BRX Stories – How an Introvert Built a Successful Media Company
Stone Payton: And we are back with Business RadioX Pro Tips. Lee Kantor and Stone Payton here with you. Lee, how and why did this whole Business RadioX thing get started?
Lee Kantor: Well, Business RadioX really is not my first foray into doing this kind of work. My first foray into doing internet radio and podcasting came through the show Dr. Fitness and the Fat Guy. That was a show that me and my business partner at the time, we had a gym and we had the opportunity to do a show to promote the gym, and that’s why we were doing it. And we thought we would interview referral partners that would help us get the word out about the gym.
Lee Kantor: What we quickly learned, especially at that time, there was no big audience for this type of content, and it didn’t really help in that regard for us with the gym. But what it did do is it created kind of the framework for the Business RadioX network and figuring out a way to really serve people, and help other people get the word out, and position themselves as experts and things like that.
Lee Kantor: So, being an introvert was really at the heart of this. I did not want to do the traditional networking that a person would have to do when it came to marketing the business. And what I realized quickly was to get guests on the Dr. Fitness and the Fat Guy show, I can just reach out to strangers and say, “Hey, I have this show, would you like to be a guest?”
Lee Kantor: And the reason I found that was I was reading the Washington Post and the Dr. Fitness and the Fat Guy show was a national show, we were, obviously, was on the internet so anybody could listen to it. So, we told this person, he had a Trivial Pursuit like game that he and his sister had invented. And I sent a note – a note that we use a version of it today – “Would you like to be a guest on my radio show?” And then, I said, “Hey, I’m the host of Dr. Fitness and the Fat Guy, I would love to have you come on to talk about your Trivial Pursuit game.” And within less than an hour he said, “Yes. Sure. What do I have to do?”
Lee Kantor: And my background is in advertising, and in advertising, the goal of any advertisement or any marketing material is to get a response. And this person said yes through to a blind email within a matter of minutes. And I knew that that was something to take note of, because it is very difficult to get a stranger to take an action that quickly.
Lee Kantor: So, that moment was kind of the epiphany for me of we have something here that other people want to be part of, and that all I have to do is let them know that they can become part of it, and they say yes. And then, from that point, if I choose, I can build a relationship with them and they’re open to talking with me more.
Lee Kantor: So, after this first guest happened on Dr. Fitness, my business partner, he started contacting people. And lo and behold, within a matter of weeks we were interviewing people from all over the country, experts in fitness, people that were on the Today show one day were on our show the next day. It was the who’s who of people in fitness and wellness and health were coming on our show in a short period of time. Our show became part of their media tour whenever they had something to promote, whether it’s an exercise DVD, a book, any type of content, or they were selling something, we were part of where they would go to promote whatever that piece of content was.
Lee Kantor: So, that was kind of the aha moment for me, and I said I wonder if we can take that same activity and help a local person serve their market locally by doing that same activity. And that’s where I created the Atlanta Business Radio Show. And then, I got – as I mentioned before – a person that was Amy Otto who was serving the Atlanta market in Aflac as my co-host, and she was going out and inviting guests. And sure, that, to me, demonstrated I could help her grow her business. And I knew that if I could help her, then I can help anybody else, and that’s where the whole business started.
Lee Kantor: So, the whole key was creating a media platform that helps tell the story of other people in the market, and then do that in a way of service first, help them truly try to get their story out there and articulate it properly. And if I do that relentlessly, then I will be able to build relationships with the people who matter most to me and position myself as someone useful to the ecosystem, someone who is a person that they would consider doing business with, and I’d be able to sell them something else down the road. So, that’s how the whole business started, it was through me looking for a guest for Dr. Fitness and the Fat Guy.
