Corey Fineran's Podcast Lead Him To Start His Own Business

Comments" Call 888-563-3228

I've spoken about Corey Fineran before and how his Chicago Cubs podcast Ivy Envy helped get a rule changed in Major League Baseball. Corey's boss saw the impact podcasting creates and talked Corey into starting a podcast for his job.

Corey's podcast helps high school students with special needs transition into the workplace. It went over well. It lead to him starting Next Up (His own business) Here are some key points:

They tried it to see if it would work.

They got feedback from their audience, and listened to it, and acted on it.

They updated their equipment after they proved the concept.

Corey's goal is to help as many students as possible. His niche (students with special needs) is often overlooked, or has no budget. So he created the content that was needed. One night it was speaking with his brother in law (who is well versed in running a business) and they realized that he could reach more students and have a larger impact if he did this on his own, and start his own company. So Corey:

Used his brother as a resource to launch the business

Converted his current employer into his first customer

Used his mother (an accountant) to help with taxes

Growing His Business

Corey found that educators are not used to being "pitched." The tried and true strategies of mass emails, cold calling, etc were not going to work. So he did what any good podcaster would do:

He went to where his audience was.

He started attending events where he could talk face to face about his products and services.

Common Podcast Lessons and Truths Translate to Business

Listen to your audience and be open to suggestions

When you have a great podcast people will spread the word about your show

When you can, the best way to get feedback from your audience is face to face. It is also the best way to start building those relationships.

While your audience can become your brand advocates, so can your family (so make sure they know what you are up to).