✴️Recap of Season 1 + Introduction of Season 2 [S02E01]

INTRO: (00:01) You’re the average of the five podcast shows you listen to the most. Learn to run your business well with the SIA Business Show where our host, Sayed Irfan Ajmal, interviews entrepreneurs, marketers, and speakers of all colors and creeds, revealing their biggest secrets and lousiest mistakes.

Irfan: (00:24) Hi everyone. This is your host, Sayed Irfan Ajmal, and I am glad to be back to recording a new episode. I am so excited about starting season 2. We finished season one in December 2018 and after a break of about 3 months, I am back and I’m really looking forward to sharing insights of my own and inviting guests that you guys and girls and I can learn from, especially when it comes to tech entrepreneurship or digital entrepreneurship and more importantly digital marketing.

(01:02) So in this episode, I want to give you a quick recap of season 1 and then I’m going to share what you can expect from season 2. So, let’s get started. Now, when I was starting season 1, way back in around February 2018, I didn’t know much about podcasting and it was pretty hard.​

(01:26) I think, whenever I’d be starting something new, it’s the first few steps are the hardest. So, I’m really glad that I’m done with season 1. For the first season, my goal was to record and publish 10 episodes. So, I was able to do that and I’m pretty happy with that.

(01:43) And the downloads and the audience is absolutely not large by any standards, but I’ve really enjoyed the process and I have done my best to ignore how many downloads each episode had, or how many people are listening, or anything like that.​

​(02:00) I’ve just tried to focus on finding great topics and finding great guests for season 1 and interviewing them and trying to work more on my skills as a podcast host, as an interviewer, and as someone who can share his own insights as well.

(02:17) Now, I did kind of cheated my way to the goal of publishing 10 episodes because originally my plan was to record 10 long-form episodes and long-form episodes, by my standard, is an episode which is 45 to 60 minutes long. However, when I started the podcast, I realized how tough it is to find the right guests and to schedule it… to schedule the episode, and to do the research well, and to do the interview well, and then to do all the editing.

(02:47) And editing is actually one of the toughest parts. And I was not doing it myself. I had outsourced that operation to a VA, James, who works with us from time to time from the Philippines. But it was still quite challenging. So, what I did, in the end, in order to meet my goal was to record about 5 long-form episodes, and the rest of the episodes were actually pretty short episodes.

(03:13) These were episodes where I was answering a question that was asked from me in the past or any question which I felt, based on my experience, is something that my audience would be interested in knowing about. So, even though I am very glad about that, I hope that I can improve this year.​

(03:31) Some of the lessons I learned from season one was, do more extensive research prior to the episode. It always helps if you have done your research really well and if you know about the guest in more detail. So in this regard, I do have some plans for season 2 which I will share it in a bit.​

(03:48) I want to make sure that I use some kind of a written script, especially while doing solo episodes. I also want to make sure that I have written questions beforehand for any guests of the show, and to also make sure that I send those questions to the guests several weeks in advance and to even remind them maybe a couple of times to make sure that they have gone through those questions.​

(04:15) Lastly, it’s also important to plan ahead for editing and promotion. And I do want to continue solo episodes. I enjoy the process. It’s a different ballgame altogether as compared to the interviews conducted with a guest. So, I am definitely going to continue with those.

(04:35) I’m not really clear about how many episodes I will do in season 2 yet, but to share what you can expect from season 2, I think, I will probably do at least 10 episodes, but it might be a tad bit more. Maybe, 12 or 15, but based on the fact that we are already in March, and my work schedule for this year is going to be pretty hectic.​

(04:56) I think it will probably be 10 or maybe 12. Another thing that I really want to focus on in this year is to ensure that most of the episodes are very much aimed at sharing tactical insights relevant to marketing, public relations, especially pitching to the media, and SEO, and content marketing.

(05:19) Other than that, I am considering to perhaps experiment with video episodes. I’m still not sure yet. Even if I will do video episodes, it would be only for a guest episode where I’m interviewing a guest. So yeah, that might be something that I will do.​

(05:39) I also want to have a more organized structure for each episode, so that maybe if it’s a guest, then maybe 2 minutes reserved for introduction, or having them share their story. Like, to share more personal aspects of their story with respect to what is it that led them to pursue entrepreneurship or marketing and what was their life like before they became an entrepreneur or a marketer, or something like that.

(06:07) And then to… maybe a few minutes where I ask them about what their current company does and what their value offering is. And not in a promotional sense, the podcast is not about having the guests promote themselves explicitly, or this is not going to be any sort of “in your face” advertising or marketing or promotion.​

(06:28) But to just have them share how… what they do benefits their target audience and how anyone who is listening to the podcast who want to maybe walk in their footsteps can do the same. And how can the audience learn from their mistakes and their successes and everything, right?

(06:45) And maybe, in the end, I’m thinking about having a rapid-fire round where we can maybe have some silly but interesting phrases which we will… which I will utter and have the guest respond to it. Like for instance, if I utter a word “mouse”, so, what’s the first thing that comes into the guest’s mind? Whatever it is, they have to mention it right away.​

​(07:08) So, I’m thinking about doing something like that. To have a more organized structure, and to have some different rounds, I should say, within the long-form episodes. And similarly, for the solo episodes, I think, the Ask Irfan episodes where I am answering a question which has been asked from me or which I can see is a frequently asked question on Quota.com or other similar platforms.

(07:31) I will still answer may be one question in each episode because I think, I really tried to go into details when I’m answering a question, but maybe I will share some kind of relevant resources or something which the audience can review after they have listened to the answer that I provide.​

(07:47) And other than that, a different type of episode that I’m considering is to speak on a particular topic, or in fact, not to speak on a particular topic but to provide like a monthly summary of what I am doing at our boutique marketing agency, what is it that I’m reading, any interesting podcasts that I have come across related to entrepreneurship and marketing, and any important learnings that I have had in that one. And also, my plan for the very next month.​

​(08:16) So, I’m hoping that it will give all of you guys and girls some inspiration and it may help me to be accountable as well in some sense because if I’m putting it out there, then I guess, I’ll be more serious about making sure that I meet those goals. Because in the very next month, I will be back again and I can share whether I was able to do the things that I said I will do.

(08:39) This will be very hard because I can be very clumsy and lazy. So, this last format where I’m going to share like a monthly report plus plan. I think, that will be the hardest for me to manage in the start, but I am keen on doing it and I hope that it will help me and it will help at least some of you, listeners.​

(08:58) So yeah, that’s it for today. If you have any… oh yeah, a good thing is that I’ve started to get some emails from people who want to appear as guests on my show and some of them have really good profiles as well. So, I’m pretty excited about that and I am really happy.​

(09:17) My show is still pretty small. It’s nothing big. But I like to speak, I like to share my insights, and I like to listen as well, I would like to think. So, it’s good to see that my podcast is getting, at least, some attention and that there are people out there who have some pretty interesting profiles who want to be on the show.​

(09:37) So, I’m really keen on doing better this season. I hope I can also be more regular with regards to the episodes that I’m publishing. And if you have any insights, any feedback, any critique, any suggestions, anyone that you would like to be interviewed on the show, anyone that you can refer to me that I can hopefully interview.​

(09:56) If they have an interesting story within the domains of tech entrepreneurship, digital businesses, digital marketing, anything like that, feel free to get in touch with me via the contacts form at our website, which is www.sayedirfanajmal.com. The link to my website will be in the description of this episode as well.​

(10:20) And yeah, that’s it for today. Thank you so much. I look forward to interacting with you in the next episode. Take care and have a great 2019.

OUTRO: (10:32) Thank you for listening. For show notes and other resources. Please refer to the description of the show.​