We recently connected with Andria Singletary and have shared our conversation below.

Andria, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with a fun one – what’s something you believe that most people in your industry (or in general) disagree with?

In the podcasting industry, there is a strongly held belief that sponsorships are the primary way to monetize your podcast. I disagree with this for multiple reasons:

-To actually start getting sponsors to notice your show, you have to hit so many downloads per month, which can take years
-When your focus is on getting sponsors, you lose sight of what is most important to your audience
-Having ads inserted throughout your podcast can create an unpleasant listening experience for your audience

The clients I work with use their podcasts as part of their sales funnel for their business. In fact, we set up their podcast to be at the top of their sales funnel. In addition, I teach my clients how to sell their offers on their podcasts and use it as a lead-generation tool without focusing on sponsors.

Andria, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m Andria Singletary, a wife, mom of two, podcast strategist and producer, and the host of the Mama Turned Mompreneur podcast. Before entering the online space as an entrepreneur, I worked as a preschool director in the early childhood field.

I became a mom at the height of the pandemic in April 2020. While on maternity leave, the preschool I oversaw closed, making me a stay-at-home mom. That first year home with my son was amazing. I loved being able to experience all of his first moments. After he turned one, my husband and I decided to enroll him in preschool so he could socialize with other children his age. With extra time on my hands, I decided to find something for myself, so I could get back to myself as Andria, the woman, and have an identity outside of mom.

I started down the freelancing rabbit hole. I built a couple of WordPress websites and, after much research, dove into the world of virtual assistants. I took a course and started offering an array of services. During this time, I soon discovered I was pregnant with my daughter. Despite the exhaustion and nausea pregnancy brought while caring for an active toddler, I launched my virtual assistant business and quickly gained clients.

Although I loved having my own business, I quickly became burnt out because of all the services I provided. I offered web design, blog copywriting, virtual administrative support, and social media management. I knew it was time to niche down, but I wasn’t sure what to do. I didn’t like any of the services I provided then, so I didn’t want to focus on any of those.

When I became a mom, I started listening to podcasts related to motherhood. I loved listening to podcasts but wasn’t sure how they were produced. So I started researching and discovered the world of podcast management. At the time, there were only a handful of podcast management courses. The course creator I connected with the most was Lauren Wrighton. I loved (and still do) her podcast, and I connected with her because she was a mom too. So, I took Lauren Wrighton’s Podcast Manager Program and pursued podcast management. I finished the course about a week before I was due with my daughter and lined up my first client shortly after having her.

I am now coming up on a year of working in the podcast industry and have learned and grown so much in this time. I have had the pleasure of working with some amazing mompreneurs by supporting them with launching and managing their podcasts. My clients are moms tired of battling the social media algorithm and looking to create evergreen long-form content that establishes them as the expert in their niche, allows them to reach their ideal clients on a larger scale, and generates consistent leads for their business.

I support my clients by creating a podcast that serves as a lead generator for their businesses on autopilot. When my clients work with me, we focus on creating a monetization and marketing plan for their podcast to serve as the top of their sales funnel leading to them growing and scaling their businesses.

The three ways my clients work with me is through podcast launch support, my private podcast VIP day, where we set up their private podcast in two sessions, and my podcast audit + strategy session offer, where I support seasoned podcasters by reviewing every aspect of their podcast, providing feedback, and meeting to develop a marketing and monetization plan for their podcast.

With each of these offers, I teach my clients how to confidently sell on their podcast without feeling salesy or out of alignment with who they are. I’ve had clients double their product sales when implementing my podcast for profit INCOME strategy. In addition, I’ve had clients generate course sales from their podcasts through easy to implement strategies.

What sets me apart from others in the podcast production industry is that I focus on supporting my clients by creating a podcast that aligns with and works for their business. I teach them how to make money podcasting and repurpose their podcast content into other content for their blog, social media platforms, email lists, and more. When my clients work with me, we get crystal clear on who they’re serving, how they’re serving them, and their messaging. Each of these components is critical to creating a successful podcast.

Have you ever had to pivot?

When I started my business, I started as a virtual assistant offering every service possible. I had no clear niche. I served any and everyone who wanted to work with me. I quickly realized that this business model wasn’t sustainable and wouldn’t fit my current season of life. As a mom of two, I needed my business to fit my lifestyle, meaning that I didn’t have to do much client-facing work and could work at odd hours if needed. This is why I pivoted to podcast management. As a podcast manager and now podcast strategist, I am not required to be available during regular business hours. I can set my schedule to keep my family as my top priority and run a business that feels good to me.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

When I started my business, I struggled greatly with shifting from an employee to a CEO mindset. Being someone only familiar with working a 9-5 and having to answer to someone, I didn’t know how to set boundaries with my clients. I focused heavily on ensuring my clients were happy while sacrificing my happiness and peace of mind. It was lost on me that the relationship was supposed to be two CEOs working together. I finally switched mindsets when I went from being a mom of 1 to a mom of 2. I needed to restructure my work days and overall business model to accommodate my new season of life, and I had clients that weren’t understanding. At that point, something shifted in me, and I quickly learned to set boundaries, let go of clients that weren’t a good fit, and became more vigilant about who I would work with.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mamaturnedmompreneur.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mamaturnedmompreneur/
• Facebook: https://www.mamaturnedmompreneur.com/community
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mamaturnedmompreneur/

Image Credits
Kita Zuleta Photography