Enjoy this 432-word “Micro-Interview” with podcaster, Jay Clouse.

Thanks, Jay.

Let’s get started:

"Do you have a work routine?”

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I have a small team with big output, so I've become pretty disciplined over the years – and that starts with my schedule itself. I keep Mondays, Fridays, and most of Wednesdays open for deep, creative work. Tuesdays and Thursdays are full of meetings, recordings, and calls in my community. Even on Tuesdays and Thursdays though, I keep my mornings to myself.

"What do you wish you'd known about your work when you first started?”

I wish I understood earlier the value of what I call Discovery Platforms. I was so bought in on owning your audience that I focused primarily on email and audio podcasting for years...which are both notoriously difficult channels to grow. I wish I would've realized earlier the value of dedicating time to social media and YouTube as a way to get people to my email and audio properties.

“What did your biggest professional failure teach you?”

My failures are so constant and so relatively small in hindsight that I'm not even sure what my BIGGEST professional failure is. But one thing I've learned over and over again is the value in creating systems that do not depend on YOU at the keyboard. Automation and delegation are so powerful and I've spent too long undervaluing them.

“Has anything helped you shorten your craft's learning curve?”

I actually got a LOT better at writing when I started podcasting. When you hear your own writing, out loud in your actual voice, you quickly realize what it sounds like (or doesn't sound like) to WRITE in your voice. Even if you don't want to do a podcast, reading your writing out loud is so useful.

“Do you have a book recommendation?”

I constantly think about How To Win Friends And Influence People. Specifically, the lesson on how important it is to remember peoples' names. No one is "good with names" naturally – it's a skill that takes work. It's worth learning it!

“Any parting piece of advice?”

What gets measured gets managed. If you are trying to improve or achieve something, start measuring it. Care about metrics, data, and analytics. When you start looking at the data, it has a magical way of pushing you towards the decisions that improve your outcomes.