We’ve had a lil hiatus, but we’re finally back with the next installment of our Business of podcasts series, in which we interview amazing podcasters of all genres about the inspiration, motivation and success of their podcasts.
If you recognise her name, it’s probably because we mention Therese quite often, as we think she’s blimmin’ wonderful at empowering product businesses learn more about profitable wholesale with courses, strategy calls, and more. You can find out more about that on her website, Small Business Collaborative.
We’ve also enlisted her expertise as a guest blogger here on the Studio Cotton blog (read her post, 5 things new stockists are looking for on your wholesale page) as well as having mentioned her podcast Let’s Talk Shop in 9 stellar small business podcasts handpicked by small business owners. We basically can’t get enough of her.
Today we’re doing a deeper dive into her podcast, which she started in July 2019 – “Let’s Talk Shop is the podcast for product-based business owners who want practical, honest conversations and strategies to grow their wholesale sales with confidence and consistency.”
Let’s get into it.
1. Why did you start your podcast?
Because I felt that there was a big gap between what retail buyers experience was and brand owners experience was. There was this big divide of them versus us and I wanted to do something to bridge that gap.
2. What was your original goal for Let’s Talk Shop?
To bridge a gap between buyers and brand owners and share real stories behind the scenes of small business life. What’s working, what’s not working and at the same time build trust and give people an opportunity to get to know me and how I can help them with their business.
3. “90% of podcasts don’t get past their 3rd episode” – what helped you to keep going?
I had read somewhere that it’s recommended that you publish the first first three episodes at the same time, the same day, to help with getting on what was then Apple’s best business podcast list.
I had already recorded most of the first season when I launched, so that wasn’t so much a challenge. It has been more of a challenge throughout the years to keep it up and sometimes the podcast has taken a whole year’s break.
I would say the biggest challenge with keeping going has been to edit and publish the episodes. I absolutely love having the conversations, planning out what the episodes could look like, inviting guests, and thinking of interesting topics, but I do dread the publishing aspects of it.
AI that has now helped massively, because it’s quicker to edit with a script-based editor – it’s quicker to create the show notes from the transcripts and just put a little bit more of a human touch on it.
4. What commercial/business benefits were you expecting to get from podcasting?
At the beginning I wasn’t expecting that much – I felt that it was a fun way to market myself, and I also was really interested in having these conversations.
My main goal in terms of business was really to build trust, because no one knew about me, and I felt that if they can hear me talk and hear me having a conversation, I would feel more familiar to them.
5. What has been an unexpected business/commercial benefit of podcasting?
When I was podcasting regularly and when I am in a season, I feel that I always get much more of a shorter sales funnel, if you will. People that listen to the podcast are way more ready, because they feel confident that I’m the right person for them.
6. What do you wish you knew about producing a podcast before you started?
How much time the editing, writing show notes, and promoting the podcast would take.
7. What is your next step for monetising Let’s Talk Shop?
Once I’ve had a bit of a steady run with it again, I will be pitching to get businesses to sponsor the podcast, so I can outsource the editing, and also improve things like the sound etc.
8. How long would you say it took for Let’s Talk Shop to have a positive commercial benefit for you or your business?
I think it was almost instant, and now when I’m answering these questions, it does really make me think that I should make more of an effort to keep it going all year.
9. What is a myth about monetising a podcast that you’d like to bust right now?
That you need huge download numbers to monetise. For many of us in niche industries, the real value is in building trust with a specific audience and using the podcast as part of a wider sales ecosystem – it can drive sales of your products, services, or programs long before you hit ‘big’ numbers.
10. How much would you recommend that a new podcaster budget for getting started, and where should they spend it first?
You don’t need a huge budget to start a podcast – I’d recommend investing in a good microphone first, because clear audio makes the biggest difference. I use a Blue Yeti Microphone, which was around £150 when I bought it, though there are probably more affordable and even better options now.
I also pay about £25/month for Descript to record and edit, and around £150 a year for podcast hosting. I did also buy music for my intro and outro, but honestly, I’m not sure that’s essential anymore.
11. What is a really small thing you’ve done that has helped Let’s Talk Shop grow?
At the start, I made it as easy as possible for guests to share their episode – I’d send them all the details, a few social media posts, and graphics they could use. Most of them shared, and that helped the podcast reach new audiences early on.
12. What’s on the immediate horizon for Let’s Talk Shop?
Right now, my focus is on finding consistency again, getting back into a regular publishing rhythm so that listeners know when to expect new episodes.
As recommended by Therese
We asked Therese to recommend people, organisations or resources that have helped her as a podcaster…
- Descript – for recording and editing.
- Youtube – this is where I learned to edit at the start, before AI editing was a thing.
You can listen to Let’s Talk Shop on Therese’s website, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Keep up with all the latest news by following @small_business_collaborative on Instagram and on Threads.
I’ve got a few more Business of podcasts blogs lined up for the next few months, so keep your eyes peeled if you’re a fan of these, but in the meantime, for more insights into the podcasting world, head to our Business of podcasts series to read more of our nosey Q&As with podcasters.
