Startup Corner: Craig Jamison, Brainchild Ninja Podcast

Minimally viable product …
A business podcast hosted on iTunes, Stitcher and at BrainChildNinja.com.

Problem solving …
The many people who listen to this podcast are interested in ways to make extra money or would like to work for themselves. Often, they just don’t know what they can do. I introduce my listeners to others who are turning their ideas into income and how they can, too.

Seed money …
Self-funded and intentionally plan to keep it this way.

Hurdles …
Lack of margin. As a career insurance agent and married with kids, it’s been difficult to balance everything without sacrificing quality.

Next phase …
1. Continue to grow my listener base beyond the low thousands. 2. Launch the IdeaCreationFormula.com for my listeners by Nov. 1. I’ve built an online training video that walks them through a formula for creating their ideal idea that they can turn into income.

Pivot …
This podcast began as a way to create insurable opportunities as an insurance agent. The intention was to interview interesting businesspeople and potentially insure them. The moment the podcast ranked as high as Top 20 on iTunes, I knew it could be grown into its own enterprise.

Biggest mistake …
I’m only five months in. The mistakes have been minimal. But if I get to claim a redo, I would have used social media more effectively from the beginning.

Best advice …
“Dad, you need to upload a new episode. I’ve listened to all of them a hundred times.” —my 11-year-old daughter

Worst advice …
“A business podcast? Aren’t there a ton of them already?”

Food for thought …
Reid Hoffman, founder of LinkedIn, says, “If you’re not embarrassed by your version-one release, you released it too late.” When I launched, I wasn’t ready. You can hear it in the audio quality and the subtle shifts in format. But simply making the leap to go live when I did has been a wonderful decision and opened many doors.