Joe Casabona – Podcast Producer and Coach

The EnterpriseZone Writing Team August 1, 2022

Joe Casabona got into podcasting early and when he realised there was money to be made in the industry decided to help others find their way into it.

What’s your story?

I’m a recovering WordPress developer turned podcast producer and coach. I started podcasting in 2012. My main podcast, How I Built It, started in 2016 and literally saved my business by creating a new, sizable revenue stream for me. Now I teach people how to launch profitable podcasts to help them grow their authority, revenue, and ultimately, business.

What excites you most about your industry?

How quickly it’s growing. We’re still at the beginning of podcasting. While the first one started around 2000, it’s only now starting to mature. That’s down to tools that make it easier for anyone to launch and monetize podcasts; this is set to rank with blogging and YouTube as monumental shifts in how people create, consume, and monetize content.

What drives you in business to push beyond what other people consider normal?

I believe that anyone can make at least $10,000 with their podcast. I believe it because I’ve been able to repeatedly do it with no downloads. Most people think you need thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of downloads to make sponsor money, or that sponsorship is the only real way to make money with a podcast. Neither of these are true and I’ve made it my mission to convince as many people as possible.

What have been the most useful skills you have learnt and applied in your journey?

My ability to network and forge relationships. It has been perhaps the single-most important contributor to my success. I also write everything down, meaning I have a wealth of ideas for content, lead magnets, and ways to optimize my business. Finally, I’m big into building automations to make my life easier. Instead of having to hire a team of 10, I have a small team of 3 and let computers to the rest.

What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?

I used to work at a deli (I’m an Italian from New York, after all), and my boss there was also my first business mentor. He asked me how much I charged for web design and I told him $10/hr. He said this:

“$10/hr doesn’t tell me you’re good. It tells me your work is cheap. If you charge too little, people will think it’s cheap, and they won’t hire you.”

Who inspires you?

SO many people. My wife for her dedication to her craft (nursing), for being a great mom; my parents for being so supportive of me and my unconventional path even though they didn’t “get” it, and my father-in-law for his encyclopaedic knowledge of history, indicative of how thoroughly he approaches everything.

Professionally, Chris Lema and Shawn Hesketh inspire and teach me. I love the work Marie Poulin, Band First to Eleven, and Nathan Barry are doing.

What have you learnt recently that blew you away?

That it’s easier to give advice than take it. I had a coaching call recently where I talked about my struggles growing my audience, and the coach told me, “you should go on more podcasts.”

This is the number one thing I tell my own clients and students, and was floored I didn’t think about it for me. It just illustrates the power of having an outside source to help you work through problems.

If you had your time again, what would you do differently?

I’d pivot to my current niche sooner. I stopped and stalled because I was afraid I would alienate my current audience and lose work. Now I know that while I did alienate some of my audience, my new audience is growing faster than ever.

I’d also teach myself not to be afraid of hearing “No” sooner.

How do you unwind?

I like to do a few things, but bar-none, my favorite is listening to light instrumental music while smoking a cigar and reading a book. I put my phone pretty much in lockdown so I can only access my notes app and only get notifications from my wife.

What is a major mindset change, belief shift or ‘ah ha’ moment that you’ve experienced in relation to your business?

I used to think I got lucky in the podcasting space…right place right time sort of thing. But then I created a repeatable process, and through talking to people, realized that it was less luck and more that I was willing to “go” for it and reach out to sponsors and take positive steps to monetize my podcast.

Everyone in business should read this book:

Assuming most have heard of Start with Why by Simon Sinek, I’m going to recommend Masters of Doom by David Kushner. It’s the story of id Software and is a great parable about hard work and perseverance, especially at the beginning of an industry.