How personal development can help you chase after your vision

Before we get started I want to take a second to thank everyone at Listen Notes for this opportunity to share my story and more information about my podcast. Coming from Jacksonville, Florida, and born into a lower-middle-class household, no one was entrepreneurial, nor made over $50k a year. Up until the time I was in my senior year, I was encouraged and working for a full-ride scholarship which I was in fact, one SAT test away from getting.
The thing was, I didn't know what was in store for me at college aside from mistakes and newfound freedom. So, viewing business as my so-called therapy, it allowed me to take my mind off of the struggles occurring at home, and the stress around me. I would say I more so fell into entrepreneurship, although I had a lot of entrepreneurial tendencies growing up. For the sake of time, I won't go into detail.
And so it was, this young kid a few months away from graduation and full of confusion. I got involved with business and started my first podcast at the beginning of 2018. God, I hated it. I overthought literally every aspect of it, but I started to say the least. Fast forward some, I started my current podcast "Chase the Vision with Isaac Mashman" in 2019, and in the following year I found my passion for personal branding, launching my public relations firm Mashman Ventures on April 17th, 2020.
The premise behind Chase the Vision is to serve as a platform for me to share my experiences and knowledge in life, business, and personal growth. I live by my quote "At the center of all achievement is personal growth". As of the time we are doing this interview, numbers are at an all-time high, and I am forever grateful for each ambitious person both in and out of business that takes the time to listen to what I talk about.
 

I started my original podcast to help me rise among my peers in school. Although that isn't the motivation for my current one, it has helped me attract some phenomenal opportunities and continue positioning myself as an expert and person of authority. I saw a lot of successful people, and I don't use that term lightly hosting shows themselves, and fell in love with the idea of it. I am blessed to say public speaking was never a fear of mine, so it only made sense.
Now my podcast is a marketing machine for my personal brand, and company brand and allows me to share insights I otherwise only would on a call with clients or team members. I, unfortunately, can't work with everyone, and so those I can't I still want to be able to serve.
My first episode of this show was published on June 10th, 2019 and you can still listen to it today. I will say, to go back further I recently rereleased my actual first recorded episode from 2018 and there is a night and day difference. Beyond grateful for growth there.
 

There's a massive misconception about podcasting. Because we see Joe Rogan securing 9-figure deals, and hosting his show in a million-dollar studio, it can be understandable why someone would also feel the equipment is necessary. Look, my first episode was recorded on an $80 Android, and I considered a major upgrade to be my hand-me-down iPhone 6, soon followed by guess what? A 7+! The first 20 episodes or so were recorded on that.
Over time I have expanded my equipment and made reinvestments back into the brand because the podcast isn't a liability to me. It's an asset. I now try to schedule out and record episodes a few weeks in advance, but that took me years to start doing. I'd say with marketing and recording, I spend between 4-6 hours a week, and never fail to mention the show in private conversations. You should ALWAYS be promoting.
 

I am not someone who promotes other people's stuff nor do I run advertisements of any kind unless they are for my own services. There's no point in sacrificing brand equity for pennies on the dollar in my humble opinion.
Like I said previously, I use my podcast for positioning, marketing, brand development, and for connecting with audiences both old and new.
 

I keep my podcasting process relatively simple. I use Zoom to record guest interviews, Audacity for monologues and editing, and Anchor.fm for publishing. These programs cost me nothing each month aside from paying for Zoom pro and keep my sanity. If I ever have an issue with an audio file or external noise, I send it to my audio engineer Tristan T. Roberts who has actually produced for Billboard charting artists. He has been a lifesaver on many, many occasions.
I do have an unorthodox method of preparation. I don't. This may not work for everyone, but I have found a script jumbles me up, and I flow much better and provide all the more value if I say what is on my heart. I have a general idea of what I am covering, and let the thoughts flow freely. If it is a guest interview, I will do my diligence and do some research. It's a wise idea to ask questions they have never been asked before. More detailed the better.
There is the question of, "Isaac how do I get guests?". Simple. Approach them as their equal and as someone who has something of value. You have a platform that is meant to spread their message, regardless of how large or small, it may be at the time.
 

Having a podcast is fantastic, but talking to the same 10 people... Well, not so much. Marketing is the core essence of expanding your listenership and credibility. Anytime I release an episode which is typically Monday's and Friday's, Friday's being for guests, I blast it out to my social channels. Not just Instagram. No, not just Twitter. I am talking everywhere including Pinterest, Quora, and even Reddit. This strategy helps with SEO and makes it easy to find across the board.
There are dozens of directories that promote your podcast for you, including Listen Notes, and if you reverse engineer my podcast brand you can pretty much find all of them. To name a few, look into Podchaser and Gaana. Your audience doesn't have to be in one country.
 

Two things. Start and don't overthink your voice. I remember my first few episodes I would criticize myself, overthinking every breath I took, every Uhm I said, and any jumblement of words. This made me more aware of my speech patterns, but your listeners aren't focusing on your imperfections. They're listening for you! Reverse engineer your top shows and you'll have everything you need to be successful. Be aggressive and treat your show like a business, not a hobby.
 

Thanks again for this amazing opportunity!
I am relatively easy to find, you can go to any of the places below and most notably http://chasethevisionpodcast.com where all of my show links are.
Website
https://isaacmashman.com
Instagram
https://instagram.com/isaacmashman
Twitter
https://twitter.com/isaacmashman
Linkedin
https://linkedin.com/in/isaacmashman
Facebook
https://facebook.com/theisaacmashman
Want to contact me by email?
isaac@isaacmashman.com
Good luck on your own podcasting journey!