How to Have a Successful Digital Business
Today, I wanted to share my views on how to have a successful digital business. Recently, I sent out a newsletter and discussed updates and changes in my podcast. Some of the changes were based on having the podcast for over 3 ½ years and putting in a lot of time and effort. Compound Interest is working for me. Some changes were statistics and analytics — I love the black and white of stats as they just truly are. There isn’t necessarily a good or bad, just a barometer of where you are currently compared to where you were and where you want to be.
Podcasts are a unique platform. The actual, complete, for-real, honest statistics are nearly impossible to come by. There is no clear and certain way to gather accurate information across all of the places they are distributed. The statistics I posted were based on Spotify, which is connected to my podcast host and automatically generates annually. It’s an accurate depiction — but limited exclusively to Spotify specific statistics only.
The analytics showed my podcast growth this year, and the numbers had most definitely improved, which is something to be proud of. Spotify looked at the information from several vantage points, and I was excited and pleased with the information.
I have two goals with my newsletter: to provide value and to interact. It stands to reason if I’m providing value, people will engage one on one, and it is my absolute favorite inbox message when people respond, telling me how they are doing. It was unexpected and a bit surprising that some of the feedback triggered me negatively with this newsletter.
“It’s wonderful to see how SUCCESSFUL you are.”
A phrase I heard several times in different ways made me look hard at my success views and why the word triggered me negatively. Success seems to be determined predominantly in two ways: Money and Numbers. I see that as a popularity competition where you are paid. Not at all, how I want anyone to view my business, podcast, coaching, speaking, etc….
While it’s true that being paid is often a standard exchange in business, and there is an inability to make a difference in the lives of people unless they know who you are, there is so much more to success than those two criteria.
First, let’s look at what success does not need to be about — and how to flip the script on how we determine how success feels:
Other people’s level of expectations or achievements
Putting people above or below where you’re at
Social media, statistics, and/or numbers
Theodore Roosevelt said, “Comparison is the thief of joy,” and Mark Twain said, “Comparison is the death of joy.”
Truer words have never been spoken. I realized my negative triggering was due to comparison, and my feelings of wanting more — in numbers or financial gain — was desired to somehow prove to myself that I was worthy of the word success.
When I evaluated the trigger, I took a deep dive into the reasons I started the podcast and some barometers for success that have nothing to do with money or numbers.
- Provide content that helps other people and makes a positive difference
- Help people feel less alone in their struggles — knowing there is someone who understands them.
- Provide tools, tips, tricks, etc…. for listeners to build a bigger toolbox to get through personal struggles faster, easier, and more supported.
- The message that every person’s story is relevant and deserves to be shared
- Guests come from referrals, repeat interviews, word of mouth.
- Interaction with people and companies/agencies outside of the podcast as a direct result of the podcast
- Growth over time of statistics, number of interview requests, interactions with people
As I considered my original goals, without the “noise” of how other people might gauge success, I realized that all I really needed to do was say, “Thank you.”
See the article on the digital magazine here
Originally published at https://www.momof18.com.
