Hey, I'm Bethany Wrede Peterson and I'm the founder of Atelier Wrede and Arrived.
I founded Atelier Wrede in early 2019. Initially it was an interior design studio for single men who were transitioning in their life and wanted to recreate themselves in their bachelor pad. Fast forward to 10 months later, I started my own podcast Arrived. And again, it was about interior design for single guys. But the whole business transitioned entirely once the pandemic hit. So I did a pandemic pivot and I moved my services entirely to podcast coaching, consultation, and personal brand messaging.
I realized that it was something that was much more exciting for me, so now I offer consultative services to creative solopreneurs, small businesses, personal brands who are looking to find their voice, not only in podcasting but in their brand. So, you know, we hear about personal brands a lot. When we know our core messaging, that's when our personal brand starts to come out.
What is personal brand messaging
I think the term personal brand is very scary for a lot of entrepreneurs starting out because when we think about personal brands, we think about Richard Branson or Kim Kardashian and A-list personal brands. When really, a personal brand in my estimation is simply about taking a stand, realizing what you believe in, what your purpose is, how you want to help transform your customers, consumers, clients, students, et cetera, and then going for it. And not feeling afraid to speak your mind in the service of others.
So it's this combination of getting really clear on what you stand for, what your life's philosophy is and then taking your message and spreading it far and wide. We don't need to worry so much about comparing ourselves. We just need to show up, and really hone in on what is our core messaging, and then use that to start helping people.
Finding your voice
Finding your voice is really just about figuring out where to find that courage to be outspoken. And to feel like you can step up to the mic, whether it is a podcast, blog, social media—whatever it is. Learning and realizing that you have a voice and it deserves to be heard. And part of that voice is in telling your story. Then telling your story in such a way that it's helping your listenership or target market. There's a way to do that in which we can talk about ourselves, but make it in service to our audience. And it’s also about figuring out what platforms work for you and your message.
Podcasting advice for beginners
Don’t overthink or overcomplicate
There's so much prep work, but sometimes I think that we can overcomplicate things. I think one of the things that I would say right off the bat is don't try to be a Tim Ferris. He's got a team of people behind him and has for many, many years.
One of the biggest questions that I receive from students is, “If I have a podcast now, do I need to be doing this weekly for the rest of my life.” No, you don't. There are so many different ways in which you can have a podcast. You can do it weekly. You can do it seasonally and take some time off. You can even do a limited series, that's like 5-10 episodes. Don't feel like it needs to be something that you're going to be married to for the next 30 years.
Create content that brings value
Make sure your content is good. Focus on your listenership. Know what keeps them up at night, what are the burning questions that they have? Know your core audience inside and out, and then create content for them. That is going to build the trust factor for them to want to then move to the next stage in that funnel.
Manage your expectations on a podcast
I remember getting 18 episodes in and saying to my business coach, “why don't I have all these single guys knocking on my door to work with me on their design studio or homes.” And my business coach, who's a podcaster herself reminded me that that's not how it works. You're building a body of content and it's a long game. I know that's not the sexiest answer, but it is true.
Build a library of evergreen content
Assuming your content isn’t about politics or current events, your content can be in someone's ears five years from now, and it can have just as much value and meaning. I actually buy so many services from first listening to podcasts. So we do know it is a model that works.
Use podcasts as lead magnets
One of the great ways that you can actually gauge a return on your investment is to use your podcast like a lead magnet, because it’s free content that you don't have to enter in your personal information to listen in. But one of the great things that someone out there who is thinking about starting a podcast could do is to use it to attract leads.
For example, let's say you have an episode on 10 ways in which you can work from home and still be productive. You could then say, “if you want to download my free guide to this, go here.” You can run it like a small lead magnet, and then you can really track the metrics of who is taking that action and getting on your mailing list based on your podcast.
It’s ok to pursue many passions
I had someone on my show recently who calls herself a multihyphenate creative. And sometimes I think that we, as small business owners, have a lot of different passions and will say to ourselves, “How do I translate this? Or do I seem uncommitted? Or do I seem like I'm all over the board?” If I'm transitioning from this career to another, I think there's a way in which we can translate that message from one industry over into another. It's a lot less confusing for our audience than we think. But we sometimes just have to connect the dots ourselves in that respect and not have that sense of self doubt.
Success takes time
The one thing that I would say is about my business model and services, is that it took a lot of time. It didn’t happen overnight. It took a lot of trial and error and tweaks to get it right, but I think that it’s really important just to know that you're offering one value.
Monetization comes in many forms
Monetization doesn't come the way in which we think it's going to. I started the podcast thinking that I would get more interior design clients from it. But actually the monetization from my pod has now come from me being a podcast coach. Putting that out there in the world and expecting that and having the expectation of one result, isn't always the way it works, but it can come totally full circle and benefit you in another way that you didn't even anticipate.
There’s no shame in a bridge job
When you're first starting out as an entrepreneur revenue and income, sometimes isn't always there. You can work for another company 10, 20 hours a week as a part-time employee, having what Marie Forleo calls what she calls a bridge job. That can be consulting, or working at a restaurant as I was doing for a while when I first started out just to get my podcast editing services covered. There is no one size fits all. And to have more of a hybrid model of your employment or how you're making your money is no bad thing. It's no failure.
Where To Reach Bethany & Atelier Wrede
You can find me at Atelier Wrede, on Instagram, and on Clubhouse at @bethanywrede.
And you can find my Find Your Voice and Launch Your Podcast courses here.
Bethany originally spoke with Jonny for 'The Go Solo Show' - you can listen to and watch the full recording here...
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If you like what you've read here and have your own solopreneur success story then hit Jonny up on Twitter, we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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