The idea for becoming a Full-Service Podcast agency came after I had launched the business as a Media & Marketing company. I was introduced to the Executive Director of a company that had rapport with one of my business partners at the time. We were working on building a separate business together and he had a podcast to support the brand. It was doing really well (mid 2018) and during our time working together he was looking for a new producer for his show…it was originally an audio only podcast and he was interested in also releasing the video version on YouTube. He knew I had media production experience from my time in college and he knew it was a passion of mine. I was a fan of podcasts and had a handful of shows that I listened to at the time; his show was one of them. I was honored he would ask me to be his producer.

After producing about 50 episodes of his show, I had built up the confidence to create my own show and had the idea to launch Mike’D Up! which I kicked off in November of 2019. Once my first episode was ready to launch I blasted the newsletter out to my connections. The response from my network was amazing, and one of my clients at the time that I had produced video & web content for had responded to the email stating that their board of directors had been talking about launching a podcast for months and wasn’t sure how to get started. They hired me to produce their show and the rest is history…

That was the moment I knew I wanted to pivot my business from general marketing & media and specialize in podcasting.

My creativity was flowing from a young age, my passion for creating music and movies started very early. I started banging on pots and pans as a toddler and eventually graduated to an official drum set. In the early 90s, my brother and I (around 8 and 10 years old) would make homemade movies with our friends reenacting some of our favorites comedies and also we made a few originals as well. This was the days of VHS tapes. Editing at the time consisted of pressing play on one VCR and then record on a second VCR, we would press pause to remove the outtakes…this was my elementary introduction into video editing & storytelling. We were creating “content” before it was called that.

In 5th grade I began playing drums in a band with my brothers friends who were all 2-3 years older than me and I played in every band in school that I could sign up for. If there was a percussion instrument, I was there. On my 18th birthday I played my first concert, it was at Mohawk Place in Buffalo, NY. I played in multiple bands over the next decade and stacked up many amazing memories from that time.

In my late teens to early 20’s I was working different retail jobs to pay the bills and tuition. This is where I learned I had another passion as well…helping people! I discovered my natural gift connecting with customers and helping them find a solution to their needs/wants…I worked a few gigs like selling watches at a Kiosk in the mall, to a local music store, and eventually selling mattresses at a top retailer where I learned how to master the sales process. I did really well my first year with the company, earning President’s Club and a trip to Park City, UT (where the Olympics were held in 2002). My passion for business and sales continued to grow. A few years later I was recruited on LinkedIn to join a Fortune 100 insurance company. For the next decade I continued to grow as a sales professional, learning how to build my network, grow and manage a book of business, the sales process (from discovery to closing a sale)…to client follow up, sending thank you cards and earning referrals.

In my heart I was confused, as I started to feel as if my passion in business and sales was coming at the expense of my creativity. At 25 I got married, started to build “the American Dream” and a few years later my daughter was born. Life started to look a lot different than my days playing out at the Mohawk Place. As I continued to do well in business I was supporting my family and this became my main focus and priority. I later became the store manager at the mattress store and my goal at the time was to continue to climb the corporate ladder.

6 years into marriage things went south and my wife and I decided the only solution was to get divorced. We felt this was best for us, as well as our beautiful daughter who was only 2 at the time.

This was both devastating but also I knew it was the right decision. My life was in a whirlwind and I was trying to find my purpose again. I was listening to podcasts regularly, especially when I was driving around from sales appointments, back and forth to the office, and going on business trips. Podcasts became my “University on wheels”. I would soak up as much info on business, sales, and personal development and began listening to a lot of entrepreneurs who were sharing how they built a successful career or company from the ground up. I was fixated on these stories, I couldn’t get enough. I began reading business books (it’s noteworthy that in school, I hate to admit this, but I NEVER read a full book…aside from maybe Dr. Seuss…not exaggerating…) so for me to pick up a business book and finish it in a few weeks was new territory for me. And I realized that if you’re passionate and truly interested, you’ll devour as much content as you can take in.

After my divorce I did a lot of reflecting and decided I wanted to leave the corporate landscape and become an entrepreneur. If the guys and gals I was listening to can do it, WHY NOT ME?!

And that’s where my entrepreneurial journey began. I put my two week notice in as store manager, and my area manager asked me if I would stay at least through Black Friday which was a few days later. I agreed and wanted to leave on good terms. Our store was short staffed on Black Friday and one of my disgruntled employees who knew it was my last day decided to quit and walked out after his lunch break. This left me working alone the rest of the day. We had $0 of our $30,000 daily goal when he walked out. I remember selling over $60,000 that day and thinking to myself…”his loss”. And that was my going away gift to the company.

From there, I launched Social Chameleon as a Digital Media and Marketing company in 2017. A couple years in we transitioned to a full service podcast production agency and my audio & video creative roots along with the practices I learned in business were coming to life!

Pivot was the key word in 2019…there was a massive shake up in business due to the pandemic and many business owners needed to act fast. One of the great traits that I learned as an entrepreneur was working quick on my feet. It was rare for everything to go as planned and it’s important to be able to make in-game adjustments to your plan. For me, I already had the idea to pivot, previous to the pandemic, so I was a slight step ahead. I decided to “pick a lane” as many of my mentors had suggested when I would share our services with them. Many felt I was simply doing TOO much and that wasn’t allowing me to master any particular service. They were right. So I dug deep and asked myself “what do I love doing that I can make money doing?” At the time I had one podcast client and a few local businesses that I was creating social media content and video testimonials for, as well as a few clients I was building websites for and ran social media marketing campaigns for. I started to fall out of love with the services we originally offered. I realized that I offered them because it’s what I thought the local clients in my area needed and wanted…rather than choosing a lane that I wanted to excel in and let my passion shine…I knew podcasting was blowing up, as it still is today. I would read articles and check statistics to learn the demographics and what industries were best to prospect first. I fully pivoted by 2020 and never looked back. The business originally was me, myself, and I. I’ve since grown the team, adding multiple audio/video editors, a Show Notes & Content Writer, Creative Directors and a PR & Podcast Support specialist. I also grew our recurring revenue 10X during the pandemic. We were able to service clients nationally, as all of our work was done remotely online. Thankfully the lockdowns didn’t impact us. We continued to grow at a healthy rate.

Social Chameleon produces Audio & Video podcasts, Cover Art, Show Notes, Social Media Promo Content, and handles Distribution.

Before things were looking up, I did take a financial nosedive. As a Store Manager (previous to launching my business) I was making a healthy salary with bonuses…there was guaranteed income and benefits…as a business owner, it was 100% commission minus expenses and no guarantees at all. It was new territory and I was also learning new skills & new services, and time was ticking. I had very little savings at the time and navigating my fresh divorce and new financial responsibilities. Anybody with a rational thought would advise me that it wasn’t the right time to start a business, I do not necessarily disagree with that, but I do know that I was not happy, I was not fulfilled and I had a dream and a heart-tug that was stronger than rational thought. It was my time to take the leap out of the airplane and figure out how to build the parachute on the way down. I did crash and burn for a minute…and family helped me pick up the pieces while I figured out how I was going to push forward. I kept moving, learning, growing, adapting…I was down, but never out. I truly believe that in life we either win or we learn. Every time that I have “failed” in business, there was a lesson that I learned and apply to business and life today.

I am grateful for each lesson learned and have an attitude of gratitude that I learned from podcasting, it is a topic and practice most of my favorite guests all had in common. I decided to turn this motto into my sign off on my podcast “Be Great and Be Grateful”. That is what the BG.BG. stands for in my podcast merchandise.

I’m driven by my purpose to inspire my audience to be brave and bold in pursuit of their dreams.