We recently connected with Freddy Cruz and have shared our conversation below.

Freddy, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with important influences in our lives. Is there a historical figure you look up to?

Friedrich Nietzsche, who’s considered to be one of the world’s first high performance philosophers. The writing that resonates with me most is that which speaks of struggling and overcoming our humanity. Because our lives are chock full of both. His work reminds me that when things get tough, we have to get tougher. And that nothing worth having ever comes easy.

Favorite quote: “Man is something that shall be overcome. What have you done to overcome him?”

Freddy, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

After twenty-six years, I left terrestrial radio for something different. And while I had no specific idea what the next big thing would be, I knew exactly what wasn’t in store for me. More of the same.

Seven months, 400+ applications, 55+ rejections, and a handful of interviews (that didn’t pan out) later, I hired myself.

Today, Freddy Cruz Creative Works takes my institutional skillset and uses it to help businesses and organizations share their stories with the world through podcasting.

The internet remains the greatest equalizer in history. And podcasting is the ideal way to create and nourish a brand’s authority. That’s because hosts who don’t want to be on-camera can still reap the benefits, while hosts who love being on-camera can reap even more benefits.

But publishing episodes is only the beginning.

Episodes can be sliced into multiple pieces of social media content and transcribed into newsletters and blogs.

FCCW works hand in hand with its clients to develop a podcast strategy, record, produce, and syndicate across multiple platforms. To seasoned podcasters or producers, this is no big deal. But for busy CEOs and business owners, it’s a time-suck that can make podcasting a chore.

My job as a producer is to take the headache away and make the experience as seamless and easy as possible. That way, all my hosts need to do is rock the mic.

In February, FCCW assisted The Rose Breast Center of Excellence and The National Museum of Funeral History with their podcast launches. While they’re both headquartered in the Houston area, their impact is global. These podcasts will give them true agency over their messaging. And for that, I’m excited.

Gone are the days of relying on gatekeepers to share your company’s/organization’s story and message. With podcasting, you can communicate with your community. However you want. Whenever you want.

It’s easier than ever to launch a podcast. And sooner rather than later, every business and organization will need to have one in order to grow their communities.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

2022 was the biggest pivot of my career. Not one day or even a month. The entire year.

None of this had to do with the pandemic and everything to do with a years-long buildup of figuring out life after being a Top 40 radio DJ.

I had given thought to starting a business but never really knew what it would be. Until 2022. And it took a rejection to notice an opportunity.

At the time, I wanted a job so bad, I had applied to jobs I was more than qualified for. Jobs that paid a fourth (and in some cases, a fifth) of what I was making in my previous radio career. One such job was with a company and the position was for a guest booking specialist. They sent me a nice rejection email (seriously, it was REALLY NICE) and I was more miffed than sad. I had booked over 800 guests for my previous employer!

Then I did more research on the company and its clients and thought to myself, “I can start a company like this but do it better and for a much more reasonable rate.”

And that’s how I went from corporate yes man to getting a bunch of rejections to launching Freddy Cruz Creative Works.

The path is everything entrepreneurs make it out to be. And more.

I love the thrill of the hunt, the thrill of the catch, and the thrill of learning from a deal gone wrong.

It’s not for everyone, though. And every now and then, I question my own career choices.

Then I think about the people I have the privilege of working with, the people they serve, and how I get to play a small part in their larger missions. And it lights me on fire. In a good way, of course.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Fiction: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and my all-time favorite, Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk.

Nonfiction: The Art of Impossible by Steven Kotler and The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene.

Contact Info:

• Website: freddycruzcreativeworks.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/thefreddycruz
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/thefreddycruz
• Twitter: twitter.com/thefreddycruz