(Updated Measure Success Podcast studio).
Strategy 4 Saturday (<4-minute read)
- Reaching the Half-Century Mark
- Podcast – Measuring Success
- Capitalizing on Social Media Trends
- Monetize the Podcast
- Measure Success Podcast | Public Sector Expert | Andy Takata
- Coming up this week | IT Consultant & Coach | Brad Koehn
- Read all our Blogs on the 40 Strategy Website
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. Growing Your Podcast Audience. 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. Growing Your Podcast 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. Growing Your Podcast Audience…. 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.
If you’re interested in becoming one of our first sponsors, we invite you to get in touch with Erin Gibney at marketing@40strategy.com.
Measure Success Podcast
Andy Takata I Strategic planning in government: Lessons from a city manager
Entrepreneurs and other business leaders: what if I told you we could actually learn a lot about strategic planning from … the public sector?
(Yes, that means government!)
I promise, not all government strategic planning involves bloated timelines or budgets. And there are important lessons we can learn and apply to the private sector.
My guest on the Measure Success Podcast is someone who has a lot to teach in this arena.
Andy Takata has worked as a city manager and has over 21 years of experience with three full-service cities and two contract cities. He’s worked in economic development, planning, recreation, development, and municipal-operated water, wastewater, and electrical utilities.
Tune into the full conversation at the link below or wherever you get your podcasts for more on:
- Some of the differences in effective strategic planning for the private sector vs the public sector
- How to avoid getting distracted by “shiny objects” when you already have a set plan (plus the potential benefits of noticing those shiny objects)
- Andy’s experience officiating water polo at the Olympics
- And a lot more!
Brad Koehn I Let Go, Elevate Your Business – Brad Koehn’s Expert Insights
As a highly successful CEO or entrepreneur, your journey has been marked by hard work, exceptional skills, and the creation of your business from the ground up. However, as your business evolves or undergoes changes in ownership, relinquishing control can be a daunting challenge. In this episode, we explore how loosening your grip on your business may be precisely what it needs.
Our featured guest, Brad Koehn, boasts three decades of experience in IT Consulting, with a background in software engineering, leadership, and executive coaching. Today, he operates a solo practice catering to the unique needs of small business owners, specializing in helping them navigate the complexities of growth, acquisition, and divestiture. Brad’s guidance empowers his clients to make their businesses more profitable, easier to manage, and more valuable when they consider selling.
Tune in to the full episode to gain insights into how Brad coaches business leaders to overcome fear and uncertainty, the significance of having a future vision, common pitfalls hindering strategy execution, preparing businesses for sale, fostering leadership development, and more.
