support my hope that the world would see we started a podcast and everyone would stop what they are doing to listen to our content. I may be ruggedly good-looking, but I know that I’m not THAT interesting.
When I realized I was obsessing over it, I asked myself why. There were 2 answers:
- I just want people to love me!
- Unrealistic expectations.
When we began working to setup our podcast, all the information comes from those who already have thousands, and even millions, of downloads per month. That makes sense, because who wants advice from a schlub who only gets ten downloads per week. It’s like having a fat guy advise you on how to be healthy. It’s hard not to read about all these people bragging (so you’ll buy their stuff) without thinking, “if they have a million listeners, then I can have a million listeners.” Which is not wrong. The difference is that they started 10 years ago and work it full-time.
“The Grind” is a real thing. You have to work through all the crap to learn the lessons, to gain the understanding, to build on experience. If you were to jump straight to success (as awesome as that would be), I think it would lack substance, or that genuine feeling you get when you talk to a craftsman who has developed skill over a lifetime.
To be completely honest with all of you, I freak’n hate The Grind. I understand it’s value and I’m willing to put the work in, but I’m impatient. I’m use to having the answers to everything at my finger tips. Instant gratification has developed in me a sense of unrealistic expectations for success.
Overnight success does not happen over night.
So what am I to do?
To start, focusing on what we have accomplished through out the process helps keep perspective. We went from knowing nothing to having a podcast up and running. It took a lot of hard work to do that and that is an achievement. We need to focus on the small victories along the journey. That is the meat and potatoes of life.
The other aspect is to redefine a Win. In sports, if you score more points than the other team, you win. In corporate America, if you increase share holder value, you win. For us, reaching each stage is a win. Therefore, getting the podcast published W. The next stage is to earn enough money that the podcast can pay for itself (about $40/month). That will be a huge win. Adding value to entrepreneurs at our meet up and building relationships will be a win. These are small steps in our journey, but reaching each of them is a win.
That’s all I have for you today. Thank you for reading. I appreciate you.
Just a reminder, we have our 3 podcasts up and are recording more this weekend. You can stream them straight from the website, or on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play Music and Spotify.
Please be sure to like/follow us on all the socials. Twitter is where we dig around and discuss big topics. Facebook is where we want to interact with the community around posts and events. Snapchat gives you some behind the scenes on recording and event days. Instagram is just us…mixed with some inspiration.
-B
On the way to creating the best damn beverage shop in the Valley.