Hey there, my fabulous listener, welcome to episode 200 of the Small Business Made Simple Podcast.

Well, honestly, and wholeheartedly I cannot believe I’m here.

200 episodes.

Over 130,000 downloads

And just over on average, 1000 listens a week, 5,200 a month

From my home office on my farm in the Riverina of NSW.

To you, my listener, whether it’s your first one or your 200^th one – you are amazing.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.

Without you, I am just some crazy chick talking to herself about marketing.

To my guests over the past 200 episodes – two billion thanks to you also.  Literally couldn’t have helped as many business owners as I have without your expertise as well.

I am so so humbled by this milestone and also a little proud of myself!

Other than being a mum and wife, I can’t really think of anything I have stuck with this long, to be honest!  200 episodes in 185 weeks if my calculations are right!

I started this podcast to stand out from the crowded marketplace that is a street corner for every business coach/mentor in Australia.  I started this podcast because it was something the coaches/mentors I admired all had – so made sense to me.

I had never been on a podcast and had no idea how to start one – but YouTube saved my butt and taught me what I needed to know back on January 1 2019 to release the first one.

I had planned 27 episodes back then – thinking that would probably pull me up.  I would have used up everything I knew and exhausted my network by then, and 27 seemed huge.

Apparently, I still have things to say, ideas to put out there, advice to give and amazing humans in my network to share because I am a little past 27!

So other than a little history and saying enormous thank yous, I do have some thoughts to share with you on episode 200.

Some are questions from my community about me and business – and some things I have learnt in 200 episodes.

So some questions from my community:

What’s your weekly podcast process?

I would love to tell you how organised I am – but that’s not true.  Normally Monday morning, or Wednesday afternoon – depending on how my week has gone – I sit down to do my podcast.  If it’s an interview, I listen through it (especially if it was recorded a while ago – I do have a bank of amazing interviews) and make some notes – write the intro and out-tro and then record.  If it’s a solo ep – I write the show notes – do any research I need to, record and upload.

In the beginning, it took hours and hours – up to 4 hours to do a podcast, now, 1 or 2 hours usually pull me up.

But on top of that is then writing an email to my list, creating the social tile and writing the caption for socials.

My Virtual assistants then take over to repurpose podcasts, turn in into blogs and put them on YouTube (watch for changes here super soon!).

What’s your favourite episode so far?

Ohhh, I don’t think I have one – what a fabulous question.  I have to say that I will never listen to episode 1 again.  It’s not the information that I don’t want to hear – it’s me.  I cut out all the breathes, umms, arrhhh, and it just feels not like me.  I thought that’s what I needed to do – but humans breathe – so hey I kinda figure it’s ok to do that!

But if I absolutely have to choose 1 – it would be this one.  Purely because I cannot believe I am the person who has a podcast with 200 episodes.   Episode 100 had the same effect on me.

How many more will you do?

Ha!  I have no idea.  I am still loving it – so no plans to change at the moment.  But when I no longer enjoy it, or it no longer serves you or me – that’s when things will change.

How do you know so much about marketing?

This is so funny!  I remember thinking the exact same thing of my marketing mentor years ago.  But now I understand it – it’s what I do – it’s ALL I do.  Every day I am reading, listening, and thinking about marketing – just like what it is that you do, you know so much more than others. 

Marketing surrounds my life – whether I am watching TV, out for dinner or just daydreaming on my front verandah – I am probably thinking about marketing on some level.

I guess therefore, something has to stick!

What’s your biggest piece of advice you could give to someone who is new to business?

To start.  I know it seems so simple but it is.  So many people have amazing ideas but fail to start and then wonder what could’ve been.

So start and follow people who are one or two steps ahead of you.  When you start you probably can’t afford to engage a coach or a mentor, but you can spend time learning from others – like this podcast – it costs you nothing to listen here – and other podcasts or read blogs etc!

What’s been your biggest challenge?

Gosh – my BIGGEST challenge.  Business wise – I have to say is probably imposter syndrome.  Those stats I reeled off at the beginning – 130,000 downloads – 200 episodes etc etc – if I let my imposter syndrome out – she would rip me apart with those stats – starting with Who the Hell do you think you are ……

So I try not to let her out!

My personal biggest challenge of late – this year especially – I have really been struggling in the background this year – is around being a mum.  As you may or may not know my youngest finished school last year and has now gone to Uni.  I still have my boys at home – they are older – but my daughter not being home with me – being away – and all that goes with that –  not being a school mum and so many other emotions is really challenging me at the moment.

It’s probably why, whether you notice or not, my business is not as “full on” this year as it’s been in past years.

So, I guess the lesson here is you just never know what going on in someone’s life.  Never judge – good judging or bad!  Because you just never know.

Do you ever run out of ideas?

Yes and No.  I have a white board in my office that I put ideas on whenever they come to mind or I put them in my phone.

I am inspired by the smallest things, conversations, networking, listening to other podcasts, social media, Facebook groups etc etc. 

I know the day will come when I will run out of ideas – but not yet!

What’s next for Jenn and the Small Business Made Simple Podcast?

So just quickly, before I go, let me leave you with some lessons I have from doing 200 episodes of a podcast

1. If you are scared, start.
2. If you think you can’t do it – you can.
3. If you think you’re not “expert enough” – you are.
4. My network has grown because I made space for them – what space do you have in your life/business?
5. Showing up consistently is key in business
6. Listening is much more important than speaking – I see the irony in that considering I have about 180 hours of speaking in my podcast alone.
7. Ready, Fire, Aim has served me well.
8. Having a community is also key in business.
9. Making marketing a priority drives you and your business to bigger, better, brighter things (and of course sales)
10. Feedback is only feedback – do with it what you want.
11. You’re not for everybody and you’re not supposed to be for everybody.
12. Your biggest supporters are strangers who become besties (regardless if you’ve ever actually met or not)
13. My business has opened up so many opportunities I’ve lost count
14. Learning is a life long process
15. A rising tide lifts all boats – be the tide, not just the boat
16. Business is freaking amazing but family always comes first

I think that’s enough lessons for one day.

To finish off my 200^th episode, I’d like to raise a glass (of Pepsi Max of course) to you.  Thank you and keep being amazing at what you do.

If I can ask for one favour – actually two – on my 200^th episode – I would love you to share this podcast with another business owner and if you have time and the space, I would sincerely love you to leave a review wherever you listen to this podcast (if that’s possible!).

That’s it for another episode of the Small Business Made Simple Podcast.

See you next week on the podcast for episode 201!

But in the meantime, let’s hang out on social and get social on social – you’ll find me on Instagram, Facebook and my fav LinkedIn.

But whatever you do,

……..remember small business peeps, as my opening song says, there’s no point in dreaming small!