Being a Podcast Guest Has Helped Me

When it comes to building a business, it’s not as easy as you’d like to think it is. Aside from a few obstacles and hiccups along the way, many entrepreneurs are forced to come into their own on the fly. While it can be liberating to fail forward, it can also be discouraging at times. This is why an ability to hash out your experience, vision and value with a fresh set of ears can be highly beneficial. It becomes even more impactful when the listener can help you sustain, scale and build brand equity.

Over the course of the last few months, I’ve been intentional with explaining the purpose behind PreFocus with similar companies and industries. Although I’ve tended to regret speaking on the inadequacies of marketing agencies, many agency owners have been intrigued by my approach to brand understanding. In other words, it’s been welcomed a lot warmer than I anticipated. Thinking back on the insecurities I’ve had about my business model, I realized I was assuming people wouldn’t see the value in what I was doing. That I’d be forced to conform or comply with their standards. But over the past few months, I’ve simply realized I was targeting the wrong audience.

After years of being a “yes man” in order to provide for my family, I finally realized I needed to be immersed in my element in order to make a difference. That’s what value essentially is, right? Although I speak on differentiation quite a bit, it was still difficult for me to stand out. Maybe it was fear, maybe it was doubt. At the end of the day it was costly; and being a podcast guest has help me persevere through this subconscious idea that my branding concept wouldn’t be valued.

What I had to Come to Terms With Before Speaking Publicly.

It’s not my job to persuade or educate those that don’t see the value in brand clarity – in order to close them. In other words, I don’t want to have to sell anyone on my approach. They have to already know they need it. I have to simply remain consistent (or pursue constancy) until CEO’s and major stakeholders realize they’re ready to take their marketing to another level – with me. This takes time guys. Overnight successes can take years. Instead of continuing to feel like the purpose of my vision didn’t make sense, I came to the understanding I was simply talking to the wrong people. These people (that seemed like low hanging fruit) are still in the infant stages of their business. What I know isn’t going to be coveted by them.

They don’t see the reward in maximizing campaign efficiency. To be frank, they don’t have the budget either. What I do is not a $399/month service. A lot goes into the strategies we build and opportunities our team uncovers. We’re not just slapping together something to deliver, we’re placing substance behind decisions here. Most business owners simply want someone to publish 5 social media posts per week on top of a few blog posts. For whatever reason, they don’t care about convertibility or relevance. While I’ve proven I can execute minimal efforts at a high level, it’s not why I started the PreFocus. In the past, I wasn’t getting paid to care – and I should be. The longer I let stubborn business owners categorize my contribution, the less likely I’ll be able to find ideal clients that want to PreFocus.

Now that I’ve been able to hash out my concepts and processes with other professionals, I’ve realized I need to disregard marketing requests and fully live in my element. This is where I’ve been able to thrive as a guest on local podcasts. Instead of getting behind the mic with an intention to educate or sell, I’m asking questions that make people think outside of the box. The same questions we ask during our discovery and strategy calls. This allows listeners to experience a paradigm shift on their own and understand that maximized marketing is the only way to go.

Changing an Outdated Mindset can be Tough.

Initially, the effort I was putting into persuading people to believe in a PreFocus was wasteful. The messaging I was promoting only made sense to me. My experiences were being used to reach people who knew nothing about the road I’ve traveled on. They only know their perspective and only want to improve their vision. In order to fully explain what a PreFocus means to each business, I have to be able to break their opportunities down individually. I have to be able to understand their story and purpose. Once again, this is something I’ve already spent years developing. I just wasn’t implementing it. The brand identity development process isn’t something you can duplicate across different models. It’s something that has to be discovered and implemented on the ground level of the business. Discussing these things helps people understand the importance of them.

Until people see the opportunities in front of them on their own, I can’t help them. For years, I’ve been trying to prove myself through a number of different initiatives and all I needed to do was remain constant in what PreFocusing actually means. The same questions we ask provide different answers, value propositions and campaign ideas for every client. An ideal target audience in the service industry can vary across different companies. The purpose of one landscaper can be totally different than a neighboring brand’s. No matter how you look at it, when you’re confident about the solution you provide, it’s easy for other people to believe in you. I needed to apply this in my own business.

My Level of Constancy Means Everything Now.

Jumping on a number of local podcasts with an assortment of passionate professionals has encouraged me to stay the course and avoid distractions. Small projects here and there (that don’t funnel into the PreFocus model) need to be referred to the talented partnerships I now have in place. Being able to say no and fully harness who I am as a father, husband and business owner is absolutely crucial to my ability to scale. Aside from a paradigm shift myself (and a huge confidence boost at that), I’ve also realized that I need to constantly look for ways to initiate and sustain relationships.

There’s no need for me to work harder to be better than. There’s no need for me to speak louder in hopes to catch someone’s attention and convict them. There’s no need for me to niche myself in order to scale. All I need to do is stay focused on a PreFocus in everything I do. From here, the value of what I do will be seen clearly. In the meantime, I look forward to talking more about my journey over the last 2 years with whoever’s willing to listen. If you’re not eager to talk about your business, then you’re missing out on a ton of opportunity. I’m sure I won’t be the last person to tell you that.

At this point, I know people are listening and it’s only a matter of time before the fruits of my labor provide my family and I with a hefty return. You should think the same thing if you’re in business for yourself. It’s the effort, purpose and consistency that counts – remember that. Even if I provide you with an amazing strategy, you still have to play your role to ensure execution is maximized.

How You Can Get up to Speed with a PreFocus

If you’d like to learn more about what we’re building or how you can be a part of our round table discussions (we provide these to a group of business owners to improve current efforts), I’d love to hear from you. For those looking to discuss a few ideas or receive feedback, I also provide free 15 minute consultations. These can be scheduled in the sidebar to your right. In the meantime, you can always follow me on social media as I prepare to ramp up my messaging strategy online. Be purposeful with everything you do and always remember to PreFocus!