One in three Americans listen to at least one podcast per month, this is an astounding number given podcasting was a relatively unknown medium as recently as 2010. Recently, Apple surpassed the 1 million mark in podcast titles, and we’ve witnessed an explosion of genres ready to tickle our ears on demand. Our guest today, Molly Beck, knows the power of podcasting firsthand.
Molly is the founder of podcast creation site messy.fm, creator of the lifestyle blog Smart, Pretty & Awkward; and a marketing expert who has provided digital strategies for numerous companies including Forbes, Venmo, Rice University, and Hearst. Her work has been featured in Business Insider, Parade, Refinery29, Lifehacker, The Boston Globe, and more.
In this episode of the Disrupt Yourself Podcast, Molly shares how graduating as a finance major in 2009, during the great recession felt overwhelming. However, rather than let panic set in, Molly leaned into her career constraints and differentiated herself as a candidate through blogging. Little did she know that this choice would ripple throughout her career and spur her into an unexpected entrepreneurial journey.
Listen to the episode in the player above or download and enjoy it on Apple Podcasts. If you are so inclined, please leave us a review!
Takeaways from this episode:
- Coach yourself into your future. If you find yourself struggling to secure the job you desire or wonder how you might be recognized for advancement within your current role, consider unconventional means of marketing yourself. Molly leveraged blogging early in her career to accomplish this. This simple step led to a pattern of thinking creatively for Molly, an attribute that has continued to propel her forward throughout her career.
- Keep focused and stay faithful. Molly graduated at the height of the mortgage crisis, an extremely tough time to be a job seeker. We are currently in the midst of a pandemic, which presents unprecedented constraints for those looking for work and/or hoping to jump to a new S curve. Molly encourages those experiencing these difficulties, to stay faithful and know that eventually, your work will pay off.
- Look for ways to disrupt established industries. Although podcasting is relatively new, having emerged on the scene in 2004, creators followed an outward-focused script, creating shows for public consumption. However, Molly identified a new growth area within the industry. Her focus on private podcasting for organizations as a means of communicating with their teams is a game-changer. Might there be opportunities for similar disruption in your industry?
Links Mentioned in this Episode:
- Molly Beck – Website | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
- Disrupt Yourself Podcast – Episode 161: Alex Osterwalder
- Disrupt Yourself Podcast – Episode 121: Julie Berry
