Social Media and podcasting to build a marketing business
What do hot pockets and a hidden microphone have to do with creating a small business and survival during COVID? When you know your why, the motivation and dedication is easy.
Techy Tony Jackson sits down with Kyle and they talk about how computer problems, social media, and home-based businesses can flourish with the right conversations. You’ll love listening as Tony shares how his life adventure has created an income stream for his computer repair business and his podcast.
Techy Tony shares his insight on :
- Finding your why
- How to focus your marketing
- What relationships really mean online
- When to launch a podcast and how to get the most out of it
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TRANSCRIPT
Intro:
Welcome to The Summit. A podcast focused on bringing you the knowledge and insights for industry leaders. I’m your host Kyle Hamer, and I’m on a mission to help you exceed your potential. As a sales guy, turned marketer, I am passionate about building sustainable businesses. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned in my 20 year career is that you won’t find an overnight growth scheme, a shortcut to success or way to hack yourself to the top. Nope. Success is the by-product of hard work, great relationships and deep understanding done over and over. We’re here to help you unlock that success with some secrets from other people, one conversation at a time.
Kyle Hamer:
Welcome to this week’s episode of The Summit. I’m your host, Kyle Hamer. And today I’m here with Anthony Jackson. That’s right. It is Anthony Jackson. Isn’t it?
:
It is welcome to the show. Now, does it Anthony or Tony? Which do you prefer? Anthony, when you’re mad at me, Anthony. All right . Tony is the host and small business owner for a company called techie Tony. He has a podcast called techie Tony marketing, which is a marketing podcast for networkers, and we’re super excited to pick his brain because he’s been in New York city or in the New York greater Metro area and helping people grow their businesses through his own personal adventure. So welcome to the show today, Tony. Thanks for having me on . I appreciate it. It’s been, it’s been fun. K inda hearing your story a nd doing some of the research here. What I’d love for you to do is tell o ur, our listeners, what was the got you into podcasting to begin with?
Kyle Hamer:
Yeah, so I guess first of all, I never have never been in New York city. I’m actually from Detroit. I live in St. Louis, Missouri.
:
Oh, sweet Jesus. We probably should redo that whole. No, that’s okay, man. That’s okay. I’ve been around the world. It’s all good. I have always had it had kind of a vision to kind of start a podcast. I never really knew, you know, where to begin or what to do or how to do it. A couple of years ago, I went out and bought a blue, a blue Yeti microphone. And I had this wild idea to start a podcast. And of course when I got it, I froze and didn’t know what to do. I procrastinated, I got scared. I didn’t think anybody was going to listen. I didn’t know how it was going to go.
Kyle Hamer:
I’m sure you went through this too. And it sat and collected dust for two years and I’ve got this techie, Tony brand kind of grown a little bit. And I decided that, you know, with COVID going around and times are tough for a lot of people, but I would start doing interviews for people and make it a paid podcast. So I called it the techie Tony marketing podcast. And what the hell with the nudge of a friend who knew Canva pretty well, she whipped me up a logo and said, now you have no excuse. You have people to talk to in a logo. So go do a podcast. And so I started a podcast.
:
That’s actually really cool. So you, you did it as a paid as a paid podcast. So people pay to come on your podcast and talk about what their business. So
Techy Tony Jackson:
I don’t know if you know anything about networking, but for those of you that do network, we all know that that’s a really great way to grow our brand and , and our business and career relationships. And through that networking, I was able to build strong relationships with people, to be able to interview their business, to help me make an income for myself, grow my brand and help them out and return as well. It’s kind of a win-win in all aspects.
Kyle Hamer:
So that’s that’s actually kind of fun. Like I hadn’t, I hadn’t ever thought of making people pay me to be on my podcast. So you know, the next guests , I reach out to $5, maybe that’s a , well, how do you pray? Like maybe the, maybe the question here is, is how do you price? Like, how did you come up with, I’m going to charge you? What, five bucks, a hundred bucks, 10,000, like, where’d you come up with your number? Yeah .
Techy Tony Jackson:
Yeah. So if there’s one piece of advice I could give you, if you’re ever thinking about doing a paid cost as paid podcast , it’s a do your homework. I had my son for a week or two for over the summer here in Missouri. And he was eating all kinds of food cause he loves hot pockets and stuff and funds were tight. And I was like, well, I need to do something. Started , started charging 20 bucks. Well, lo and behold, the podcast completely took off and I was like, okay, this is not good. Like I’m going to run out of people to talk to. Eventually 20 bucks is not going to be enough. So I bumped the price to 45 and that seems to be a comfortable point. So it’s $45 for about 30 to 35 minutes. And you know, you asked the questions and we I’m sorry, we asked the questions and you give the answers and it just kind of works. And on my very first month I made a little over 500, which was incredible for just talking to people or the magic of the internet. So I was like, well, this is an income producer. I think we’ll keep this. So I do .
Kyle Hamer:
That’s fantastic. And , and you’ve done how many episodes up to this point now? 30
Techy Tony Jackson:
31 I think is my number
Kyle Hamer:
Way. Cool. So, I mean, it’s become a pretty substantial income stream. It was, you know, you were like, Hey, I got this microphone and somebody made me a logo and now you’ve got 30, 35 episodes. Good for you. Yeah . What are you learning? Like what are you learning about it through this, through this process?
Techy Tony Jackson:
I’m learning like for me it’s mindset you know, buying a microphone two years ago and not having it do anything for two years, it was kind of a cake in my head, right. When I finally get out of my head and realized that I could do this that’s when it all changed for me. So I think mindset was a big one. For me, I’m learning a lot about other people’s businesses, how they act, how their business turns. And I love more than anything. What I love about what I do is hearing people’s stories. I like hearing your why’s and their motivation behind what they do. And that’s a big one for me because your why is always changing. You know, it’s always getting deeper and deeper and deeper and deeper why you do things. So I just, I’ve learned so much about technology. Podcasting for me was a new thing. I, I had to be research on podcasts first and I discovered, you know , Buzzsprout and RSSV, I didn’t know any of this stuff. So after some Googling and, you know, get interested and I just thought I’d discovered all these things. I was like, okay, I think I’ve got enough to make it happen. And I started talking to people and they were like, Hey, I want to be in your show. And I was like, okay. So it’s just not a word .
Kyle Hamer:
Well, that’s, you know, it’s not a, it’s nothing to shake a stick at . That’s that’s a really cool story. Since you brought it up, I mean, your wife started off as a hot pocket. But there’s gotta be a deeper why now? So what’s the why today?
Techy Tony Jackson:
So it’s my son, right? He’s a , he’s 16 is a little new to me. He loves what I do and he’s very interested in that technology aspect of things. He actually helped me set up my podcast . He was showing me how to embed the code on the website, all things that I knew how to do, but that was, you know , not the priority. I wanted to get things up and running. He’s like, Oh, dad, you got to put the code in the, Oh , okay. And you know, it’s like, I go, can you make it bigger? He’s like, yeah, let me show you how so it’s really cool to just watch him grow and be around that and share that interest with me. But he is my, why he is my reason why I get up and do what I do. He just lights up my day. So, you know, that’s my why .
Kyle Hamer:
That’s pretty great. Just the 16 year old . So you’ve got a couple of years left within there. Is, is, have you had him on any of your podcasts? Like has he participated at all other than just behind the scenes?
Techy Tony Jackson:
No, he’s really big. On the tech side, he really likes the tech side. I don’t think he’s quite developed the social skill of , you know, what I mean, to really be able to talk to people. He really likes to talk about technology. Like I do computer repair as well, and he’ll ask me questions, like, how do you do this? And I’ll tell him and I’d be like, well, what do you do if they’ve got a laptop and the, you know, the keyboard , he goes, why just call it best buy. He just has this answer for everything, but it’s not the answer we’re looking for. Right. So I don’t think he’s quite there, but he’s definitely getting there, but there’s been times where I’ve done episodes and had no volume and he’s been able to go, Hey dad, you’re on mute. I’m like, Oh yeah, you know,
Kyle Hamer:
It wouldn’t be 2020 if there wasn’t somebody saying, Hey, you’re on mute.
Techy Tony Jackson:
Right. So he’s he’s there to troubleshoot sometimes and wonder why, you know, episodes aren’t uploading or, you know, the MP3 wasn’t edited correctly or whatever it may be. It’s just super cool to kind of see him share those same interests. So it really helps when you’ve got something in common, it makes the light a little deeper.
Kyle Hamer:
That’s fantastic. Now with these, these conversations, as you’re digging into people’s whys and stuff that you’re sharing, what are some of the cool, coolest things that are motivating or driving people, you can’t all be money motivated, even though it’s a marketing podcast. What are some of the things that , that you find are fascinating that motivate your guests ?
Techy Tony Jackson:
That’s a good question. Something that I find a cow, man, I don’t know how to answer that. That’s a really interesting question. You caught me off guard with that one. Something motivating. I think, you know, everybody just wants to get word out about their business. I mean, I, what I love, I think the answer to that is what I do is not geographically limited. So I think there’s a lot of people that do have a target market and that can come through digital marketing and things like that. But if you’ve got a home-based business I think that’s the motivation behind it because there’s, you’re not geographically limited. You don’t have to go, well, I live in O’Fallon or where I live and I can only go there. I think that’s motivation in itself to find 45 bucks and spend it because that’s the beauty of podcasting and you just never know where it’s gonna go.
Kyle Hamer:
What’s your favorite episode? What’s one of the things that you’ve recorded. And you’re like, man, that was just a really fun conversation. Or it was great energy or just a really interesting home-based business.
Techy Tony Jackson:
I forget the episode number, but it was with a girl named Jess basin with Willow tree tutoring. She does act prep for students and it was just one of those episodes where it was just pure, authentic, and you could really hear what she was trying to convey through the podcast. And it was just incredible just to talk to her and learn more. Like I knew what she did, but I didn’t understand, like, I didn’t understand like what she did, you know what I mean? And she just is always posting stuff on Facebook. You know, all our kids got a 37 on their act and I’m like, yeah , I remember hearing that on the podcast. So that was one of a couple, but that was a really powerful conversation we had.
Kyle Hamer:
Okay , cool . 37 is a , that’s a , that’s a big number on an act.
Techy Tony Jackson:
Yeah. Yeah. She does tutoring and just impacts kids all around the world. And I think that’s very cool. And again, she was not geographically limited because now people are doing, you know , video tutoring and things like that. So it was just really cool to have her on and actually get to know her a little bit.
Kyle Hamer:
So does she in like in her situation, does she focus solely on high-performers or is it anybody it’s like, just, you want to get to the school we’re going to help you out?
Techy Tony Jackson:
Yeah. I mean, if you’ve got a child that’s a , it needs a little help with the act and the college prep, college prep aspect of things. She can help. She’s just amazing. She’s such a unique person. She’s open she’s kindhearted . She wants you to succeed and that she’s got so many different success stories. You can check her out@willowtreetutoring.com. She’s really, she’s amazing. She really is. She gets to help kids and impact impact kids and families all around the world.
Kyle Hamer:
She did leave an impression. That’s kind of cool.
Techy Tony Jackson:
Yeah. It’s really, it’s really cool.
Kyle Hamer:
And it’s probably timely with your son being 16. And at some point, knowing that he’s going to need to do sat or act prep, right?
Techy Tony Jackson:
Yeah. Cause nobody wants to do the homework on who to hire, you know,
Kyle Hamer:
And the books are, are thick and boring. And I remember when it used to be the act prep was a book and a CD rom, and that was, that was atrocious.
Techy Tony Jackson:
Oh yeah. Yeah. I remember those days when you can buy like those books with the DVDs and the vacuum. Yeah. Those were fun days.
Kyle Hamer:
So now tell me , you said yes, exactly. Right. EarthLink, AOL time Warner road runner. And I’m trying to think of what the other Midwest. Yup . There you go. Oh my God. Prodigy. Oh, that takes me way back. Juno , so, huh. Remember Juneau . I do remember Juno Juno . There’s a reason they went out of business. Yeah . So so as you, as you, you talked, you said that your, your podcast kind of just took off, took off like a rocket and, and wake on. What sort of things did you do to market it? How did you get customers? What , what, what was it that made this come full circle for you? And not only in creating a little bit of a revenue stream, but also getting the word out there to get listens.
Techy Tony Jackson:
I’m going to go with networking on this man . I mean, networking really has been the core age, my business, my computer repair business and podcasting. It helps that people knew who I was. I had an audience in the background, but there’s two things like if you’re going to start a pod podcast, I would strongly encourage you to know who your audience is. There’s a saying in marketing world, if you’re marketing to everyone, you’re marketing to no one specific is terrific. Know your audience, know their pains and problems and know how you can help them. The more money, the more problems that you saw, the more money you’re going to make. Period. and the second was just really knowing my market and really knowing who my market was, which were home-based business owners. And nowadays everyone’s got a home business. So if there ever was a perfect target market, that was it. So those are the two things that really helped me nail customers because my , my business is I show home-based business owners, how to leverage technology so they can grow their business using social media. Well , everyone has tech problems and everyone’s on social media. So let’s go make some money. So that was my thinking behind that.
Kyle Hamer:
It sounds like it worked right.
Techy Tony Jackson:
Yeah. And it still does. I mean, there’s always somebody that’s like, Hey, I need help. And I’m like, I can offer so much help in a different areas. Like whether it’s adding a text record to your domain or just getting you exposure for your podcast, for your business. Or it’s just a conversation, Hey, how you doing? I’m not so good. What’s on your mind. Let’s talk that builds a relationship that builds trust. People buy from. They know people buy from people they know like and trust, right? So it just works no matter what, there’s nothing wrong with giving away your time, as long as it’s not too much.
Kyle Hamer:
And there’s been, there’s probably been a , quite a few people that have gone bankrupt given away their time, their heart was in the right place. But the bank account disagreed with them .
Techy Tony Jackson:
Yeah. You gotta know when to say no, man, you got to know when to stop and just go, I’m sorry. I gotta, I gotta go. I can’t do it.
Kyle Hamer:
So now tell me, you tell me, you said you’ve got soon as you have like a brick and mortar location for your, for your repair shop or your small computer repairs.
Techy Tony Jackson:
I had a brick and mortar computer repair shop. But it didn’t really work out. That’s the joys of going into business with someone else you don’t really know. He ended up going to mobile and doing whatever. And I went home and we did some serious, a name changing and bought some different domains and things and things started to finally click. And I love working from home because you don’t have nearly as much overhead. And I get to spend all of my time on Facebook as boring as I can get sometimes , but it brings me customers. You know, there’s always someone looking for tuck help, whether it’s in your business or if it’s just computer repair.
Kyle Hamer:
So talk, talk to me a little bit about that. That’s, that’s interesting because I think some of the listeners here, you know, whether they are B2B or B2C or even just a home-based business, like you’re talking about how are you leveraging Facebook in these places to find the folks that are looking for tech help or get that message out? How are you leveraging that to drive in new prospects?
Techy Tony Jackson:
Yeah. So it just comes back to knowing your market. So for me, it’s it’s, middle-aged people for computer repair and, and some senior citizens and even seniors are on Facebook. So I joined a bunch of Facebook groups. I wait for people to say, I need help. And I try them in and I just add a little value and say, Hey, listen, you know, that can be a really delicate situation. If you want to talk, let’s hop on a call and see what I can do. And you know, there’s consultation fees. You can charge, like it’s not geographically limited in that sense. I give it all the time. I have a lady in Illinois right now, we’re building a computer for her. She just spent a chunk of change and we’re building a computer for her in Illinois. We had, we had a call and you know, it just, it worked out. Even if I got to give you advice so that you can bring your computer to someone else, I mean, that’s what it’s all about, right? Because you don’t want to take your shop to someone you don’t know. You’ve probably got tons of documents, pictures, videos, whatever it may be. And you don’t know, you don’t know if they’re going to back it up, you don’t know what’s wrong with your computer. All you know is what broke. So to pay someone 60 bucks for a consultation fee to kind of learn a little bit more about what to expect is invaluable.
Kyle Hamer:
I never, I mean, I, I knew that that was an issue, but I never really thought about it from that perspective, given that , you know, my dad calls me for tech problems and like, Oh, here we go. This is an uncompensated two hours, and I’m not going to get back in my life. But you know, for somebody like you with that expertise, turning that into a a revenue stream. That’s, that’s , that’s, that’s brilliant.
Techy Tony Jackson:
Yeah. I mean, not everyone wants to wants to pay, obviously that’s, that’s the name of the game, especially during a pandemic. Right. But you just, sometimes you just gotta be raw with people and be like, listen, I know that it sucks. And I know you’re in a difficult situation, but I want you to know you’re not alone. And like, we have a computer repair business you’re in demand. I’m like, no, I’m not, most of my businesses go into someone’s house. People are weirded out right now because of COVID and whatnot. So my business stopped . So I pivoted and I started the podcast, but I still have that computer repair in the back of my head, just in case anyone’s like, Hey, my email’s not working. That’s not good because it’s digital and there’s a pandemic going on and you’re growing your business using internet. Right. You have to have email, you have to have communication. Facebook’s not always going to be around email will never go away. Right. Well, that’s what they said
Kyle Hamer:
About the post office. But given some of the changes being made lately that I don’t know if that’s going to be a staple of much longer either. So my hope is that email doesn’t go away or that the the spammers don’t continue to ruin it. Like it make me feel a whole lot better if they quit sending out all the spam, but it’s not going away tomorrow. That’s for sure.
Techy Tony Jackson:
No. I mean, emails, everything, you know, password resets, account creations information. That’s how I communicate with my clients through podcasting. I mean, I don’t know what I do without it. Some people just don’t like to talk on the phone and mail just works for them . Yeah.
Kyle Hamer:
I think there’s well, there’s that, that, that tweener somewhere in between the, the boomers, I think they call us gen X, but that tweener generation where, well, I’ll talk to you on the phone. I can do that, but maybe I don’t prefer it. And I’m not really going to write you a tome in text or I , I have enough conversational nuances that if I don’t get it in an audible form or it’s in long text or a long, you know, long written form, it becomes a bit of a challenge to understand what somebody is saying. So, I mean, I can, there’s, there’s definitely a age group that leans heavily on email communication, written correspondence and staying in touch via that. So
Techy Tony Jackson:
I feel like this pandemic is , I mean, it’s terrible, but at the same time, it’s one of the best things that’s ever happened because it’s brought more families back together. It’s brought kids and families back together. It showed people how to grow their business. It’s forced people to get uncomfortable. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned through being in businesses, sometimes you have to get uncomfortable to be successful. And I got to tell you, putting my face in front of a microphone was really hard. It took me two years to get out of my head . So I’m just saying like, I think it’s good that it happened, but I also think it’s very bad. A lot of lives have been changed. Look at all the people that wrote books, some people gained weight. Other people wrote books about their life. Like how powerful is that? And they’re selling them for profit for like eight, nine bucks . They’re building an audience out of, out of their story. That’s incredible. Is that next for you? I’m working on it. I’m trying to figure out the way that I want to do it. But you know, being tech savvy has its disadvantages. I have a problem called shiny shiny object syndrome. You’ve probably heard of it. So for me, it’s , it’s , you know , the podcast, the new Corvette , right ? It’s always like, well, what if I do this? And then I discovered something new. And then my friend Harry, the squirrel shows up and he’s all like he bites. And you know, I got to sit down and focus. I have to focus. And that’s what was so hard about getting started with this podcast. Cause there were so much tactical jargon that I wanted to know . You know, what was it ,
Kyle Hamer:
What was it that broke the walls then made ? I know you said your friend bought you the logo and then away you went, but what really, what really changed for you? Cause I think that there’s a universal element in, in business and in personal development, personal growth where there’s kind of like that switch, whether it’s weight loss or starting a business or a new case, getting in front of the microphone and doing the podcast. What was that? What was that trigger? Accountability.
Techy Tony Jackson:
The worst thing in the world, accountability. What do you mean? Well, you won’t let, you won’t let your, you won’t let other people down, but you won’t let yourself down. So when someone else has said, when someone else says you have no excuse and you realize that you have no excuse, it changes when that clicks, when you’re like, Oh, sorry. Oh crap. They’re right. You know? Yeah, I guess I need to go when, when they crush every objection, when that logo was created for me and she said, well, you’ve got 2.2 billion people to talk to. And that’s just one network. And when she said you’ve got a microphone that’s paid for, that was another, you know , obstacle, crush. And then she said, and your logo was free. So you didn’t have to come out on any, any any expenses . So you have money to spare. She crushed that objection. So what else was there to do? Right? What’s the start a podcast. So it was like being in check and chess , right. It was like check and mate, and you’re done. Go start a bunk .
Kyle Hamer:
Well you know, it’s interesting. I was one of the guys I follow on LinkedIn. He posted something about the the, he calls it the Netflix effect and the Queen’s gambit getting. So you mentioned chess, which triggered the Queen’s gambit from Netflix. But when Netflix released that there was like Google, it became the ninth. Most chess became the how to play chess became the ninth, most searched thing in Google within a matter of two days. Yeah . Of that show being released chess set sales are up 70%. Do you think that there’s an effect that these businesses that are coming on and talking with you where they have the techie Tony effect, where it’s like, now that the word’s out and it’s kind of safe, I can learn about this home-based business or somebody I can hear somebody’s passion , like Willow tree. You think there’s a, there’s a techie Tony effect where there’s a , there’s a Ryzen sales or an influxion change in the behavior of those listening for, for your for your guests.
Techy Tony Jackson:
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, it’s again, knowing your audience and, and just that brand is what builds people here that they go, Oh yeah, I know techie Tony . And that’s just, it is what it is. Right. I think there definitely is a techie Tony effect . I might just make that a new hashtag, the techie Tony effect. I like that. Thank you. Give you royalties , but yeah, absolutely .
Kyle Hamer:
Just yet, but I will hold it to you. We’ve got to record it.
Techy Tony Jackson:
Absolutely. Man, there definitely is a techie Tony effect because again, people buy from people they know like and trust. Right. And when you can honestly just say, yeah, that person can help you. Then it changes the game. That’s what I love about networking because it’s people, it’s people that you already know. It’s people that they’ve built rapport with. There’s nothing worse than like I got to go to the doctor and get a physical and I have no idea how to, how to even start. Isn’t it nice to go to your friends and say, yeah , I know you, I trust you. Yeah. That was a lot easier than calling nine different places. No, it wouldn’t matter if you didn’t have insurance, you’d still go because you trust them .
Kyle Hamer:
Yeah. The, the, the trust component is something I think is often completely missed. And I , and I believe that it’s really what catapults a lot of folks from just being, I don’t want to say average, but from having a small impact to a large impact, especially in the influence of the social media community, that the more you’re trusted, the more you become reliable, the greater your release , your reach, because you have more and more and more people talking about how they trust you, how they see the consistency, how they you know, they’re watching those things. Those things happen. Yeah. So as you, as you look at where the podcast has been and where it’s headed, what’s next. Wow .
Techy Tony Jackson:
Yeah, that’s exciting because I don’t even know what’s next, but I got something on the plate, which is really cool. I’m actually getting ready to launch a brand new podcast. It is called the the social hangout. I’ve got a cohost he’s he’s in the digital marketing space and we’re going to be starting a podcast called the social hangout January 1st. It’s just going to be everything, social media and digital marketing and who knows what’s going to happen from there. So I’m really excited about that. That was easy to kind of come up with. Cause I finally got out of my head after doing one podcast. I’m like, well, if I can do that, I can definitely do this. So I just don’t want to Canva and put a logo together and there you go.
Kyle Hamer:
And the rest, as they say is now accountability.
Techy Tony Jackson:
Right. That’s exactly right. Cause now I’ve told my co-host that I’m getting the intro done. I’ve told him that I’m excited and he’s like, Oh, okay, great. Let’s do this. I’m like, all right. It’s okay. It’s not okay when it’s just you. Cause that’s when you’re like, well, I just, I’ll just never start. You can just sit here in your head forever and you’ll get stuck. But when you start telling people about it, then it becomes really scary because then you’re like, okay. I told somebody, I just told X amount of people who knows in your audience that I’m starting a podcast and I’m freaking out on the inside. Like, Oh my God, but I got to do it. Right. And you just got to do what you got to do. I don’t care who you are, a grown young. We all have fears.
Kyle Hamer:
Yes we do. In conquering. Those fears can sometimes be the difference between finding outrageous joy and feeling trapped and isolated. Yeah. In your, in your adventure of, of growing this podcast during a pandemic, is there, is there a part of your, your adventure, your conversations that’s cathartic or there, is it a way that you stay engaged? Because networking seems to be very important to you. Like you talk about the social hangout, you talk about things you’re doing online. People, people in relationships seem to be really important to Tony. Is this one of the ways you feed it or is that, are there other avenues that you’re using to get that human connection right now?
Techy Tony Jackson:
I mean, it’s, it’s, you know, there’s email marketing, there’s ways to communicate with people and be in front of your audience, which is something I’m really bad about. It I’ll be the first to admit, but I really enjoy the relationship aspect of that because if you can build a relationship with somebody, that’s great. But when you can build a relationship with somebody that you have something in common with it’s even better when you can relate and have a dark uncomfortable conversation with somebody that you’re totally not okay sharing with, but you know that you’re on the same level of them. That’s when it becomes real. That’s when the relationship is established,
Kyle Hamer:
Have you gotten there in any of your marketing episodes or will people not let you go there? Because it’s,
Techy Tony Jackson:
There’s been, there’s been one, there’s been one and it was a , it was just a dark conversation that I did not want to have, but it came out and I’m really glad it did because you know, when you’re in a relationship or married to somebody, you don’t, you don’t want to tell your significant other, that stuff. They already know it, but when you can find somebody else that shares that problem, it’s amazing how easy it is to talk to them. It’s almost like it’s , it’s almost like nothing’s wrong because you’re just having a conversation. If that makes any sense.
Kyle Hamer:
It makes perfect sense. I mean, I think, I think that that’s when I think about marketing and I think about relate-ability going back to you, the things you keep talking about, like knowing trust those aren’t uncommon. But I think what people forget is is that likeness and trust really shouldn’t be it’s not fabricated. It’s not disingenuous it . If you’re doing it correctly, it feels effortless. Right? Beat building that likability , building that trustworthiness, building that knowledge of somebody. It, it, it, it really isn’t effortless action if you’re being authentic. But if you’re in a spot where you’re stuffing things or hiding things or trying to market, cause you’re trying to play outside of the realm of where you’re at. If you’re uncomfortable, it’s going to come across as inauthentic and it’s not going to resonate as well. So, you know, when you talk about having those moments in dark conversations and they come to the top, I think it’s super awesome that you had somebody that, that created space for you to share those things and for you guys to connect on a human level and in captured it, that’s really
Techy Tony Jackson:
Cool. Yeah. And it’s something I’ll never forget. I love I’ve loved capturing stories and , and learning people’s wives because some people’s wives are just more deeper than anything you’ll ever imagine. It’s , it’s just amazing. It’s I can’t really share any because of privacy reasons, but like it’s more than just a logo. It’s more than just what you do. It’s it’s in your brain, it’s in , it’s in your logo, it’s in your voice. It’s everywhere. And you can hear that when someone’s having a great conversation, then they just stop and go. You know, I really love what I do. And when you hear that, you can tell, you can tell you don’t you don’t, it changes, it changes the mood. It changes the conversation. It stops you in your tracks. You don’t know what question to ask next, because you just had that moment where it was like, this is wrong. Like Holy cow, this person is passionate about what they do. And you almost want to take a moment and just wipe away, it’s here and be like, man, thank you for that. You know, that’s that moment where it’s like, crap , you caught me off guard. Like that doesn’t happen too often. You know what it’s , it’s cool to hear because it just makes the conversation flow. And it creates a ton of questions because if they’re willing to share that, then they’re willing to go deeper. And there’s people out there that have like said ,
Kyle Hamer:
I said , man, we all got problems. There’s people that have mindset issues that have been abused that have can’t quit smoking or have lost their dad or their mom to cancer or whatever. And when you relate to that and people know that it’s okay, it’s completely different.
Techy Tony Jackson:
It’s completely different. It’s completely different. It changes the game.
Kyle Hamer:
I think so few people make space for that, that level of empathy and that level of, of, of intimacy to allow it to come in in an environment like a podcast or a marketing or in relationships in general. Why, why do you think that there’s such a barrier in allowing for that, that moment to happen ?
Techy Tony Jackson:
Well, I think a lot of people are scared. I think a lot of people are scared and they just don’t know how to let it come out. It’s hard to let something like that out, something that dark, but it also come down, comes down to trust. You know, if I’ve known some for six months and we have a conversation whatever’s going to happen is going to happen. You’re going to come out if you feel comfortable. So I think it comes down to trust. Adding value, just, you know, solving people’s problems, having genuine conversations. It’s one of the big reasons why I’m here today with you. You know what I mean? We had some schedule didn’t really work out due to some circumstances with life, but you were there, you followed up and said, Hey, listen, I hope everything’s okay. And you took the time to reschedule and you understood my point of view, my situation. And that just goes a long way. And that goes for any situation you could have easily said, you know what? I’m sorry. I just have time for people that don’t show up. You could have easily said that, but you didn’t . And that goes a long way. And when you build trust with people, it’s incredible. It changes the dynamic. And it really does. I mean, think about it. I don’t know anything about you. You don’t know anything about me except for I got a podcast and you’ve got a podcast. So we’ve established the know factor. Techie, Tony, you have a podcast we’ve established the like factor because we’ve talked , we’re talking and the trust factor was when you sent me a zoom look and said, I want to have you on. And the rest is accountability at CSA . So, you know, like it’s just, trust is incredible. And you really got to take some time to build it. And if you don’t, it , it can make things really uncomfortable.
Kyle Hamer:
Okay . So let’s take the opposite side in your interviews and the stuff that you’ve had in podcasts. Have you had moments where it wasn’t going well, because the trust and likability wasn’t there. We were like, Oh, I’m just going to read the question off the paper. And it gets kind of robotic or,
Techy Tony Jackson:
Well , not really. I mean, there have been weird podcasts where, you know, like it’s supposed to be a 30 minute ordeal and they’ve blown through 15 questions in 10 minutes. Right. And then you’re like, so thanks for coming on. We appreciate you . There’s been situations like that. That makes it really hard because you get that first one with the, with the dry personality. That’s like, you know , Hey, tell me about yourself. And they’re like, I’m 35 and I got two kids. Okay. Onto the next question. And you got to start like thinking like 20 steps ahead. Right? You don’t know what to say. I’ve never had an issue where trust wasn’t the issue. Cause what I try to do is before each podcast, I try to have a quick 35, 45 minute call with them to learn a little bit more about their business. That way I don’t catch them off guard. And that gives me a chance to establish that trust. So if they’re willing to get on a call with me, then they’re more than willing to open up to me about certain things. Maybe not the dark stuff, but at least start a conversation with me and let , let them know that it’s going to be okay.
Kyle Hamer:
Any funny stories, like things where you’re like, Oh my God, this is hilarious. It’s it’s you know, outside of the fact that you were afraid for however many years, and then you’re like, wow , I guess I figured out I’m pretty dang good at this. I should should keep doing it.
Techy Tony Jackson:
Funny stories. Man, I’m gonna be honest with you. I’m sure there is one, but I just cannot think of any off the top of my head. There’s always those embarrassing moments for you talk when someone talks and then, you know I have a lot of weird conversations with my editor because he gets to hear all of them, but those are, those are fun conversations. But he’s really cool. And you know I just love, I dunno , man , I don’t know of any funny stories off the top of my head. I’m sure there is some, but I just can’t play any , but there’s always a moment where like, Oh, I gotta rebuild my computer or you hit record and somebody says their name wrong or their phone number. It’s like, can I redo it? It’s like sure.
Kyle Hamer:
Or some idiot says that you’re from the New York, New Jersey tri-state and you’re actually from Michigan.
Techy Tony Jackson:
Yeah. I know this guy with The Summit podcast.
Kyle Hamer:
You’re not going to believe this , this, this guy harassed me for months to come on his show. I show up and he doesn’t even know where the hell I’m from this idiot thought he was Letterman. It’s ridiculous. Right .
Techy Tony Jackson:
But I think that’s also good, man , man , that shows your personality. It shows that it’s okay to be it’s okay. To mess up is what I’m trying to say. It’s okay. To jump over your words. It’s okay. To, to not ask the right questions sometimes. It’s okay. Think don’t be scared. It’s never going to be perfect. Never. So stop trying to make it perfect. That’s one of the things that got me out of my head when I realized, wow, this is never going to be right. My website’s never going to be right. My marketing’s never going to be spot on. I’m never going to have enough guests. I’m just going to stop and just take it .
Kyle Hamer:
So I, I love those elements and here’s why I tell people that I’m a sales guy turned marketer because I was lazy and I thought marketers were stupid. And so I went on to the dark side to try and figure out how to do it better. And when I got across the aisle, I got a mentor and my mentor used to look at me and say, Kyle, if you put that food on your plate, you got to eat it. And I would look at him and say, what are you talking about Bob? And he goes, perfect. Is the enemy of done? I’m like, what are you talking about? And his point was over years. He finally finally broke through to me and was like, I kept putting more things that I could ever accomplish all my plate. Couldn’t figure out where to start because none of it was done perfectly. And so I was stuck. I was frozen. And you talking about getting over your fear and you know, just accepting that it’s not going to be perfect. It’s not going to be exactly what you want. But getting started done is so much better than perfect because now it’s behind you and you can move on to the next thing. And that, to me, it was probably one of the most freeing things, but it took me like four or five years to figure that out. Yeah. Cause I’d be like, Oh, I can do that. I can do that. I can do that before. I knew it could look at my plate. And it was like, Thanksgiving was a Thanksgiving feast. It’s all the food that I was going to eat during the day on one plate to start. And you’re like, well, nobody’s going to be able to eat that.
Techy Tony Jackson:
Yup . This is what helped my computer. Well, it kind of a weird my computer repair business. One of my girlfriends said when I graduated college, he’s like, what do you want to do? I’m like, well, I want to start a business. She’s like, well, you should totally do that. I’m like, okay. And she goes, what kind of business do you want to start? And I’m like, well, let’s just do a computer repair because that’s what I know. She’s like, okay, do it. I’m like, well, hold on . You can just tell me to do it. Takes time. I need a laptop. I need a webcam. I need a computer. I need editing software. I need all of this . And that . I realized that all I really needed was my brain and an LLC. And a , I bought a domain name and the website went up and some guy called me and I’ll never forget it. I went to his house, he had a furniture issue. We ended up fixing it. And I said, thanks. And he gave me a hundred bucks and I said, are you sure? But to me like when you did the work, right. And I’m like, yeah. He’s like, well, here’s your money? I’m like, is this how it works? Like I didn’t get it. It took me a few months to really grasp that concept. And then when I got it, I was like, people paying me to fix things. Okay. I get it. Let’s have a business. And it took me because I know it’s at a corporate job. Right. Owning your own business is a little bit different. And there is some, there’s a bunch of difference when you own your own business. I mean, the guy looked at me like, I just want to pay you for what you did. Like, it’s nothing big. I’m like, it’s huge . You’re giving me a hundred dollars. Like, you don’t understand what I can do with this. It’s a hundred dollars. And I was like, if I could get five of them a day, I could make $500. Right. And then it started to make sense. I was like, Oh, people have problems. I have a solution. I get it. Okay. Give me a few months. Really click where you are today. Right. Right . And I’ve used that lesson, you know, moving forward in my business and my podcast. I love when someone says I have a problem. I’m like, talk to me. What do you got? I used to be like, Oh , I don’t know how to do that. I love when people tell me their problems, like bring it on, bring it on. What are your favorite types of problems? What are your favorite types of things to work on for people? I love like, computer-wise I love, love when people have viruses . I love it because they flip out. They’re like, Oh my God, I got this pop-up and it wants me to call this 88 number. And I don’t know who they are. I’m like, just relax. I got it. And I love having conversations with those people because they think it’s like the end of the world. But I’m just like, Oh, this is just another day in paradise. For me. It’s quick clicking on stuff, man . Like , let me show you what you did wrong. Let me show you how to fix it. Let me show you how to perfect. And I really enjoy those conversations. And I really love when someone tells me I’m scared to do a podcast that excites me because I know all about that. I’m like, listen, your scared. I can’t even describe to you how terrified I was when I made the purchase, because I was at the point where my mindset was like, you’re going to spend 150 bucks on a microphone that you’re never going to use. And when I went home that night , my girlfriend even said, you spent $150 on a microphone. She’s like, you’re never going to use that. And that hit home for me, that hit home. I was like, you know what? I’m going to prove her wrong. She can’t talk to me like that. I’m going to do my podcast two years later. I got it . It took me a while , but I had that little voice in my head going, you’re never going to do it. You’re never going to amount to anything. I’m like, Oh hell no, I can’t deal with this. That’s what started to go . I mean, just get down with your bad self.
Kyle Hamer:
And I can, I can relate because right. And I don’t know if you can, you can see this there you go. So this is the first mic I bought. It was a mic and a stand with a , with a screen shield. It’s $34 on Amazon. Cause I was like, you I’m like, I don’t know if I’m actually going to do anything with it. I got the condenser mic has , you know, the 47 articles. I read said that that’s what you needed.
Techy Tony Jackson:
And he
Kyle Hamer:
Came and I recorded my first couple episodes. And then I was like, I really don’t like the sound quality. So then I bought the Yeti mic and, and I went kind of on stealth mode for a while. Cause it was like, it was a hundred dollars. Why would you spend that much money on a mic? And now I look at the equipment. I’m like, Ooh , that looks really nice. Do I need that? Can I justify that now? But God, it would be really cool.
Techy Tony Jackson:
Yup . I think I think that’s a big thing. When you start podcasting, you don’t need much, you, you just, you buy a microphone and you find an editor or someone reasonable and you just do your thing and you just talk.
Kyle Hamer:
Yeah. Or use your phone, record the files to your, to your, your phone. Then you have some of the best microphones and headsets that come with devices that you get for salt .
Techy Tony Jackson:
If you’re not tech savvy, starting a podcast is the smartest thing you’ll ever do because you’ll end up having all the greatest equipment because you don’t know where to start. So it’s perfect. If you’re tech savvy you’ll end up having more than the best, you’ll go broke in the process and not have any money for your email marketing software. So if you’re thinking about starting a podcast, it’s best. If you don’t know anything, I really believe that.
Kyle Hamer:
Oh, that’s too funny. Podcasters, you love, who do you, who do you listen to ?
Techy Tony Jackson:
Pat Flynn this guy with The Summit podcast was great. Pat’s going to keep plugging me. It’s got great here . Makes mistakes all the time, where you’re from. Just, you know, PatFlynn anything digital marketing. I just, it’s hard to find a good podcast to listen to these days. I’m going to listen to a lot, but every once in a while, when I need some inspiration, I check out Audrey, which is where we connected . And you know, just try to find something that inspires you the most. You know, they say that if you’re down and you’re not feeling results, you know, audio books are great for 40 call it a mindset, but podcasts are even better, you know, listen to those before you go to bed. I just try to find something that inspires me. Cause I’ve always got an idea. It’s just you know how to implement it. And I love podcasting because it’s just so different. It’s so different than anything I’ve ever done ever. Just like open up a browser and go to Google and just type the word, how to, and you’re like, Hmm , what can I learn? That was my next word was podcast. And I clicked on the ad for Buzzsprout and price was right. I was like, alright , let’s do it.
Kyle Hamer:
That’s fantastic. That’s the that’s the hosting solution I use as well. And I like it, but like you, I didn’t know enough. So now that I’m learning more, it’s like, well, do I need this? Do I need that? Do I? But you know, I think you’re, you’re right where it’s like, if you just take a couple of things to get yourself committed and you get rolling on something, you’d be very surprised at how rewarding that adventure will be.
Techy Tony Jackson:
Yeah, I get it. You can, you can be scared and you can be not wanting to do it, but I’m telling you, man, the sooner you get out of your head, the better it’s going to be because you will stay broke and you will stay scared. And you will wonder where the years went. It’s happened to everyone at some point in time in their life, whether it’s business or personal or a death in the family, what you gotta let go at some point, you just have to wake up and go, okay. It is what it is,
Kyle Hamer:
Especially in the middle of a pandemic.
Techy Tony Jackson:
Right? And that’s something you can’t control and that’s the worst because you can’t control death. You can’t control, you know, pandemics, but you can control your actions and that’s hard. And that’s where getting out of your head begins. When you can just wake up and go, I got to go to work. I just have to, instead of, I know if I turn that computer on, I’m going to find another hosting solution. Cause I’ve been thinking about it for the past 20 years. And then you start to realize that just time has just gotten away from you. And you’re just like, all right , I need to make a move. So there comes a breaking point. Everyone has their point where they’re just like, okay, I got to do something. I just don’t know what. And sometimes having a conversation with somebody can help.
Kyle Hamer:
You know, I really can’t think of a better way to wrap up because we’re sitting here chatting. I was like, you know, I was going to ask Tony for his final thoughts, but I think, I think you’re your last little bit, there is just fantastic in, in the right amount of encouragement and the right amount of helping people take that step, encouraging them to, you know, to find the confidence to do that. So thanks. Thank you for that. That fantastic segue. Give give us the 15 second spiel. If somebody wants to get ahold of techie Tony and get their podcast or, or record an episode with you, how do they get ahold of you?
Techy Tony Jackson:
Yeah, so you can reach me at my email, which has hello at techie Toni marketing. That’s a T E C H Y T O N Y. The word marketing.com. You can call me direct if you want (636) 980-6472, or reach me on Facebook, facebook.com forward slash techie, Toni marketing. I think it is. And just shoot me a message. And I don’t really, you know, I just really just want to talk to you and just get to know you a little bit. I don’t just jump into things. I want to build a relationship with you because it’s important because I don’t know who you are and you don’t know who I am. So shoot me a message and let’s talk and see what we can do to help you grow your business. 2021 is going to be a big year for a lot of people. It’s going to be your year is the question. Great question
Kyle Hamer:
For those of you who want to get ahold of Tony , you can scroll down into the comments are , or to the description of the episode. We’ll have his contact information in there as well as just a brief description of what we talked about today and highlighting the great stuff that Tony does for, for helping his guests. Tony, it’s been an honor and a pleasure. I really appreciate your generosity. Thank you so much for being a guest today on The Summit podcast. We’ve enjoyed it.
Techy Tony Jackson:
I really think for the glad that I reached out, man, I really am it was just an honor to be on and I’ve never actually been a guest on a podcast. You were the first, so, okay .
Kyle Hamer:
Well, you know, that’s that’s fantastic. You did great. Good, good.
Techy Tony Jackson:
You did great. Just so you know, Detroit,
Kyle Hamer:
You know , I don’t think we’ll edit that out. We’ll we’ll let me eat my humble pie on that one. For those of you who are listening in, you’ve been listening to The Summit podcast. I’m your host, Kyle Hamer. Thank you again. Make sure you like follow subscribe, share, and until next week, keep grinding and growing and to be in a better, you you’ve reached The Summit podcast with Kyle. Thanks. Ma’am .
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