The MindShift Podcast

Amplify Your Brand with Podcasting with Ronsley Vaz

1/19/23 3:07 PM

5 Minutes Read

Episode 79

Today we are joined by Ronsley Vaz, the founder of the award-winning audio marketing agency Must Amplify. He’s also the executive producer of The Psychology of Entrepreneurship and Should I Start A Podcast host. His agency is known for helping leading brands, personalities, and businesses raise their voice through podcasting.

As the executive producer and host of the show Should I Start a Podcast, Ronsley offers tactical advice and information to podcasting newbies and those curious about the medium. His first podcast, the mega-successful Bond Appetit, Ronsley, has been downloaded more than 5 million times across 133 countries. His TEDx Talk, “The Perfect Recipe for a Deep Conversation,” touches on his passion for exploring the world through his voice and the voices of others.

We talk about his fascinating entrepreneurial journey, overcoming obstacles, and the opportunities that lie in the world of audio.

He’s a powerhouse thinker, so be sure not to miss this episode for some valuable takeaways!

Here are three reasons why you should listen to the full Episode:

The artist that found entrepreneurship.
Overcoming adversity as an entrepreneur.
The opportunity that exists in podcasting.

Episode Highlights

Who is Ronsley Vaz

- Author of the book Amplify.
- Podcaster, serial entrepreneur, founder of award-winning agency, TEDx speaker, and a qualified chef.
- Two master’s degrees in software engineering and wine business administration.
- He founded We Are Podcast, the first podcasting conference in the Southern Hemisphere.

The artist that found entrepreneurship

- Ronsley says he is an artist at heart, just trying to express himself in different ways.
- He is grounded in the Christian faith and believes that God is in us; we all have a gift to be creative and express ourselves.
- He found entrepreneurship 13 years ago and says that the journey of an entrepreneur is a journey as a learner.

Ronsley’s first business venture

- His first business was a restaurant because he was meant to monetize his passion.
- Since college, people had been eating his food and blown away by how good it was.
- Although he was not a chef when starting his restaurant, he was a good cook.
- He quickly learned that he had seriously underestimated everything to run a restaurant and decided to become a qualified chef while running the business.

The breakdown

- The locks of his restaurant changed, and a picture of a legal document was sent to him by his team.
- Three months after being married, there was a legal battle between the owners and landlords, which resulted in Ronsley having $470,000 debt overnight.
- It was a Sunday, and he couldn’t speak to a lawyer. Instead, he went for an 8km run.

One foot in front of the other

- In hindsight, it may seem like he had a great plan, but it was more about just putting one foot in front of the other.
- He called up a friend and asked whether he could arrange an interview at his place of work, it was a big restaurant in Brisbane.
- Despite having two master’s degrees, he still wanted to be in the kitchen; his parents thought he had lost his mind.
- He did not tell his wife about the debt or say the number out loud until he eventually paid off the debt.

Ronsley Vaz was not employable

- He had five jobs in seven months.
- He would start correcting things.
- He felt like he was meant to do his work and then leave.

The uber for cheffing concept was born

- He started the uber for cheffing which was not an app, and it was a manual process with two sides of the marketplace.
- Some chefs had spare time, and some people wanted chefs to cook for them weekly.
- So chefs would go in once a week, cook all meals for the week, and put them in their freezer.

What he did to promote this business

- Ronsley started a podcast to promote this business. It’s called Bon Appetit.
- He had no idea it would be plastered on the front of iTunes or that he’d have a million listeners in six months.
- It was still a struggle and hustle at this point, but people approached him asking for help to start their podcast.

Podcast training for novices

- When people approached him and asked for help on starting a podcast, Ronley didn’t realize the skills and knowledge over time. He devalued how qualified he was.
- He decided to do a Facebook post asking people if they’d be interested in attending a training like this, and by the end of the week, he had 32k in his account.
- He ended up doing 18 rounds of training, and all the money went to paying off his debt.

Pivoting

- Ronsley started the podcasting conference in 2015.
- He had the podcast book club published in 2016.
- In 2017, he partnered with Amazon to become the first agency to upload to audible in Australia.
- He then went on to do a TEDx talk in 2020.

The entrepreneurial journey

- Everyone’s story is different, and while it may sound like a fairytale, Ronsley admits that he was putting one foot in front of the other. He did not have this grand plan from the start.
- He believes that the journey of an entrepreneur is a journey as a learner.
- Ronsley paid off all his debt in two years and a month after finding out about the $470,000 debt he was in.
- He feels accomplished as an entrepreneur to have overcome such adversity.

Healing a wound from his childhood

- His mother was Portuguese, and his father was Indian. He was born in Bahrain in the Middle East and lived there for six years before moving to India. He later came to Australia and has been there for 20 years.
- Although English was his first language, he had an accent, and there was an element of his voice not being heard.
- Helping clients find their voices through podcasting has been healing for him, like a therapy session in a way.

A person of color

- Ronsley Vaz never realized that he used to be the only person of color around.
- He started to be more aware that his ancestors were not given the platform for free speech and lacked his opportunities.
- There was a consciousness of his responsibility to utilize the platform he had been afforded through their struggle.

There’s an opportunity in podcasting

- When you consider the video content uploaded per minute on YouTube, or the blogs published daily, it is clear to see the opportunity in podcasting.
- Of the two million or so podcasts out there, two-thirds of them are not active, making your competition around 700,000 podcasts.
- Business happens through having conversations. Why would a business owner not want these conversations heard before people know they want to buy from them?

Social media for audio

- Social media for audio is quickly evolving, and it’s barely one year old.
- Audio is more native than being in front of the camera so where we are now in terms of social media for audio is just the tip of the iceberg.
- Clubhouse is a great platform to use to get your feet wet with social audio. Ronsley invites you to join him, and he loves hearing new voices.

How does Ronsley want to be remembered?

- He has been a servant of the universe and has squeezed everything out of his time here. He is okay if he has to go today.

3 Powerful Quotes from this Episode

One step in front of the other

14:43 – “It’s not meant to be this great fairy tale story. It’s just one step in front of the other, and then when you look back, it can sound like a fairy tale.”

Paralysis of decision making

17:59 – “When I say one foot in front of the other, what I mean is, I feel like the paralysis of not doing something stops us from making decisions because we want to make this impact on the planet at the base level.”

Person you become

34:59 – “The goal is not as important as the person you become trying to achieve the goal.”

About Ronsley Vaz

Ronsley Vaz is passionate about sharing his knowledge and experience with those interested in adding a podcast to their business profile. It’s that very passion that helped build his vast network of podcasting professionals all over the planet. Along with his team at Must Amplify, Ronsley produces the unique audio docuseries The Psychology of Entrepreneurship. This innovative podcast dives deep into the minds of creatives using research and data to explore complicated concepts.

Ronsley’s first book, Amplify, has helped countless companies, organizations, and business-minded individuals raise their voices while expanding their reach. To top that off, in 2015, he founded We Are Podcast, the first podcasting conference in the Southern Hemisphere. This annual event brings together the most extraordinary, inventive people and companies in the podcasting world.

Ronsley’s overall message, above all else, is to use your voice. And he does everything he can to make sure everyone knows how.