Podcast
Built in Public
Hosted by Courtney Johnson · EN
Built in Public is a personal brand podcast hosted by Courtney Johnson.
Each week, Courtney sits down with founders, creators, and operators to unpack how they turn expertise into authority, visibility into opportunity, and content into long-term leverage.
We talk positioning, audience building, thought leadership, and what it actually takes to show up before you feel ready.
If you want to build it in public, this show is for you.
86episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
How to Write and Self-Publish a Book That Gets You Speaking Gigs and Money with Chandler Bolt
3d ago00:56:22Summary readyChandler Bolt was painting houses door to door at 18, getting cussed out and threatened, and then dropped out of college to co-author his first book at 23. Now his company publishes two to five books every single day.Chandler Bolt is the founder of Self-Publishing School, one of the leading platforms for writing, publishing, and launching a book. He's helped over 7,000 authors bring their books to life. In this episode, we get into why he waited until eight figures to start his personal brand and why he now calls that a mistake, how a book creates instant authority that no amount of followers can buy, and the exact reason your unwritten book is already worth money.We get into the self-publishing vs traditional publishing debate, the real pros, the real cons, and what nobody tells you about signing with a big publisher. Chandler breaks down how he uses free books to drive millions in revenue every year, why the book is the bait and the business is the prize, and the mindset shift that gets people out of book purgatory and actually hitting publish.We also get into the writing process. He shares the MORE writing method, how to write a book using your existing content, why giving yourself permission to write badly is the only way to start, and the strategy he'd use to write a book from scratch today, even with no audience and no idea where to begin.If you've had a book outline sitting in your Google Drive for months, this episode is the push you've been waiting for.📘 Career Cheat Codes - IT’S OUT!!!My new book Career Cheat Codes is now available to order. It’s a practical guide to building career leverage, growing your visibility, and turning your expertise into real opportunities.Order yours → penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807588/career-cheat-codes-by-courtney-johnson/05:48 Why posting every day is rejection therapy08:53 Why he waited until eight figures to start his personal brand10:43 Opportunities don't go to the most qualified, they go to the most visible14:36 The most expensive mistake most people make18:13 The root word of authority is author20:37 Why traditional publishing is an inferior model25:00 How giving books away free drives millions in revenue29:00 The book is the bait. The business is the prize.29:51 The MORE writing method explained34:03 How he wrote his first rough draft in a week42:33 Why being too qualified works against you45:08 How to use AI to write a better book without the slopAbout ChandlerChandler Bolt is the founder and CEO of Self-Publishing School, one of the leading platforms for writing, publishing, and launching a book. A college dropout who started his first six-figure business painting houses, Chandler co-authored his first book at 23 and has since helped over 7,000 authors bring their books to life. His company publishes two to five books every single day across every genre. Chandler is also the author of Published, his guide to self-publishing success.Connect with Chandler👍 Instagram: @chandler.bolt💼 LinkedIn: Chandler Bolt🌐 Website: selfpublishing.com/courtneyStay connected with me📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co👍 Instagram: @builtinpublicpod👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson
SummaryCoach Keren Eldad: She'll Destroy Every Excuse You Have for Not Building Your Personal Brand
1w ago00:57:29Summary readyThe people closest to Keren Eldad thought her content was so embarrassing they offered her a loan, a place to live, and her old job back.Keren Eldad, better known online as Coach Keren, is a coach, author, and speaker who built a business around mindset, identity, and behavior change. In this episode, we get into why Keren started calling herself “Coach Keren” before the business even existed, why claiming an identity before you feel ready matters, and the exact reason most people stay trapped in the cringe phase of building a personal brand. She explains why consistency is the only metric that matters in the beginning, why self-doubt is built on a false narrative, and how to stop waiting until you’re “qualified enough” to start sharing what you know.We also get into what she calls “Purgatory” the place where people have 400 post drafts, multiple coaches, endless strategies, and still haven’t hit publish. Keren shares the mindset shift that’s helped thousands of clients finally take action, her “assume everybody likes you” rule, and why most fears around personal branding are just scarcity stories wearing different outfits.Oh, we get into speaking. She breaks down how she landed two TEDx talks, why most aspiring speakers should stop waiting for invitations and start creating their own opportunities, and the outreach strategy she’d use if she wanted another TEDx talk tomorrow. Plus: books, comparison, criticism, trolls, and the one thing she believes every ambitious person owes themselves.If you’ve been waiting until you feel ready to put yourself out there, this conversation is your wake-up call.📘 Career Cheat Codes - IT’S OUT!!!My new book Career Cheat Codes is now available to order. It’s a practical guide to building career leverage, growing your visibility, and turning your expertise into real opportunities.Order yours → penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807588/career-cheat-codes-by-courtney-johnson/03:53 Why she started calling herself “Coach Keren” before she had clients04:45 The imposter syndrome that came with claiming the identity first09:13 Her boss asked if she needed her old job back11:27 Cringe is just self-doubt wearing a costume22:09 The danger of having 400 drafts and posting none of them24:15 Taylor Swift’s approach to trolls.34:23 The books she considers non-negotiable reading36:19 How speaking became her career42:47 The TEDx application strategy she’d use today57:05 The real reason she wrote GILDED and GILT FREEAbout Keren EldadA thought leader in the coaching world, Keren Eldad ("Coach Keren") specializes in taking high achievers out of the futility of constant pursuit and into the greatest levels of success and fulfillment. Her coaching clients include Olympic athletes, politicians, Hollywood stars, supermodels, Special Forces operatives and serial entrepreneurs, as well as renowned global organizations such as Estée Lauder, J.P. Morgan, and Nike.Recognized as a Top Ten Executive Coach by the International Coaching Federation (ICF), Real Leaders Magazine, & Goop, Keren maintains gold-standard coaching credentials on top of her advanced academic degrees from The London School of Economics and the University of Jerusalem. She is also a former C-suite executive, who has lived and worked in 17 countries and on four continents, and now coaches leaders all around the globe in four languages: English, Spanish, Hebrew and French. With half a million views on her TEDx talks, and speaking engagements all over the world, Keren's message seems to transcend borders. She hopes it resonates with you. Connect with Keren👍 Instagram: @coachkeren💼 LinkedIn: Keren Eldad🌐 Website: kereneldad.comStay connected with me📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co👍 Instagram: @builtinpublicpod👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson
SummaryHow to Build a Personal Brand That Makes Money BEFORE You Feel Ready, with Ruffin Mitchener
2w ago00:47:00Summary readyVCs laughed Ruffin Mitchener out of interview rooms for posting on TikTok. Four years later, she's the angel investor writing the checks.Now she’s built a six-figure creator business, landed recurring deals with brands like TurboTax and LinkedIn, and built one of the fastest-growing investing communities for women in startups and VC.Ruffin started in accounting at Deloitte, moved into fintech startups, got her MBA at UCLA during COVID, and realized early that founder content was going to become mandatory. She was one of the FIRST WOMEN in venture capital and startup investing actually building publicly online while everyone else thought it was cringe!!In this episode, we get into why personal branding matters before you need it, why founders should start creating content years before fundraising, and how Ruffin used TikTok and LinkedIn to build real leverage in venture capital. She also breaks down the exact cold outreach strategy she used to land brand deals, how she pitched hundreds of companies herself before hiring management, and why niche B2B creators are making more money than creators with 10x the audience size😲.Oh, she even tells us how she is using Claude as a social media strategist and why cohort-based live courses are replacing recorded programs.Plus: pregnancy as an entrepreneur, creator management contracts, and the one thing every creator is keeping secret right now... good short-form editors 😭If you’re waiting until you feel qualified enough to start posting, this episode is your sign to stop waiting.📘 Career Cheat Codes — IT’S OUT!!!My new book Career Cheat Codes is now available to order. It’s a practical guide to building career leverage, growing your visibility, and turning your expertise into real opportunities.Order yours → penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807588/career-cheat-codes-by-courtney-johnson/00:00 Pregnancy as an entrepreneur is a wild ride03:54 The moment Ruffin realized content was the future of business07:03 Your digital footprint is the new resume08:53 The UCLA MBA post that changed everything for her content10:13 People are done buying recorded courses11:20 Ruffin’s full creator tech stack: CapCut, Descript, Claude11:45 The relationship-building strategy founders ignore before fundraising16:24 The biggest mistake Ruffin made building her brand18:57 How she landed brand deals before having management20:24 Why niche B2B creators make more money than giant influencerAbout Ruffin MitchenerRuffin Mitchener is the creator and founder of Brydge Club, a media and investing community empowering 200K+ women to understand and navigate the world of angel investing and entrepreneurship. Less than 2% of VC funding goes to all-female founded teams - and less than 15% of venture capital decision-makers are women.Ruffin has personally angel invested and led syndicate opportunities for Brydge Club angels into companies like POCA, Alinea Invest, Offe Market, GOB, Bumo, and Hey Jane. Investing alongside firms like Offline, True Ventures, and Baukunst. Prior to Brydge Club, Ruffin worked as an operator at an Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) consumer fintech startup, which brings hands-on operational experience to everything she backs today.Connect with Ruffin👍 Instagram: @ruffinmitchener💼 LinkedIn: Ruffin Mitchener🎶 TikTok: @ruffinmitchener🌐 Website: brydgeclub.comStay connected with me📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co👍 Instagram: @builtinpublicpod👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson
SummaryAvni Barman: The LinkedIn Strategy That Made Her a Full-Time Creator
3w ago01:11:56Summary ready40 million LinkedIn views a month. Two to three videos a day. And she built it after returning venture capital money because she realized she hated the company she was building 😲In this week's episode, I sat down with Avni Barman, founder of Gen She, creator, speaker, and one of the smartest people I know when it comes to audience building and career leverage. She started with a two-minute cold outreach habit in college and turned it into a network, a business, a media brand, and a global community for women in tech and entrepreneurship.We get into the exact outreach system that helped her land opportunities before she had experience, why most people overcomplicate networking, and how she grew LinkedIn into a platform driving 40 million monthly views. She explains why virality is overrated if it’s not converting into real community, why she stopped chasing a million followers, and how she thinks about building content that actually gets people to care. If you’ve been waiting to feel qualified before you start posting, networking, pitching, or building something, this is your wake-up call!📘 Career Cheat Codes — IT’S OUT!!!My new book Career Cheat Codes is now available to order. It’s a practical guide to building career leverage, growing your visibility, and turning your expertise into real opportunities.Order yours → penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807588/career-cheat-codes-by-courtney-johnson/03:01 The survival strategy that turned into her networking system04:22 The two-minute cold outreach routine that changed her career09:24 Speaking at Harvard Business School changed her perspective on entrepreneurship10:17 She ran a 16,000-person paid virtual conference during the pandemic17:28 She flew to India without sponsors or an event plan, and Microsoft joined the day before28:14 How she hit 40 million LinkedIn views a month with video29:17 “I’d literally rather die than get a job”About Avni BarmanFounder & CEO of Gen She, a media platform and fund shaping the next generation of female founders. With 1M+ community, 400M+ views, and a 150K+ subscriber base, she has built one of the fastest-growing platforms for the next generation and is a leading voice on personal branding, virality, and building in the modern digital economy.Connect with Avni👍 Instagram: @avnibarman_💼 LinkedIn: Avni Barman🎙️YouTube: @avnibarman🌐 Website: generationshe.coStay connected with me📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co👍 Instagram: @builtinpublicpod👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson
SummaryJohn Hu: Stan's Founder on How to Make Your First $1K Online, and Building a $500M Creator Platform
May 2600:45:04Summary readyI've just hit $200K on Stan. And John Hu built the platform that made it happen.John is the founder of Stan, the platform that has now made over $500 million for creators, and he started it because he needed it for himself 😲In this episode, John gives us his full take on why your first digital product is probably already sitting in your Google Drive, why the creators making the most money on Stan aren't the most talented ones, and why asking your audience what they want to buy is always the right first move.We also get into why employee-generated content is one of the most slept-on growth strategies for founders right now, what being in rooms with Gary Vee and Steven Bartlett has actually taught him about obsession and hiring, and why watching your team members leave to build their own thing is a flex, not a failure.Oh, and he walks us through Stanley: Stan's new AI head of content, and what it's already doing for engagement in the first three days of using it.If you've been stuck in your head about your niche, your first offer, or your content strategy, this episode is going to shake all of that loose.📌 Try Stan free for 3 days → stan.store📘 Career Cheat Codes - IT'S OUT!!!My new book Career Cheat Codes is now available to order. It’s a practical guide to building career leverage, growing your visibility, and turning your expertise into real opportunities.Order yours → penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807588/career-cheat-codes-by-courtney-johnson/03:10 The employee-generated content strategy every founder is sleeping on 06:28 What to tell the leader who's afraid their team will get too big and leave 08:17 The Taylor Swift strategy: niche first, expand later 10:07 Why "I help everyone" is why no one follows you 11:00 What Steven Bartlett taught him about obsession and hiring 13:57 The one thing every billionaire, athlete, and top comedian has in common 32:10 How to figure out what your audience wants to buy 33:07 Why your DMs and comments already have the answer 40:00 What to do when your first product isn't selling 43:00 Introducing Stanley: Stan's AI head of content 47:00 What Stanley is already doing for engagement in the first three daysAbout John HuJohn Hu is the founder of Stan, the all-in-one creator store platform that has generated over $500 million for creators worldwide. He built Stan originally for his own account and grew it into one of the most trusted platforms in the creator economy. He's also the creator of Stanley, Stan's AI head of content built to help creators scale their content without needing a full team.Connect with John👍 Instagram: @jayhoovy🎶 TikTok: @jayhoovy💼 LinkedIn: John Hu 🎙️YouTube: @jayhoovyStay connected with me📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co👍 Instagram: @builtinpublicpod👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson
SummaryHow Social Media Makes You Money
May 1900:56:03Summary readyIn this week’s episode, I’m answering your questions and digging into something that comes up over and over again in my work: why social media feels so uncomfortable for so many people, and why that discomfort is often the very thing that leads to growth, opportunity, and money.At its core, this episode is about visibility. But not in the “post more” or “just be confident” way it’s usually framed. We talk about visibility as a lived experience, the fear of being misunderstood, the pressure of being seen, the cringe that shows up right before momentum, and the internal resistance that makes people want to stop posting right when things are about to work.One of my favorite parts of this episode is talking about how action creates clarity, not the other way around, and why most people stay stuck waiting for certainty instead of moving while things still feel messy. We also touch on creativity, procrastination, and the role your environment and community play in how safe it feels to show up.02:45 Why visibility feels uncomfortable before it feels rewarding06:18 Being misunderstood as a sign of growth09:33 Why attention leads to opportunity (and money)14:37 Speed, momentum, and moving before you feel ready18:55 Fear, cringe, and staying in the game23:40 Why most people stop right before things work29:10 Consistency, identity, and long-term expansionStay connected with me📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co👍 Instagram: @slaythegatekeeper👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson 💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson
SummaryHer Personal Brand Made Her a Sports Illustrated Model, with Gigi Robinson
May 1200:59:56Summary readyShe became a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model and a Penguin Random House author, and neither of those things came from a talent agent, a manager, or a plan. They came from a LinkedIn post and a cold DM.Gigi Robinson has been building her personal brand since she was 12 years old with a Squarespace portfolio and a competitive swimming injury. Now she's a speaker, a creator, a published author, and the founder of Hosts of Influence, and she's done all of it without a manager, without niching down, and without “waiting until she was ready” 😑!!In this episode, Gigi explains why niching down is destroying your brand, why you ARE the niche, why a talent manager might be costing you more than they're making you, and the exact way she pitches journalists to get featured in Forbes, DigiDay, and AdWeek. She also gets into why LinkedIn is the most untapped platform right now (if you are here is because you already heard this!!!), how she hit 100 million impressions in 2025 just by responding to trending news, and the LinkedIn banner strategy that makes people decide whether to trust you in under 3 SECONDS.Oh, and she also just casually tells us how she ended up shooting with the photographer who shoots Vogue covers, the same photographer she used as inspiration when she was a kid.📌 Get Gigi's children's book A Kid's Book About Chronic Illness on Amazon, Target, Barnes & Noble, or wherever you get your books → gigirobinson.com📌 Want to learn more about Hosts of Influence, Gigi's platform for creators and professionals building real careers? → gigirobinson.com📘 Career Cheat Codes - IT'S OUT!!!My new book Career Cheat Codes is now available to order. It’s a practical guide to building career leverage, growing your visibility, and turning your expertise into real opportunities.Order yours → penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807588/career-cheat-codes-by-courtney-johnson/11:32 Why having a talent manager is probably not the business move you think it is 14:55 Why niching down is a trap, and what to do instead 17:44 You don't have a niche. You ARE the niche. 22:09 How she became a Penguin Random House author overnight, without a traditional book deal 27:33 She literally became a Sports Illustrated model from a LinkedIn post28:20 Why she posted herself in a bikini on LinkedIn and didn't think twice about it 13:11 Less than 2% of LinkedIn's 1.1 billion users post weekly. That's your opening. 16:49 How to get press: the exact stalking strategy she uses to get into Forbes and AdWeek 23:46 The LinkedIn news hack that got her 100 million impressions in 2025About Gigi RobinsonGigi Robinson is a speaker, creator, author, and founder of Hosts of Influence, a platform helping creators and professionals build personal brands that actually turn into careers. She's partnered with 100+ global brands, including Adobe, Spotify, Unilever, and LinkedIn, spoken on 100+ stages, and wrote A Kid's Book About Chronic Illness, a bestselling children's book published by Penguin Random House. She's been featured in Forbes, DigiDay, AdWeek, Business Insider, and the New York Post, and hit 100 million impressions on LinkedIn alone in 2025.Connect with Gigi👍 Instagram: @itsgigirobinson🎶 TikTok: @itsgigirobinson💼 LinkedIn: Gigi Robinson🌐 Website: gigirobinson.comStay connected with me📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co👍 Instagram: @builtinpublicpod👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson
SummaryBrian Luebben: Full Playbook on How He Quit His $252K Job and Made $100K in 48 Hours
May 500:58:24Summary readyNobody quits a $252K job when they're the #8 sales rep out of 5,079. Brian Luebben did, driving through rural Georgia with a backseat full of Carhartt pants, realizing that a quarter million dollars a year still wasn't enough to make him stay.Four years later, he runs Action Academy, a mastermind community that went from $0 to $5 million with zero ads, built entirely on a $279 podcast mic and a $600 iPhone. This year, he's going for $12 million.In this episode, Brian gives us the EXACT playbook (not theory or how to do this sh*t but the actual steps) He saved $60K in cash before quitting, bought rental properties while still employed, and built a side hustle podcast interviewing millionaires at Atlanta real estate meetups before he ever left his job. Then he moved to Brazil, did 100 free 15-minute coaching calls on the beach, found out what people needed, and sent a Venmo link for a course that didn't exist yet, and made $100K in 48 hours.He also gets into the Minivan Theory and why your closest friends will be the last ones to support you, why a $200K employee can return $2 million while a $40K employee returns $40K, and why the only reason entrepreneurship beats employment is leverage.If you've been waiting for the right time to leave your job, this episode is the sign you've been looking for.📌 Want to join Action Academy? Head to actionacademy.com📘 Career Cheat Codes - IT'S OUT!!!My new book Career Cheat Codes is now available to order. It’s a practical guide to building career leverage, growing your visibility, and turning your expertise into real opportunities.Order yours → penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807588/career-cheat-codes-by-courtney-johnson/00:00 Brian opens reading Career Cheat Codes - no, really 03:25 Entrepreneurs aren't born, they're unlocked 05:03 The "selling pants" moment driving to Cedartown, Georgia 06:16 The 3 pillars Brian had before quitting: cash, assets, and a validated side hustle 13:08 Stop trying to be the most interesting. Be the most interested. 20:44 Why your friends and family aren't trying to derail you, they're scared for you 21:24 The Minivan Theory: front row, middle row, and back row friends27:17 The step-by-step from $0 to your first $100K 31:44 $100K in 48 hours with a Cash App link and a course that didn't exist yet 41:01 Why leverage is the only reason entrepreneurship beats a jobAbout Brian LuebbenBrian Luebben is the founder of Action Academy, a mastermind community that helps people leave corporate America to buy businesses and real estate. He left a $252K corporate sales job in March 2022, traveled the world for a year documenting the journey, and built a $5M/year business from scratch with zero ads. He hosts The Action Academy Podcast, one of the top entrepreneurship shows in the country with over 1 million downloads.Connect with Brian👍 Instagram: @brianluebben🎙️ Podcast: @actionacademypodcast 💼 LinkedIn: Brian Luebben🌐 Website: brianluebben.comStay connected with me📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co👍 Instagram: @builtinpublicpod👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson
SummaryHow Dan Martell Built a $100M Personal Brand: Sam Gaudet Exposes the Full Strategy
Apr 2800:52:43Summary readyYou're overthinking your content. Meanwhile, a 16-year-old was editing videos under his desk in math class and accidentally stumbled into building one of the biggest personal brands in business.Sam Gaudet started working with Dan Martell's videographer at 16, joined Dan's team full-time at 18, and has spent the last eight years as the brain behind a content machine that now generates over 3 billion views and 200 million views per month across platforms. He watched Dan go from 500 views per video to the fastest-growing business influencer in the space. And he built the frameworks that made it happen.Now Sam is stepping out from behind the camera to build his own brand, using nothing but his iPhone, a 90-day challenge, and the same system he used to scale Dan's. In this episode, he breaks down the HEIT framework (Hook, Explain, Illustrate, Teach) that drives every piece of content they create, why picking the right topic matters more than your camera or your lighting, and why the biggest creators in the world talk about the fewest things.If you've been stalling because your setup isn't right, your hook isn't perfect, or you don't feel ready, Sam built a 3 billion view brand while getting caught editing videos in class. Your excuses don't stand a chance!!!Mentioned in this episode:🤖 Sam's Custom GPT for Content IdeasWant Sam's custom GPT that spits out 25 validated content topics using the HEIT framework? DM him the word "TOPIC Courtney" on Instagram and he'll send you the link for FREE! → Instagram: @sam.gaudet📘 Career Cheat Codes (IT'S OUT!!!) My new book Career Cheat Codes is now available to order. It’s a practical guide to building career leverage, growing your visibility, and turning your expertise into real opportunities.Order yours → penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807588/career-cheat-codes-by-courtney-johnson/02:06 Getting caught editing videos in math class (multiple times)05:04 The mindset shift that changed everything: if you can picture it, it's possible07:00 Why Sam started building his own brand now09:08 The HEIT framework: the system behind 3 billion views17:55 Why the biggest creators in the world talk about the fewest things24:38 CCN fit: how to make every video appeal to your core, casual, and new audience35:57 Trust is more important than views right now.40:37 People aren't paying for information. They're paying for time acceleration.45:49 F*ck the norm. Go try something. About Sam Gaudet Sam Gaudet is a content strategist, media company builder, and the creative force behind Dan Martell's personal brand. He joined Dan's world at 16 as a videographer, went full-time at 18, and has spent the last eight years developing the content systems that have generated over 3 billion views and 200 million views per month. His frameworks, including the HEIT method and CCN fit, are used across Dan's entire content operation and a team of 15. He's now building his own personal brand from scratch using only his iPhone, documenting the journey from zero to 100K followers.Connect with Sam👍 Instagram: @sam.gaudet💼 LinkedIn: Sam GaudetStay connected with me📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co👍 Instagram: @builtinpublicpod👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson
SummaryHow Hala Taha Turned a Free Podcast into a Multi-Million Dollar Business
Apr 2100:46:28Summary readyHer first client paid her $700. Her second paid her $30,000. She didn't even have a website.Hala Taha, aka 'The Podcast Princess', started her career as Angie Martinez's assistant at Hot 97, spent years trying to make it online before anyone used the word "influencer," and finally found her breakthrough on LinkedIn when everyone told her it wasn't the place for that kind of content. She launched Young and Profiting as a free podcast with a volunteer team of 10 in a Slack channel. Today she runs a 60-person company, the #1 self-improvement podcast network, and makes $1.5M a year in podcast sponsorships alone.In this episode, Hala breaks down exactly how she built it all. We get into why she turns podcast guests into paying clients, how she hired her first video editor by poaching them from the company that fired her, why trades and engagement pods were her secret growth weapons when she had zero budget, and why the last thing you should ever outsource is your original thinking.If you've been waiting until you have a website, a logo, a team, or a plan before you start… Hala had none of that. And she's making MILLIONS.📘 Career Cheat Codes (IT'S OUT!!!) My new book Career Cheat Codes is now available to order. It’s a practical guide to building career leverage, growing your visibility, and turning your expertise into real opportunities.Order yours → penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807588/career-cheat-codes-by-courtney-johnson/02:32 Hala's origin story: Hot 97, Angie Martinez, and trying to make it online since 1805:28 Why she never tried to do it alone and how she recruited her first volunteer team07:07 The spicy case for free internships and why her earliest interns are now business partners09:48 How trades and audience swaps grew her brand with zero budget11:50 Posting on LinkedIn when everyone said not to, and why that was her biggest break16:28 The first hire every creator should make and the last thing you should ever outsource20:51 You cannot scale to elite level without a team. Period.32:43 Your brand enables you to charge more: the power of social proof35:39 The best decision she ever made and why she's thankful she showed up every day brick by brick43:59 Why AI is coming for entry-level jobs and how personal brand is the way to future-proof yourselfAbout Hala TahaHala Taha, known as “The Podcast Princess,” is the host of Young and Profiting (YAP) Podcast, a #1 Entrepreneurship podcast with over 30 million downloads. A Top 100 podcast globally, YAP features star-studded guests like Matthew McConaughey, Gary Vee, Alex Hormozi, Deepak Chopra, Daymond John, Mel Robbins, and countless others. The show was recognized as a 2022 Webby Honoree, and Hala graced the cover of Podcast Magazine in January 2021.Hala is also the Founder and CEO of YAP Media, an award-winning, premier white-glove social media and podcast production agency for CEOs, celebrities, and top podcasters. With nearly 60 employees and a dozen high-profile clients, YAP Media was named the #1 LinkedIn Marketing Agency and voted Best Podcast Agency of 2022.In 2022, Hala launched the YAP Media Network, a podcast network that helps top podcasts land sponsorship deals with major brands like LinkedIn, Airbnb, and Shopify. YAP Media is pacing to hit 8-figures in 2025, and represents some of the most popular business podcasters in the world including Jenna Kutcher, Amy Porterfield, Tori Dunlap and John Lee Dumas. Connect with Hala👍 Instagram: @yapwithhala💼 LinkedIn: Hala Taha🎙️ Podcast: Young And Profiting🌐 youngandprofiting.com/Stay connected with me📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co👍 Instagram: @builtinpublicpod👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson
Summary