Unconventional Lessons From The First Year of Grow Everything

In 2022, Erum Azeez Khan and I had this idea: Let’s start a podcast.

Why?

To share the incredible biotech insights we were hearing in our networking and at Messaginglab. Insights from people making the world a better place by growing everything. Knowledge that most people don’t hear (still don’t).? Here we are a year, 50-something episodes, and 15,000 plays later.?

Thank you very much.

Along the way, we’ve had conversations with incredible founders, investors, and innovators. We’ve learned a ton.

Thank you again.

To celebrate what feels like a significant milestone, we thought we’d share four unconventional insights from a year of podcasting.

Embrace the Chaos, Just Launch. So, you want to launch a podcast, eh? I bet that thought has crossed your mind. It had crossed mine.

Many times.

So, when I mentioned it to Erum she said, “Let’s do it,” and promised that if I could line up guests, she’d get us ready in a month.

In a mad sprint, she identified and interviewed multiple producers (and chose Amplafay Media), I sent out invitations to potential guests, and we recorded many, many tests.

When we finally recorded that first interview (thank you Dr Megan Palmer), edited, and the episode appeared (like magic) on Spotify, on Apple, on Google, I thought I was going to vomit.

Then I realized, OMG, we had to do it again. And again.

Had we strived for perfection, making so many rookie mistakes, I wouldn’t be writing this today.

To me, launching the podcast was the perfect example of ready, fire, aim.

Sometimes you have to take the leap.

Brace for the Workload Before You Hit Record. Recording that first episode felt like reaching some invisible finish line. Little did we know countless tasks lay ahead -- identifying, inviting and scheduling guests, editing, drafting titles, creating and publishing social promotions. Not to mention administrative follow-up.

The workload was a rude awakening.

A weekly podcast is a lot of work (especially if you’re also running a business).

After the initial chaos, we implemented systems and created workflows that balanced the podcast with client work. We started thinking two-three months (12 episodes) ahead.

Plus, we embraced adaptability and agility, responding swiftly to changes in platforms, algorithms and audience preferences (just like the ever-evolving world of biotech) to keep the podcast relevant and captivating.

Sure, we still fantasize about showing up, hitting record, and magically having the edited pod published and marketed, but realistically we know that might not happen for a while.

Non-Negotiable: Commit to Consistency. In addition to producing a podcast, we run Messaginglab - a strategic marketing communications firm.

It’s our full-time job.

But Erum was unwavering in committing to a weekly publishing schedule.

Again, why?

To build the audience and to optimize for search.

To accomplish that, we realized that being consistent, not just in publishing but in identifying and reaching out to guests, recording commentary, and creating social promotion was the key to success.

And being consistent requires insane time management.

Grow Everything’s success, so far, is as much about our commitment to publishing every Friday as it is about our fantastic guests and our engaging conversations.

Consistency is a key to unlocking sustained success.

Understand the Story is the Strategy. Biotech is complex. We have the ability to shape life at the DNA level, impacting our own evolution, and leveraging the most sustainable manufacturing platform we humans have ever had.

But it’s not just the technology that is complex -- public acceptance, ethics, and implications of working with life all need to be explored. We’re living in an anxious and exciting moment.

We knew, as strategists, company builders, and investors that the stories people tell matter. So, we must have conversations centered around the technology, its impact, and personal narratives.

We featured scientists and company builders sharing their tales of creative perseverance.

Along the way, audience reactions validated our story-first instinct. (Like the listener who finally understood her daughter’s synthetic biology career after hearing her interview.)

In this post-truth misinformation age, trusted storytellers fill the void between breakthroughs and understanding, and help us grow and shape possible futures.

The story is the strategy after all.

It’s been a whirlwind year.?

We’ve been able to share many leading-edge ideas with our listeners. All the behind-the-scenes efforts, every conversation, and each episode have increased our understanding of biotechnology, connected us with our listeners, and made us more excited for what’s to come.?

Looking forward, we’re excited to continue on this adventure, uncover new stories, expand into new media, and share our insights through the work we do at Messaginglab.?

So, what are you waiting for? Would you like to speak with us about the insights we've gained to help shape your perspective? Send us a message at [email protected] and we can set up a time to chat.

Thank you Suzanne Lee Gabriel Levesque-Tremblay , Shara Ticku , Samet S. Yildirim, MSc, MBS , Stephanie Culler , Vishaal Bhuyan , Amanda Parkes , Alex Rosay , Cas Smith , Dr. Shelby Sabriya Stukes, PhD , Alexis Gómez-Ortigoza , Meagan Schlapp , Megan Palmer , Nicole Richards , Nili Ostrov , Henry Lee , Natsai Audrey Chieza , Julie Wolf, Ph.D.

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