There are some lessons that you only learn when life hits them hard. The master of this week stared down the loss of his business –
“All fourth quarters were the biggest slap in the face for me this year. It was the most stressed that I have ever been in my life.”
-and came with a six -digit agency on the other. Today he shares the type of vulnerability and real conversation, which you rarely get from entrepreneurs.
And his advice could help them relax.
Ryan Atkinson
Founder and CEO Space graphy; Host of The Upflip Podcast
- Funny fact: In the business school, Ryan got the lowest class in one class called Founders Club. He grew his own six -digit business.
- Right to fame: To Austins 25 under 25 and the Tippie Young Alumni Board named. His podcast on entrepreneurship has hit over 2 million downloads.
Lesson 1: Don’t just grow to grow.
If you believe the hustle culture hype thrives on LinkedIn, there is the only way to get ahead, eat and breathe the loops, right? I would say: “Eating, sleeping and breathing”, but the grinding never sleeps.
“I thought when I was a lespalable (created), I wanted to grow as much as possible and set as much as possible,” says Ryan Atkinson. And his business act grow – second to his stress.
“This is probably TMI, but I had crab wounds out of stress. I couldn’t even listen to music because music would make me anxious,” he admits.
Atkinson reached a point where he had to re -evaluate both his business and his goals of life and thought about what he grew. (Something that many entrepreneurs do not admit.) His advice to you solo prices, startup founder and small business owner?
“The goal is still growth, but it is not growth at all costs. They really grow in. Grow profitably. Grow carefully. “
Lesson 2: It’s okay to start cheap.
Video is no longer good for marketers, but that doesn’t mean that you have to drop half of your net assets to the next Marvel film.
“Let us assume that you are a startup company where you have a limited budget. You cannot spend 20 giants for a video. To be honest, Upwork is a great place to get started.“”
I took a sip of my tea just so that I could do a spit-time take. The solution not Write a check to his video agency?
“It doesn’t have to be a room table,” laughs Atkinson. “But you can’t make an iPhone video if you want to make a good first impression on potential customers.”
“If you are a startup marketer, you have 1,000 things you have to do. You have reporting. You have campaigns. You have e -mail marketing. And video is not easy to reach.
In order to be clear, he does not speak of falling this money on the ordinary TikTok posts. This is about investing in videos that take your audience on important steps on the journey of your buyer.
“You want to have a first-class explanatory video because people need to know who they are. You want a brand overview video. And you want a product demo that brings your product to life. If you could only carry out three assets with video, do them.“”
Atkinson continued to destroy precise recommendations for each of these videos, but since I could not push them into a newsletter, I linked a longer manner below.
Lesson 3: Podcast for another purpose.
As a fractional podcast moderator, Atkinson has contributed to starting more podcasts than most people consumed. So I asked him the key to steer a successful show.
“A podcast is incredibly difficult. It is almost impossible to make it independent now,” he admits. “I love podcasting so much, but the more I get involved, the more I notice that it is really pay-to-play.“”
Atkinson explains that it is unlikely that you will grow up to a point where the monetization of your podcast is worth the time you get under control if you cannot pay for a broad sales or if you have a finished audience-for example on LinkedIn or in a newsletter.
But even if you are never a top 100 podcast in your niche, there are other reasons to do this.
“Podcasts can be reused as a blog post, E -Mail (OR) for SEO.” Not to mention the repetition for YouTube, Tiktok, Instagram and LinkedIn. Even if the podcast itself is slowly gaining traction, the effort can pay out in a cross -functional content.
And your show can even be an icebreaker for this difficult to access customers:
“Sometimes we use it to speak to potential customers and to expect them with their (ideal customer profile):” Hey, you want to be a guest in our podcast? “
As soon as you have interviewed you, it opens the door for further cooperation and conversations.
I don’t think you will be a top 50 in two weeks, even top 100 podcast. “
Questions
The question of this week
“What solves joy for you?” – Jayde Powell, founder and director of Creative, The Em Dash Co.
The answer this week
Atkinson says: “Professionally when you take a bet on something and it works.
Personally, to be with family, friends, train and read books. “
Question of the next week
Atkinson asks: “If you could only invest in a tool to grow your company in the next three years, which tool would it be?“”
