Life In Bold Podcast

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Ben Hawes, Host of Life In Bold Podcast, located in New York City, NY, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

I am in the business of helping people see that their dreams are meaningful and worthy of their time, and to inspire them to take action and do the work it takes to live the life they've imagined. Long term, I see Life in Bold as a wider media company, clothing, lifestyle brand, and beyond. For now, it's a bi-weekly podcast that I host with people who I believe are living their Lives In Bold. On my show, I have influencers, artists, business owners, and performers come on to chat about what they dream of in life and what they're doing to make it happen.

My listeners are people who have boldness deep within their souls. They have been through challenging times and felt a distance from their core selves in the past, but they're working hard to stand for who they are and go after their dreams and bold ideas. They are dreamers, creatives, marketers, writers, athletes, and artists, and they have what it takes to make their dreams become realities. My dream is to build more of a community around this concept of living boldly- something that I think we can all be a bit more intentional about.

Tell us about yourself

When I was fifteen years old, I had a project in my English class where my group and I were supposed to make a video about what we thought the world would be like in 50 years. My group wanted to make a video, and I loved that idea. We filmed all of our funny scenes, and then we didn't know how to actually turn them into a real video.

My mom is a technology teacher at a junior high in my hometown in Northern California, and she knew about the editing software Windows Movie Maker. She showed me how to splice videos, do slow motion, and add music, and I was one million percent hooked.

That year, I decided to start my own YouTube show, and I would make videos with my friends, sometimes 4-5 times a week. I love coming up with cool ideas, recording them, and doing my own editing. I've always had a giant passion for bringing people joy. One of my favorite definitions of happiness is by Shawn Achor- "Happiness is the joy we feel striving for our potential."

I believe that the best way I can help people feel happiness is to help provide them with what they need to successfully strive for their potential. My show is an accumulation of all of that! I get to create cool stuff and help people strive for their dreams. And I absolutely love this work.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

It might sound small, but this year, in my Spotify Wrapped for the podcast, I was the number one podcast for 17 people. That means that 17 people listen to my podcast more than any other show. This means so much to me because it means that what I'm doing is helping people, and there are 17 people who are getting more value out of my show than any other show.

My dream is for that 17 people to grow to 170 people next year and 1,700 people the next year. Not because I'm hungry for followers but because my goal here is impact. And if I could do what it takes to reach more and more people, it would leave me feeling like I'm doing something really good. Nothing makes me happier than helping people take action on their dreams.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

Something that I think about a lot is a concept I heard from the creator and comedian, Kev On Stage. He talks about "creating in the dark," which means that you have to create what you want to create, even when nobody is seeing it. Sometimes it's hard not to watch the numbers as they come in. It's tempting!

I believe that even though I currently get 40-70 listens on each episode of my podcast today, one day, something will happen, and a wider audience will find me, and when that happens, the work I'm doing now will have an expanded impact.

I don't pay too much attention to the numbers I see today. I create the content I'm destined to create, knowing that one day if it's meant to be, it will reach the right person. And I do believe that will happen. I actually know that it will.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

I recently talked to a friend about the work it takes to run a podcast. I read somewhere that 99% of podcasts don't make it past the 20th episode. I think that is because people start podcasts and don't understand the effort, skill, and time it takes to produce a meaningful podcast.

To be honest with you, I probably ultimately spend 15-20 hours on each episode. Between booking guests, planning and scheduling, writing the interview, recording, editing, uploading to Anchor and YouTube, creating promo clips for social media on Canva, and actively doing the promotion each week on social media, it takes a whole lot of damn time. So just understand what kind of commitment you're getting into before you commit.

Understand that failure is part of the process of success. I strongly believe that you cannot succeed in starting a business if you have not failed first. I really believe that. In order to be successful, you need to be willing to put something out there that might not work or might get judged. But you'll get better each time you do something new. You cannot dwell on each idea trying to make it perfect. Think less and do more.

You have to be willing to talk about your business all the time. If you want to keep your business a secret, the business is not going to work. When you're at parties, you've gotta be ready to share about your business. In classes, at work, and wherever you are, you have to be willing to bring it up. Money and opportunities are made through building connections. There is no better marketing than word of mouth, and that has to start with you.

I find that if you're too focused on perfection, or if you're scared to share your business ideas with friends and family, there is a chance that you yourself are not proud of what you've created. So take a step back, get some critical feedback, and re-work your idea until you feel proud of what you've made.

And lastly, you can do it, but you might need help. There is no shame in paying people for their services as long as you can afford them. Collaboration is an amazing way to add strategy to your plan. Allow yourself to engage with criticism, feedback, and collaboration.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://shor.by/lifeinbold
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benhawesshow/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjhawes/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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