“Business is my mojo, and that’s why I love relating to people and helping them build their businesses in smarter and easier ways.” – Michelle Nedelec
People launch business podcasts for a variety of reasons, ranging from promoting a brand to providing education to generating new clients.
Michelle Nedelec combines her love of business and podcasting with the gift of gab to host The Business Ownership podcast.
The podcast is a ‘mixed bag’ of business, focusing on topics ranging from the business side of gaming to self-care for CEOs to poker strategies and how they apply to business.
“I’d wanted to start this podcast for about three years, but believe it or not, the tech side stopped me,” says Michelle. “Ironic, since I own a tech company.”
Michelle is the owner of Awareness Strategies, a company that focuses on helping businesses with Infusionsoft—a system for client management that handles everything from email gathering to managing communication with prospects and clients.
Michelle had with two mentors help her start her podcast, essentially providing her with a step-by-step process for launching. Now, she interviews guests who are a natural fit with one of her pillars—or themes—for the show:
“The themes are strategy, systems, support, and state of mind, in that order,” she explains. “Business owners first need to put strategies in place. Then, you systemize those strategies, so you can replicate and duplicate. Getting the support you need to then run those systems is essential, and finally, you adopt the state of mind conducive to ensuring all the processes function.”
Building a podcast around themes makes sense for this category of podcasts. There are so many directions business podcasts can take, so having a formula not only helps Michelle manage the episodes, but it makes it clearer for the listeners, as well.
“I get to tell the potential guests, ‘Hey, these are the four pillars. If you fall into one or more of them, we’re probably good to go.’ So I have had an abundance of guests approach me now, which has been awesome.”
Michelle enjoys her podcast so much that she launched another one titled The Little Blue Pill for Business. The podcast’s topic?
“I will warn your readers now—I’m about to get explicit.”
(We’ll take a quick pause here, in case you need to turn the page. 😉
“The podcast is all about getting it up and keeping it up,” Michelle explains. “And of course, we’re talking about revenue and profit. So, it is a metaphor, really, pertaining to the little blue pill men take. It’s very tongue-in-cheek, and not just physically. The guests I bring on are similar to those featured on my other show, but there tends to be more humor in this one. There are many innuendos! For example, one runs Hard on Coffee, because as she puts it, ‘Everyone likes a stiff one in the morning.’ She was adorable! I’m also now looking at interviewing someone who works with women to do burlesque shows, just to help them build their confidence in their presence. We still talk about those four pillars of business… the conversations are just a little more fun, because let’s face it—adults need a break, too.
“It’s like when shock jock Howard Stern came out in the 80s. I remember being like, ‘Oh my God… that’s one radio show!’ He was fantastic. I loved listening to his show, because it was such a breath of fresh air from the stale normal that was out there.”
Speaking more into her love of podcasting, Michelle says:
“To me, podcasting is the extrovert’s blog. I don’t like to write—I enjoy talking with people. And this venue makes it easy! At minimum, it’s an opportunity to express oneself. If that was all it is, it would be enough for me. So, investing in the podcast was like investing in my own sanity. It’s been some of my best therapy,” she laughs.
“But podcasting is also so much more. I absolutely love being able to listen to what people have to say about any topic I’m interested in. That is awesome and epic! Had I known about podcasts when I first started business way back, I would have benefitted so much by listening to those who had experience in the world of business.
“The beauty of podcasting is that you can find somebody refreshing to talk about anything, whether it’s gardening, or fencing, or business… literally anything.”
In addition to all of these benefits, there is yet another aspect of podcasting that Michelle embraces:
“Feedback is my oxygen. I love, love, love it, no matter the type. Even when it comes prefaced with, “I’m sorry, but…” To me, that’s actually the best kind, because it’s honest, and that’s exactly what I want. Now, we’re having a conversation. We’re creating a relationship. The “Hey, we love you!” feedback is great, too… it’s like throwing flowers to me. And I’m like, “Oh, that’s awesome!’ The other kind, though, generates a more thoughtful response, and again, initiates a relationship. And that’s better than just getting flowers on Valentine’s Day.”
All of this is why Michelle strongly encourages you to “just go for it,” if you’re considering launching a podcast.
“If you’re a business owner, or prospective business owner, who is thinking about doing a podcast, number one, don’t let the tech stop you. Number two, think about how it can relate to your own business, and design it around those themes, or pillars, or whatever you want to call them. After all, if you’re in the business category, you obviously want your podcast to positively affect your business. Even when you love doing your podcast, you want it to have a payback in some way.”
The Business Ownership Podcast and The Little Blue Pill for Business podcast are for all types of business owners—your choice, depending on how safe or daring you choose to be!
April 2022 Issue
