Business assignment conducting an Interview of a podcast host. PDF

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This questionnaire is the result of my interview with a business owner, in the form of a podcasting network. The [point is to gain insight from owners of businesses and find out how they make decisions and conduct management....

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{ This is a transcribed copy of my interview with Jack Luna, the host of my favorite podcast called ‘Dark Topic’. } 1. How did you get the idea or concept for your business? - Well, I have always been interested in digital media and a podcast was the best form of media for me to share my interests in the macabre/true crime side of things. Videos and YouTube content creators were oversaturated, games aren’t something I mess with so I saw podcasting as a unique hobby to mainly express myself. I never counted on having people who WANTED to listen to me. 2. How many employees do you have? How do you recruit employees? - I don’t necessarily count the people I work with as employees but there are three others. You know Paul and he just reached out to me as a fan and offered to help with his background in advertising and web design. Then we brought Kent in as another fan that we just got to know over time to who I decided to offer my platform to and now he hosts another top 100 show. F.T Norton being a listener of my show and a great writer was another blessing to fall into my lap, she offered to help write scripts and now she is a permanent member. I wouldn’t be anywhere today without the help of them and the support of you long-time listeners. 3. What service or product do you provide? - I have my original Podcast called Dark Topic but that now has branched out to a small production company that hosts 5 different podcasts. 4. How do you advertise your business? - We have never actually advertised much. I was brought onto the show with Mike as a writer (A very successful Podcast host) which resulted in a lot of exposure for me even though it didn’t work out between him and me. There have been a few times I and another small podcast traded commercials to advertise for each other during our episodes. Lack of advertising is kinda why Paul reached out. Heh. 5. What made you choose your current location? - Luckily for me, this is a work-from-home endeavor so I’m up here near Ontario, Canada while my partners are in the Midwest and the southern United States.

6. What is unique about your business? - I don’t think many people can say they support their families with a truecrime podcast created in their basement. I feel extremely blessed for that and all the dedicated listeners who have been there since the beginning. 7. If you had one piece of advice to someone just starting out, what would it be?

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Give yourself a chance. I almost signed a deal writing with the Podcast company I mentioned earlier, the deal was for more money than I ever dreamed of seeing in my life. But I knew I’d wonder for the rest of my life if I could have made it on my own, I wanted that chance to fight for myself. So, I walked away and went through some dark times where I thought it was over. It never was though. I crawled back up and kept trying and now I can say my success is my own and that feels better than any amount of money ever could. So yeah, this may only apply to passionate business endeavors but still, I say listen to your gut and give yourself a chance...

One thing I admire about Jack Luna is the fact that he turned down a highpaying, guaranteed spot on a top true-crime podcast (while financially struggling) to

take a chance on himself. As a huge fan of his writing, I’m so glad that Jack took the risk and branched out on his own, otherwise, he’d just be another blended-in scriptwriter. Instead, he is a known figure in the niche true-crime podcast community. Taking that risk is a big component of being an entrepreneur. To be successful you must possess the drive and willpower to stay focused, work hard and meet your goals. Entrepreneurs can be proof that challenging work does pay off and although you will typically fail a few times, it’s crucial to keep using those experiences to passionately build upon your project. Podcast popularity is growing every day but Jack was luckily able to promote his show(now company) through other small-scale podcast teams and word of mouth in the true crime community. I attribute a lot of that to it being a smaller community where information can travel faster. Although I mentioned Jack’s persistence and work ethic paying off earlier; I do think luck or even coincidence is a natural phenomenon or sensation that may play an integral part in (some) success. The difference is that you cannot rely on those occurrences, you can only truly plan for the controllable aspects and scenarios. When it comes to planning for those controllable aspects, of course, it’s essential to have a business plan and goals in mind but Jack made me realize something so priceless to his business; and that is his fellow business partners. I know Jack fully trusts Paul, the co-host turned co-owner who joined him two years ago. Not every situation will be the same and deciding on who to bring in on the business is just another example of when it’s important to follow your gut. I’ve heard Jack and Paul joke about how Jack handed over all the financial duties to Paul within two weeks. Sounds pretty shocking, to say the least, but it worked out for the best. Paul’s background in advertising and web design, coupled with Jack’s writing ability led to

them being featured on TV interviews and constantly topping the podcast charts for the true crime category. They worked so well because they emphasized and complemented each other’s strengths. The background of this business is a lot different than some or most entrepreneurship but with technology and social media, it’s becoming easier to operate hobby and niche interest business types right from home. If you need help in an area, hire someone to do those tasks while you use prioritize using your strengths where they count. Being able to analyze a situation and delegate the tasks to the best person for the task is just as important as the focus and hard work you personally put towards the business. I...