Wow. What a time this is to be a startup small business owner. What a time this is to be anyone, I suppose.
The COVID-19 Coronavirus poses a very real threat to our nation’s well-being, and we’re inspired daily by the sacrifices that Americans are making—especially our essential personnel, from doctors and nurses to farmers and grocery stockers. If this isn’t a timely reminder that everyone deserves a living wage, I don’t know what is.
We’re still open for business here at Podcamp Media. In fact, we’ve endured relatively little hardship, especially compared to most everyone else—and we’re grateful for that.
Podcamp was already running out of a home studio before this all started. We work with clients and stakeholders across all time zones, so we were already equipped to do our job virtually, while still ensuring the highest level of recording and editing quality.
This spring, I had planned to start looking for commercial real estate for a more permanent studio solution, but I guess that can wait. Until we ride this one out, our top priority has to be health and safety.
This disruption is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before, but a podcast can be a powerful tool for engaging with your customers, members or employees during “social distancing.”
Our clients at the National Corn Growers Association even broke into their “regular programming” with a special edition of their podcast, addressing farmers’ concerns about their supply lines during planting season. From our home studio in Milwaukee, we coordinated with stakeholders in Missouri to stage an interview between a podcast host in the Mountain time zone and a guest in the Eastern time zone.
If you want an example of real leadership during COVID-19, look no further than NCGA CEO Jon Doggett’s compassionate, hopeful message in that episode.
“I do think we're going to be stronger, we're going to be better at the end of this,” Doggett said to NCGA members. “But there's going to be a lot of pain in-between. All of us from time-to-time, we're going to get a little overwhelmed. (Don’t be afraid to) reach out to those that can help.”
Stay well, folks, and be safe.