917: Thank you for listening, now it's time for a break.
It’s time to take a break from my show.
It’s August 12th, 2021, and today is my 59th birthday.
While still reeling from the impact of a global pandemic, I decided to simplify my business this year, mainly in the content marketing I’ve been doing for the last several years. I spend the most time on the podcast and shooting my how-to videos for my YouTube channel, YouTubeTerry.com. I also publish a weekly (bi-weekly in summer months) newsletter called the PappyClub Journal.
I still want to create content that’s 1000% Terry, but I’m moving away from the full-on how-to teaching mode to focusing on my personal journey as a solopreneur and what I’m learning and experiencing.
We all learn best by doing. By being in action. By implementing. So by sharing my stories and experiences, I help my audience get inspired ideas to act versus being a talking head teaching a concept or practice.
I find this type of content so much more relatable, and it feels great to share my life. What I’ve done with the PappyClub Journal is I write a very personal article, kick it off with an audio journaling prompt and pop in a vintage how-to video related to the content. I’ll continue to expand the variety of my Journal content and am enjoying its newness and evolution.
Alongside this fresh content includes all of my PappyClub member content with marketing and business how-to’s, audio meditations and videos from vetted experts that I’ve consolidated from the PappyClub Membership site.
So in essence, I’ve brought all of my other brands and websites into one location, and that’s TPappy.com. I am publishing only one content marketing product with a variety of media catered to my solopreneur audience.
With that free time, I’m spending more of it caring for my existing clients as well as getting into my oil painting more and working on my next book.
The Simplify & Multiply podcast has been an absolute joy to produce and I have had amazing guests and frank conversations about being a solopreneur that I will always cherish. I am considering publishing a redux (RUH-ducks) of this show from my consolidated site, TPappy.com, starting with the first episode and running through all 126 episodes. I’d designed each show to have a sustainable shelf life, with valuable content that has permeable value to solopreneurs regardless of when they are consumed. Depending on when you listen to this final bookend episode, you can always find the show at SimplifyAndMultiply.com.
Here’s what I’ve gotten out of doing this show:
More confidence behind the mic.
Discovered my voice.
Became more vulnerable in how and what I shared publicly.
Discovered what my brand was really about—my 1000%.
Made an abundance of new friends.
Had inspiring, organic, honest conversations with my guests.
The experience has been a learning journey. I’m so glad I made the investment in time and effort to design this show’s premise, figure out the technology (which I’ll touch on next), recruit great-fit guests for intriguing conversations and have a voice in the world for solopreneurs.
I take on a lot in my business. I don’t have a team, I have a few partners I refer business to, but my goal was never to create a big agency or have a big team to manage. I always wanted an air of lightness and freedom and simplicity to my business, and have been able to do so and support myself since 2006.
When I decided to do the podcast, I wanted to be able to record, produce and manage the entire show myself. The only outsourcing I did was to pay a Fiverr voiceover actor, Joel, to record my intro, midroll and outro. I wrote the scripts for Joel and also my own intro, midroll and outro segments.
The other outsource expense was to Squadcast.fm, the platform I used for all of my guest interviews. Squadcast was first referred to me by David Wolf of Audivita. Co-founder of Squadcast, Zach Moreno, was one of my early guests. I’m an advocate for Squadcast and the service they offer for podcasters and have enjoyed watching them grow their product into a robust platform. Their service made my show possible.
Other than those two expenses, one a flat fee and the other a monthly fee, all other production I kept in-house by doing it myself. Once I recorded the show, I would bring it into Adobe Audition and post-produced the MP3 mixdown. I spent a few hours learning Audition so I could produce my own final recordings. At times it was a challenge, because many of my guests surprisingly had poor internet connections or inadequate audio setups. I had to do a lot of repairing of audio recordings as a result. I wanted my show to be comfortable to listen to and was a stickler for as high a quality audio I could get.
Once I had the MP3 files ready to go, I then turned to Squarespace where the show is hosted. Yes, I host my show right from my website on Squarespace. An incredible platform I highly recommend, Squarespace allowed me to publish a blog dedicated to be pushed via an RSS feed to all of the podcast channels I wanted the show to appear on.
When I initially set everything up, which took a little time, all I had to do was fill out the proper fields to connect the podcast to Apple Podcasts, and then it was just a matter of setting up my podcast account with all of the others such as Google Podcasts, Stitcher, iHeart Radio, Spotify, Audible, etc. I also had to create show art for each as well as a show description. Boom. I was ready to go.
I kept a tight production schedule, batch recorded my guest sessions, designed the show to have seasonal themes to keep it fresh, and stayed well ahead of publishing dates. All I had to do then was upload the MP3 file to the Squarespace blog article, schedule the pub date, upload my guest’s bio, photo and any links they wished to share, create a piece of promotional art to be used in social media, and boom. That was it.
For the entirety of the nearly three years of the show, 126 episodes, my out of pocket cost was around $700 total. I know other podcasters who spend that each month on their show.
Because I made my show’s production so affordable, I created specific how to host your podcast through Squarespace training for my PappyClub Journal subscribers. So if you want more detail, sign up to the PappyClub Journal at Tpappy.com and you’ll have access to all of my training and resources.
So that’s the techy side of the show. The personal side of the show, as I’ve mentioned, has had a deep impact on how I look at what I do, how I teach, inspire and help my clients and audience achieve their solopreneur goals.
What I want to focus on now is continuing the PappyClub Journal, which will include audio prompts from me (so you’ll still get to hear my voice) as well as reflections of my personal journey and of course, the how-to videos and helpful content. I continue to prioritize my client’s needs and still thoroughly enjoy each and every project engagement I have, whether it’s for a KISS Marketing Map strategy, Business of YOU Generator to implement a new site, brand or sales collateral, or a Tactical Guidance engagement to help fill a client’s pipeline and support their professional growth as a business coach.
As I mentioned, on the creative side, I’ll be spending time expanding my studio with oil painting commissions and exploring my next book. You can look for those updates on TPappy.com.
Lastly, I want to thank you. If you are a first time listener, and this is the episode you stumbled upon or were referred to, well, what can I say other than go back to episode 101 and listen to all 126 and you will be inspired in ways you don’t expect. If you are a longtime listener or somewhere in between, I have two words for you: Thank you.
You are the reason I created this show. I didn’t want to make money off of this show. I did not monetize the show. I didn’t even really grow my list or create any measurable ROI from it. It was a simple pleasure to be creative using audio and build a show that would inspire and help fellow solopreneurs who need that little boost from time to time to get through the ups and downs of running a business by yourself.
Being a solopreneur has been and continues to be the best experience I’ve had in my life. I love doing my work, being creative, having fun, serving clients, inspiring my audience and just being 1000% Terry Pappy. I invite you to explore ways you can be 1000% you and feel the joy and satisfaction doing work you love and as blessed as I do for having the freedom to have your own business and create a lifestyle you love.
I love you for being here, for listening and sharing in my journey. Stay tuned for more Terry, more fun, more inspiration and more joy.
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