October 5th, 2020
“Have you thought about starting a podcast?”
If I had a nickel for every time someone asked me this over the years, I’d probably have around $10.
Is starting a podcast a good idea? Probably.
But a good idea is not enough. Good ideas are a dime a dozen.
There’s a famous Steve Jobs quote about focus:
“[It’s not about] saying ‘yes’ but learning to turn down the smart, interesting work that takes people away from their most important priorities. Focus means saying no to the hundred other good ideas.” - Steve Jobs
So when I think about starting a podcast, I think:
Is starting a podcast the best use of my time and will it yield the greatest results with the least amount of effort?
The answer is no.
If you’re building a business, you probably have friends / colleagues / investors / employees / people-on-podcasts giving you advice about some interesting new "good idea" that could work for your business.
99% of the time, the answer to these ends up being no. The better, more realistic answer is: “someday”:
“Someday we’ll do that, but right now we’re heads down and focused on our current plan.”
Often times, it’s easy to say no. That’s fine. But where it gets hard is saying no to the things you really want to do. Or saying no to things that are clouded in vanity, ego, and looking good for others.
Saying no (to stay focused) is the key to success in business.
“The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything.” - Warren Buffet