I listen more than I watch. While I read a lot, I still listen more. I even listen to what I read. And now the big players like Apple and Amazon and Google are all in on voice. Taking my daily habits and meshing them with the super companies is enough for me to double down on voice and audio. What am I talking about? My wife asks me that everyday! Here’s what I mean: audio has been around a long time (think radio) and it has grown recently with the popularity of Podcasting, Amazon’s Alexa and Google Voice (among other things). And it is getting bigger. That is why we are starting a Podcast. But this isn’t about just our Podcast, it is simply that we believe in audio.
Why though?
The overriding theme is TIME.
As we have written about on Sportsepreneur.com, Time is more important than ever. We all lead such busy lives. So we must choose what we will do with our time and audio is a way to save time.
Here are 3 reasons behind why audio is big and only will get bigger.
#1…
Speed
Some people complain that you can’t “skim” an audio recording, the way you can skim through a text document. And it’s true, you can’t. But you can set both podcasts and audible books to play faster than normal, say at 1.5x or 2x speed. That translates into hearing an entire 30-minute recording in as little as fifteen minutes—and you still get every word. You can’t say that about skimming while reading.
I can’t even stress how important listening to audio at faster speeds has become for me.
#2…
Efficient Multi-tasking
Multi-tasking has been body-slammed over the last few years. A few years ago, people were praised for doing five things at the same time. Now, they are not. Why? Because we now know that productivity goes down when people multi-task. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not here to tell you what to do. If you are happy and productive doing multiple things at once, go for it, but the point is that for many people, trying to do too much is a waste of time.
But there is an important exception to the principle—if you can find a way to do something with your ears while you’re doing something else with the rest of your body, multi-tasking can save you a lot of time. Take for example driving, exercising, walking, doing yard or housework—these are all activities that are difficult or impossible to do while reading or watching video. But all those activities are actually enhanced by listening to something. Usually it is music, and that’s great, I love music. But you can also listen to a podcast, or an audiobook. How much of your day do you spend doing things that are compatible with listening? Thirty minutes? An hour? A couple of hours? You can use all that time to improve your mind and enrich your life.
#3…
Simplicity
I love simplicity. I strive for it daily. But life has a way of becoming complicated again despite my intentions. Something about audio though is naturally simple. Video content is great and is growing incredibly fast, but video requires engagement of your eyes as well as your ears. There’s more stimulation and less scope for the imagination. Why not take a break and let your mind take it all in through just one sense—your ears. Just listening is cleaner and simpler. I find my creativity enhanced and my energy revitalized when I listen to a good podcast or audiobook. I can’t guarantee you’ll have the same experience, but I suggest it is worth a try.
A lot of people think of audio as part of the past. You might be thinking of families sitting around a radio, listening to the news or a ball game, back when print and radio were the media. While radio still exists, modern technology has given us new ways to share and listen to audio. As such, audio is experiencing a resurgence over these last few years and it’s only gaining more steam.
We are excited to be a part of it.
Besides becoming more productive with your time, what else is in it for the audience as it relates specifically to this Podcast, Entrepreneur Perspectives? I am glad you asked!
We help business owners, whether that means working directly with our clients or providing useful ideas through content. Our podcast is just another way we can help. By featuring a series of deep conversations about business with other business owners, we’ll not only share some great ideas, we’ll also give people a platform to get noticed. We will always interview entrepreneurs or people with entrepreneurial mindsets, including college students. Sometimes we’ll interview retirees. We’ll interview people from all generations. Everybody has their own perspective—unique, just like everybody else. Everyone has something to say.
I believe listeners will be able to take these perspectives and ideas and apply them to their business. I also plan to apply what I hear to my own business! This podcast will be yet another way for me to keep abreast of what’s going on in the market.
These conversations will also help generate more questions and more ideas that we will use and hopefully you will too.
Content creation has always been fun for me and I expect the podcast to be another exciting challenge—but that challenge is not our primary motivation. At my business, simply put, we help business owners.
And with audio, the thing to remember is that for every person who wants to read an article or a transcript, there’s someone else who’d rather hear audio. And for everyone who finds YouTube videos engaging, there’s someone else who wants to consume content through headphones while jogging or through their speakers while driving. The fact of the matter is that there are things that sound, and only sound, can do.
That’s why we are investing our time into audio.
And that is why this podcast exists…
Entrepreneur Perspectives
building and protecting your business 1 Podcast at a time
