815: The Podcast Success Stories You Need to Hear

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2:01I think that podcasting, if you want to grow at all, is so brilliant because you are able to build trust. And the more that you're able to build trust, you are able to create repeat listeners. And the more you're able to create repeat listeners, the more you're able to benefit them both for free, but also build your own list and build your own business. And it translates into sales. I'm Jenna Kutcher, your host of the Gold Digger podcast. I escaped the corporate world at the age of 23 with nothing more than a$300 camera from Craigslist and a dream. Now I'm running a seven figure online business that feels even better than it looks all from my house in small town, Minnesota with my family.

2:38Here we value time as our currency. We mix the woo and the work and we are in the pursuit of building businesses that give us the freedom to live lives that we love. I've always loved turning big goals into reality, and I'm here to help you do the same. This isn't just a peek behind the curtain. Come along with me and my guests as we tear the whole curtain down. Every week we tackle practical, no-fluff marketing strategies and host honest discussions on what works and what doesn't. Join me and my expert guests for actionable insights to help you grow your dream business with confidence. Pull up a seat and get ready to be challenged, inspired, and empowered.

3:17This is the Gold Digger Podcast. Pop quiz. What is something that deeply connects with your audience, builds your brand, and grows your business while making a real impact all from the comfort of your home? I'll wait. In case you guessed podcasting, you are right. Today's conversation is for anyone who has ever thought about starting a podcast and just needs a little push to finally make it happen. If you are ready to take that step, then this episode is the inspiration you've been waiting for. As someone who has been podcasting for almost eight years, I can tell you firsthand that podcasting opens doors in ways other platforms just can't.

3:55It allows you to connect deeply with your audience, build authority in your industry, and reach more people than ever before. Yes, Gold Digger, your voice has the power to do all of that and so much more. Inside today's episode, you'll meet three incredible students who have used my course, The Podcast Lab, to not only launch their own podcast, but to thrive doing it. I can't wait for you to hear their stories, how they went from idea into action and created shows that aligned with their passions and goals, all while building businesses and communities. These business owners learned everything from what I've taught them because as a chart-topping podcast host, I have a proven method to share on how to start your own podcast, even if you're a beginner.

4:34If you are ready to take the first step, sign up for my free class, Podcasting 101, How to Start, Record, and Profit from Your Show. In this free masterclass, I'll break down podcasting and show you how starting a podcast is way easier than you're thinking and how it's possible to monetize your show. Head to freepodcastclass.com to save your seat for the free class. That's freepodcastclass.com to finally start your podcast and change your life too. Now let's meet these students, shall we? With smaller budgets, shorter timelines, and sky high expectations, growth is feeling really painful right now.

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5:58Get ready for growth without the growing pains. Visit HubSpot.com slash spotlight to see them all and demo for yourself. That's HubSpot.com slash spotlight. I am so excited to talk to Lizzie. Welcome to the Gold Digger podcast. Oh, thank you for having me. Yes. Okay. Tell me a little bit about you and your journey and who you are speaking to with your very own podcast. Okay. Okay. Thank you so much. So Jenna, I've been listening forever. And so this is so fun. And back in the day, when I first started listening to you, I was running a multiple six-figure Etsy shop. It was my full-time income, also home with my one daughter at the time, now two kids.

6:39And I used to run a social media company and I couldn't do it with the baby. I'm trying to negotiate contracts and she's running around in the background. It wasn't working. So I had to pivot back then to Etsy. And so then like fast forward and you're in my earbuds and I'm trying to figure out how to like scale things and everything. But then my husband and I decided we're going to try for baby number two, like literally seven years later because I was terrified. And one of the reasons I was scared is because I was like, what am I going to do about money? I'm working. We made wood signs that like would go over your bed, really big, heavy.

7:10I couldn't do the manual labor. I couldn't do the stains and the paints and all that when I was pregnant. So I needed to pivot and I decided, well, I love what Jenna does. I connect with her. I love her approach. She has this podcast course. I'll start a podcast and I'll help Etsy sellers. So I started the how to sell your stuff on Etsy podcast, like just thinking, okay, this will be like my top of funnel and I'll build it from here because I can do this. I'm older. I don't have to be on camera. It'll be fine. Well, I had no idea what would happen. I took your course. I followed all the instructions, you made it so easy for me.

7:46And then literally my podcast for me, like, not compared to you, but for me, it blew up. And it didn't take long. It took like six months. And all of a sudden, there's like thousands of listeners. And I think it was like three or four months. And I hit like 30 ,000 downloads, which for me was mind blowing. Huge. It was so crazy. So I help Etsy sellers now and I bring success stories and tips and strategies. And we just keep it really real. I love this so much, Lizzie. First off, just congratulations. Those numbers are huge. And one thing that I love that you just said is like six months in, right?

8:25And a lot of people, they struggle with consistency. What has that looked like for you for podcasting? Because podcasting challenges you to show up and to just keep showing up in a beautiful way that grows you in so many ways. So in the beginning, I knew that. And it's actually like, hello, ADHD sister. It's something that I struggle with is consistency in every other business. The Etsy shop was great because it made me had to get the orders out. But in the beginning with the podcast, I committed to every other week. And once I saw it take off and it started adding value for me, because I started, I listened to you right away.

8:58I had that episode you did on Amy Porterfield's podcast, number 346, if anyone wants to look it up, where you said how to start making money right away. And it was by using affiliate links or like by, you know what I mean? Like things that you like, I didn't have to do anything. It was so, it was the most, it was the most baller game ever. It was a good move. So I started making money and then I was like, oh, I'm gonna go to weekly. And then here's the key is like, I'm super low. Like I don't need to impress anybody. I don't. So like when I can't do one, I do a rerun and it's not very often, but like maternity leave and times when I was too stressed or I needed to just focus in on meditation and working on myself.

9:35I wasn't shy to do a rerun and I protected myself because I made sure a lot of my content was evergreen and I could bring the value. I love that. We actually recently started doing that Lizzie too, because it's so funny. We have such great work and a lot of times we forget that sometimes only a small portion of people see it the first time it's put out. And when we don't actually promote it well, or if we don't reshare it, a lot of people miss something that's golden. So I love that you did that. So I want to know what has been your audience's response to your podcast? Like, what does it feel like to know that you're not just sitting in a room speaking into a microphone just to you, but to other people?

10:14What has that been like? So today we're sitting at just over like 620 ,000 downloads. I could sob and the audience it's been precious because I and we can talk about it later if you want but like my mindset going into this was like I probably don't know enough it doesn't matter that I've had this Etsy shop I probably and I'm older I'm only 42 but like I'm not the 20 30 year old you know what I mean and instead I've been this is how you find your people everyone's so lonely out there. And I'm like, yes, you'll find your people.

10:51Right. I mean, it's, it's so true. And so there was, I'm changing lives because their livelihood, these are moms who want to be home with their babies or people who have crazy medical conditions and can't work, or they've been thrust into something and like, they can listen to my podcast for free and change everything. And so the audience has been precious and it's helped me like learn how to fall in love with myself. Yeah. Yeah. I agree. You know, it's so amazing in so many ways because a lot of times we don't really consider the ripple effects of our work. And when you even think about helping other people who are maybe who you were when you had your young child running around and you're trying to figure out this pivot and what does this even look like in all of these different things, you're not just impacting the listener, you're impacting their family and their children and their friendships and their relationships.

11:44And like the ripple effect of podcasting is so far and wide. And we often don't even think about that. And I just I love that you brought that up. What was your hardest like mindset hurdle that you had to overcome when it came to either starting your show or sticking with it? It was definitely well sticking with it. I hadn't even thought about that angle, Jenna. Sticking with it, it was just like, once it started producing income, that became easier. So I will tell people, if you're trying to be scatterbrained, if you give yourself, I tell people this with TikTok all the time too, if you give yourself, you know, like three, four months of being, just say, I'll be consistent for that long and see where it takes you.

12:19You'll be able to go further because you'll see what it can do. But the mindset hurdle for me was that I wasn't cool enough. It was total imposter syndrome. Like I might even have the knowledge. In fact, I know I can't. And I know that I'm going to be the kindest, most supportive, most like genuinely, like no holds barred. I'll tell you everything I know kind of person. Like there's nothing in me that wants to withhold, but they're not going to think I'm cool enough. And they're going to want to go to the young flashy person with the bigger numbers and the promises that didn't take too long to get over because of how fast I started hearing from people, but it was brutal.

12:51I had to grow, but I love it. I mean, I had to listen back to my episode number one. And when my producer told me to do that, I was like, heck to the no, I made it this far without listening. But I was just like, you'll be surprised. Like you'll be delighted. And I was like, I don't know about that. But it is. It's so funny. Even just listening to that brings back all of those emotions. Right. But it's like, you just got to start and you've got to show up. What would you say to somebody who's listening to this? And they're like, I wish I could be like Lizzie. Like I wish I could start a podcast.

13:24Well, first of all, be you, don't be me. But there's this statistic that has been really empowering to me because in my industry, I serve Etsy sellers and I'm specific to physical products. The podcast talks about digital products and print on demand, but print on demand and digital are much more flashy. And most of my competitors, which are all my friends are on YouTube. And I always felt kind of like maybe a little less than now I've put the podcast on YouTube for sure. Do that guys, because that's, I got monetized recently. But there's this company called, it's a research study done by ACAST, which is the world's largest independent podcast company.

13:57And they discovered that 50 % of podcast listeners trust the podcaster. That is a profound number and it's the highest one that they saw. And the next one down is 44 % and it's YouTube. People will trust the YouTuber. So I think that podcasting, if you want to grow at all, is so brilliant because you are able to build trust. And the more that you're able to build trust, you are able to create repeat listeners. And the more you're able to create repeat listeners, the more you're able to benefit them both for free, but also build your own list and build your own business. And it translates into sales.

14:29It's amazing. And I was recently at a podcast convention and they were talking about how podcasting is the most trusted media out there right now, as in like Instagram, social, like everything. And when you think about it too, it's like you are showing up and serving every single week, but also people are inviting you into like very special parts of their lives, whether they're, you know, driving to school or washing dishes or whatever that is. And so it's a really interesting, like symbiotic relationship that I think people don't think about a lot. I want you to brag on yourself and tell me something just like that's very exciting that has happened because of your podcast or something that you're proud of.

15:09So one thing that was kind of unexpected that I really loved was that I've been able to speak with people such as yourself that I otherwise wouldn't have that I was kind of craving. Do you know what I mean? Like you kind of get to a point in entrepreneurship where your peers don't get it. They often support you, but they don't get it. And you can't have the same kind of conversation. I'm the girl who'd go to the party and I'd want to be in the corner like with a LaCroix talking entrepreneurship with someone rather than like, you know, being the girl with a bottle of champagne dancing on the table.

15:37It's not going to be me. And so being able to talk to people like Jennifer Allwood is an amazing entrepreneur business coach. And then Allison J. Prince was another one that was so fun. So really, really cool. But also, I was going to brag on myself. I think it's the six figures that the podcast brings in. I've made over$100 ,000 just from the podcast. About 60 % of that has come from course sales, coaching, things like that. I don't do a ton of coaching. It's mostly passive. And then the other 40 % has been affiliate income. And that has been life-changing for the family. So I think like practically speaking, that's what puts me at home with my kids.

16:15Yes. Yes. It's amazing too, because I feel like there are ways that you can directly see the results with podcasting. And there are so many indirect results that come from podcasting. So thank you for just sharing that because I think that it is absolutely possible. And like you said, even doing some of those tricks and strategies from day one to be strategic and thoughtful and also to be able to see the results of your efforts. That is encouraging for so many entrepreneurs, but it also is just affirming that you're on to something and you're on the right track. Where can everybody find out more about you, connect with you, go tune into your show, give us all the places.

16:55Okay. So everything is at howtosellyourstuff.com And you can find me on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok at howtosellyourstuff. And P.S., I felt at first that that name was super cringy, but it actually shot me up the charts because that's what people search in Google. So before you go, that's too cringe and I want to get real creative, think twice because it has been like the backbone for me. We talk about SEO and keywords a lot in the podcast lab. And so I actually think it is brilliant. If somebody is considering the Podcast Lab, what would you say to them, Lizzie? Okay. So first of all, take it first before you start, because there's a lot of you who are probably like, I don't know what I want to podcast about.

17:36I don't even know if this is a good fit for me. And I think that the Podcast Lab will answer that upfront. But I also, for me, it was the like click by click tech instruction that changed my life with that course. I'm a bit of, I love courses because I like to save time. I am a busy entrepreneur. When I took the podcast lab, I was raising a child and homeschooling. I was trying to have another one. I was running a full-time business. We were working 80 hours a week and I didn't have time to go chase down all the answers. And I knew Jenna would teach it to me right. And so I am a huge advocate.

18:12Everything was in there and it helped me plan for things that I didn't know I was going to need to plan for, like pieces of the pot. You wouldn't believe what goes on. It seems so easy. Oh, I'm not even on video. It's just a little audio behind the scene. Oh my gosh. The tech alone is a good reason to take the course. Oh, thank you, Lizzie. I am so pumped about your success and I want everyone to go listen and subscribe to your show. Everybody go check out Lizzie. Thank you so much for coming on the podcast. Thank you, Jenna. You've changed my life. Thank you so much. this podcast is brought to you by mercury banking that helps entrepreneurs do more with their money okay i remember in the early days of my entrepreneurship journey clients would literally mail me checks and then i would have to drive all the way to the bank to deposit them it took me literal years to make things go digital and i am ashamed to admit i still have a filing cabinet with paper contracts because i'm way too afraid to throw them away but that's the beauty of growth, right?

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20:36That's bowlandbranch, B-O-L-L-A-N-D branch.com slash gold digger to save 20 % and unlock free shipping. Exclusions apply. Oh, I am absolutely overjoyed to welcome Tara to the Gold Digger podcast. Welcome to the podcast. Thank you for having me. I'm honored. Yes. Okay. So I want to know, tell me a little bit about your podcast and what made you want to start one? Well, I have been training, providing training and materials for parents and educators working with young autistic kids. So like three to five years old. And over the years, I found when I started working in that level, there was nothing out there for that level.

21:21It's just such a different place than even elementary school. So I started creating materials and trainings. And then a podcast was kind of the next logical spot. But I was like, I have no idea how to do this. So when did you start your show? And what was that process like? Did you have a lot of knowledge about podcasts before you dove into the podcast lab or even really explored this idea of starting one? Nothing. Zero. I had nothing. Like some of the terms like RSS feed and stuff. Like I still probably couldn't really explain it, but I had never heard of it. I didn't know what was needed. I just knew I wanted to start a podcast and be able to reach more people with free training, actually.

22:06So I was like, where do I even start? And somehow you were recommended. And I was like, okay, she makes this sound really doable quickly. and I think I must have attended a webinar or something and I was like this is it this is what I need because I was like I cannot sit and google this and figure it out there's too many steps and actually I started in January of 2023 and I had purchased the course and actually gone through it probably a month prior so it was wow finish like a month because you made it so easy That's the dream. And you know, what's amazing is I feel like when you think about it, so many people like you and I are like, I'm savvy.

22:55I'll DIY. I'll figure it out. But when you start trying to piece everything together, and if you even get led astray for one day, it can throw your whole timeline up. My goal is 30 days. You did it. What has it been like sharing your voice? And like, how has your life changed? Because you've had some really big life changes since putting yourself out in this way? Yeah, well, one of the things since starting my podcast, I've been able to leave the classroom. I'm a speech language pathologist. I've worked with autistic kids for 25 years, and it was never my goal to leave the classroom, but my business exploded and I had to choose.

23:34And I thought, what a better way to reach more autistic kids than leaving the classroom and focusing on reaching families and educators around the world with a podcast. It's a piece that helped my business grow to that point where I was able to pursue being an entrepreneur. Yeah. Tell me more about your business because some people start their podcast as a business and some people start their podcast to support their business. So tell us a little bit more about your business and how the podcast plays a role in it. Yeah, the podcast definitely supported a business that I had started in 2019. And my husband's friend called it my cute little side gig.

24:18Of course, you know, like, Oh, how's your cute little side gig going? And pretty soon I was earning more money than him. But anyway, it was really a nice piece to add on to I made a lot of materials, I did a lot of trainings. But the podcast allows me to share the how-to for things that if you're just purchasing materials, you maybe don't have that how-to. And it also allows people to get to know me better, I feel, and kind of develop that know, like, and trust factor. Yeah. What was something that surprised you about podcasting? I feel like even when we listen to podcasts, we maybe have an imagination of what this process is or what it's going to be What surprised you, either good or bad?

25:05I think it surprised me that my skills developed a lot faster than I thought they would. I didn't think I'd be able to sit and talk to myself. And I know over time, everyone kind of develops their own way and process. And I think about a year in, I started doing interviews because that was another thing I was really nervous about. And I think when I went through your course, I ignored that part at first. like I'm not even going there. But then having the course, I was able to go back to it when I was brave enough. And then I did interviews almost all of last year because I loved it so much. So I think that's one thing that has really been great.