ITT 017: From Hobby to 6 Figure Business with Cliff Ravenscraft
Have you ever been passionate about a pastime, but didn't think it could ever develop into anything more (like a business)? Maybe it's time to reevaluate your thinking. In today's broadcast of In The Trenches, I sit down with Cliff Ravenscraft, a man who turned a passionate side project into a 6 figure business in a few short years. Cliff started podcasting as a hobby in 2005… In a couple short years, his podcasts had garnered enough attention for him to quit his day job and pursue podcasting full time. Now, Cliff not only produces multiple podcasts (and personally recorded over 3,000 episodes), but he is also a podcasting consultant and coach. I had the honor of meeting Cliff in person when he and Pat Flynn hosted a meetup in Nashville. Not only does Cliff know his stuff when it comes to entrepreneurship, specifically in regards to building your audience through podcasting, but he’s a super down to earth person. If you’re at all interested in podcasting, marketing, or simply turning a passion into a business, definitely check out today’s broadcast.
What Cliff Ravenscraft and I talk about:- How cliff started in Christian ministry, and how that has profoundly affected his entrepreneurial journey to this day
- Why Cliff gave up a 6 figure salary to pursue podcasting full time - something that was barely making him enough money to survive, at the time
- Cliff's hobby of podcasting and how it all started in 2005 with a podcast about the TV show Lost
- How Cliff 'lean started' his podcasting career with a $35 headset and had his first show up (called Generally Speaking) and running within 15 hours
- How he got to 17,000 subscribers by the third episode of his Lost podcast and pivoted to capitalize on his success
- Why Cliff gave himself plenty of time to 'side hustle' podcasting before going at it full time
- How his first year of podcasting only brought in $11,000 in profit for him and his whole family - but he kept hustling to make his dream come true
- The reality of being an entrepreneur and how Cliff worked 14-18 hours a day for the first 9 months of becoming a full-time entrepreneur
- Why entrepreneurs need to pace themselves (and Cliff's intense story of how he overworked himself to the point of being hospitalized and almost dying)
- What it's like to produce 30 different shows and more than 3,000 podcast episodes (hint: it's a lot of work)
“You can best achieve success by helping other people achieve success.” [click to tweet]
“If you give enough away for free people will beg you for ways to give you money in return.” [tweet]
Where You can Find Cliff: Additional Resources and Links