We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Julie Lokun a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Julie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you scale up? What were the strategies, tactics, meaningful moments, twists/turns, obstacles, mistakes along the way? The world needs to hear more realistic, actionable stories about this critical part of the business building journey. Tell us your scaling up story – bring us along so we can understand what it was like making the decisions you had, implementing the strategies/tactics etc.

It begins with a spark. All businesses begin with an idea that idealistically will change the world.

BACKSTORY OF THE MEDIACASTERS

The impetus and birth of The Mediacasters was a result of my business coaching and consulting practice-where I was continually confronted with the same question every day.

This question was, “How can I create a thriving business in an extraordinary way”? So many of my clients were doing the same thing over and over and never saw the results they desired. And what is the definition of crazy–doing the same thing over and over and expecting the same results.

I thought to myself, I know how to do this–it is to leverage the 4 P(s) to build authority and brand recognition–which is podcasting, publishing, presenting, and public relations. I was fortunate enough to find another human who believed in the power of the Ps–and off we went to conquer the world and help underserved entrepreneurs.

My partner Corinna and I spent endless hours crafting, creating, and launching a brand that was glossy and most importantly, needed. We built a community of over 1k, launched hundreds of podcasts, and developed a dozen powerful books. We felt we were on our way to the top-with sponsorships in tow.

Then boom. My beloved partner had to withdraw her partnership due to pressing commitments, our sponsors were feeling financial stressors due to economic instability and the proverbial air out of The Mediacasters balloon began to deflate. There I was, thousands of hours, and thousands of dollars spent on a brand that had the potential to disrupt entrepreneurs’ lives.

The end game is that- I persevered, understood the power of my time, surrounded myself with a team who aligned with my morals and vision, and then retooled the who vision. I knew it was important to focus on one thing and do it with excellence. I knew our publishing arm was the powerhouse–and I knew it could be the driving force that generated the capital to build up the other arms of my business. Growth begins with focus on one thing that you do well and then recirculating the capital into other streams of income.

Being an entrepreneur is not for the faint of heart. In fact, it is an exercise in innovation, resilience, networking, grit -and then having the ability to do it all over again tomorrow.

Julie, 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?

Bio– (In 3rd person)

Julie was a writer from the minute she could grip a crayon. Her passion for the written word meandered throughout the years–it weaved in and out of journalism school, law school, advertising jobs and assisting her four boys on their english homework. And one day, her passion for writing collided with an opportunity that changed the trajectory of her life– The Mediacasters.

Julie is a triple threat- she is known in deep circles as the secret weapon for entrepreneurs, creatives, and celebrities who want to take their businesses and careers to the next level. Julie’s mission is to execute and amplify the vision of her clients and community with exacting precision. Julie is an acclaimed author and writer for Entrepreneur Magazine, a media liaison for high-profile celebrities, and a corporate consultant.

Julie is the most effective cheerleader any girl could hope to have in her back pocket. Within a year Julie built a 6 figure business through grit, ingenuity, and doing things differently. As a mom of four (4) boys, she has learned to leverage her sacred feminine power to lead her household while serving as the head maven of Crown & Compass Life Coaching — serving her clients and her collaborators with grace as she “anoints and points” — directing the strategic growth of businesses and professionals around the globe.

As a speaker, she has delivered presentations IRL on the big stage, and in multimedia virtual events. With a background in law, she teases through complex information with ease to find the truth behind the truth — and tells deep, compelling stories that resonate with audiences far and wide. She co-hosts a swiftly growing podcast: Obsessed With Humans On The Verge of Change with multiple episodes out each week. Obsessed launched in the spring of 2021 and is already in the top 2.5% of podcasts as reported by Listennotes.

Julie is the owner of the media company The Mediacasters and the Publisher of The Mediasters Publishing House. She is the author of the best-selling entrepreneurial series, Hustle Smart and co-author of Audiocasters, The Ultimate Guide To Podcasting. Julie is a celebrated business coach, branding expert, and really, just the girl next door.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

I met my original partner on Clubhouse. What is clubhouse you ask? It is a social audio app in which you can network, learn or just carelessly pass time while folding laundry. In all actuality, when I met my partner we instantly clicked on several different professional levels. We met in person and then the rest is her-story.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

We were savvy enough to recognize that our business plan rendered itself to attract sponsorships as we built out our visibility on a variety of platforms. We started pitching the people that we knew provided an excellent service or product and were strategic to showcase our reach. By month one, we had two sponsorships that funded our launch.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://themediacasters.mn.co or https://themediacastersfreebies.com
• Instagram: @julie_lokun
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/julielokuncoach
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachjulielokun/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/julielokuncoach
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@themediacasters
• Other: https://julielokuncoaching.com

Image Credits
Julie Lokun