What happens if you say something that later comes back to be wrong? What happens when the stakes are so high that something you said (and believed) pulls you off the air? That happened to a nationally-known radio host and it can happen to you – it can happen to all of us. Thoughts on what to do about it are in this episode... Click the icon below to listen.

Expectations are fine for relationships, as long as the parties involved are on the same page. For example, I expect to pay for a drink at the coffee shop, but I don't expect to pay for one when visiting a friend's house. Things get messy if you think one thing is happening and the other party thinks something else. Unfortunately, this happens a lot in business. And you may be doing this without even realizing it. Recently I saw a message from Jeff Brown of Read to Lead Podcast about an...

You've probably heard the saying about college professors, "Publish or perish."  Like it or not, the same could be said about experts. And fortunately, we're in a world where getting out information out to the world is easier than ever. But how hard should be push? In this episode, I share a story about something that happened just this weekend, at a podcasting event I attended with Dave Jackson from School of Podcasting. In this story, his "sale" just happened, because the customer was...

You take a risk any time you share a message, especially if you lean in to something. What happens if you say something that later comes back to be wrong? This happened to a local (but nationally-known) radio host. After months of posting anti-vaccination information and conspiracy theories about COVID-19, he got the virus. He's currently in the critical care unit of a local hospital, fighting for his life. It's a situation that we've all been in – we believe something (and act on it), only...

There is a lot of junk "information" online and some sites seem to have more of them than others. Whether you're looking at a free site, like YouTube, or a paid site, like Udemy, chances are that you're going to have to weed through a lot of noise to get to something that's really helpful. To record this podcast, I use a program called Audacity. Although I've been using it for about 20 years, a new version just came out and I was looking for information on one of the new features. That's how...

On the last episode, I talked with John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing about his longevity in the "expert business." On this episode, I'm going a bit deeper into three of the concepts we discussed: Point-of-View Consistency of Messaging (and just consistency) Leveraging Yourself (and your message) If you're been in your expert business for a while, or want to be, you'll get a lot out of this. Help Your Expert Friends Reach More People... If you like RED Podcast, subscribe now and you'll...

I started my company in 1995, while I was still in college. I didn't think much of it at the time, but knew I didn't like working for somebody else and that I wanted options. I'm still here, but there are certainly those times when I ask myself, "How much longer can I do this?" Last year, I decided to go through a year-long exercise marketer John Jantsch outlined in his book, The Self-Reliant Entrepreneur. When I was done, I booked him for this podcast to talk about his entrepreneurial...

The beginning of the year is always a great time for self-evaluation, but right now, with a new President just taking office, is also a great time to think about "leadership" and being the type of leader that will help you to spread and be more impactful with your expert message. In this episode, I talk about two different leaders and how they're handling stressful events. HINT: One of them didn't handle things so well... Help Your Expert Friends Reach More People... If you like RED...

On RED 280, I talked about how I've switched to jumping rope for my main cardio exercise during the pandemic. I'd have a little experience with jumping rope previously, but was still pretty much a beginner, so when I got my ropes, I started looking online for info on how to do it correctly. That's how I found Nate KG. I wasn't the only one. When COVID-19 hit the first time and gyms closed, tens of thousands of people like me were without a place to workout and, because there was a run on...

There are two rules all churches know (or will know soon enough). Both apply to your business. In This Episode: How to get booked for more gigs How to write a book (or several books) How to do more podcasts How to be a guests on other people's podcast more often What "they" don't tell you about having good cheekbones Links To Things I Talk About: The Business Of Church And Communication [RED 281] Help Your Expert Friends Reach More People... If you like RED Podcast, subscribe now and...

Your podcast, your book, and your "media" has a lot more in common with church than you'd think. And whether you're a public speaker, a podcaster, or a writer, you have a lot in common with a preacher and how he communicates. Wayne Geiger is a pastor, adjunct professor of speech, speech coach, and former morning radio broadcaster. And these similarities are what we talk about on this episode. If you want to spread a message, regardless of whether it's religious or secular, listen up. In...

I'm back with a pandemic-related check-in...and also a new way of titling episodes. Want to hear from me more often? Try Build A Big Podcast or the Big Podcast Instagram account. In This Episode: When the bottom falls out Panic attacks From 250 dates per year to only 1 The "Cone of Silence" technique for claiming your space Doing the next right thing (even in hard times) The "Pandemic Opportunity" we all have right now Links To Things I Talk About: Helm Core Trainer Bosa Balance Trainer...

I posted some merch photos on the Big Podcast Instagram account and got a comment that this story would make a good podcast. So here it is. Branded merchandise isn't for everybody, but if you have the right audience, it can be a substantial part of your business. In this episode, I talk about how many "musicians" are known more for their t-shirts and other merch than they are for their music. I also talk about how you can easily as t-shirts and other merch to your business. Want an...

This is a followup to my previous episode with Amy Broghamer. No matter how you cut things, producing a live event is difficult, but it's even more difficult right now thanks to COVID-19.  However, right now is also a great opportunity to jump into doing live events, if you're willing to commit now and wait until it's safe. More thoughts on the current "live event opportunity" on this episode... Help Your Expert Friends Reach More People... If you like RED Podcast, subscribe now and...

In a way, my entire business was built on live events. As you can imagine, for somebody in the music industry, live events are extremely important to selling music, building connection with fans, getting the word out about an artist. I've produced around 2000 live events, not only for others, but for myself as well. Why? Think about this – a "live event" is basically an advertisement for what you do. But unlike a traditional advertisement, people pay you to watch it, it's interactive, and...

Tripp Lanier is back to discuss the behind-the-scenes of writing, publishing, and launching his new book, This Book Will Make You Dangerous. For the last decade, Tripp has run a very successful coaching business. He's host of the popular podcast, The New Man. Why wait so long to write a book? What does the book-writing process look like? When you have a successful business already, why write a book at all? These are a few of the things we discussed. And if you're thinking about writing a...

It's very common to get in a business, partnership, or life situation that was working for you at one time, but is no longer working for you. Plans change. People change. Then what? You can keep going in the direction you're going and get what you get or you can change things and get what you want. I found myself in this situation a few years ago. On the outside, things looked great and on the inside things were pretty great, but I knew something was missing and I wanted something...

Remember when I used to have a co-host? Laurel isn't on the podcast anymore, but her impact is definitely felt on this episode since she was the one who introduced me to my guest, Nick Loper. Nick has a site and podcast called Side Hustle Nation, which helps people build small (and big) businesses during their non-dayjob hours. I brought Nick on for a couple of reasons: Side Hustle Nation is an "expert business" and I want you to see the behind-the-scenes aspects of it. He has some...

This is Part 2 of my conversation with the oldest podcaster I know, Zita Christian. I sat on this a couple of weeks due to what's happening in the US around Black Lives Matter and changes around the way we look at and talk about race in the US. I've talked about these topics in the past (Episode 242 is a good example), and I think it's important we talk about them, but right now, it's better for middle-aged white guys to listen when it comes to these topics. With that said, one of the things...

A few months ago, a company wanted me for a podcasting job and working with Pro Tools was part of the deal. Why? I don't know, but it was a good opportunity for me, so I considered it... ...until I started working with Pro Tools. Don't get me wrong, I think Pro Tools is a great program for music recording. And the radio show I do is produced on Pro Tools (via an engineer, not me!), so I know why people like it. But it's not for me. When it comes to podcasting, I prefer Audacity. ...

In the last episode, Eric Moss and I talked about a feat of strength that I try to explain in this episode, but it's better explained in this video. How can you, as a business owner, continue to do your "trick" as you age? Like Slim "The Hammer Man" Farman's feats of strength, you need to consider leverage. But you want that leverage working for you rather than against you. In this episode, I talk about how one industry used leverage to expand in unbelievable ways. Can you do the same in...

Eric Moss has one of those jobs you've heard of but didn't think really exists – he's a professional strongman. You can learn a lot from him, especially when it comes to spreading your message via live events. If you're curious about what it takes to establish yourself as a speaker and book yourself, listen up! In This Episode: Bending a frying pan (with your bare hands) Breaking a wrench in half (or not) When to do when you're on stage and things go wrong Booking speaking gigs – the...

You've probably had the experience of meeting somebody from your past and saying, "I'm glad we're not together anymore." That's how I feel about producing live events. At least right now. There was a time when I was hot and heavy into producing and promoting live events – I've done HUNDREDS since starting my business in 1995. And even in the best of conditions, it's always a gamble. I had a college professor who had been in this business. He told me there was no greater rush than having a...

I sat down with Terry Weaver, author of Making Elephants Fly, to talk about the business of live events, specifically the behind-the-scenes of what goes on with his annual event for creative entrepreneurs, The Thing. Then COVID-19 put us all in quarantine. It's a weird time to be in the live event business, but there is also a lot of opportunity for those with the right offer and audience. In this episode, Terry talks about how he built an audience for The Thing and discusses what it takes...

A few days ago, something happened that caused my tongue to swell. What was it? Nobody knows. Not the internet, not my nurse friend, and not my nurse practitioner friend. Today I went to have it examined. They didn't know either, but they did propose a solution. Maybe. This episode has nothing to do with marketing, but everything to do with spreading a message...or not being able to spread a message in this case. In This Episode: Talking with a lisp Stuff you could be allergic to How cool...