"The worst advice I received was to focus on making money as quickly as possible"
Based in New York City, Jonathan Baillie Strong is the founder of Spotlight Podcasting, an agency that provides businesses with done-for-you podcast production services. He is also the host of the agency’s flagship podcast Leaders Of Consulting featuring interviews with expert consultants.
Originally from Scotland, Jonathan also founded #techlondon, a community of founders, investors, and marketers to help connect the tech startup scene in London. Jonathan previously ran community development for IBM Softlayer’s Global Entrepreneurship Program across the EMEA region, which was an incubation program for tech startups across the region, connecting startups across the region with technical resources, business connections, investors, and partners.
Check out more interviews with entrepreneurs here.
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Table of Contents
Thank you for joining us today. Please introduce yourself to our readers. They want to know you, some of the background story to bring some context to your interview.
Jonathan Baillie Strong: I started my career as a consultant in London, UK working on projects with large telecom companies before venturing on my entrepreneurial path. Initially attracted to the startup scene in London, I ran a podcast agency remotely with another founder for over a year, before running a startup program across Europe, Middle East and Africa. After moving to New York and discovering a thriving podcast scene, I joined a marketing agency and helped them with their podcast operations. This lead me to eventually start my own agency, Spotlight Podcasting
You are a successful entrepreneur, so we’d like your viewpoint, do you believe entrepreneurs are born or made? Explain.
Jonathan Baillie Strong: Both – I think there are many different possible reasons people become entrepreneurs. Some people have it built in their DNA whilst others discover it, often through circumstance. In my case, my upbringing initially lead me on a more traditional career path, but my sense of exploration and initiative eventually lead me down the entrepreneurial route.
If you were asked to describe yourself as an entrepreneur in a few words, what would you say?
Jonathan Baillie Strong: A community-driven technology geek with a system mindset
Tell us about what your company does and how did it change over the years?
Jonathan Baillie Strong: My agency Spotlight Podcasting helps companies launch and produce podcasts that drive revenue. We provide a full service, which means we take care of guest outreach, editing and producing, creating social media assets & audiograms, website publishing and guest follow up.
In addition to the execution side of things, we also focus a lot on strategy, especially at the beginning, where we help our clients position their shows as well as determine what format will help them achieve their business targets. Initially we worked with a broad range of clients, but we have since found that we’re particularly well suited to working with independent consultants and professional service firms.
Thank you for all that. Now for the main focus of this interview. With close to 11.000 new businesses registered daily in the US, what must an entrepreneur assume when starting a business?
Jonathan Baillie Strong: There are a few key things that I think are important to assume when starting a business. Firstly, it’s important to have a realistic idea of the work required and what you’re getting in to – there is no magic pill, unfortunately! Secondly, it’s essential to have clarity on your target market and who you’re trying to reach. Finally, it’s important to have a good understanding of your competitive landscape and what you can do to differentiate yourself.
Did you make any wrong assumptions before starting a business that you ended up paying dearly for?
Jonathan Baillie Strong: Early on I made the assumption that competition was a zero sum game. I have since realized that it’s much better to approach this with an abundance mindset – your competitors can actually be great people to partner and collaborate with.
If you could go back in time to when you first started your business, what advice would you give yourself and why? Explain.
Jonathan Baillie Strong: I would advise myself to focus more on building a great team. I think this is one of the most important aspects of any business, and it’s something that I’ve learned over time. It’s essential to have people around you who share your vision and are passionate about what you’re doing – that makes all the difference in the world!
What is the worst advice you received regarding running a business and what lesson would you like others to learn from your experience?
Jonathan Baillie Strong: The worst advice I received was to focus on making money as quickly as possible. This is a terrible mindset to have, and it can lead to some pretty bad decisions. The lesson that I would like others to learn from my experience is that it’s important to have a long term vision for your business, and that you should never sacrifice your values.
In your opinion, how has COVID-19 changed what entrepreneurs should assume before starting a business? What hasn’t changed?
Jonathan Baillie Strong: I think having empathy has become more important during this time – you never know what the other person is going through. So taking the time to check in with how people are feeling, supporting your clients and your team is more imperative than ever.
That said, some things haven’t changed – the transition to remote working was already in progress, COVID was just responsible for accelerating that trend.
What is a common myth about entrepreneurship that aspiring entrepreneurs and would-be business owners believe in? What advice would you give them?
Jonathan Baillie Strong: I think a lot of people have a glamorous ideal of what entrepreneurship entails. However, there are a lot of mundane tasks and responsibilities that you have to fulfill, especially early on. Ideally you want to get these off your plate as sooner than later, so that you can focus on your area of genius.
What traits, qualities, and assumptions do you believe are most important to have before starting a business?
Jonathan Baillie Strong: I think it’s important to be resilient and have a thick skin, because as an entrepreneur you’re going to face plenty of challenges. It’s also essential to be passionate about your product or service – that will help you weather the tough times. Finally, I think it’s important to be resourceful and know how to hustle!
How can aspiring leaders prepare themselves for the future challenges of entrepreneurship? Are there any books, websites, or even movies to learn from?
Jonathan Baillie Strong: A book that I found paradigm changing and really started things for me was The Four Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss – there’s a lot of helpful advice there that holds true to this day – cultivating an information diet, leveraging geo-arbritage, and delegating to a virtual assistant for example. Otherwise, for most of my entrepreneurial education, I would credit podcasts – in particular The Tropical MBA for giving me useful frameworks, resources and inspiration.
You have shared quite a bit of your wisdom and our readers thank you for your generosity but would also love to know: If you could choose any job other than being an entrepreneur, what would it be?
Jonathan Baillie Strong: I would love to be a professional musician! I play the piano, guitar, harmonica, percussion and flute, so I would love to make a living playing music. I think it’s an incredibly challenging and rewarding profession.
Thank you so much for your time, I believe I speak for all of our readers when I say that this has been incredibly insightful. We do have one more question: If you could add anyone to Mount Rushmore, but not a politician, who would it be; why?
Jonathan Baillie Strong: The Dalai Lama – his teachings on compassion and mindfulness are so valuable, especially in this time of global turmoil. Plus he has a really great sense of humor.
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Jonathan Baillie Strong for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Jonathan Baillie Strong or his company, you can do it through his – Linkedin Page
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