I am writing this from the lake, which has somehow become my unofficial office for the summer. The internet is better out here than at my own house, which still baffles me, but that is a story for another day. What I actually want to talk about today is something I am living through in real time: knowing when to ask for help.
Right now I am building my first full coaching program, Bet On Your Podcast. I have launched online courses before, but this is a full coaching program, built entirely from scratch, and it is teaching me a lot about where my own strengths actually end.
Where My Zone of Genius Starts and Stops
Writing the scripts, recording the video lessons, and editing the tutorials on cover art, RSS setup, and show editing? Easy. That is my zone of genius. I could do that work in my sleep at this point, because it is what I have spent years doing for clients.
Building the website, setting up the email list, and building out the funnels? A completely different story. That side of things does not come naturally to me, and it has slowed the whole launch down. I originally wanted Bet On Your Podcast live by August. Now I am aiming for mid-August, likely around my birthday, because the backend work is taking longer than the content did.
The Test I Use to Decide
Here is the question I keep coming back to, and the one I want you to ask yourself the next time your podcast hits a wall: do you actually want to learn this skill, even if you are bad at it the first few times? Or is this something you have zero interest in ever learning?
For the website and funnel side of my coaching program, my answer is that I want to learn it. I like learning new things, and this happens to be something I can eventually get comfortable with. So I am pushing through, slower than I would like, but pushing through.
Why Some Podcasters Should Never Learn to Edit Their Own Show
My client Liz is the opposite example, and it is just as valid. From day one, she has told me she wants to record and interview guests, full stop. She has no interest in learning to edit, no interest in writing show notes, and no interest in building out the content that comes from each episode. That is not a gap in her skill set. That is her being clear about where her energy should go, and it is exactly why she has stuck with her podcast for years instead of burning out trying to do it all herself.
Ask Yourself Before You Quit
The biggest mistake I see podcasters make is treating a roadblock as a reason to quit instead of a reason to ask for help. If you hit a wall and you do not know the next step, that is the moment to ask yourself the same question I ask myself: do I want to learn this, or do I want it handled?
If the answer is that you want to learn it, find a course, a mentor, or someone who has already done it. If the answer is that you have no interest in learning it, hire someone to take it off your plate. Either answer keeps your podcast alive. Quitting is the only wrong move.
Where to Go From Here
If you are stuck on a specific roadblock right now, a pick my brain call is the fastest way through it. If you need a full path from idea to published episode, my coaching program, Bet On Your Podcast, will walk you through it start to finish. And if you would rather hand the whole thing off, that is exactly what my production services are for.
Wherever you land, do not let one hard part convince you your whole show was a bad idea. It probably just means you found the part you need help with.
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