► Tell us about you and your podcast
What's up! I'm Armand Uno. I'm incredibly curious about the world of startups, entrepreneurs, and business owners.
That curiosity -- blended with a love for human nature, productivity, and fun -- gave birth to The Playhard Podcast.
I interview entrepreneurs about building their businesses, the stress they face, their daily routines, and what they like to do for fun. My focus is on the human side of being an entrepreneur, rather than the company itself. The interviews are more of a casual conversation.
Listeners include founders, entrepreneurs, business builders, startup employees, and anyone who wants to learn more about the lifestyle surrounding them.
► Why & how did you start this podcast?
I love talking and meeting new people. I also wanted to grow my networks. Podcasting, naturally, was the best win-win!
Now, I grow my network while providing meaningful takeaways for listeners, I get to meet new people, and have awesome conversations.
I started around April 2022, and I post weekly.
I didn't think about it much. I just started. The first episodes have much room for improvement but the content and message are still there.
► How'd you find the time and funding to do this podcast?
A lot of my free time outside work is dedicated to executing and growing the podcast.
It's something I'm very passionate about and I believe will help a lot of starting entrepreneurs find habits that work for them. I fund what expenses I need through my day job and it's not too expensive, yet.
► What do you gain from podcasting?
Podcasting benefits me in 3 ways.
1) Practicing the skill of interviewing. Asking the right questions. Getting people to open up. Listening. These are all important skills I practice constantly through podcasting.
2) Mentors. Every episode is an opportunity for me to ask people ahead of me on the path how they solved the same problems. It's fun to learn in public because a lot of people face the same issues (and can get value from it as well).
3) Growing my network and brand. The more I post, the more it shows my consistency and dedication to the podcast's mission. Also, I'm meeting tons of awesome, new people that I look up to.
► How does your podcasting process look like?
I interview guests via Riverside.fm. I master through auphonic and use iMovie to cut the footage. Over all, it's fairly simple to start a podcast. The tools exist and are free.
The one piece of advice I have for someone starting is to USE A QUALITY MIC AND HEADPHONES.
Even on video, people care about the quality of audio over anything else.
► How do you market your show?
LinkedIn is a big marketing channel for me.
I write posts about the lessons I learn from the episodes. This attracts new listeners. I also market through Twitter and Instagram.
The best marketing has been when guests promote the episode to their networks as well.
If listeners like your style, they tend to stick around.
► What advice would you share with aspiring (new) podcasters?
Be like Nike: Just do it.
Don't wait around. Start. It's better to learn what you need to do on the fly than wait for it to be perfect.
Oh, and it won't ever be perfect.
► Where can we learn more about you & your podcasts?
My LinkedIn is Armand Uno and my email is armand@playhardpodcast.
Feel free to reach out!