Podcasts have gained a lot of popularity in the past decade. Our next rule breaker is the CEO of a B2B SaaS platform named Messy.fm, which helps organizations create private podcasts to talk to their workforces via audio.
How did she come up with this idea and how does she keep it going? Let’s learn answers to these and many other questions from Molly Beck.
1. Can you explain in detail what you do?
I run Messy.fm, business software that helps teams and leaders create podcasts that are only shared internally in the organization. We help companies and organizations bring podcasts into their workplace as a channel for them to talk to their employees, especially the ones that might be deskless, hybrid, or have a longer commute time.
2. What was your inspiration behind Messy.fm?
I started a blog in the late 2000s; it changed my professional life and made me excited about the power of creating content on the internet. In 2015, I observed podcasting becoming just as popular as blogging. I wanted to be a part of this new trend, but this time around I wanted to be on the technology side of the industry.
At first, I called Messy.fm the “WordPress of podcasts” because I wanted to make it very easy for anyone to get into podcasting, regardless of their audio knowledge. Once we found the use case around businesses, we focused on building features that work well for enterprise customers. Helping internal communications leaders jump into this space to talk to their employees in a medium their employees already love, without requiring training on complicated audio software, has been a dream. Our vision of podcasting for all is being realized.
3. What challenges did you have to face as a momtrepreneur?
A silver lining of Covid-19 was the switch to holding conferences and meetings online. Previously, I didn’t have much problem with traveling….until I saw the ease of attending events online. It can be hard to travel when you are responsible for little kids, needing to make sure that they are set up when you are not there. The shift to online meetings as a default in a post-Covid world has been huge for my work-life balance as a founder with small kids.
4. What is your favorite mantra or affirmation that you say to yourself to keep you going?
I think a lot about the Paris Hilton quote, “The only rule is don’t be boring.” It reminds me that my goal is to have an interesting life, not a perfect life. I try to do things that are exciting and not boring (at least to me!) as a way to keep moving through life.
5. How do you keep yourself productive and motivated the entire day?
I believe it’s important to know yourself, and know when you are most active. I try to pay attention to when I can do certain tasks well, and slot them in at those times. For me, solitary work, like sending emails or creating client proposals, is best suited to my mornings when I can crank through a lot of work. In the afternoon, when I am more likely to feel tired, I try to set up my meetings then. Interacting with others keeps me energized, pushing through any hint of an afternoon slump.
6. Knowing what you know now, what would you have done differently when you were first starting out?
In business, there are two types of companies. One is B2C, i.e. when you are directly selling to individual people. Then, there is B2B, when you are selling to businesses. And because I am an individual consumer, I thought that most companies sold to individuals.
So when I started Messy.fm, I thought that it would make the most sense if individual people who want to start a podcast using our software. It never even occurred to me that we could sell to businesses. I think if I had known about B2B software then, I would have started with that customer base from day one, instead of pivoting to it later on. A thriving B2B business is just plain awesome!
