The Squadcast Story: [ Part I ] Co-Founder & CFO Rockwell “Rock” Felder on Episode #0202

Intro [0:00]
EA Interviews, Episode 202. Inspiration, transformation, success stories and the Imperfect Action Round seven days a week. Join Mario Fachini for today’s Expert Authority Effect Interview.

Mario Fachini [0:13]
You already have a successful business. But have you thought about starting a podcast? I get this question all the time, should you or should you not do it? The answer is an unequivocal bowl. Yes, you should. You’re listening to one right now. And I’m super excited to have one of the cofounders of Squad Cast here, Rockwell Felder. He’s also the host of his own show, and we’re going to be talking about how to record a great podcast remotely. I’m going to bring him up right after we thank our sponsor.

Sponsor – Free Business Book Publishing Course [0:42]
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Mario Fachini [0:57]
Here he is ladies and gentlemen, Rockwell Felder, how you doing rock?

Rockwell Felder [1:01]
I’m great. Mario, thanks for having me on the show.

Mario Fachini [1:03]
I’m excited to dive right in because you have a very unique perspective. And I just want to ask you, should you start a podcast?

Rockwell Felder [1:11]
I’m a big fan of podcasting. I’ve been a fan of podcasting for over a decade now working on Squad Cast intimately with podcasters since 2016. So yes, but I’m definitely a little biased. But I’m a big fan and believer in the power of podcasting.

Mario Fachini [1:28]
You and me both. But what I want to dive into is, how do you record a great podcast? And how do you do it remotely? Because no matter what’s going on in the world, there’s people who think you need to go into a studio, you need to bring people to your studio, “Oh, it’s going to be cool. It’s going to be all kinds of things.” You know, “We can have beverages and snacks and record”. And all we need to do is plug in a mic to the laptop. And while you can do that, there’s some bottlenecks with always having to be somewhere with someone. And I like the fact that there’s this remote option. Why do you think that’s so powerful?

Rockwell Felder [2:09]
Yeah, I mean, that’s exactly how Squad Cast came to be and where our journey starts, which I’m happy to unpack a little bit more. But basically, we didn’t think that everybody was going to have the option to record their conversations, whether it’s an interview, or it’s a, like an audio fiction, where there’s different roles, we didn’t think that everybody was going to be able to do it in the same room, but that they’re still going to want to have the ability to record it in the highest sound quality possible, especially as our bet was that podcasting, even though in 2016, it still wasn’t as popular as mainstream as maybe I thought it should be. I still felt very strongly like it was going on that path, it was just a matter of time. But I’ve also experienced as a listener to podcasts and talking with other people who are fans of podcasting that it always comes up that, “Hey, we should be recording this or we should make a podcast.” Or, “You should make a podcast.” And I just remember when Zach approached me, who is my partner and co founder of Squad Cast, when he approached me about the idea for Squad Cast, that’s why it was really easy for me to get excited about because, again, I was a big fan and listener of podcasting, but also had thought that more people are going to want to create it, not everybody is going to be like Joe Rogan or Tim Ferriss or, you know, all the greats that you can think of where they can fly in people into their studios, but that they’re still going to want to create that content. And it still should sound good, because the other problem that we saw is, a lot of people were using Skype when we first entered the space, which is a great tool for video chat. But it wasn’t really built with the intent of capturing that audio in the best sound quality possible. And so that’s where we really saw our opportunity is that no one was really catering and building tools specifically for creators to create content at the highest sound quality possible. And what we’ve learned through this journey, because even though I was a fan and listener of a podcast that both Zack and I came into the space this way, we still really didn’t know what it entailed to be a creator and a host of a Podcast Producer, any of that stuff. So through our efforts to really engage with the community and learn from them, we have learned that it doesn’t have to be very difficult to record a great sounding conversation remotely. And yes, we think that tools like… software tools, like Squad Casts are a great addition to your workflow. There’s a lot of other things you can do that maybe aren’t as intuitive. Yes, a great sounding microphone or headphones are important. But there’s also a lot of other things that you can do such as room treatment, or how you use those tools. We’ve seen a lot of people where their audio quality is simply fixed just by microphone technique being improved, which is again, not intuitive. If you’re not like coming from a radio background or a you know, just an audio background which a lot of podcasters are, we’re kind of coming into this space with really just a lot of passion and maybe some experience, but you know, we’re still learning a lot on the go. So that’s where we see our role to play in this space is helping podcasters, whether they’re just starting their journey, or they’re a pro who’s looking to up their game, or you use a different remote recording service, we really see it as our opportunity to, you know, educate and help people get the most out of a remote studio experience.

Mario Fachini [5:35]
So you’ve given a lot of great Expert Authority insights there, you’re talking about the mic or talked about the room treatment, the software. So I’m going to have some fun with this. And I know the focus of your software is high quality recording. So let me ask you this question. Does it matter what mic I have, if I’m using your software? Will it fix any mic that goes in there?

Rockwell Felder [5:59]
It’s a great question. And you don’t need any external microphones or devices to record on Squadcast. However, having a mic is always going to be helpful. Specifically, if you’re buying one that’s for spoken word or for, like podcasts related, so very different than what you would use for, you know, maybe sing…

Mario Fachini [6:24]
For vocal.

Rockwell Felder [6:25]
Exactly, for vocal. So what we recommend is a dynamic microphone, there’s a lot of good options that you don’t have to break the bank on. However, again, if you do spend more money on a microphone, it could work, it could make your voice sound better. And we don’t want to discourage that. What I see a common hang up and what we do try to help podcasters avoid is getting hung up on the microphone thinking that the microphone is going to be the difference maker between your podcast getting recognized or not. And that’s simply not true. Yes, you should sound good. And I think it’s very important that you’re taking quality seriously if you are researching a microphone, but if that’s getting in the way of you actually producing the content, that’s the tough job. That’s the real job of the podcaster. And you know, so many of us companies, whether we’re on the hardware or software side, like we’re trying to help you not worry about that stuff. We don’t want you worried about the software when it comes to recording your show remotely, you should just be focused on having a great conversation with that guest and enjoying that moment that’s being captured in time. But that’s the hard part.

Mario Fachini [7:28]
I agree 100%. And even when I was setting up my studio, and you know, my background’s in video, mainly, but with that, it’s you could say it’s a background in audio, too. Because if you have video and the audio was crap on it, the whole thing is… I’ve always used this example, imagine watching Transformers, Die Hard, Jurassic Park on mute. Is it the same movie? The answer is no. It’s always audio is number one. But in the same thing, I didn’t want to have to as much as I love my crew, and we’ve done really cool shoots on location. I didn’t want to have to set up lights set up all the stuff that we do set up the wire setup the microphone setup this. And I don’t want to say just to record a conversation, because it’s totally worth it. I fully believe that, but I was aiming 5, 10 years down the line when I’m past 1000 episodes. I didn’t want it to be literally a full production for every single one. So I was going, how can I streamline this? And one of the things I love about remote recording, you can access anyone in the world. Maybe someone doesn’t want to fly. Maybe someone doesn’t want to travel. Maybe someone doesn’t speak on stage. Maybe someone doesn’t do this. Maybe you have access to someone who normally doesn’t even do interviews. And they’re willing to do it for you because you have access to them — relationship. And they’re willing to do it remotely. Can you imagine… and I just use Oprah because everyone seems to like her. She’s cool. She’s done nice stuff.

Rockwell Felder [9:08]
Sure.

Mario Fachini [9:10]
But imagine saying, “I can have Oprah on the show. And she goes, Well I’ll do it remotely.” And you say, “Well, I only take people into the studio.” Are you really gonna do that? And from a production standpoint, you also can speed things up, you can crank through 5, 10, 15 episodes in I’ll say a week. But I know people who have done it in a day depending on if it’s audio, video, how long it is… Don’t worry about the details. But the fact is you can go faster and from a business standpoint, that’s what you want to do. Would you rather have 10 really, really great interviews or 100 that are awesome that everyone loves, and they’re still good, and they probably are great because after doing 100 interviews you will get better. But some people confuse it with producing a TV show or a movie where everything has to be dialed in and you get that one shot. This is ongoing. So I love the fact that you’re focusing on the remote side of stuff. What’s another benefit you would say, is you get from remote?

Rockwell Felder [10:14]
Yeah, well, thank you. Because it’s definitely what we thought as well. And even though I would never say that, there’s certainly some advantages to having it happen in person, but the whole goal with Squadcast is to make it feel as close to real life as possible. So I think that’s one of the things that we’re also trying to deliver is that when the video isn’t recorded now, but we felt like the video element for the conversation was very important, so that you can build the rapport with your guests. Like, there’s a very interesting relationship that kind of get started and built when you’re trying to interview a guest. Because a lot of time, there’s some work in the pre interview to schedule and plan the interview with them. So there’s that relationship that’s being nurtured there. And then you actually have the interview, and like we discussed, before we hit record is that, and it’s something that we encourage our guests to do, or customers rather is to give yourself a little buffer time to connect with that guest and make sure that everyone’s on the same page, as far as the interview goes, and that you want to cover all the appropriate topics, exclude some of the stuff that they don’t want to talk about or aren’t comfortable with talking about, but it’s a great opportunity to build the relationship with them. And then of course, you’re having the real conversation, which again, has its own wonderful benefits. And then after that, we encourage to keep the relationship going. So I think that’s one of the things that was a phenomenal surprise to us was like how special the podcasting community is, and how great it is for building relationships and how a lot of people, they’re so excited and willing to come on your show and give them an hour of your time. And sometimes it’s easier to get that than 15 minutes of coffee. It’s a great relationship builder, in addition to the benefits of building an audience and having these people that are, you know, looking to you for expertise, or for this content that they just crave, so, so, so deeply. So there’s a few other benefits. But the relationship aspect overall is something that, you know, makes a lot of sense now that I’ve seen it develop. But as an outsider, it wasn’t something that I really understood totally.

Mario Fachini [12:28]
Yeah, I equate it to the tip of the iceberg. Because before this, you know, most people go, “Oh, you have a podcast, I listen to podcasts.” And they think it’s like, “Oh, you just record audio.” And it’s like, that’s like the end product. But there’s been so many episodes where we have such a good pre chat. One of my clients, I will say now, when I didn’t even know him. And I was weird talking about you know, what’s coming up in there. Because I always ask everyone what name… you know, pronounce your name, how would you like it read professionally, and I decided as the standard, we’re going to use the professional name on all the stuff, even if they go by the other one, just because you know, it’s continuity, you don’t want to be switching it all over the place. That’s like a marketing thing. But then I always say, What are you… Is there anything that’s coming out in, you know, in my case, 60 to 90 days from now, because I’m usually 12 to 14 weeks out from the time I record it to when it actually gets published, premiered, whatever you say. And, you know, he found out I do business book publishing, and he’s like, “Oh, my gosh, you can help me with my book I want to do it…” And I was looking at the clock going, we should probably start the episode. And he was like on cloud nine, level 14. And I’m like, let me just do my thing so we can record the episode. And he it I got the vibe. He was wanting to do the book more than the episode. We did the episode. It was a great one. We also published the book in eight weeks, he was thrilled about that. And then is interesting. And I’ll say this as the producer and host you can also do what you want with the order of episodes. Some people think, “Oh no, something’s out of order.” So switch it. So I just happen to have his episode dropped the day after the book came out.

Rockwell Felder [14:24]
Good one.

Mario Fachini [14:27]
And he just happened to talk about the book as it was, you know, as if it was done in advance. So, you know, people look at stuff and go, “Oh, you record the episode.” I go, “There’s about 359 other degrees, 360…” Yeah, that’s a full circle. 359 other degrees about what’s happening. And it’s like, oh, yeah, and we get an episode out of it. That’s kind of how I feel with all the great people I’ve met at different events and, you know, even through the show.

Rockwell Felder [14:56]
That’s a great example of it. Yeah, I couldn’t have said it better myself. It’s a, it’s just again, not something that you necessarily think about. But I’ve heard countless stories similar to yours. And it just how it happened organically, right? Like, that was not probably your intention. But that’s just how it goes sometimes. And I’m sure you have other great examples of stuff just kind of happened organically that you had no idea about, but it wouldn’t be possible without a podcast.

Mario Fachini [15:21]
Yeah, countless. And I like what you said about the coffee. Because when someone’s like… I’m like…

Rockwell Felder [15:29]
Right.

Mario Fachini [15:29]
Because it’s like, “Did you read one of the books, I have five books. I have all these trainings, I’ve got all these episodes, I got all these other interviews.” It’s like, I could probably do 24/7 week of just content, that you really don’t need to ask me simple questions. And I always want to help people, but it’s like, I only got so much time with, you know, stuff that’s going on. But it’s like, whenever it’s a podcast episode, whether someone wants to interview me, or I interview them, it’s always like a high level conversation. I know, it’s not a waste of time. Do you feel the same way?

Rockwell Felder [16:08]
I absolutely do. And sometimes I’ll go into these interviews with guests that maybe we haven’t built up like a strong relationship with. So most of the time, because we get to work with podcasters so intimately, it’s pretty easy to find guests, or a lot of these people, we meet at events, and they want to come on our show or we want them on. It’s pretty fun and easy to get them booked. But there are times where people reach out and, you know, we’ll have like a pre call and all that stuff and try to figure out, okay, well, you know, how’s this person? What’s the vibe we’re getting? And where are we going to take this interview. But a lot of times, those are the best when we do actually record because we have no idea where it’s going to take us and we just are kind of along for the ride. And a lot of times Zach and I when we wrap the interview and kind of have a debrief, we’re just like, holy cow, can you believe that? Like, it’s just so much more… And it’s really our job to kind of find those points and bring it out, but we’re just really scratching our own itch. And, you know, hopefully, the listeners are just as excited enjoying the journey as we are. But, you know, we think some of these people that we’re more confident about is the people that we know or have a long longer relationship with. But oftentimes, it’s the people that we go in with less expectations, or, you know, less thinking that we know what the story is here. And they kind of just bring out something that just, you know, we see them light up, that’s what we do like about the video in Squadcast, and why we felt it was so important to see those moments where someone lights up. And that’s the time to, you know, it’s hard to describe, but when you’re in the interview, you can kind of feel it. And that’s when you start to dig a little bit deeper and maybe go off script, but really explore what it is that is why they’re lighting up. And that’s just, it makes it more fun. But again, it’s not something that we always went into knowing. It’s just kind of something you figure out, just getting in reps and interacting with multiple people.

Mario Fachini [18:02]
Yeah, I’m smiling, because you say sometimes when you go off script, I’m like, yeah, every episode, at least for my show.

Rockwell Felder [18:08]
it’s the best we made the mistake of really trying to, because it’s an interview show, we wanted to ask these questions, and you know, make sure that like, it was just more regimented, if you will, and it just wasn’t fun. And it didn’t come off as fun to our listeners, I imagine. And those were the early days. And that’s okay, because a lot of times in podcasting, your first few episodes, you’re probably not gonna like but it’s always one of the best.

Mario Fachini [18:34]
The first few dozen, right?

Rockwell Felder [18:37]
Well said, first few dozen, maybe 100, I don’t know, but you will get better

Mario Fachini [18:41]
For sure.

Rockwell Felder [18:42]
That is certainly true for us. And now we are much more free flowing. And of course we have an outline, we do our research and stuff like that, because that’s very important. But, you know, giving yourself that opportunity to, you know, be free flowing and flexible with where the conversation goes. You just… we’ve had enough to know now that like it can go anywhere. And that’s… those are usually the best.

Mario Fachini [19:07]
Yeah, I remember the first dozen or so. And the screen I’m looking at you on right now, I remember having to go like, just glance down to the left. And it was like okay, question six, we should be asking in the one time. I don’t know if it was 10, 11, 12. I’m sure we could figure it out. But it was… the paper fell. I didn’t have the setup I have now and I literally had a sheet of paper I was reading of and it like fell and I’m like, the whole show is shot. Now what am I gonna do? And it’s like, “Hello, you’ve done this at least 8, 9, 10, 11 times on top of the 3000 you’ve done on your own.

Rockwell Felder [19:53]
Wow.

Mario Fachini [19:53]
And it was like, “Oh, I probably know this question. Oh, here’s the question.” I was like, “Oh my gosh, I know it. I have a real show now.” And now it’s just ludicrous to think like, I mean, I can do it in my sleep now. But those questions it… I got to think my first guest, Tony, he’s like, “I’m excited to come on. Can you send me the questions?” I was like, “Oh, absolutely.” So I made some questions and emailed them later that night, because it was the first episode. I’m like, what the heck are the questions? Oh, that might be good for an interview show. I mean, you just gotta keep running with the thing. You can’t get… So I mean, everyone looks at the talk show host. Johnny Carson, Letterman, Larry King, Kimmel. The funny guy really liked that… Fallon. It’s like these people have been doing it for 10s of decades. I mean, that’s what decades are, but 10s of years. They’re doing it for decades, a long time. And it’s like we’re comparing our worst to their best. And it’s like, “Oh, no, I messed up one thing.” It’s like, relax, do another one, do another one.

Rockwell Felder [20:59]
So that’s the beauty of having recorded content, too, is that you can kinda…

Mario Fachini [21:03]
You can go back. Yeah. Watch your own game footage, if you will.

Rockwell Felder [21:06]
Yeah, absolutely.

Mario Fachini [21:08]
So it sounds like you’re really enjoying podcasting now. And I think you’re a great guest. I can tell you that already. And we’re not even done. But I want to know, how did you get started with this? Because you didn’t start in podcasting, did you? And you said something I picked up on, I made a note of it. You probably saw me writing. Just thankful for a good memory. You said, “Zach reached out to me.” So what do you do versus what he does? And how… What was your transition, like from your prior career?

Rockwell Felder [21:39]
Yeah, so my background is, and I’ve always had an interest in business and finance, and always saw that as being my career, whatever job I was doing, that’s where my, you know, kind of my compass was taking me. And I guess it came down to, I wanted to know how to manage money, because I felt like no matter where I was at in life, whether… while I was in college I was a food server. So waiting tables. So I figured, hey, even if I’m waiting tables for the rest of my life, or doing something that’s, you know, hopefully more money, knowing how to manage that money will be extremely important in a skill that I’ll have to use for the rest of my life. So I’ve always kind of have interest…

Mario Fachini [22:27]
100%.

Rockwell Felder [22:27]
Yeah, I’ve always had an interest in personal finance. And like, if I can manage my money better, I’ll be better off whether I have $1 or a million dollars. So I went to college and double majored in accounting and finance. A lot of it was also because I needed to find a job straight out of college to pay my bills, pay, you know, college tuition and stuff like that, or student loans rather. So accounting was a good option, because they’re hiring a lot. Working for accounting firms, they’re almost always looking for new meat, if you will. And it’s a decent paying salary right out of college. And the work experience and exposure to a bunch of different businesses, right out of the gate was very exciting and interesting to me. And also, the job had a little bit of traveling, which I didn’t get to travel a lot growing up. So that was also something that sounded exciting to me. So I started my career at an accounting firm right out of college. And, you know, I really liked it. I’m really grateful for that experience. It really gave me a lot of exposure to different business industries, different executives, founders. I think that’s where my excitement for business and specifically entrepreneurship really start to build because I started to interact and engage with these people on a daily basis, even though I was you know, straight out of college. And just seeing like, hmm, they’re not that different than me. Yeah, sure. They’re older and been in the game longer. But like, you know, when I heard their origin story, I thought, well, I think I can do that, too. So I just started, like, having this urge and desire to do something more independent, more creative, more entrepreneurial, and just also realizing that even though I was kind of climbing the corporate pyramid and saw a, you know, path to a good life, I just didn’t… I felt like it wasn’t going to be enough. And I needed to, at least at minimum mark, the what if question out of my head, which is what if you started a business? What if you were building something from the ground up? Like, could you do it? How would that work? So I kind of had started financially and mentally preparing myself to make a jump to something more entrepreneurial and independent. And so what was really neat for me was as I’m doing this journey on my own, apparently, Zach is doing the same thing just in a little bit of a different way. So in the fall of 2016 he called me and we’re highschool friends. So we’ve known each other for a long time, I know his family, him and his brother who are super tight is is also a good friend of mine. So, you know, we have a great relationship, but we did go kind of our separate paths when it came to college and our careers after that he went more of the software engineering technology route, he’s super into technology, you know, always looking at the newest, latest and greatest kind of thing. And so when he approached me about this idea that became Squadcast I was already super excited, because I had been kind of looking for something like this to really put all my attention and focus into. And so when it was about podcasting, that also wasn’t difficult to get excited about, because I had already experienced it as a listener and understood that like, I don’t understand why podcasting is not bigger, I think it will become bigger. And if that’s one wave that we’re gonna ride, then I think we can help out. One of the other waves that I didn’t think was as intentional was that this whole remote work, remote collaboration thing was going to be another wave that we were riding. And I think we were less aware of that or intentional about that, because him and I had already experience at our previous careers working remotely. So that wasn’t like a new thing to us, we just kind of thought, well, the world’s gonna move to collaborating and working more remotely, podcasters are going to want those tools as well, especially as podcasting grows and develops. So it was just kind of like we saw ourselves kind of sitting at that intersection and riding both of those waves, which we’re seeing more and more people doing.

Mario Fachini [26:42]
Yeah, I’ve noticed even since I started, you know, everyone’s like, “Oh, you’ve been doing this so long.” And I go, “There’s people been doing this 5, 10, 15, 20 years, I haven’t been doing it that long in comparison.”

Rockwell Felder [26:54]
Sure.

Mario Fachini [26:55]
But it’s fun to look back and go, “Yeah, I’m no longer in launch mode. I’m not in startup, I’m not even in the first 100 episode mode.” And, you know, or 200, for that matter. And it’s just fun to look back and go, “Wow, it really is fun to do. And it’s easy to grow.” And I have been encouraging more people to do it. Here’s the irony, my team and I were actually producing some episodes and shows for other people’s shows prior to me even launching one. I just wasn’t ready. We had the expertise, we had the knowledge, we’d been doing it for hundreds of clients before. And you know, it just clicked. And now that I see behind the scenes, I’m like, this is crazy fun. There’s some of the greatest people in the world here. And like you were talking about earlier that relationships you make, you know, you can get business from it, you know, if that’s your intent, but if not, it’s even easier, truthfully. And the people that… just they’re telling me the stories of like, what it’s meant to them and allowed them to do whether it’s a dramatic increase in business, or, you know, they just got to live out their dream or their goal. You know, maybe you always wanted to have a radio station, and it was this big thing. And then 10 years ago, you go, “Ha, maybe I don’t need a radio station.” I can have my own radio station, or television station. I mean, you know, those are cheap, just buy one of those every week. And then YouTube comes out. And everything is so changing. And it’s like, it’s interesting to see how you can live your dreams the way you want. And do it on your own terms. That’s what was huge for me. The whole number one reason I went full time in business in ’08 was just to control my calendar. I hated missing family stuff, and especially for work stocking shelves or working at Wendy’s. Like, no one’s dying over this, like Grande Roja Papas Fritas. Like, yes, one more large fry, great, made a difference in this person’s life. And I don’t regret any of it. But I also go, you know, there’s a lot more inside of me that we have to be going for. So tell me about one of the biggest transformations you can think of that you’ve been able to experience with, you know, the people you’ve helped that are using your platform.

Rockwell Felder [29:20]
Yeah, I think it’s, I just think it always comes down to patience, but specifically with our customers and podcasters who we get the opportunity to serve and engage with every day. It’s awesome because like podcasters talk for a living. So they’re really good at telling us what they think. But especially in the early days, it was really tough hearing some of the harsh and critical feedback that they were really good about providing since they’re good at talking and comfortable talking, and certainly had abilities to given that our platform is a recording device so they could, you know, use our platform to record what they thought and send it to us and getting over that initial like, ego hit or just feeling like oh man, we’re screwing up or or we’re making people upset because we definitely don’t want to make people upset. That never feels good. But learning that like, you know, the customer is always right. I don’t believe that in the literal sense. But I do believe that in the spirit of it, there’s always something to learn from your customers. And so I think just trying to get over the negative stuff, whether and how that made me feel or how it made us feel, and just kind of trying to peel it back to understand what can we learn from this? How can we make it better, and then furthering learning that the people that were the most critical, are oftentimes the people that wanted this to work the most. So if we could turn that around, they ended up being the most passionate people and the biggest fans of Squadcast. And so again, it’s not something that was intuitive at first, but when we started to just get over that feeling of whatever it was, you know, shame, embarrassment, whatever, hurting people, making people upset, getting over that and learning from it, and then letting them know, like, “Hey, we’re listening, we’re taking this seriously.” And then getting to show that and kind of celebrate that. So one of the things we would do was, whenever we’d have like a product update, we would describe to our customers what that product update was and why we added it. So a lot of times, we would say, “Hey, this person said that they experienced this issue with how the calendar scheduled. So we went back to the lab and fixed it, and here’s what we think.” And we want to give them, you know, we want to thank them, and it just started making them… those relationships really sticky, where, you know, it was really easy at first for us to just kind of write them off and just say, “Oh, they’re a jerk. I don’t like the way that they’re talking to us.” And sometimes we had that. Right. Like they weren’t exactly pleasant. But there was still…

Mario Fachini [31:57]
That’s putting it mildly.

Rockwell Felder [31:59]
Yeah. Well, I mean, you know, but it sounds like you know at least. But like, it just… I understand why we felt that way. But it would have been easy to just cut ties. But really learning that that’s an opportunity to make superfans is something that is a huge learning experience for us. And something that we always try to tell people that are, you know, fellow business owners, that your biggest critics oftentimes can be your biggest fans, it’s not always true. Sometimes you got it. I’m not saying you do this every time. But it’s been repeatable enough to say that it’s worth the initial effort. And, you know, not everyone’s ended up successful like that, but most of them have.

Mario Fachini [32:40]
Yeah, I’ve had clients where I just straight up, I’m like, I need to fire them. Because no one should be treated this way. No one on my team deserves to be treated this way. And then I actually built, I developed a platform to build WordPress websites automatically in a couple of minutes. And I’d never done software before, but I had this idea. And the entrepreneur in me was like, “You can do this, you know, you’ll figure it out. You always do.” Dad always encouraged me that. And I’ll tell you, one of the first time I opened a support desk, I was like, because I’m generally nice, even if I’m upset, I flat out… I’m like fuming on the phone. And I’m like, I appreciate your help. I know this has nothing to do with you. I am not happy, if I could speak to a manager. This has nothing to do with… You know what I mean? Some people just go off on whoever they’re talking about. And it’s like, they’re just trying to help. They don’t know who you are. They don’t know the situation. So I always try to be nice, even when I am upset. But some people do not have that. Like, I don’t know, common sense, or empathy or whatever. And there’s some support tickets I’ve seen for my software, and I’m like, should we get rid of them? Like, what do you think? And it’s like, you know, if it’s one or two times, but when it’s every day, all day for a month and a half? It’s like, this is on me, I let them in.

Rockwell Felder [34:03]
Yeah.

Mario Fachini [34:04]
Oops.

Rockwell Felder [34:05]
And unfortunately that certainly happen, and very true. So I don’t want to come across like saying you do that for everybody. But I think you know, I’m grateful for my training in my food service days, because…

Mario Fachini [34:17]
Oh yeah.

Rockwell Felder [34:17]
It’s very similar, where you’re standing in front of a customer at their table, and they’re upset that what they got served wasn’t what they wanted, for whatever reason and it was my job to kind of figure out that resolution. And so yeah, so I think it kind of helps build that thick skin. But yeah, customer support. It’s…

Mario Fachini [34:33]
But reading those reviews are priceless. You know, same thing I tell my authors I go Don’t Don’t skip over your YouTube comments or your Amazon reviews for the book or if you have a product on there. I mean those things, they can be the funniest things in the world. I don’t think there’s anything funnier you can do than watch a comedic video and read the YouTube comments because people just, they’re hilarious, better than watching a comedy special and there’s some good ones out there. But there’s also truth in it. Because I remember hearing about the difference between acting and comedy, and one is selling the eye and the one is selling a lie acting. The other one is telling the truth comedy. And it’s like, that’s funny, but they’re also being serious. Like they’re probably telling their therapists the same thing too. It’s the same, you know? So I take all that stuff to heart. I love comments. I love feedback. And, you know, I love the humor. I appreciate the humor, but I don’t just glaze over and go, “Oh, that’s funny.” I’m like, “Okay, what are they meaning here?” And you know, if you can reach out and talk to him even further, it’s even better. So thank you for sharing that.

Rockwell Felder [35:40]
Yeah.

Mario Fachini [35:40]
We got one more thing to do before we thank the sponsor, and go to the Imperfect Action Round, and I’m excited to unveil it to you. What do we call this thing? The Wheel Of Whatever, I always have a randomized question. See all of them right there?

Rockwell Felder [35:58]
Yeah.

Mario Fachini [35:59]
And it always lands on the right one. And I know what I want to ask you.

Rockwell Felder [36:03]
Always does, huh? The game is rigged. Hmm.

Mario Fachini [36:07]
You know, I was gonna put stuff on there originally, but then it worked more in my favor to just keep it off. So we’ll see what happens, the show’s changing, and it’s stopping here. Who is someone you would love to have on your show?

Rockwell Felder [36:24]
I mean, I think… I think Joe Rogan just because he kind of got the podcasting journey started for both of us. It’s not my favorite show anymore, but that’s how I got introduced to podcasting. So that’s definitely the first that comes to mind. But yeah, there’s a lot of also awesome podcasters that we would love to have and you know, we’re going to have Pat Flynn on and Jordan Harbinger on pretty soon and we’re fortunate enough to have them as advisors to Squadcast, but those are people that we really look up to in the podcasting space that have really done a lot for podcasting and podcasters but you know, the Joe Rogan one would be special. Not that I expect him to do our show just because he doesn’t do anybody’s show but I think it would be cool just because to design that the impact that he’s had on Squadcast I think would be incorrect.

Mario Fachini [37:17]
Excellent. Love the honesty, that’s all I ever asked for. And we’re gonna go to the sponsor and Imperfect Round. Thank you.

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Mario Fachini [38:56]
And we are back with the Imperfect Action Round. Rock, are you ready to take Imperfect Action?

Rockwell Felder [39:01]
Let’s go.

Mario Fachini [39:02]
First question, 60 second answers. What is the fastest path to the profits?

Rockwell Felder [39:08]
Fastest path to the profits? Don’t worry about it. Just keep… just start today. Keep working, show up every day, and you’d be surprised what happens when you start to accumulate time.

Mario Fachini [39:19]
Excellent. Number two, what is the biggest problem you see your prospects making and fastest way for them to fix it?

Rockwell Felder [39:26]
Again, it’s a matter of focus. I think focusing on too many things that aren’t going to get you to your goals. So if you want to start a podcast, it’s not going to be again, the microphone, the headphones, even the software. It’s going to be you starting and creating that. And again, time is going to be… podcasting rewards, consistency, persistence. So just getting started and getting behind that mic is the best way to do it.

Mario Fachini [39:54]
Excellent. Number three, what is the best way to maximize customer lifetime value?

Rockwell Felder [40:01]
Just not being afraid to talk to them, always talking to them, always kind of rising above your initial instincts to, you know, discount what they’re saying or think about why they’re incorrect or why what they’re saying is wrong, because there is probably some stuff that they aren’t aware of. But just talking to people, it has a wonderful impact on them.

Mario Fachini [40:24]
It’s one of my favorite things to do. Honest to God, communication and just feedback.

Rockwell Felder [40:30]
And I love it too. So yeah, it comes natural to me, I think more than other people, but 100% it’s, it’s important.

Mario Fachini [40:37]
Yeah, when people are like, we’re going to install a button on an email, and I’m like, you toast already. Cool, awesome. Let me know how it goes. I’ve also learned not to argue if someone’s going to do something, they’re gonna do it. It’s like, I’ve always wanted the best for people. And it just hurt me to know what was going to happen for me. And I’m like, “Cool, wish you the best.”

Rockwell Felder [40:56]
Yeah.

Mario Fachini [40:57]
Pray for him. All right, books. What are some good books you could recommend? And please mention the one.

Rockwell Felder [41:05]
Yeah, so like we were talking about earlier, it’s one called The Mom Test, not my favorite name for the book. But it’s still a good book nonetheless. And it’s really about how to talk to your customers and different… and it really gives good actionable strategies and tactics on how to deal with it, especially when you’re like first testing an idea. But it even goes beyond that, when you’re trying to… you’re past the idea phase, and you do actually have a product, how to interact with customers that way, too. It’s really short, straight to the point. But it’s having a great impact on how I talk and interact with customers on a daily basis.

Mario Fachini [41:41]
Any others?

Rockwell Felder [41:43]
Yeah, so I think going with that theme of stuff that’s short, but actionable, because that’s what’s really important to me is like, there’s a lot of hats that I need to wear as a founder that I’m definitely not capable of immediately. But using books, podcasts, all that stuff to kind of level my knowledge and skills up. So, Say The Right Thing is another one that’s very similar, just how to like, be very precise with language and communication when you’re interacting with people and it’s… it could be used for bad intentions, if you will, but you know, Jedi mind tricks… But for me, it’s really just how to make sure that what I’m saying is clear and want to get the… want my words to impact people the right way. And too often words, based on just choices, or how we say them can impact people in an unintended way. So just learning how to…

Mario Fachini [42:37]
150%, one of my favorites that I’ve mentioned before, is Hung By The Tongue. And, you know, people wonder why they get in trouble all the time. It’s like you generally divulge all this stuff, you’re literally hanging yourself with what you say. You know, no one knows anything unless you tell them what fuel are you giving them? Same thing you’re saying with the words. It’s like what you say to your customers and clients and it shouldn’t be, “Oh, just so I can manipulate them into buying more.” It’s like, no. Think about how can you help people. If you know that certain words, trigger them, use a different one, you have the source. Like, that’s a whole other thing. But I’m glad you mentioned that. So thank you for that.

Rockwell Felder [43:14]
Well, thank you for the book recommendation, because I haven’t heard that one. But that is a phenomenal title.

Mario Fachini [43:20]
It’s… yeah, I’ve done a lot myself on the words and speech. And yeah, it’s interesting, one word, and it’s like, it could be literally the matter of life or death.

Rockwell Felder [43:30]
Mm hmm.

Mario Fachini [43:32]
Well, I appreciate everything you shared, where would you like everyone to learn more at?

Rockwell Felder [43:37]
Yeah, so if you head over to our website at Squadcast.fm, you can learn more about the company, the product and but then also just learn how to be a better podcaster. So we have a lot of free downloadable resources on specifically when it comes to recording your podcast remotely. So head over to Squadcast.fm and we can help you out there and you say hi to us and the team. We’d be happy to greet you.

Mario Fachini [43:59]
Excellent. Well, thank you so much. It’s been an absolute pleasure.

Rockwell Felder [44:03]
Thank you so much, Mario.

Mario Fachini [44:05]
Alright Expert Authority world. It was another great episode today. I’ll see you tomorrow. Have a great day. And God bless.

Sponsor – Free Business Book Publishing Course [44:12]
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www.EAInterviews.com [44:46]
Hey, thanks for listening to today’s episode. I hope you got a lot out of it. I know I sure did. If you haven’t done so already, I invite you to subscribe to the show. And also be sure to check out EAInterviews.com for complete show notes, the full interview video experience, links to the resources we mentioned, and more. Have a blessed day and I’ll see you tomorrow.