John Lee Dumas is the Founder and Host of EntrepreneurOnFire, one of the highest ranked business podcast right now. It was recently awarded “Best Podcast in iTunes 2013”. In his shows, John interviews today’s most inspiring and successful Entrepreneurs 7-days a week and has been featured in both TIME and Inc. Magazine. He is also the founder of Podcasters’ Paradise; a community where Podcasters can create, grow, and monetize their podcast. EntrepreneurOnFire generates over 550,000 unique downloads a month with past guests such as Seth Godin, Tim Ferriss, Barbara Corcoran, Gary Vaynerchuk, and Guy Kawasaki. Recaps of the 500+ episodes and MUCH more can be found at EOFire.com.
How did you come up with the idea of Entrepreneur On Fire?
I saw there was no daily podcast that interviewed successful and inspiring Entrepreneurs. I knew there were people like me driving to work 5 days a week, seeking out daily content. I saw the void in the marketplace, and created EntrepreneurOnFire to fill that void
Could you walk us through the process of starting up?
I hired a mentor in my niche of podcasting, I joined a mastermind of other podcasters, I went to conferences in the Entrepreneurship space, met the presenters, shook their hands, got my first couple yes’s to be interviewed in person, and started interviewing.
Did you find anything particularly difficult during the startup phase?
Fear. The Imposter syndrome set in as launch day approached. I was assailed by doubts: Who would want to listen to me, who would care what I had to say, why me? Why now?
How was the initial reaction from the consumers?
The initial reaction was astounding. Listeners immediately saw the value in a daily show, they loved the free content I was delivering 7 days a week, with a medium they could consume when they wanted, how they wanted.
Do you face a lot of competition in this industry? What is your strategy against your competition?
I did have a lot of competition. My strategy was to stay focused, stay consistent. I kept creating valuable content for that avatar, and people kept listening, and the show kept growing
Have you developed any industry insights that you could share?
A successful Podcast does the following: Finds a niche, speaks intimately to that niche on a consistent schedule, with high value being delivered each time.
How have you managed to stay relevant in this industry?
EntrepreneurOnFire tells the story of successful Entrepreneurs. Stories are timeless, the lesson learned to relevant now, 2 years ago, and 2 years from now. Humans resonate with stories, and this is why EntrepreneurOnFire stay relevant and continues to grow, we focus on the story.
What are your future plans?
We plan to stay the course, continue to develop valuable content on a consistent schedule for free, grow our audience, listen to our audience, and pivot if and when they start telling us to. We will remain agile.
If you could start all over again, would you change anything about your approach?
I would launch sooner. I allowed the imposter syndrome to delay my launch, and all that did was delay my success.
What do you think about startups in Asia?
I have a very large listener base in Asia. I receive incredibly impactful emails from Asia. I believe Asians in general are inspired but the power of online Entrepreneurship, and are the future wave.
What are some personal principles or personal values that guide you and your career?
Discipline, commitment, hard work, and most of all, focus. Follow one course until success.
What is your definition of success?
Success is the gradual realization of a worthy ideal.
Why did you decide to become an entrepreneur?
I could only live a of freedom. I had to be in control of my own destiny. This is Entrepreneurship, this is why I chose this path
What do you think are the most important things entrepreneurs should keep in mind?
This is a marathon, not a sprint. Choose something you know you will still enjoy doing in 3-5 years, then settle in for the long haul. Those who try to sprint to success burn out.
Website: http://www.EntrepreneurOnFire.
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