How to Monetize Your Podcast without Selling Your Soul – In Just 7 Minutes with James McKinney

Resources/Links:

• Get FREE access to Grindology magazine digital publication: https://grindology.com/pages/farmgirl

Summary

Are you struggling to monetize your podcast?

Have you thought of finding real conversations straight to the founders who build businesses so you can replicate their mindset?

Do you want real tactics that truly work and not just inspire?

James McKinney is a serial entrepreneur with a cemetery full of failed startups. Those failures are what led him to establish The Startup Story podcast as well as Grindology.

In this episode, James McKinney shares how the challenges you come across are not solely your own; other business owners experience them, too. The reason why you need to connect with other entrepreneurs and share ideas with them — they may have thoughts and ways that can apply to yours.

Check out these episode highlights:

• 01:24 – Jame’s ideal client: “My ideal client would be any entrepreneur, anybody with a side hustle, anybody who’s maybe working a nine to five and has a book full of dreams and ideas.”
• 01:47 – The problem he helps solve: “The problem that I’m solving is, I’m bringing real founder direct tactics to you, the listener, not the thought leaders, not those who are just posing in front of a Lamborghini, we’re talking real tactics from real business builders.”
• 02:46 – Symptom’s clients are facing before meeting James: “They have this idea, this false expectation because of the headlines in the media, there’s an idea that you have to be a technical founder in order to create some type of SaaS solution.”
• 04:17 – The common mistakes people make before meeting James: “The biggest thing is they go all in too early.”
• 05:12 – James one Valuable Free Action: “Listen to the podcast that’s free but you would be amazed for all of you listening and watching. Just reach out to someone as an aspirational goal in your sector market. You may have a product that you want to bring to market, you’re like, this person has done this already. Reach out on LinkedIn. I say it in every episode, start for entrepreneurs, support other entrepreneurs, and that is so true.”
• 06:05 – James Valuable Free Resource (VFA): Get your FREE subscription to Grindology’s magazine. Click here: https://grindology.com/pages/farmgirl
• 07:01 – Q: Are the problems that are unique to entrepreneurship, whatever it may be — cash flow, hiring practices, marketing, whatever the case may be, are they truly unique, or are they really just unique to you? A: They are simply unique to you. The challenges you are facing have been faced by hundreds if not thousands of entrepreneurs before you. They are just unique to you. Do not isolate yourself; connect with other entrepreneurs.

Tweetable Takeaways from this Episode:

“Do not isolate yourself, connect with other entrepreneurs. Brainstorm, ask the questions, have the discussions, find out what other people have learned in their journey and watch how applicable it is to yours.” -James McKinney Share on X

Transcript
(Note, this was transcribed using a transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast)

Tom Poland 00:10
Greetings everyone, and a warm welcome to another edition of Marketing the Invisible. My name is Tom Poland beaming out to you as always from on the white sand next to the big blue ocean at little Castaways Beach in Queensland, Australia, joined today by James McKinney. James, good day, Sir. A very warm welcome from down under. Whereabouts are you located?

James McKinney 0:28
In the beautiful state of Texas, United States, in a great city called Dallas.

Tom Poland 0:33
I was speaking to someone a little earlier today. I believe you haven’t quite a warm day there today.

James McKinney 0:38
We’ve had quite a warm month.

Tom Poland 0:41
There, all summer. For those of you who don’t know, James is a very interesting man. He’s a serial entrepreneur. I mean, a lot of people say that, but James actually, there’s quite a difference right off the bat. And how you know this is true is that in his bio, he says that he has a cemetery full of failed startups. And those failures, however, led him to establish The Startup Story and Grindology, which is all about coffee, hence, grinding coffee beans. So, we’ll give you that website a bit more information, folks. James, your title is, ‘How to Monetize your Podcast Without Selling Your Soul.’ Nice to have both of those things going together. Our seven minutes starts now. So, question number one, who is your ideal client?

James McKinney 1:24
My ideal client would be any entrepreneur, anybody with a side hustle, anybody who’s maybe working a nine to five and has a book full of dreams and ideas. But it’s anybody who is either building a business or desires to build a business.

Tom Poland 1:36
And what you’re offering them is not just aspirational inspiration, but it’s also quite practical, folks. You’ll find out more about that in a moment. Question number two, Sir, is six and a half minutes, what’s the problem you solve for them?

James McKinney 1:47
Well, right now, in this online space, there are a lot of self-proclaimed thought leaders. Yeah. And so, the problem that I’m solving is, I’m bringing real founder direct tactics to you, the listener. We’re talking, you know, how to build a VC fund from Steve Jurvetson, who created the, was the first investor in SpaceX and Tesla. how to build a media company from Larry Neymar, the founder of E Entertainment Television, and how to market a product that has never been seen in the US before from the founder of Varidesk. I mean, we’re talking about real founder direct tactics. And so, not the thought leaders, not those who are just posing in front of a Lamborghini, we’re talking real tactics from real business builders.

Tom Poland 2:29
Amazing, amazing. Thank you. Question three, five and a half minutes left, what are some of the typical symptoms that your ideal clients are going to be experiencing before they meet you, probably right now? Just give us a heads up what’s going on in their business or their life where they go, ‘Man, I got to find out more about what James does.’

James McKinney 2:46
You know, a lot of this, they have this idea, this false expectation because of the headlines in the media, this idea that one, there’s an idea that you have to be a technical founder in order to create some type of SaaS solution. And I have half a dozen founders with no technical background that have built 100 million-dollar businesses. There’s this idea that if you aren’t a massive success within 18 months, then why, what, just give up, because it’s not bound to happen. There’s this idea that you have to be, you know, destitute, sleeping on your buddy’s couch with your laptop, pounding away code all night in order to make things happen. There’s all these false narratives out there. So, the idea of what is the common mistake? What are the things that people are believing or the promises or experiencing? It’s all centered around false expectations, and so The Startup Story and Grindology is a coffee brand, but it’s also a magazine with founder direct tactics, hence the study of the grind. It is all about giving real conversations and real tactics to you from other founders. I removed thought leadership completely and got you straight connected to the founders who actually built a business.

Tom Poland 3:50
Yeah, right. I mean, these days saying you’re a thought leader is almost saying you’re not a thought leader, because everyone else is saying you’re a thought leader. And you can’t be a thought leader if you’re saying what everyone else is saying. So, let’s not do that. So, question four, I got four minutes left. We’re talking about people who are founders who want to be founders. And they’re going to try stuff because they’re ambitious entrepreneurs; what are some of the common mistakes they make before they find your solution?

James McKinney 4:17
The biggest thing is they go all in too early but I want to quickly define, for the sake of time, that idea of all in.

Tom Poland 4:22
Okay.

James McKinney 4:23
I’m not talking about your ambition or your passion or your desire in pursuit, like, yes, we are all in on those things. But you don’t need to throw the baby out with the bathwater; you don’t need to leave your job. You don’t need to leave a secure income stream. You don’t need to ditch a current product you have because you want to go in on something else like, don’t be foolish with your approach. Be patient, and there’s too much out there that talks about if you’re not all in, you’re not entrepreneur, if you’re not, you know, if you’re not strapped for cash, if you’re not suffering in some way, shape, or form, you’re not truly in this and that’s just not the case.

Tom Poland 4:56
Yeah, fantastic. Thank you, Sir. Question five, and so true. What’s one valuable free action that you could recommend people take to, it’s not going to get them to the end part of the journey, but it might take them a step on their long road.

James McKinney 5:12
Well, I will say, obviously, I mean listen to the podcast that’s free, but you would be amazed for all of you listening and watching. Just reach out to someone as an aspirational goal in your sector or market. You may have a product you want to bring to market and you’re like, “This person has done this already?” Reach out to him on LinkedIn. I say it in every episode of Startup, “Entrepreneurs support other entrepreneurs,” and that is so true.

Tom Poland 5:35
Very true.

James McKinney 5:35
I’m here on this show because you reached out to me and told me who you serve. I’m like, yes, I want to help provide value to those people. And so, I mean again, we want to help those who are in the grind like us so just reach out to people on LinkedIn. It’s free.

Tom Poland 5:49
Yeah. It’s good price. Oh, thank you, Sir. So, that’s a great valuable free action, a step you can take folks. Question number six, two minutes left, one valuable free resource that we could direct people to, is going to help them more.

James McKinney 6:05
Well, you know, I talked about Grindology. Yes, Grindology is an entrepreneur subscription box. It does include coffee and some aspirational mugs for the coffee drinker, and it’s great coffee. You like dark roast; Grindology is a spectacular coffee. But the core of it all is Grindology magazine. It is again from cover to cover founder direct tactics, no thought leaders, no journalist; it’s these founders writing a step-by-step process of whatever our theme is for you and your listeners. If you go to grindology.com/farmgirl that’s F A R M G I R L, all one word, you can access on that page a link to the current copy, the Q2 issue that, the theme is content and you can get free access to the digital publication. Otherwise, it’s $9 per issue or $49 for the subscription, but you’re getting a free copy if you just go to grindology.com/farmgirl. Follow the instructions on that page you get access to the Q2 issue.

Tom Poland 7:01
Folks, I’ve been there, it’s world-class and is absolutely world-class, and it doesn’t cost you anything. It’s like, why would you not do that? Which is kind of what good marketing does, James, as you know. So, it’s grindology.com/farmgirl as you’re milking cows. Okay, so farm girl. Go, get it. It really is fabulous. Folks, I’ve been there, go get it. 45 seconds left; I better move on. What’s the one question I should have asked you but didn’t?

James McKinney 7:29
Are the problems unique to entrepreneurship, whatever it may be — cash flow, hiring practices, marketing, whatever the case may be, truly unique, or are they really just unique to you? And the answer, they are simply unique to you. The challenges you are facing have been faced by hundreds if not thousands of entrepreneurs before you. They are just unique to you. Do not isolate yourself; connect with other entrepreneurs. Brainstorm, ask the questions, have the discussions, find out what other people have learned and their journey, and watch how applicable it is to yours.

Tom Poland 8:04
Perfect. James McKinney, thank you so much for your insights.

James McKinney 8:08
My absolute pleasure.

Tom Poland 07:23
Thanks for checking out our Marketing The Invisible podcast. If you like what we’re doing here please head over to iTunes to subscribe, rate us, and leave us a review. It’s very much appreciated. And if you want to generate five fresh leads in just five hours then check out www.fivehourchallenge.com.