113: Podcasting from Love, Not Fear with Finka Jerkovic
What’s This Episode About?
Finka Jerkovic is an author, international speaker, workshop leader and coach. As President of FINKA Communications Inc., she consults with clients in areas of personal branding, leadership, sales, client experience and employee engagement. She brings over two decades of experience in corporate Canada in the financial services industry, with an expertise in sales, leadership, communication, and coaching. Finka believes when you bring authentic leadership and a mission-based mindset to business, you can achieve inner fulfillment, outer success and leave a transformational impact.
Her book Sell From Love: Love Yourself, Love your Client, Love your Offer released November 2020, hit Amazon’s #1 Best Seller List and was listed as a Hot New Release.
She lives in Canada with her husband and daughter on their 85-acre nature oasis, where you'll find them living a farm-to-table lifestyle, brewing up essential oil blends from their lavender field, riding horses, and beekeeping.
In this episode, Finka shares why it took her three years to finally launch her podcast even though she knew how beneficial it would be for her business, how her fears around podcasting turned her into a perfectionist, why starting a podcast is an important task even if it may not seem like an urgent one, how her podcast helped her gain clarity of her voice and messaging, why she recommends going to the edge of your comfort zone when starting a podcast rather than outside of it, why she doesn’t want someone starting a podcast if they’re not committed to doing to it for at least a 12-18 months, and more.
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Transcript
Welcome to podcasting for coaches. I'm Britany Felix and I'm a podcast launch consultant who specializes in helping coaches and consultants utilize the power of podcasting as a way to build brand awareness and generate new leads for their business. I realize not every new coach or consultant can afford to hire someone to help launch their show. So I created this podcast as a way to guide you through the process of launching and utilizing your very own podcast to help you grow your business and reach a new audience of adoring followers and potential clients. If you're ready to get your voice and podcast out into the world, head over to podcasting for coaches.com to learn more
Welcome to Episode 113 with Finca Djokovic, who is an author, international speaker, workshop leader and coach as president of Beco communications Incorporated. She consults with clients in areas of personal branding, leadership sales, client experience and employee engagement. She brings over two decades of experience in corporate Canada in the financial services industry, with an expertise in sales leadership, communication and coaching. thinkable leaves when you bring authentic leadership and mission based mindset to business, you can achieve inner fulfillment outer success and leave a transformational impact. Her book sell from Love, Love yourself, love your client love your offer. released in November 2020 had Amazon's number one bestseller list and was listed as a hot new release. She lives in Canada with her husband and daughter on their 85 acre nature Oasis, which sounds amazing, where you'll find them living a farm to table lifestyle growing up essential oil blends and our lavender field riding horses and beekeeping. I absolutely loved this conversation with vinca because she and I have incredibly similar mindsets. And I really appreciated her being vulnerable and open and talking about her launch process. That took her three years actually, by the time she had the idea for her podcast until it was actually released and out there for the world to hear. In this episode, you're going to hear Finca talk about that journey. She's also going to discuss how her fears around podcasting turned her into a perfectionist. Why starting a podcast is an incredibly important task, even if it may not seem like an urgent one, how our podcast helped her gain clarity of her voice and messaging, why she recommends going to the edge of your comfort zone when starting a podcast rather than completely outside it, why she doesn't want someone starting a podcast, if they're not committed to doing it for at least 12 to 18 months, and so much more. There was a lot that was packed into this quick interview. And if you are not a first time listener, you know that I like to get straight to the content. So let's just get to it. And here's my conversation with think up. thinker, thank you so much for being on the podcast. I am really excited to have you on here because we're going to talk about two different things actually, that don't get discussed enough. I think when people like talk about starting a podcast or for someone like me, we're trying to help people get comfortable with the idea of doing it and actually go through the steps. So first off, do you mind talking to me a little bit about your podcasting journey and what it looks like for you to actually get your podcast out into the world.
3:21
So first, I'm gonna say thanks so much for having me here. I'm super excited for this conversation. And then to answer your question, my podcast journey, I'm going to say, I had the idea I wanted to start a podcast, I thought it would be great for my business, I thought it would be wonderful to meet and connect with other like minded professionals and entrepreneurs. And I also thought it'd be a great way to build a body of work. So you just build a whole bunch of content that it's like a Wellspring resource that you can always lean into. However, the journey to get there, even though the idea was just like, Oh, this is all the wonderful things that you get by having a podcast, and all the wonderful reasons why you should, it actually took me I think if I look back three years to actually make it happen. And part of it, I'm going to say I had a couple of false starts. Part of you know, the work that I do I teach people how to sell from love and not fear. And you can even put that podcasting under that same umbrella, I was coming from a place of fear. Any time I would get close to you know, hitting publish, or the next step to saying yes to moving the podcast. And so I remember the first was there was another podcaster that was podcasting. And I really appreciated her work and what she was doing, I'm like, Okay, if I can just do something like she's doing this would be a great start. And so I actually hired her to help me start the podcast signed up for her course and our curriculum connected with their production people. We got a name, we've got some imagery We even got music. And then I got cold feet. And I was afraid I you know, there's a whole big thing, when when you're doing a podcast part of it for me, I made this really big story about all the work, it was going to take the story about the commitment. And then you're going out there sharing your voice and your ideas and your perspectives. And so I had a lot of things starting to show up for me that actually held me back from, you know, doing that first launch,
5:33
right. throughout that process. Was it obvious that it was the fear that was holding you back? Or were there things that were almost like kind of these little excuses that you use, like running into roadblocks, you're like, Oh, well, now I have to figure this out. And this is gonna take time? Or did you know in the moment that it was that fear holding you back?
5:51
I don't know, if we there's some times that we know that there's fear holding the background self sabotaging in some way, but it's very pervasive, and how it shows up, you know, taking three days to three weeks of deciding on the right music, listening to people's music, and I think it's those the elements of getting a podcast going, you don't even need music, you just need to get a mic and go. Right. You know, and so there were all these things that were embedded. I also believe for me at that moment, I was overwhelmed with the technology. It was a huge learning curve. And so that learning curve, and I also am a recovering perfectionist, I have a high quality of excellence and work ethic. Often, you know, the downside of that is when fear gets in the room with me, I turn into a perfectionist, and when I'm learning something new, and fears in the room with me, it will try to make me do it perfectly. And then I get overwhelmed. Because Okay, the mic, the lighting, the do I use, you know, this software, that technology? Oh, and then I gotta put music and then am I gonna do solo? Am I gonna do gas and all those decisions? You know, in that moment, you know, I'm putting in quotations, I needed to be perfect at them, because you're in a room with me. And so I think learning a new skill. And that's what podcasting was for me. And it continues to be that can create, like our fear reflex, and I got overwhelmed. And then when I get overwhelmed, I shut down. I don't do anything. And that's what happened. I literally just shut it all down and walked away.
7:24
Yep, that makes complete sense. And I have seen that happen in my own podcast launch clients over the years, it plays out, generally speaking, just like you said, like, they've got to find that right music, that exact perfect music. And then they've got to have the perfect title for the show. And then the artwork isn't quite right. So they constantly need to tweak things. And then the show notes are a little bit off. So like, they've got to tweak that. And it's just this constant cycle of everything, needing to be quote, perfect. And then not really understanding the why behind that. Because when it comes to a podcast, as you know, just about everything about the show can be changed later. If you're not happy with it, it's really not a big deal. Like it's super easy to change things about your show. So the idea of having to be perfect right off the bat, there's something deeper usually happening there. Exactly. And so I find with my clients, I have to pay attention to those things and think, okay, is it really that they're just not finding music that they don't like? Or is it that they're letting this part of the process hold them up for some other deeper reason? And it shows up also a lot in the form of things coming up, they hire me, they pay me 1000s of dollars to help them launch their show. And then we go to start the work. And then oh, well, I've got this launch coming up. Oh, well, now we're gonna go travel for a little bit. Oh, well, now this has come up. And they're like, I just, I thought I was gonna have time. And now I don't? Well, if you really, truly wanted to start the podcast, it would be a priority, if you would make it happen. And so that's definitely one of those instances where I have to kind of guide them through maybe what the real reason is a little bit.
8:54
Exactly, because I think what happens is, it's very easy to get then all of us sitting preoccupied with work or other priorities, no family and our work and clients, those things are really important. And then the other challenge that I think with podcasting that shows up for us, it's in the immediate moment, it feels like a nice to have not a need to have where the need to have is I got a launch, I got to work with this client, there's a request and but what we don't realize and what I know the true benefit of the podcast, it's not urgent, busy pressing work. It is important work that will actually feel your business in due time if you stick along with it long enough. And so you don't see the immediate reward or benefit. Initially, there is definitely along the way. Like when you score at an episode or you get that guests that you've been looking for or you mail your solo, you're like, oh, that was so good. And that was awesome and you win all those milestones. However, from a business standpoint, it pays in the long run and I think as business owners, we have to be cognizant of what are the urgent busy, I like the 8020 rule 80% of my work is on this like, you're you're kind of like, you know, there's the needs of your clients. But there's you got to have like the 20% of your space in your brain and you're on this work that's going to pay you dividends when you invest 12 months, 24 months, 36 months into something. And podcasting, right, that thing, it will give you 80% of your revenues 80% back if you just invest 20% of your time in it right now. And you have to be committed for that.
10:32
Yes, I 100% agree. And thank you so much for talking about the commitment part of it, because you're absolutely right, like, Listen, can you have a successful business without a podcast? Absolutely. But if you started, if you stick with it, if you put the actual time and effort into it, it is going to eventually not immediately pay off so much for you in so many different ways. That's why I love bringing people like you on the show. Because it's not always necessarily bringing in leads, it's getting more comfortable in your speaking skills and putting your voice out there. So that when you get on the phone with clients, when you're creating your social media posts, your voice is so much more powerful, and people can feel the confidence in it. And I think that's something that's interesting about your story as well, is having that fear about putting your voice out there. So what have you noticed with the podcast, since starting yours? How has it impacted other parts of your business and your ability to sell?
11:29
So part of podcasting is that you get to speak. And you're talking You're so my podcast has both it's both based on interviews, but also solo episodes. And so I'll say initially, and can I just I'm gonna go back to the initial what was the next thing that helps me move towards to finally hitting publish and to getting it off the ground? One of the decisions I made when I was doing sort of the false, the two false first launches, I was looking to launch a solo podcast, and that pressure, what am I going to talk about? What are the ideas that I'm going to share and that fear of what are people going to say about my ideas, especially because I'm talking about this topic called selling from love, it's very heart based. It's ideally for a particular type of individual who, I don't even know what word to describe it. Someone who is not adverse to the word love in business, like you really are comfortable with, like, Yeah, I love my clients, I want my clients to love me and like it's easy to talk to. So there's a particular type of person that my work appeals to. But you know, as a business owner, and you know, coaching coaches for podcasting, one of the even in that podcast like picking who you're focusing on, what's the topic you're going to be focusing on niching down that specific creates sort of this, again, the scarcity mindset, like, what if other people want to listen to it? So I know, for me, what it allowed for me was initially getting clear on my voice, who it is that I'm talking to, what am I talking about? And why am I talking about this particular topic? So that was where it helped me get clarity on that on my voice. And then as I started doing interviews, so initially, I wanted to just solo but what helps me actually get to the launch was deciding, okay, I'm not going to do solo, I'm not going to be put that much pressure on me, because if I do, it activates the fear. So what's the bridge over the bridge for me was, let me start with interviews. Let me just start with talking to other people about this topic, sell from love. And so I think it's important to recognize that sometimes when you're doing something new, it can be completely outside your comfort zone. And I don't ever recommend people go beyond their comfort zone like it's totally out of the their paradigm. But what would be the edge move. So for me beyond my comfort zone was doing solo episodes that felt very frightening and scary, you know, all of that. And then the edge moment was alright, let's just start with solo. And then with sorry, with the interviews, and that was the place that like oh, other people are, appreciate this topic. Other people want to talk about this topic. I wrote a book on the topic, other people are, you know, echoing and mirroring it back to me. And so I believe the podcast helps you find your people, the people that appreciate what you have here to share your ideas, your insights, your teachings. And so using it to one help you articulate it and get clear on your voice and what you're here to do, but also helping you attract those like minded and like spirited individuals who are down with what you are putting down. Like, we're just like ready to pick it up. The podcast does it. One more thing if I could just call out what I also love about what podcasting did for me, and I don't know if it'll do for you is it's not like a Facebook ads strategy or an Instagram strategy. There's a commitment with whether it's technology and maybe even some resources and tools and you're getting this thing set up that way. You start with it, you're like, I've already invested this much money this much time, it's not as easy to walk away from. So I think when we're going outside our comfort zone and trying something new like this, this actually is a really good anchor, because you've invested so much to get the thing off the ground that you feel, I can't walk away from this, I just invested, you know, X amount of dollars or X amount of time or X amount of effort. And it makes it harder to walk away from so I think, the work you're doing, and helping coaches build a podcast. It's one of those commitments that when you make it, you're building it. So your fear mindset doesn't negotiate yourself out of it.
15:37
Yes, thank you so much for bringing that up. Because that is absolutely true. Because I have seen for clients who work with me and on with ongoing editing for their show, if at some point, they decide they want to scale back on their expenses, you know, maybe they need to take over the process themselves. And at that point, like there's not as much financial investment in each month, like it helps their bottom line. But all most every single time, the show is done within a couple of months, because they find that they themselves can necessarily keep up with it. But also because they're not making it that priority. They're not making it part of their marketing expenses for that month, they're not putting the investment into it, it's just a lot easier for them to put it on the backburner, put it on hold and kind of not ever come back to it again. So I do completely agree that making that investment up front, you know, the monetary investment up front, and then of course, the time investment to keep it going is really important. It's kind of like an accountability thing.
16:37
It is it is it's such a great accountability partner. And I would you know, especially for anyone who's starting out, commit yourself like when I look at the podcast channel as a way to spread your work and your message, you need to give it you know, a good college try and a good college try isn't three months is saying I'm in this for 12 to 18 months or saying I'm gonna report 75 episodes like giving yourself a specific outcome that you can feel good about, like if you record 75 episodes by the end of the year, and then you can go back and reevaluate. And not three months and a dozen episodes. That's not enough, because it's not enough to go through the growing pains of figuring out what your voice is like, who your ideal listeners are, who your ideal interviewees. Are your guests. What you love talking about, I don't know, I haven't yet gotten there. But I know it's at least 100 episodes. And maybe you can tell us when when it's best, like what is it to reevaluate how many episodes Do I need in my inventory that I can say, Okay, now let's take a look at this,
17:42
right, you have just about hit the nail on the head here, because anytime I hop on a call with a potential new launch client who wants to work with me, I make it very clear that I expect them to commit to their podcast for at least one full year. That's what they need to know going into it before they ever start, that they should be prepared to podcast for a full year before they really start seeing any significant ROI from it. Especially if they're actually looking really it's now can it happen faster? Yes. Do you see benefits from it faster, almost every single time, as long as you're putting in it the right amount of effort as long as you're not, you know, half assing it I would say, but there is something about that one year mark, the show will start picking up traction. And this is by the way, for people who don't really have existing audiences, at least not huge ones. I'm not talking about people who are coming into this, you know, with an audience 20,000 or 50,000 or 100,000. Like these are people who are just kind of starting their business years 123 they've got an okay base, but they're doing this podcast to help spread the word about their business, and bring in new people who are not in their existing audience. And so it is around that one year mark that we do see, they're getting more and more new people coming into their audience. They're seeing more traffic go to their website, they're seeing more leads come in, they're seeing more courses or products being purchased. So yeah, about one year is what I would say.
19:02
Yeah, I agree. I think it also gives, it gives you an opportunity to really commit to especially because podcasting does take a significant amount of effort, energy and investment. Knowing that like this could be your only like one of the few I would say don't take on too many different marketing strategies and brand awareness and engagement strategies. But this could be the one like this is the one you're going to invest in focus on for the next 12 months. And that's it and then see what happens and then reevaluate but and then what happens often is you know, you're someone else's ready to say, hey, try this or try that or try this and our, you know, shiny object syndrome hits us and three months into our podcast, we're off to some other adventure and that's not going to give us traction because we haven't stuck it long enough. And so whatever the next thing you are going to choose in lieu of or you're going to negotiate out of why you shouldn't do a podcast anymore and how you should go try this strategy. You're gonna have to stick to that for 12 months before you see payoff as well, right? Nothing is an overnight success. And so if you could use the power of your voice to share your wisdom, to create a thought leadership or just give a space for others to do that, wow, like that is such a gift for you and such a gift for other people. And, yeah, I'm podcasting all the way kind of gal.
20:28
Well, I absolutely love that. Obviously, we are all about podcasting here. And I do I want people who, who loved the process and love the medium, it's not for everyone. And we do understand that this idea of committing to something for a year might seem overwhelming. But as I think it would say, it pays dividends usually, if you actually do put the time and the effort into it. So thank you so much for being on the show. I have loved this conversation. I wish it could go on for another hour. I may have to have you back on at some point, if you're open to it. Absolutely. Please let everyone know where they can find you. We will obviously have links to everything in the show notes. But why don't you go ahead and say it here on the show for them?
21:10
Yeah, absolutely. So you can find me at sell from love comm if you check out the site, there's a couple of resources there. One being take the self love test, it will help you identify whether or not you're selling and marketing is coming from a place of fear, or love and give you an action plan on what you can do to move closer towards love. So you can you know, have more confidence, get those wonderful clients that are just waiting for you to be there for them and create some real good impact in your work. So, again, sell from love.com.
21:44
Perfect. And can they find all of the information for your podcasts as well?
21:47
Absolutely. You'll find everything on that on that page, the podcast, the test, everything's on my website. They're
21:53
awesome. Well, thank you again, so much for being on the show. Thank you so much for having me. And that wraps up my conversation with Finca, I hope that you enjoyed it as much as I did. I hope that if you are experiencing some fears, around starting your own podcast and putting your voice out there in such a public way, that this episode, let you know that you are absolutely not alone. Unless you are already a public speaker, or are already very comfortable doing things like Instagram lives or Facebook Lives. Chances are the idea of starting a podcast may make you a little bit uncomfortable. And I promise you there are ways to work around that. And I'm actually going to be discussing that in next week's episode, where we're going to talk about pushing past those podcasting fears. Now, if this episode was enough for you, and you're like, you know what this convinced me I just need to stop getting in my own way, stop letting fear control the situation. And I am ready to launch my podcast. But I want to invest in it. And I want to hold myself accountable. And I want some support with it. Well, I can absolutely help you with that. As you heard in this episode, I do consult people on how to start their podcast. So I can take them from idea to having their podcast live on all the major platforms. And we can really just go through it step by step by step. So you're never confused. On what step comes next, what you have to do in what order absolutely all of the guesswork and overwhelm and frustration is completely taken out of the conversation. Because I guide you through everything. If you want to learn more about that just go to podcasting for coaches.com. There is a work with me tab. And of course you can find my Launch Services right there. If you are not at the point where you can invest in having me as a personal consultant, I do have a DIY option. I have a self guided online course that you can go through and that will also be linked in the show notes and I do have a Courses tab on my website as well. So super, super easy. Alright, that's gonna wrap it up for today. Thank you so much for joining me and I will see you back here in two weeks for the next episode. And that wraps up another episode of podcasting for coaches. If you'd like to connect with me further, you can do so on Instagram at podcasting for coaches. If you know it's time to finally get serious about starting your podcast, go to podcasting for coaches calm and click on the work with me tab in the main menu to learn more about my one on one launch consultation packages or my self paced online course. And I look forward to seeing the podcasts that you create and put out into the world.