Christopher Swing has been a guest on plenty of podcasts. He says hosting his own taught him more than all of them.
As a guest, you repeat what you already know. As a host, you bring people into your world and see your own gaps. Chris is CEO of Vantage Surgical Solutions and host of Faithful, a show about how leaders of faith run their companies. He talks about why he started it, how he built his guest list, why season one stalled, and what he's changing for season two.
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3 THINGS YOU CAN DO AFTER THIS EPISODE
1. Do your homework on every guest. It changes what they do with the episode. Chris said there's something different about the relationship after someone researches you and asks questions you haven't answered fifteen times. It made him ask, "Why am I so important to this person?" He said if someone Googles him and finds this episode, he'd be honored for them to listen, because it was really intentional. Before your next recording, find one thing about your guest that nobody else has asked them about.
2. If you're running out of guests, or you only book people you already know, try what Chris did. He wrote down 25 people who fit what he wanted from his show. Then he asked AI who else he should add if those 25 interested him. It came back with 180 to 190 names. Whatever your show is for, start with the guests who already fit it, and let AI find more people like them.
3. If doing the show yourself is wearing you down, plan the next season before you release it. Chris did season one alone. Guests canceled, the production piled up, and something fun started to feel like work, so the show stopped. For season two he's setting a time frame, getting help with production and scheduling, and recording 30 to 40 percent of the season before the first episode goes out. If you're already recording and posting the same week and it works, keep going. If it's turning into a grind, decide how many episodes you'll have done before you release one, and who handles the work after you record.
Chris doesn't think the show brings him a lot of business. He hosts it to learn from people he admires and to say out loud what he stands for. It still led to a meeting invite he credits to the show, a guest list that grew from 25 names to more than 180, and a lesson from a NASDAQ CEO that changed how he thinks about asking for help.
In this episode:
- Why hosting teaches you more than guesting
- How a podcast tells people who you are before you meet
- Hiring for character over skills
- Building a guest list from 25 names with AI
- Why season one stalled, and the season two plan
- What a NASDAQ CEO taught him about asking for a mentor
- Why researching your guest changes the relationship
About the guest, Christopher Swing:
Christopher Swing is CEO of Vantage Surgical Solutions, an ophthalmic surgical services company in Illinois. He has led the organization since 2012, through a sale to private equity, and serves as chair-elect in YPO. He hosts Faithful, a podcast about how leaders of faith run their businesses.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherswing/
Website: https://vantage.healthcare
YouTube, Faithful: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAql9bPhg4miFJxZueY-n74nN9fUoVyDu
Chasing guests, covering cancellations, editing every episode yourself, and watching a show you started for fun turn into work. Stop that now. That is not your job. You're supposed to be working on the business. The podcast is supposed to feed the business. You record, we handle the rest.
Apply here to see if there's a slot open: https://propodconcierge.com
This has been the Founder Podcast Lab. See you in the next episode.
