We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Beth Gibbs. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Beth below.

Hi Beth, thanks for joining us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

I would have never described myself as a risk taker, but in 2011 I signed up for my first improv class. I was about a year out of college, and my typical day was going to work and then spending the evening at home. I was lonely. I needed to meet new people, and being a big fan of comedy, improv seemed like the thing to try.

I was so nervous for my first class. Before we even got to the improv part, we were supposed to share our names and something about ourselves, and I could hear my voice shake as I shared mine. But by the time the class had ended, I had a really good time. So I came back the next week, and the week after. I’ve now been performing improv for over a decade. I’ve made incredible friendships, and I even met my husband through improv. Taking that small risk changed my life. I was so scared, but I did it anyway.

Moving through fear is one of the biggest life lessons I’ve learned in improv, so when it came to starting my own business, I just jumped. I knew it was the direction I wanted to go, so I followed that instinct even though there is a lot of fear that comes with that decision. There are certainly challenges along this path, but I know it’s the right one for me.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’ve been producing podcasts for over a decade now, and since I started the industry has changed a lot. There weren’t many podcasts back then and they were almost entirely made by independent creators. Now, there are podcast companies with huge teams dedicated to creating shows. Those shows sound professional, but to me, it completely takes away from what makes podcasting so great.

Podcasting is accessible to everyone, so it gives everyone a platform to share their voice and their story. The problem is that those big podcasting companies start to drown out the little podcasts. I created Lift Podcasting because I wanted to help lift those voices. I want to give independent creators and organizations the opportunity to have a podcast that sounds just as professional as the big players, and help them get over the challenges of turning their podcast into a reality.

Typically, my clients come to me with an idea for a podcast, or perhaps they already have a podcast, so they have the content, they just need support in producing a high-quality podcast. I help them with recording (even remotely!) and editing the audio, so the final product is polished. I also help clients get started, choose the right equipment, and set up their feeds.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

The thing I’m trying to unlearn right now is that the aim for every business is to grow indefinitely. I was finding that the lessons of all of the business books I was reading and workshops I was attending were not matching up with how I felt about my business. They seemed to all be aimed at this goal of growth; more employees, more office space, more products, etc. But that is not what I wanted. I met with a business coach and I expressed to her that what I wanted from my business is simplicity and stability. She pointed me in the direction of the book, “Company of One” by Paul Jarvis, and it was the first time I read a business book where I felt like my values aligned with the message. The overall idea is going deeper rather than broader. I will be focusing my time on figuring out how I can better serve my clients rather than growing for the sake of growth.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I recently made a major pivot and I’ve already seen the benefits of it. I was really trying to do everything. In addition to my client work, I was trying to grow on social media, create my own content, create online courses, write a weekly newsletter; I was spinning my wheels and going nowhere. None of that extra work I was giving myself resulted in more income. My business coach had me list all of the clients I’ve ever had and where they found me. Over 80 percent of them came from referrals. Taking the time to actually look at what is working and what wasn’t forced me to pivot from trying do everything, to doing the things that work. Now instead of having a giant list of things to do, I can focus on doing the best work I can for my clients and make sure they have an excellent experience. I can spend my other time making real life connections, which feels way more fulfilling and sustainable to me.

Contact Info:

• Website: liftpodcasting.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liftpodcasting/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liftpodcasting
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFjPjdmKaeFAP87A6dcEejQ

Image Credits
Erik Westra, Lab MPLS, Adam Iverson