Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jason Cercone. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Jason, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
I took my first leap into podcasting in 2015 and immediately fell in love with the medium. Having gained some radio experience in college from hosting my own show, podcasting rekindled my passion for being on the mic and communicating with my audience in a profound, entertaining way.
That said, I was rusty…and that very first recording wasn’t exactly something award shows come calling about. But I was committed to getting better at my craft and focused on getting a little better each time I recorded an episode.
My co-host and I took our first podcast as far as we could before we decided to pull the plug. I immediately started a new show on my own, but 20-some episodes in, I made the decision to cancel that show so I could turn my attention to studying how others were doing it. I wanted to get better, so I let the established podcasters, radio personalities, and TV anchors take over and I went into pure consumption/learning mode.
For a year and a half, I watched how they told stories through the camera and listened to how they communicated through the microphone. I learned about tempo, cadence, annunciation, and the power of silence when transitioning from one thought to the next. I discovered the impact of asking deeper questions and having engaging, captivating conversations.
When I started my next podcast, I had a new level of confidence and my productions were much more defined and concise. I was still committed to improving and that commitment still rings true today, but the time spent studying definitely put me in a better position to succeed.
A couple years after jumping back into the podcasting game, a colleague gave me a phone call to let me know he wanted to start a podcast and wanted to know what it took to launch and maintain a show successfully.
I felt it was my responsibility to give him the full scope of what laid ahead, so I didn’t sugarcoat or hold anything back. And as I was laying out all the important aspects needed to build a podcast, in my head I was thinking, “you’re scaring the hell out of him!”
And it hit me almost instantly that was probably a good thing and a new opportunity lay in front of me.
When I got done listing all the items he needed to know, there was a few-second pause on the other end of the phone. He finally responded with, “damn…that’s a lot more than I thought.”
I proceeded to tell him that’s one of the big reasons why so many podcasts don’t make it beyond a few episodes…because people dive in not fully understanding the work that’s involved. From there, I suggested he and I team up so I could help him in his quest, coaching him along the way and giving him someone that could edit and produce quality content and take some of that work off his plate.
He loved the idea. We met in person a couple days later to finalize a deal and we were off to the races.
Immediately, I knew there had to be others in need of the same type of assistance, and everything began to grow from there.
As I got deeper into consulting and assisting hands-on with podcast production, I discovered a very important aspect that also needed attention: podcast guesting.
Podcast guesting presents a dynamic way to build your personal brand, amplify your message, attract new clients, and establish thought leadership in your niche. But many people embark on making guest appearances without a strategy, costing themselves opportunities to make new connections and establish relationships that will serve their brand for years to come.
As I made connections with new guests, either discovered through my own research or referred to me via guest booking or PR agencies, I learned that many of them lacked fundamentals and could achieve better results if they gained a full understanding of the advantages strategic, value-driven podcast guesting offers.
I took it upon myself to build a comprehensive training and consulting program that helps coaches, consultants, and business leaders define their authentic story, tell it with confidence on podcasts that aligns with their expertise and objectives, and leverage each guest appearance for high-level networking and brand enhancement.
As the podcast medium continues to grow and evolve, the almost decade’s worth of experience I’ve gained (and continue to gain through my personal podcast hosting, guesting, and consulting endeavors) serves as an abundant resource for any professional that wants to succeed at podcasting.
Instead of flying blind without a trusted ally in your corner, you have full access to information, insight, and theory from someone who lives and breathes podcasting each and every day. You also have the benefit of learning from MY mistakes instead of making them on your own, thus putting you on a path to achieve your goals and objectives in a more accelerated timeframe.
Jason, 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?
My name is Jason Cercone. People have been telling me for years I have a way with words.
So I decided to lean into it. And the podcast platform has become my pulpit for telling stories and building strong, lucrative relationships.
I’ve been part of the podcast industry for nearly a decade and have loved every second of it! I’ve hosted my own shows, helped brands launch their own podcasts, and shown many professionals how to raise their brand profile by leveraging the podcast medium. Today, I focus on bringing purpose and clarity to podcasting by helping coaches, consultants, and business leaders maximize their efforts, whether they’re hosting, guesting, or a combination of both.
I bring a hard-earned podcaster’s perspective to my work, meaning I have a clear understanding of what podcasters and guests want to accomplish. This enables me to provide dynamic training, strategy, and support for your efforts…giving you a blueprint designed to deliver maximum success with all of your podcasting initiatives.
My purpose is to elevate your efforts and show you how to leverage the podcast medium in a powerful, impactful way – giving you a stage to tell your story, grow your personal brand, attract more clients, expand your professional network, and take your brand to undeniable levels. All in a simplified, innovative fashion.
My entrance into the podcast space is not your typical story. Believe it or not, I started my first podcast out of spite.
I had a troll on Twitter tearing me down for an initiative I launched when I worked in the craft beer industry back in 2015. And when I discovered he was the host of a beer podcast, I called my best friend and said, “We’re going to start a beer podcast and we’re going to do it better than that guy!”
Spoiler alert: we didn’t. We weren’t good. I learned rather quickly that I had a long way to go if I wanted to be a good podcaster and produce content that people actually wanted to consume. But I was committed to getting a little bit better each and every time I hit the record button and, over eight years later, I’m still going strong!
All of the experience I’ve gained in the podcast space has allowed me to create consulting programs that help my partners excel with their own podcasting and brand-building efforts. Whether hosting, guesting, or doing both, podcasting is the world’s most prolific stage for sharing captivating stories, engaging with targeted audiences, making lucrative connections, and pulling potential clients and brand advocates into your ecosystem.
Unlike many coaching and consulting programs, I have no intention of keeping you under my thumb for the rest of your life. I firmly believe once you’ve gained knowledge and skills, it’s up to you to take action and apply what you’ve learned so you can experience tangible growth.
If that weren’t the case, every adult riding a bicycle would still have a parent running behind them and holding their seat so they keep their balance.
My approach is to establish a close working relationship, help you identify gaps that need filled, collaboratively construct a game plan that sets you up for success, then get the hell out of your way so you can make big things happen!
In addition, working with me allows you to learn from the mistakes I’ve made over the years. Like, for example, starting a podcast out of spite. Don’t do that.
As the podcast medium continues to grow and evolve, the opportunity to leverage this platform for brand growth, networking, communication, and thought leadership is now. New podcasts are making a difference in people’s lives every day and those shows need knowledgable, insightful guests to add to their content portfolio.
I welcome the opportunity to connect with you and bring you one step closer to making your brand undeniable through the podcast medium.
What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?
I had a great job that was fulfilling me in a number of ways. I had a skillful team in place, great rapport with our clients, and a solid relationship with upper management. In my mind, I was on track for substantial growth at this company, both personally and professionally.
That said, having always been driven by entrepreneurial pursuits, I knew I wanted more. In late 2013, I decided to start a craft beer advocacy blog to lend a supportive voice to the small breweries that were beginning to rise in my home city of Pittsburgh and beyond. I felt many beer consumers were unaware of the quality products these breweries were producing and I wanted to do my part to shine a spotlight on their efforts.
I developed a plan to monetize in the long-term, but short-term, I was focused on building relationships with creators, purveyors, and business owners in the industry and learning more about their operations so I could write informative blogs and grow an audience.
After a few months of diligent work, things began to take off. This led to the launch of my first podcast, an app designed to connect beer enthusiasts to events and happenings throughout Pittsburgh, and many relationships that led to sales and marketing opportunities.
Everything was progressing nicely and I knew big things were on the horizon.
In my head, I had scripted how I would exit my full-time job should things with my side hustle continue to grow. I felt such loyalty to that company, I could never leave with just a two-week notice. I wanted to help them transition to a new manager so they wouldn’t miss a beat…and I wanted to do it on my own dime.
I felt that was an adequate thank you for the experience they had given me. And, even more so, as I developed my side hustle, I was thriving at my full-time job. I had been given more responsibility – training new management hires in their first week and going to other offices to provide assistance when manager turnover took place. I even found myself on a national conference call sharing strategies I had used in my own office.
All this led to an interview for a regional management position and, even though I didn’t get the job, I was told I had given the upper brass a lot to think about and they wanted to continue to give me more responsibilities.
Between the success I was experiencing at my full-time job and the joy my side hustle was bringing me, I could not have asked for much more.
A month later, I got fired.
No warning. No time to prepare. Turns out, one of my employees threw me under the bus over a couple initiatives they didn’t agree with and, instead of investigating things further, I was let go unceremoniously.
The figurative kick to the gut nearly took the wind out of me as I entered a state of absolute shock. I couldn’t believe what was happening. How does someone who has given everything to this company and was up for a regional management position a month prior now find himself on the unemployment line?
I went home, still trying to process what had unfolded. People from across the company reached out to me all day long expressing their own shock for my termination.
That night, I ventured to a bar down the street from my house and partook in some of my favorite beers. It was all I could do in the moment as things still hadn’t fully sunk in.
The next day, I looked at myself in the mirror and knew what I had to do. I had this side hustle that had some legs. Maybe, just maybe…my company did me a favor by granting me the gift of time to go all in on myself and take my side hustle to the next level.
And that’s what I did. Over the next few years, I continued to build relationships with breweries across Pittsburgh and helped them place their products in key distribution accounts. I helped them gain awareness throughout the local and regional market. I parlayed everything I had learned over my 20+ year professional career to elevate my entrepreneurial game so my clients got the very best of me…and the very best results.
Like any small enterprise, I experienced ups, downs, pivots, and transitions. All in all, things were going well, but the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything.
Bars and breweries were closed or had limited offerings at best. I had to get incredibly creative with how I worked with my clients in that time period just to stay afloat.
At the same time, I had acquired podcasting clients and knew it was time to turn my attention to that aspect of my business full-time.
It was another monumental pivot, but one that’s made all the difference.
Today, I host a successful podcast and help others leverage the podcast medium to grow their brands. It wasn’t easy to leave the beer business behind, but I knew it was necessary if I wanted to continue to grow as a podcast professional.
The biggest lesson to keep in mind is failure isn’t real. It’s only failure if you label it as such. When I lost my job, I could’ve treated that as a failure and fallen deep into a pit of depression.
Instead, I chose to accentuate the positives and focus on how the management and operational experience I had gained could be leveraged in my own endeavors. And that’s what got me to where I am today.
Don’t label anything as a failure. Treat your shortcomings as learning experiences and gain new abilities from your mistakes.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I’ve always considered myself value-driven and do my part to bring quality to everyone I encounter. My belief has always been if someone is willing to put money in your hand, it’s your responsibility to work your ass off for that person because they’ve put their trust in you to get them to the next level.
I’ve solidified my personal brand and reputation by establishing myself as a resource for those in search of insight, wisdom, and strategy when it comes to leveraging the podcast medium. The substantial number of reviews I’ve received from clients, podcast listeners, and podcast hosts reflect that.
When I welcome someone as a guest to my podcast, my goal is to provide them with the very best experience they’ve ever had. It’s a lofty goal and I’m sure I’ve fallen short a few times in achieving it, but that’s my mindset. I want them to have the best opportunity to tell their story and put their expertise center stage so listeners get to know who they are and how they can help them.
Likewise, when I make a guest appearance on another podcast, my goal is to bring value to their production at every juncture. I want to be a source of knowledge and transformation, but my ultimate goal is to help that podcaster create content that’s engaging and captivating so their audience gets more invested in their show. Naturally, I want listeners to connect with me for more value as well, but if that podcaster can experience tangible growth based on my contributions, I’ve done my job.
I will always bring a mindset and approach of servitude to my work because my joy comes from seeing others make breakthroughs. Too often, ideas get locked up and never get executed because people are frightened of what might happen if that first step causes them to trip. If I can help even one person realize that facing those fears head on will lead to the growth and transformation they seek, I can lay my head down at night knowing I’ve done something positive to change the world.
I want everyone to know they have a story to tell and value to give…no matter where they’re at on their journey. I’ve chosen to go all in on podcasting to spread this message and continue to build on it daily. This has allowed my reputation to grow and I couldn’t be more proud of the value this message has brought the people I’ve connected with.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jasoncercone.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/jasoncercone
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/jason.cercone
- Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/jasoncercone
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/jasoncercone
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/jasoncercone
- Other: evolutionofbrand.com
Image Credits
All images courtesy of Jason Cercone