By: HAYIM MIZRACHI, CCIM – President | Principal | Broker
My name is Hayim Mizrachi. I am the President and Principal of MDL Group, a commercial real estate brokerage and property management company in Las Vegas, NV.
This is my podcast story and how I got from idea to launch.
“You really need to have an itch that you are scratching. Something that you need to get out into the world because it is less painful, more enjoyable, but often less painful for you to get out into the world than to keep it in your own head.” – Tim Ferriss
***All of the links in this post are live. They will lead you to thoughtful resources and references.
Just Start
I can’t remember the exact moment or trigger when I first thought about starting a podcast. All I know is once the idea creeped into my brain I couldn’t get it out. I had been listening to more than my share of podcasts and really enjoyed this media. In fact, I craved it! The first time that I can remember actually vocalizing the idea of me doing a podcast was July 2017. The premise would be sharing my Takeaways from the people who have influenced me the most.
It wasn’t until October that I had iterated the podcast concept enough to really get serious. (I will share more about my iteration process later in the post). Episode 1, the show introduction where I talk about what I’m doing, and the premise of the Takeaways podcast wasn’t released until December 2017. The first show that I recorded with a guest was released January 2018 on iTunes, Stitcher, Google and SoundCloud. Holy smokes… I am a podcaster! I have a podcast! Episode 5 comes out April 10th!
Let’s rewind a bit. Once I determined this was something I would pursue I did exactly what you would expect. I went to google!
“How to start a podcast”. That’s what I searched. Interestingly the top posts auto included things like “start a podcast as a bare minimum” and “start a podcast for under $100”. I have heard my podcasting mentor, James Altucher, say over and over how much sound quality matters. So, I didn’t mind spending some money on better equipment. But before we get a head of ourselves let me start with the best advice I think I can possibly give anyone who is thinking about starting a podcast.
Get clear on your “why?”
Why the heck do you even want to do this? Is it to market yourself or your business? Is it to establish a side hustle that you will monetize? Is it just for fun? Be specific. This is critical because you will most likely run into frustration and resistance. Knowing why you are doing this will get you through. Here are three questions that you can dance with to get clarity. They come from another mentor of mine, Seth Godin. Cation: these questions will torment you!
What is the change you are seeking to make?
Who is it for? Get specific about the persona of your audience. Like 33-year-old Brendan trying to make his way and will expedite his development in life because of these Takeaways.
What is it for? Perhaps you want to create a platform to meet interesting people and hear their story. Perhaps it’s to establish thought leadership deep in your area of expertise.
What is the change you are seeking to make? The way Seth explains this question is brilliant. Your target audience has a world view before they hear your podcast. What change are you seeking to make after they hear your podcast?
Now that you have all that let’s get into technology.
Equipment & Software
I am going to keep this section brief because there is an ocean of videos, blog posts and paid services to help you get started. Think about where you will be recording your podcast and get the equipment most appropriate for your “studio”. Will you be traveling with your equipment? Will it remain stationary on your desk? As mentioned, I had listened to enough podcasts to know sound quality really matters so I decided I would invest up to $1,000 on equipment to make it a quality endeavor. I focused in on this video and website post for the equipment that I purchased.
Support
Another really smart thing I did was seek out someone locally who was already podcasting. Kri Edholm, Owner of Leadership Excursions, started a fantastic podcast called Leadership Looks Like. Kri was super gracious! She welcomed me and my staff into her studio and showed us her process and set up. Kri also answered many many questions that I sent her over weeks as I was ramping up. The point I’m trying to make is finding a Kri can be incredibly helpful! The good news is that Kri shares her passion for podcasting freely. Check out this episode that she recorded just for you. And here is a link of a video of Kri explaining Podcasting 101: Where to begin.
Final thoughts
The last thing I’ll say, as a business owner, you really need to decide how much time and resources you are willing to invest in your podcast. It became extremely seductive when I started recording. I was ready to record multiple shows a week. But I went back to those three questions. Who is it for? What is it for? What is the change I am seeking to make?
Takeaways – Life Lessons Learns is a podcast about learning from the wisdom of others. It is for people who seek to gain insights beyond themselves. For me this is a hobby. I have no current intentions of monetize the podcast even though I’ve been asked by people to advertise on my show. But that’s not what it’s for. I just want to get the Takeaways from the people who have influenced me the most out into the world rather than keep them in my own head!
You can find Takeaways at any of the links below. Make sure to subscribe and review! It helps people find the show.
If you have any questions, or if I can help you start your podcast in any way, you can reach me at [email protected] or on Facebook Messenger.