Ep 139: Burning The F*cking Boat
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Hi, I'm Joanne Bull and I am obsessed with all things podcasting and creating an unapologetically big revenue business with it. From podcast guesting to podcast hosting and everything in between, we're going to dive into it all and show you step by step how to build a big business.

by Awesome Step, how using a podcast can and will grow your business. So grab a glass of wine and pop your headphones on because girlfriend happy hour has begun here on The Beat Word. Hey!

Welcome back to the B-Word Girlfriends. I want to give you a little advance notice that today I'm going to dive really into the where I've been and where I'm going. And in order to be my very authentic self, there could be a word that gets dropped here or there that little ears may not want to hear. So if mama, you are that person that's got your little one around and you want to protect their little eardrums, I am so okay with that.

but you might want to grab your AirPods and pop them in for this one, okay? So here we go. One of the questions that I get asked the most is, why did you name your podcast The B Word? And I have laughed over the years and kind of made it a joke and said, oh, it's because, you know, my last name is Bolt and it starts with B and I'm giving you my thoughts and my opinions and my word, so The B Word. But if I really pull back the curtain,

and give you a very raw and vulnerable look into things. Yes, that did play into the decision to name the podcast The B Word. The truth was, I have spent the better part of my working career avoiding being called a bitch because I've always felt like

I was too much for people. They didn't know how to handle me. In fact, one of the things I used to laugh about in the real estate world was people either love me or they hate me. And there's just no in between. And that was my way of deflecting the fact that I'm highly ambitious. I want

big thing. And when I go after them, I generally get them. And it's not that I'm lucky and it's not that I've got ego here. It really is because I'm willing to put in the work to get there and I'm willing to figure the shit out that I need to figure out in order to achieve the goals that I have set for me. And I don't set the goals for anyone else but me and of course my family. Jeff does get to play a part in the goal setting.

There have been so many times from my role at Sigma Kappa Sorority running recruitment to being in the real estate world to being a consultant for Accenture Consulting that

I was told to tone it down. I was told that I was just too much for people. I was told that I was unapproachable. And I that really hurt. I'll be really honest. That hurt because in my head, I'm like, but I love people. Why do you perceive me as unapproachable? And when I broke it down and I did a lot of work.

And I realized I'm an Enneagram 8, if you study the Enneagram. I'm also a manifesting generator, if you study human design. And those two things can often be different.

intimidating, shall we say, to some people that aren't. And that's okay. Because if I scare you or I seem unapproachable, it's probably because my goals are just bigger than yours. And that doesn't make yours wrong and it doesn't make mine right. But I've had to learn over the years how to really tone that down in order to not intimidate the people around me and in order to be a leader and be someone that lifts others up. So all that being said,

That's really why I named the podcast The B Word is because it was a play on my last name and it was also a play on the fact that if you want to be a boss, you want to be a CEO and run your own business, sometimes you do have to be a little bit of a bitch, but you don't have to. You can do it in strong ways by surrounding yourself with the right people and running your company in the way that feels good and authentic to you and ignore the naysayers around you because

If you don't want to know or if you don't want to be called something, then don't be around those people. And it really is that simple. I know it seems hard, but it really is that simple. So two years ago, I started the B word and it has really evolved. If you've been listening for a hot second, you know, I started out teaching real estate agents and then I went to entrepreneurship. And the truth was, I let you all in on the journey of me, the journey of Joanne figuring out what her vision was.

And where does she want to go? And so I'm here to tell you. I started this podcast and I joined...

a membership. And I was really disappointed in it because it promised to teach me how to hit the top of the charts. It promised to teach me all kinds of things. And we all know how those digital courses and memberships fall flat. I think I dropped out. I had paid the annual fee. I dropped out after like 30 days because I was like, well, every single thing in this membership portal, I already know. I already went and figured it out.

And that's not saying that the membership was bad. It's just saying that for me, I'm highly ambitious. I had already gone and researched and done the work before I ever started the podcast. And so I was already kind of beyond that group. And then I went and joined the Boss Babe Society membership because I wanted to be surrounded by women who thought big, who are highly ambitious, and just maybe put a different perspective on things. And then when I sat back, I thought, gosh, you know what I really want?

I really want to combine that first membership that I joined with the Boss Babe Society's membership because that's where my sweet spot is. My sweet spot is in helping women figure out how to run their businesses. My sweet spot is also in helping you figure out how to get your podcast up and running because here's what I have found over the last year and a half. There is so much more to being an entrepreneur than meets the eye. In fact,

way more. I thought that I was an entrepreneur when I was a real estate agent. Y'all had no clue, no clue how in-depth it really was. When you're truly running your own business, when you need to figure out things like email lists and landing pages and what the fuck a Facebook pixel is and why would you ever want to install one on your website? I have thoroughly enjoyed figuring that all out for the past year and a half. But here's where I sit right now.

I sit right now as a visionary for the company that I have now founded called Podcast Her. It is a network and it is my vision brought to life. It is that portal and that membership space for women who want to be highly ambitious,

who want to run their businesses. And I'm not going to tell you what size that needs to be because your ambition, girlfriend, is your ambition. It may be $10,000 a year. It may be seven figures. I don't really care. I just want to help you get there and figure out the shit you didn't know that you needed to know. And oh, by the way, along the way,

I also have combined my vision from that very first membership that I dropped out of because it just didn't meet my needs. And I created one that I think is going to meet your needs. And it's helping you create, start and monetize a podcast that will actually grow and monetize your business because they go so hand in hand. I fully believe that a podcast is the number one marketing tool you can use. And here's why.

If you have a podcast or you are on someone's podcast, it is like your interview process. So it interviews you if you're on a podcast or talking to a host, then you're really interviewing with that host for everything else that they do. Because 99% of podcast hosts are running a business. The podcast is not their business.

So if you're a coach, if you're a trainer, if you're selling a product, what you're really doing by guesting on a podcast is interviewing with that host to see what else you can do with them, collaborate with them. How else can you be in their world? Or should you even be in their world? And if you're a host and you're doing what I'm doing right now and talking into the microphone, it is your future client's interview of you to see if they want to work with you. Because here's the truth.

The podcast can make you a hell yes or a hell no. Hell yes, I love you. I love everything you do. I like your cadence. I like your tone. I like your thought process. I like the values that you bring. I like what and who you represent. And so I want to work with you or hell no, I should have known better.

I've listened to three podcasts and I don't like how you talk. I don't like who you are. I don't like your cadence or your tone or what you represent. And so I don't ever want to purchase your product or buy your offer. By the way, going back to that very first membership that I ever joined, I should have known from the get-go that it was a hell no. I listened to the podcast of the person that started that membership and couldn't stand it. To this day, it's one of the number one podcasts out there. And I hate it.

it. I hate the tone. I hate the spammy way that the host talks. I hate the condensation. He's just so condescending, in my opinion. And that just means it's not for me. He is so for other people and kudos to them, but he's not for me. And so I should never have joined that membership because I had already gone through the interview with him by listening to his podcast.

I got swayed by the fact that he had a huge podcast, so I thought, surely he can teach me a thing or two. But he ran his membership and he ran his portal exactly like he runs his podcast, and it just didn't, it wasn't a good fit for me. So I'm going to do something really uncomfortable in my world, and I'm actually going to burn the boats down. I heard this analogy one time, and it's really stuck with me, that if you get to an island and

and you have to make that island work for you. You know, like you've got to figure out resources, food, shelter, all the things, but you also have a boat and can leave the island. You don't put as much effort into it. You have a way out in the back of your mind, but if you burn the boats down, then you have no way to leave the island and you have to make that island work. Well, I

I've semi held on to the real estate for a while. I've been coaching real estate agents on the side. I still have my license, although I don't do a whole lot with it. I did get rid of my lockbox key so I can't actually get into a home. But I haven't put my license into an active status, which means I really cannot practice real estate.

That was my crutch. It was my golden handcuffs because for years I have made so much money in real estate and I've done so well there that I wanted to keep a toe in the real estate arena, even while I dived into this area. So guys, I'm burning the boats down.

I am putting my real estate license into inactive status, which means while I can take a referral fee, I cannot advise, guide, or do anything else related to the real estate world. And that's okay with me because the reality is my heart is in what I'm doing now. My heart is in teaching you how to take that podcast.

how to use it to be your main marketing tool, how to run the business, how to build that life that you really, really want and crave, because that's what I've been doing. And holy hell, I am such a happier person doing it my way, how I want to do it, and not how someone else says that I have to do it. So there we are. There's the vision. I've burnt the boats. I am moving forward.

I appreciate so much that you guys have been with me through the process. The podcast has officially hit the top 3% globally, which I cannot tell you how much Prosecco I popped when I saw that the other day come through the statistics. Because yes, I track stats. I'm a numbers nerd. You guys know that by now. But come with me. If you are that entrepreneur who's thinking, I want to have a business, I want to grow the business, and I...

You know, I don't mind using a podcast along the way. I like my vision. I like my message. And I want to share it with the world and use it as a marketing tool. Then guys, come on, let's go. Podcast Her is where I will be. It is where my vision is and is where my heart is. And it's what I'm going to pour into y'all. All the resources, everything I can find, everything I've learned along the way, and everything I continue to learn along the way to be a leader. I'm stepping into leadership for this group.

I'm going to continue to burn the boat and I'm actually going to hire several people onto my team to take care of the things that handcuff me and keep me from really, you know, fully being in my power zone, in my genius zone, you should say. Because I am a numbers nerd and I also love Canva and I love the back end of my website. So I can get stuck there for hours. But I'm going to delegate.

I'm going to hire the people and bring them in around me that we need in order to make this company be what you need it to be. Because this is not about me. It's about you. So I'll see you in the network. And until next time, build your empire and put a microphone behind it.

You just finished another episode of the B-Word Podcast. Cheers to you. If I were with you, I would literally pop a big old bottle of Prosecco and pour you a glass. Since I'm not, why don't you do the next best thing and share this episode with one of your besties? Because we all know you've got that one girlfriend that needs to hear it. Thanks, friend.

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Before you go really fast, would you please take a second and go and leave me a review here on the B-Word podcast? It really does make a world of difference to how we show up for new people. And to give you a little thank you, because my mama always taught me that you send a thank you note or something in return for a gift.

We have got a free gift that we are changing every single month here on The B Word. So head on over once you've given your review, grab a screenshot of it, and then go to thebwordpodcast.com forward slash review. Upload it for me and I will send you a free gift immediately. Thanks in advance.