Josh Schachnow, Solopreneur Grind Podcast
Josh Schachnow, host of the Solopreneur Grind podcast, speaks to The Industry Leaders about how his podcast got started, how entrepreneurs can use podcast appearances to their advantage and provides his #1 tip for any podcast guest looking to make an instant impression.
For those who don't know about your work, can you tell us a little about who you are and who your podcast is for?
Hey everyone, my name is Josh, and I'm an immigration lawyer based in Toronto. My main focus is immigration - we're building some awesome immigration technology as my startup, Visto.ai, and I also help run a boutique law firm here in Toronto.
I've always had a passion for business, and years ago started interviewing other entrepreneurs for my podcast called Solopreneur Grind. At the time, I was building a law firm by myself and have always loved hearing the stories of other solopreneurs.
If you're interested in hearing about successful solopreneurs, how they got started, mistakes they made, lessons they learned, and much more, make sure to check it out (Editor's note: our Co-Founder Rob has appeared as a guest too!).
What 1 tip would you give to a podcast guest who wants to make an instant impression?
Just be yourself. I've always tried to keep my show very casual and not-so-structured because the best stuff comes out when you're having a genuine, personal conversation.
When guests show up excited to chat and are willing to go into details of their journey, it's always interesting to listen to.
I usually tell my guests that there's absolutely no prep needed to come on the show because you already know all the content you need: your own story!
How useful is appearing on podcasts for business owners or people wanting to build a personal brand?
I think it's extremely useful for two reasons.
The first is that it's a great way to market yourself to a wide audience in one shot. Compared to, say, cold calling, where you need to find individuals and call each one, if you get yourself on a half-decent podcast, you could get your message in front of hundreds, thousands, or hundreds of thousands of people all in one shot!
Second, podcasts are such a great way for people to get to know you on a personal level quickly. When someone listens to you speak, hears your story, the ups, and downs you've gone through, and hopefully gets some value out of it, you're actually starting to build a connection and trust with them - even if you've never met!
So it's the combination of reach and relationship building that makes it really powerful.
What's your biggest challenge as a podcast host?
Honestly, I don't find much of the process a challenge. I'm on episode 121 as of today, so I've been doing it for a while.
Finding guests and doing interviews is pretty easy now, especially with all the online tools out there. I'd say editing and posting can be a bit of a pain, but not a huge challenge.
If you get yourself on a half-decent podcast, you could get your message in front of hundreds, thousands, or hundreds of thousands of people all in one shot!
And of course, every host always wants to get more listeners, so I guess the biggest challenge is marketing the show so I can get it in front of as many people as possible.
Is there another podcast (aside from yours!) that you’d recommend to business leaders?
On the business front, I've probably been listening to the Tim Ferriss Show for the longest amount of time. It's a bit of a cop-out answer because most people know of the show by now, but I like it for 2 reasons.
First, Tim is very intentional and clever with how and when he asks questions and leads the conversation. I've been inspired and learned from him over the years, and it's probably helped me as a host.
Second, his guests are unmatched in terms of quality - he interviews some of the most interesting people on the planet, some of whom haven't done many interviews in other places before. So if you're looking to learn from the best, he probably has or will be able to interview them.
Search 'Solopreneur Grind' podcast on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
