5 Million Downloads, Award-Winning, and Profitable. Here's How Tiffany Ashitey Did It.

09/02/20 • 73 min

Tiffany Ashitey is the Executive Producer of the Essence Podcast Network, and it’s my honor to have her as our guest for this week’s Better With Paul. In Episode 10, we turn a few nonbelievers (you know who you are) into believers - as we discuss the depths of the infamous world of podcasting. I know it’s not everybody’s cup of tea, but the last five years have thrust podcasting into an unforeseen space - one with plenty of potential for entrepreneurs and content creators.

She’s hosted guests like Regina King, Issa Rae, and Tiffany ‘The Budgetnista’ Aliche to her show and turned podcasting into a multi-dimensional experience. Her flagship podcast among the network catalog, 'Yes, Girl!,' turned podcasting into so much more than an audio experience. It’s even more than video.

Podcasting is an experience. We build communities and create opportunities. Speaking of opportunity, the business savvy founder of Yes Girl podcast and all its subsidies believes we have just barely scratched the surface. In terms of scaling and strategy, deals like Joe Rogan’s nine-figure Spotify signing and Michelle Obama’s entrance into the podcasting world shows that things are just now kicking into gear. With over five million streams to the Yes Girl podcast alone, Tiffany’s unveiled a system, more like a blueprint, for people of color worldwide.

The podcasting game is developing more each day. On the show, Tiffany pushed us to consider aspects of the business like connectivity and accessibility that many Black content creators may overlook. With less than 40% of the continent of Africa having Wifi access, we both see so much room to grow, to network, to learn.

Tiffany called that missed opportunity an economy unto itself. And she’s right.

Her strategy is to tackle the same possibilities that the biggest names in podcasting are already taking advantage of. She believes in meeting the audience where they are and pushing the status quo. In this episode, Tiffany shares the truth of the future of podcasting in ways that make people like you, and I believe that we, too, can create a massive audience and monetize.

She’s not just talking; Tiffany’s word holds weight. Her podcasts have received not one, not two, but THREE Webbie nominations. They’re earning over six-figures in individual revenue - yes, I got the numbers out of her. And they’ve set the tone for the future of the podcasting experience.

She’s raised the bar so high that I can’t help but become motivated to push harder. I hope you catch that same determined motivation after you listen to this episode.

If you’ve been on the fence about podcasting or looking for ways to scale your show, get into this episode right now. Tiffany has a few words for you (and the non-believing haters too).

To learn more about Tiffany's work: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanyashitey/

Be sure to join the Better With Paul newsletter for my biggest takeaways from each episode and special announcements: https://www.paulcbrunson.com/better/

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Tiffany called that missed opportunity an economy unto itself. And she’s right.

She’s raised the bar so high that I can’t help but become motivated to push harder. I hope you catch that same determined motivation after you listen to this episode.

If you’ve been on the fence about podcasting or looking for ways to scale your show, get into this episode right now. Tiffany has a few words for you (and the non-believing haters too).

To learn more about Tiffany's work: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanyashitey/

Be sure to join the Better With Paul newsletter for my biggest takeaways from each episode and special announcements: https://www.paulcbrunson.com/better/

Also, if you want to connect with the Better With Paul community, please join our private:

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/betterwithpaul

LinkedIn Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8941481/

Thanks so much for listening! If you like this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review.

Previous Episode

How 27-Yr-Old Jenelle Coy Built a $17 Million Business in Under 6 Years

Most children grow up hearing some variation of the age-old idiom, "you can be anything you want," but Jenelle Coy took those words to heart. The confidence instilled in her early on inspired her to take leaps and bounds that your average twenty-something probably wouldn’t go after. Jenelle has created such an extraordinary legacy for herself that you’d never associate her with anything average anyway. Very few people make the Forbes’ 30 under 30 list or rank in the Top 5 Fastest-Growing Businesses in America, but Jenelle did.

She’s a fearless trailblazer who admits she’s not afraid to fail, one of the many reasons why I believe she was able to build a $500,000 business within one year out of college. She founded Spero in 2014 and never looked back since. What began as a two-week trial run has grown into a multi-million dollar empire. She’s mastered the quantitative aspects of marketing and advertising. And she must know what she’s doing since her AD got Beyonce (yes, the Beyonce) to wear a pair of nude heels designed for women of color.

She’s an incredible resource of information and inspiration all her own. Jenelle also happens to be single - and you KNOW that triggered my inner matchmaker. Partnered up or not, she is a force to be reckoned with. This episode carries a special message of hope that I’m sure you need to hear. As a proud second-gen Trinidadian, we discuss the difficulty of owning your identity. Jenelle is a Howard Alum and she entered the world with the cultural richness of her Caribbean roots and the HBCU experience. She’s young, she’s Black, and she’s a woman; three characteristics that could’ve hindered her business success. Jenelle never asked for permission, she unapologetically took up space. I’m incredibly proud to share her story with you.

To learn more about Jenelle's work: https://www.jenellecoy.com/

Be sure to join the Better With Paul newsletter for my biggest takeaways from each episode and special announcements: https://www.paulcbrunson.com/better/

Also, if you want to connect with the Better With Paul community, please join our private:
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/betterwithpaul
LinkedIn Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8941481/

Thanks so much for listening! If you like this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review.

Next Episode

How Tyler Perry Created a Billion-Dollar Fortune with Dan Runcie

1 Recommendations

Better With Paul had the pleasure of sitting down with a true trap connoisseur, a Black History preservationist who’s left me ridiculously impressed with what he’s done. Trapital is an online archive that chronicles the money moves of some of the most accomplished names in the culture.

One day, a quick look into the work of the infamous actor, writer, director, producer, comedian, and all-around entrepreneur by the name of Tyler Perry landed me on this incredible resource that detailed some of the most thought-provoking entertainment white papers I’ve ever come across. Episode 11 highlights the genius of the great Dan Runcie, the founder of the media company responsible for delivering the best business updates on your favorite entertainment moguls like Dame Dash, Jay Z, and Master P. We take the classic independent artist discussion to the next level by highlighting the critical business moves our favorite names made on their way to the top. We talk about the importance of ownership and understanding the power in independent growth while being raw and honest about the various challenges people face while trying to mitigate the perfect balance between natural skill and business sense.

It all boils down to a mixture of art and science. Some people followed many of the same steps that people like Tyler Perry took, and they haven’t seen a fraction of his billion-dollar sales - so what makes the people featured on Trapital so different?

Dan explains the way Trapital has become a resource over the years. It is the voice for Black culture to speak about the business matters and entrepreneurial concerns that impact our businesses more than others - and it’s a safe space for you to learn and apply various business models designed by people who face the same daily battles people like you and I tend to face. Tyler Perry wasn’t lucky. Dame didn’t decide on 100% ownership by accident. Jay Z highlights the importance of Black ownership, but he still signed a deal that made sense for him.

There is no right or wrong in entrepreneurship, and I think that’s one of the essential aspects Dan highlighted on this week’s show. You have to know your product, your audience, and the model you’ll rely on to bring your vision to life. Even in the entertainment industry, you need to understand things like demand and distribution. Tyler’s model today may not exist ten years from now, at least not in the same way. As more of the world becomes ‘woke’ to injustice, and more Black businesses are created, there will come a time where our faces will become much more common on the big screen. I’m sure Tyler knows this, and I’m confident his business is prepared to get restructured as necessary. The question is - have you been evaluating your business in the same way?

If you haven’t, you need to listen in on the talk Dan, and I just had because you’ll start to see yourself, your business, and your worth so much differently after you hear what he has to say.

To learn more about Trapital: https://trapital.co/

Be sure to join the Better With Paul newsletter for my biggest takeaways from each episode and special announcements: https://www.paulcbrunson.com/better/

Also, if you want to connect with the Better With Paul community, please join our private:

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/betterwithpaul

LinkedIn Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8941481/

Thanks so much for listening! If you like this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review.