Dreams, Plans, and Podcasting Insights with Donna Eade Q1 Review | EP216

Unlock the secrets to podcasting success as I, Donna Eade, unravel the wins and insights from our recent ventures in the world of audio storytelling. From the exhilarating launch and execution of my 5-day PodCamp to the bespoke Done For You services that launched this quarter, this episode is packed with reflections and personal triumphs sure to inspire your next big move. Join me for a candid recount of our latest quarterly business goal review, where I reveal the magic behind a solid podcast launch plan and the importance of goal-focused growth. And don't miss out on the critical updates about my Start Your Podcast program, with a nudge to act swiftly and secure your spot in our limited-capacity cohorts.

This isn't just about business; it's a celebration of four years on the airwaves and the introduction of a captivating new serial podcast – complete with exclusive behind-the-scenes peeks at other podcasters' journeys and their monetization methods. Get a front-row seat to the strategies propelling my shift to Pinterest marketing and learn why vision boards are more than just pretty pictures, especially when they hint at my own dreams of a Parisian getaway. From my fresh VIP Strategy Days offering to the anticipation of our MapCast Media website launch, this episode is a treasure trove of inspiration,  and a look ahead at what's brewing for the sunnier seasons, all shared with the warmth and excitement that's become a hallmark of our time together.

Apply for one of my spring Cohorts HERE

www.donnaeade.com

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:51

You're listening to the Mindset and Action podcast, the place to be to grow and streamline your business. I'm your host, donna Eade. Let's jump into the show ["Mindset and Action"]. Review your goals twice every day in order to be focused on achieving them. Les Brown, welcome back to the podcast.

Speaker 1: 1:18

Everybody, I am so glad to have you here today because we are doing the quarterly review. So, believe it or not, we are almost at the end of March. How did that happen? It feels like only yesterday it was Christmas. It's bizarre. We had the longest January on the planet, and then, you know, february came, and that had an extra day in it, which made that seem unusually long. And now March is almost behind us. So we have ended the first quarter of this year.

Speaker 1: 1:50

As some of you may know, this is my fourth quarter, because I run my business April to April. So we're going to be reviewing my goals for the last quarter and looking at my new goals for the next quarter, and I urge you to do the same in your business. And if the quote that I read at the beginning means anything to anybody, then we should be looking at our goals on a daily basis twice a day, in fact, which is kind of bizarre, but I get it, and I think actually I need to add this to where my vision board sits on my wall, to just put my goals for the quarter there and read them every day. So I make sure that I'm focused on what is going to help me get to there, because we can get so tied up in the minutiae of the day, can we not? So, yeah, let's jump into it. So we're looking at our goals for the last quarter, whether we actually achieve them or not, and it's really important to actually look back and see what you did and how you did it and whether it worked or not, because you can then use those skills going forward or make improvements as necessary.

Speaker 1: 3:01

So for me, my goals for the last quarter were to launch and run my pod camp, open the doors to my Start your Podcast program, launch my Done For you option, do some group talks and launch my new podcast. So I got in there by the skin of my teeth on some of those. Let's break them down. So the pod camp that happened back in January it was awesome, I absolutely loved it, and what I decided to do was actually turn that into a paid training that you can get on my website at any time if you want it. So the pod camp was called the Launch Ready pod camp and it's all about getting your launch strategy in place to help you launch your podcast.

Speaker 1: 3:52

Now, for me, this is one of the pivotal, pivotal points of launching your podcast, because if you don't actually have a launch plan in place, if you don't talk to people, if you don't get them excited about listening to your podcast no-transcript, barely anybody listened to it, and that can be quite disheartening. What you want is a load of cheerleaders listening to it and sharing it on the day so that you can get more people Listen to it, and that will help you to reach a wider audience with the podcast to begin with. And that's just going to sort of I always say the analogy of like pushing a boulder up a hill. You know it's so hard to push a boulder from the bottom of the hill to the top of the hill, but if you start halfway up, it's a lot easier to get to the top. So that is my reason for it and I absolutely love my strategy around that, the plan that I put in place, and I had such great reviews from people that joined me for it. But what I found was quite a few of them were kind of past the point of needing my help in regards to Starting and launching their podcast. So they just wanted to get the launch part done, which I'm absolutely fine with. Are it's not to say that I'm not going to run at the launch ready pod camp again, but I am looking at doing something slightly different in October, doing a different pod camp. But if you want that launch ready system, it is there available for you on my website. You can go ahead and buy that straight away. So that's awesome.

Speaker 1: 5:23

The second thing doors opened to the start your podcast program. So I did my first launch for the year and we are now gearing up to the second launch. So if you want to start your podcast and you want to join me in my start your podcast eight week program, then you can fill in an application right now. You can go to Donna edcom forward slash apply. I only take six students per cohort and I have three cohorts starting in May. So right at the end of April like the 29th of April I think, is the first one, and then two that start in May. So those are my spring cohorts. So if you don't get in on one of those, you're going to be looking at September before you can start.

Speaker 1: 6:04

So if you want to start podcasting and you want to get it up and running before the summer holidays yes, I can't believe I'm even talking about the summer holidays already, but yes, they are going to be fast approaching If you want to make sure that your podcast is up this side of the summer holidays, then you want to get in on one of those three cohorts. So there is only 18 spaces available in total and I offer six places per cohort. So if you want to get in on that, fill in your application and so we can have a chat and then, once you have paid your first payment or deposit, depending on whether you want to pay in full or do a payment plan Then we, your spot will be secured and you won't have to worry about that. So get in now, before I start really ramping up for the launch, and you can secure your spot. So I also launched my done for you option.

Speaker 1: 6:57

So this is for people who are completely time poor At capacity, really want to do a podcast, but haven't got the time to sit down and learn the editing part of it. Haven't got the time to sort of do all of the admin side of things. I help you do all that. So what you will do is you will do the recording. You will work with the graphic designer I work with on the graphics for the podcast and then I will do the editing. I will get it set up with the podcast host. I will get all the descriptions for the podcast done. I will create some social media posts around it for you.

Speaker 1: 7:36

So that is what I do. We do six episodes for you, because I believe you should launch with three episodes At the start. So that's a trailer episode and then two proper episodes and then three further episodes. So I give you a month's worth of content done and dusted for you. Then you have the opportunity that I can train a VA for you. If you work with a VA, or I can go through it with you on video and you can learn yourself, or you can just pay me to do it on a regular basis for you and I will continue to do the editing and the uploading for you. So those are options in the done for you option that is available limited spaces. So if you want to do that, then you can email me, donner at DonnerEedcom, and just let me know that you're interested in the done for you option and I will get back to you with your application form for that. So I launched that. I have a client going through that right as we speak. It's been an absolute joy to work with her and help her create her podcast for the company she works for, which is great. So she's not actually the person who owns the company. She is an employee of the company, so it doesn't have to be you that I specifically work with. If you have a VA that you want to do all of the things, then I can work with the VA instead, so that is an option as well.

Speaker 1: 9:09

So the other thing that I had on my list was the group talks. So I did two group talks this year so far. I'm absolutely loving doing the talks. I love the speaking opportunities. So if you think that you have a group that has speakers come in and talk and that I would be appropriate for it Talking about podcasting or guesting on podcasts, I can do talks that facilitate both. Or if you have a networking group that is looking for speakers, I would love to be considered. So this time, this last quarter, I did a talk in a Facebook group for book authors, so I did a talk on how books and podcasts are a match made in heaven. So that was fantastic. And then I also did a talk in a business group to female entrepreneurs talking about how they can use podcasting in their business. So those were the two that I've done this quarter and I would love to do some more through the rest of the year.

Speaker 1: 10:21

Now the last one on my list was to launch the new podcast, and if you have been listening, you will know that that actually went up on Tuesday. So I just got in there by the skin of my teeth and launched the new podcast. It's called Mike Action Podcast and it is all about podcasting. So if you haven't yet listened and you're interested in podcasting, then please go over and have a listen. If you just want to support me, I would love it if you would go over and listen and leave a review on Apple podcasts If you have Apple podcasts, or go on to Podchaser and leave a review on Podchaser. If you're not on Apple, that would be amazing. But basically, that is the podcast where you are going to learn about how you can use podcasting for your business.

Speaker 1: 11:12

What does it look like? How do you interview guests talking about how to monetize your podcast, talking to podcasters about why they started their podcast and what it means to them to have their podcast now? Has it changed from when they started? All sorts of great interviews I'm having over there.

Speaker 1: 11:33

So it is going to be a serial podcast. So 12 episodes in the series, I believe. Maybe going to be 13 in this first one. I'm not sure. I haven't quite finished the recordings for it yet, but I have got it up and running. So yeah, so it's going to be a serial podcast, which means that it's going to come out weekly for, say, 12 weeks, and then, well, it will be 12 weeks, a weekly for 12 weeks, and then there will be a break and then we will go again with a new series later down the line. And that is just because there is so much capacity that I have and I am dedicated to this podcast. I absolutely love you guys and I'm not leaving you at all.

Speaker 1: 12:14

So I wanted to make sure that I still had the capacity to do this podcast and what I have been loving doing over here for the last four years, and we are about a month out from the anniversary and it's going to fall in the middle between a guest episode and my solo episode, so I will probably celebrate it in my solo episode. That happens just after the anniversary. But yeah, so four years on this podcast completed and, yeah, a new podcast has started, so I did manage to get that. So, amazingly, I managed to do all of my goals for quarter four, which is brilliant Obviously quarter one for you guys if you're going with the annual calendar. So I think I did pretty well.

Speaker 1: 13:02

I think there are definitely improvements that could be made around promoting things and the time that it takes to promote. It always takes longer than you think it's going to, and there is a balancing act between how early you talk about things to when you close things and such like. So something that I am still learning to balance there. But what are the goals for the next quarter? So the next quarter is really interesting. Obviously, I am opening the doors the applications are open to join my spring cohorts.

Speaker 1: 13:36

For the start, your podcast program. I have got a brand new web class coming for that, so that is coming in mid April, I think. So if you are interested in that masterclass, then I will have a link in the show notes for you to be able to go and register your interest for that class. Now I can't tell you the title and I can't tell you exactly what it's going to be on, because I haven't calculated up the answers yet. I actually asked on social which class people would be most interested in, and I I thought the results were quite interesting, so I've not tallied them up, because I asked on all different platforms and then I asked my email list as well, so I needed to just go in and collect that information. But it's either gonna be on the step-by-step process of podcasting or it's going to be on how you can say 50% of your time and double your content output with podcasting. So something to think about. If either of those topics interest you, I will definitely be doing both of them at some point. But I can't do them both at the same time because that would be a very long webinar. So if you're interested in coming and joining me for the webinar in April, a link will be in the show notes. So that is going on regardless.

Speaker 1: 15:02

But my new goals and I have five of them, and you know me, I generally try not to have too many goals. I like to have three big goals for the quarter but looking at these it's I don't. I feel okay that there's five of them, so I definitely wouldn't go more than six, because that's kind of two a month. So in this next quarter I am launching VIP strategy days. I'm super excited about this because I love to work one-on-one with people. It is an absolute joy to sort of really get down into the details with people and create. So I'm really excited about this opportunity. So they are going to be limited because time is limited, but I am going to be offering VIP days out. So if you're interested in the VIP days, there will be a link in the show notes for you to register your interest and I can send you over some dates and details. But basically these days are going to be the planning and strategy of your podcast.

Speaker 1: 16:07

So if you're sitting there thinking I've got a podcast idea but I don't really know where to start, I don't know what it's going to look like, I don't know how I'm going to fit it in, this is what the strategy day is for. So we'll sit down, we'll develop the idea, we'll look at how it can best support you and your business, what that looks like in terms of is it going to be a weekly show, is it going to be a serial show, what is your capacity like? When can you record, when can you edit, or how is that going to happen for you and how is it going to fit in to your work life right now? Then we are going to look at the ideas for podcast episodes. Whether you're going to do interviews, what that looks like, we will come up with ideas and we will create a content plan for a year's worth of your podcast. So, whether that's weekly or whether it's a serial podcast, whatever the episode capacity for the year is going to be for your show, we will make sure that we have got an idea for every episode before you leave for the day, and we'll even develop some of those so that you can see how easy it is to actually create the outlines for the podcasts, so that you can do that and finish it off when you are on your own. We will then look at your launch strategy. Like I say, it's one of the most important parts and we will come up with a plan of action for you and you will leave the day with ideas already in the bag, maybe your name's solidified, but certainly some name ideas, some graphic ideas, and you will leave with an action plan in place. So I'm really excited about those VIP days. So if you are interested, then hit the button in the show notes that says VIP days. You can register your interest. I can let you know the price. A little bit of a breakdown of what is entailed, a little bit like I have done today, but a little bit more depth, and I will can give you the dates that are available currently. So that is launching in this next quarter.

Speaker 1: 18:11

I'm also turning my focus to Pinterest, so you may have heard me talk about it in recent episodes where I sort of spoke about breaking up with Instagram and things like that. I've kind of mentioned it a few times, but I am putting a big chunk of my focus in to Pinterest and seeing how I can make that work for me. I've heard good things about Pinterest and I've always enjoyed being on Pinterest because it's not a social media platform, so it's not about the engagement, the comments and things like that. It's a search engine. So it's just nicer for me because I am a visual person. I was a photographer for 10 years, so I love images. Pinterest just makes my heart sing, so spending more time over there is an absolute pleasure. Trying not to get distracted by all of the lovely pins that I want to pin is another thing altogether. I'm doing some Pinterest strategy focus over the next quarter and I'm hoping to be able to feed back to you guys at the end of that and let you know what difference that has made to my business, my podcast listenership and such like, because that is where my focus is going to be more there than on social media, so I am interested to see what happens there.

Speaker 1: 19:30

The third thing I'm going to be focusing on is my networking. I want to do some more networking this quarter. I have my regular online meeting, so if you would like to come and network with me and the people that come to my networking meeting, then you will find a link for that in the show notes as well. It's the Business Women Unlimited Online Networking Meeting. I run it once a month, usually the third Tuesday of the month, so if you want to come and join me for that, please do. I would absolutely love to have you. It's £10 plus VAT to attend. It's 10am till 11.30am on the Tuesday morning and we have a great time and I absolutely love hosting it. So it's a no membership, no lockout networking group so you can just come and pay for the meetings that you attend. So if you want to come along to that one, I would love to see you. Our next one is, I believe, the 16th of April, but you can find out that on BusinessWomenUnlimitedcouk it's the website, so I run that one.

Speaker 1: 20:37

I also go to the Small Biz, vibes Online Networking. That's a fantastic new group that has started in the last I think about three or four months they've been going now. Really fantastic couple of ladies set that up Claire and Collette and I love the online meeting. So it's a little bit different to the one that I do. They don't have a talk, they don't have a learning element of it, it's more straight networking. So they do breakout rooms and they do some spotlight members who can deep dive to the whole group about what they do. I really enjoy it for the connection and the conversations, so that's a great one to go to as well. I'll link that in the show notes, but that's kind of where my networking stops.

Speaker 1: 21:24

I do a couple of three things here and there, but I don't do a lot else and I would like to do more. There is one that I am trying to do more, but they do really early mornings and I'm not a morning person, so getting up for half past seven meeting is tough for me, but I need to do it more. So I'm going to make myself do that one more this month, or this quarter, should I say and hopefully I will incorporate some others down the road as well. So more networking for me. There's a new website coming. So, as of this recording, I don't think it's up yet, but there is a new website coming that is going to be quickly put up and then worked on live as it goes, because it's where my new podcast is going to be held and it is going to be the mapcast media website. So I will put a link to that in the show notes when I have it. So it might not be there as you're listening to this, but it'll certainly be there soon, and so that is something that I want to get completed in the next quarter, that it's up and it looks pretty, because we like our websites to look pretty.

Speaker 1: 22:38

And then the fifth one is more speaking gigs, like I was saying earlier, I want to do more speaking this year. So I've done in networking groups, I have done in Facebook groups. I would love to do some in-person networking. I did an in-person networking event last year. I would love to do some more in-person speaking opportunities, so I will be looking for those. So those are my five for the next quarter. I would love to hear your roundup of what your last quarter goals were, whether you hit them or not. Quite surprised that I managed to hit all of mine. Actually that was amazing to me slid in right at the end there with the podcast, because I did procrastinate on that a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot, but it is out there now. So now I'm going to have to keep up with it.

Speaker 1: 23:28

And yeah, and then five new goals for a new quarter to get me closer to my vision board. And I am looking at my vision board right now and I see my Paris picture the word Paris on there, and I am so excited that hopefully, hopefully, fingers crossed we will be going to Paris in this quarter as well, which will just make my heart sing to be able to do that. So I'm very grateful for Vanessa, who I did my vision board with for just kind of talking it through and sort of going in more depth about what vision boards are and how you use them and how they work. I will link Vanessa's episode that she did with me in the show notes for you. But it was such a good, good workshop to do. You know, I thought I know how to do a vision board. I just stick some pictures that mean something to me onto a piece of paper or onto my canvas in Canva and that's it. And this year I just feel like it's hitting different and I think it's because of the workshop I did with Vanessa. So I highly recommend it and just really pleased that the things that I'm doing in my business are helping me to reach those goals that I see on that board.

Speaker 1: 24:47

So, personal goal for me to end the episode I am planning on romanticizing life a little bit more. That's one of the things that's on my vision board to romanticize the day. I want to do that a little bit more because I think oftentimes we get so sucked into just moving on and getting the day done that we don't stop to take a moment to actually enjoy the process. And that's where the joy is, guys. The joy is in the journey, not the destination. So when you're making a cup of tea, I'd argue that the joy is drinking the tea, but the joy is making it as well as drinking it. You know, it's all part of the joy, and you can find joy in the little things, and that is something that I am going to try and do more of in the next quarter as a personal goal for myself.

Speaker 1: 25:41

So do head over to LinkedIn or Instagram. Let me know what your goals are for the next quarter. Let me know what your goals were for the last quarter. How are you doing on them? Feel free to reply to my email this week if you are on my email list. If you're not on my email list, come and join me, donaeedcom forward slash pod squad, and you can sign up and I will email you the new episodes every week. Yeah, that's it for today, guys. I am so excited to be moving into quarter two of the year. It's absolutely amazing to me. I'm so excited and I'm so excited for you too. So, with that, have a great rest of your week, enjoy your weekend and I will see you in the next one. Bye for now.