Thank you for stopping by! Today, we’re talking about creating and publishing on a consistent basis.
I was talking to another entrepreneur friend of mine, and we got onto the topic of what it means to always be publishing. In fact, one of the reasons I started this blog and my Digital Product Show Podcast was so I could start publishing something consistently.
A Push to Get Started
Blogging, podcasting, and speaking are the kind of things I like to do. I like teaching, and as I’ve mentioned, most of the digital products I have available for sale are online courses. So, I like helping others.
But even though I’d been wanting to do a podcast for a long time, it took a little coaxing to start it. I love podcasts; I love listening to them. When I go to the gym, when I'm out on my bike or mowing the lawn, I'm usually listening to podcasts in one form or another. I think they're really entertaining, and I've always wanted to have one of my own.
But I'd been putting it off and putting it off until someone made a comment to me that really made me think about this differently.
What this person said was that in the beginning, as an entrepreneur, you're not going to have a big audience. You won’t have thousands of people listening. In the beginning, it's more about finding your voice and the things you would like to say.
...in the beginning, as an entrepreneur, you're not going to have a big audience. You won’t have thousands of people listening. In the beginning, it's more about finding your voice...
I've always been bad about procrastinating because I'm kind of a perfectionist. I wanted to create a podcast, but I wanted the best sound equipment. I wanted to have audio and music and intros, and… so on. I still want to do these things, and as time goes on, I hope to add those things to my podcast.
But I realized I needed to start my podcast, and start writing this blog, without all those bells and whistles. Without perfection.
Basically, I needed to find my voice first, to start publishing on a regular basis. Every time I record a new episode or write a new blog, I am figuring out the things that I want to talk about. I'm refining my message a little more each time.
Removing Obstacles
So starting my podcast was about getting an easy system going, where I can just show up and publish. I picked an application called Anchor that allows me to just use my phone and start recording. I open up the app, hit the record button, and start talking right away.
It's probably not the best audio in the world. And at my house, I have audio production equipment: really nice microphones and software to produce quality audio. Down the road, I might add those things in. But what I'm focusing on now is just recording on a regular basis, and I want to make that as simple as possible so I can do it consistently.
This method allows me to start finding my voice, reaching out to people, and seeing what resonates with listeners and readers. What kind of stories do people like? What are people interested in?
Over time, I will gain the experience to be a better podcaster. And to be a better speaker and teacher and online business owner. As I do, my audience will grow and I’ll be able to invest more in making things polished.
So I want to challenge you: What are you doing that you can do on a more consistent basis to get better?
It’s just like learning a musical instrument. You improve best by daily practice. A buddy and I were talking about this today, in fact: that it's much more beneficial to play 10 minutes a day, every day than to sit down and try to hammer out a three-hour session once a week.
In the long session, you get fatigued, so you're not building that muscle memory. If you play on Monday for three hours, and then don’t play again till Friday, you’ll have forgotten everything you learned on Monday. But if you play every day consistently, even a small amount, you're constantly working at it and growing.
In a previous blog post, I talked about going to the gym. It’s the same thing there. I used to go to the gym twice a week, and I’d stay for a long time and try to do everything in one day.
Now I go to the gym, usually four or five times a week, to focus on different muscle groups. I'm very consistent. And I'm seeing the transformation happen right before my eyes because of that consistency.
Consistency is Key
What can you do on a day to day basis, so that you can get better? If you want to be a podcaster, you can follow my lead, pick up your phone and start recording.
Or, maybe you want to be a blogger. Well... start writing. Try to make it as easy as possible for yourself to do that consistently. Maybe you don't need to be in front of the computer. Can you write on your phone? I text message paragraphs to people sometimes, and I know I could sit there and probably write out my thoughts on my phone the same way, in a notepad or something.
I'm not really interested in writing. But if you love it, how can you make it easy to start writing today, and every day, and get better through consistent practice?
Maybe you want to create videos. Can you hop on Facebook Live and record yourself every day? Maybe you want to be a better musician. Can you pick up your instrument and dedicate 10 minutes a day? It's such a small time, about the time it takes you to read this blog.
You don't have to spend a long time working on these things. For example, I recorded a podcast episode recently, sitting in my car right after working out. I was sitting in my car in the parking lot, recording an episode because I wanted to make sure I kept that consistency, so I can get better at podcasting.
And if you want to sell some kind of digital product online, it’s the same concept You create a little bit every day. You work at it every day.
I was talking to a friend who is into creating music compositions and creating really cool sound files and effects. I said, “Why don't you just record a sound every day? One sound every day. Take your phone and go out into the street and record yourself walking on the gravel, or a car passing by. Or get out your keyboard and play a chord and record that.”
He likes gathering these different sounds, so that would hone his skills. Over time he would get better at recording and editing sounds. He would learn what sounds good and what sounds bad, what works and what doesn’t, how far away he needs to be, etc.
If you're selling a product online, can you practice selling every day? Maybe write down your thoughts, or get on the mic, or the recorder on your phone and practice talking like you're trying to sell someone. Whatever it is that you can do on a consistent basis, day after day, I challenge you to do that.
And Setbacks Are Normal
I recently recorded the sixth episode of my podcast, after I did five in a row back to back. I'd had five days in a row: the perfect week. And then one day, I slacked off and the day got away from me. By the end of the night, I just couldn't pull myself together to record an episode.
So I missed a day. Even though it stinks and I don’t want to miss a day, it's just like missing a day at the gym. I can't beat myself up about it. I just move forward.
As I continue to publish consistently, learn, and get better, this blog (and the podcast) will be focused on actionable advice you can take yourself. And if there's something you might be interested in, let me know and I can go into further detail for you.
Pick something right now, whatever it is you love to do or want to get better at. You want to make jewelry, be a better baker or cook. You might even want to be a better parent or a friend. What can you do on a consistent basis to practice that every single day?
The beginning episodes included a good bit of backstory about me, so you can understand who I am and where I'm coming from. If you haven't listened to those episodes, go back and check them out now. Or you can start with the beginning blogs.
Going forward, the blog will be a blend of different things. First of all, of course, we're going to be talking about selling digital products online. That could take different forms: affiliate products, products you create yourself, even education. There are all kinds of different things that you can create, and we'll dive deep into those.
But there's more to online business than just the product itself. There are sales, marketing, advertising, and other components. How will you get people to your product? How will you sell it? What's the best way to set that up? We’ll explore those topics as well, and please reach out to me if you have questions you’d like me to explore.
In the meantime, whatever you’re working on, be consistent.
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