The Elevate Media Podcast
Join Chris as he chats with successful business owners and entrepreneurs and shares his own lessons and successes of building Elevate Media Group.
His mission is to help coaches bring in more clients through video podcasting and content creation so they can elevate their brands and become the experts in their industries without all the time spent doing it.
The Elevate Media Podcast
Hold My Beer While I Pivot My Entire Career
Tom Altman shares his transformative career journey from radio DJ to tech entrepreneur and fractional executive, reflecting on life lessons learned along the way.
• Started as a radio DJ before transitioning to web development in the late 1990s
• Witnessed the evolution of radio from manual operations to fully automated systems
• Built early e-commerce platforms and shopping carts when online purchasing was just emerging
• Worked with newspaper and TV station managing technical aspects during weather emergencies
• Transitioned to e-commerce and ERP implementation for 10-12 years
• After being let go from corporate positions twice, found greater happiness in the fractional executive space
• Helps businesses access C-suite expertise without full-time executive costs
• Discusses the challenge of balancing client work with networking and business development
• Uses time-blocking and AI tools to maintain productivity and organization
• Emphasizes that family should never be sacrificed for work
• Believes authentic connections and relationships matter more than digital distractions
Connect with Tom on LinkedIn to learn more about fractional executive services or just to chat about technology, AI, and motorcycles.
This episode is NOT sponsored. Some product links are affiliate links, meaning we'll receive a small commission if you buy something.
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Welcome to the Elevate Media Podcast with your host, chris Anderson. In this show, chris and his guests will share their knowledge and experience on how to go from zero to successful entrepreneur. They have built their businesses from scratch and are now ready to give back to those who are just starting. Let's get ready to learn, grow and elevate our businesses. And now your host, chris Anderson.
Speaker 2:Welcome back to another recording of the Elevate Media Podcast. I'm Chris Anderson, your host, and today we're going to get into a real-life journey of an individual who is now a successful tech entrepreneur helping others lay the foundations for their business. But didn't it start there? And so I'm excited to talk about his journey from radio DJ to to what he does now. Uh so, tom Altman, welcome to the Elevate Media Podcast today.
Speaker 3:Thank you very much. Glad to be here.
Speaker 2:Absolutely Super excited to chat about your journey, uh, and you know where you started, how and how you got to where you are sort of like in a deeper sense of it. So you know, start out right, radio DJ. You deeper sense of it. So you know, start out right, radio dj. You know what? What got you into wanting to be a dj?
Speaker 3:you know, first of all, I think that's that's a cool kind of dumbest choice I ever made. I think okay I think I did it because a buddy of mine was like hey, let's go look at this dj program, you know, and I don't think he ever actually did it, uh, you know. So I think I went through and, um, you know, I don't know that it was the best choice of my life, but it's fun being a radio DJ is a blast. There's nothing more exciting than talking to people and you're always interacting and then you're out and about in the community.
Speaker 3:It's a lot of fun. And then I always say the one thing that doesn't mix with radio DJing is being married that is a recipe for a disaster, almost. So it was kind of making that choice. So then I kind of went to the woodshed and I'm like, hey, you know what should I do? What should I do?
Speaker 3:and I'm like I'm gonna get into technology, you know and so I told all the people I know I'm like this is gonna be a shock to you, but I'm gonna get in technology're all like, yeah, that's what you should have started with, right? So so that's kind of what it was, you know, and even when I was in radio you know that was a cool time to actually be in radio there was a lot of consolidation happening.
Speaker 3:And also the technology was starting to really come into play, I mean, from when I started kind of basically using eight track tapes as well, kind of were, um, they call them carts back then, um, to then, you know, really fully automating, um, you know, radio stations, um, you know, when I had, right before the end, I was really working in promotions but then I was recording two or three different, uh, overnight broadcasts, uh, you know, like a month, a month ahead you know like.
Speaker 3:I could record. So they knew what was going to be playing one month from now. You know, because it was all computerized, so I would go in and cut it all and yeah so you know it's kind of good, bad yeah. The magic of radio. I think people think it was some know.
Speaker 2:Really just, I mean, it's so programmed, it's not even funny I was gonna ask you so like you can like do all your recording of the program, the show, like all the inner or all the articles you you hear people on radio like talk about, could all be pre-done, and then kind of so like what we can do with this program. We're using streamer streamer right now to this. We could record this episode and then take this recording and schedule it to go as a quote unquote live stream and basically it's a live stream of what we've already recorded. So it's kind of the same thing. I always thought they were in there like pressing buttons and like switching immediately as they're talking and things like that.
Speaker 3:That is how it started when I was in. You know you were running and multitasking and doing all these things and then by the time that I was kind of done, which would have been the late, late 90s, okay, you know, I would go in, I would steal a bunch of content from I don't remember that old comedian, stephen right, he was like the most dry comedian guy you know, so I would just cut tons of those and then you just put it in the computer, you'd upload it and then it would just literally like, just, it would fire that off and it'd fire the jingle off and it'd fire the song off.
Speaker 3:You know, it took nobody. I think by law they had to have someone in the building. So that would have you know. By then there was three, four, five radio stations in a building and so you know the one person would be running a real live overnight show and then they would be checking on all the other ones that were not live at all. So, yeah, it's kind of sad and you know the magic a little bit same thing.
Speaker 3:You know, when you just meet all these, you know I think in the four or five years that I was, that I was in radio, you know we probably went to 200 concerts, you know, and it's unfortunately so much a business for them, for the artist as well, and it just kind of took the magic out of it.
Speaker 3:So I think that's probably why I kind of find myself really enjoying podcasting, because I think it's a little more authentic, maybe still than it, than it has been, and uh, you know know so yeah, I like those live conversations, Like you hear.
Speaker 2:I mean, I'm trying to think, like you know Howard Stern show, you know Bob and Tom show, Like, are those live still or are those pre-recorded?
Speaker 3:Bob and Tom man. I mean like that's like the bane of my frustrations, honestly, like it's like, grab all the seventh grade dumb seventh grade jokes you told, record them, record, laugh tracks you know, like Howard Stern and Don. Imus, I mean Don Imus.
Speaker 2:Howard.
Speaker 3:Stern kings of it right.
Speaker 2:Like I mean really great.
Speaker 3:You know Bob and Tom and you know good for them. I mean, they made a ton of money.
Speaker 2:Sure.
Speaker 3:But boy, is it just cheese. I mean it's, you know, it's, you know it's like, so you know. I think the cool thing about podcasting is people started to figure out that everything's been controlled by these commercials, that everything put in you know, and you look at a joe rogan now and it's yeah it'd be a two-hour interview, could be a three-hour interview. Um, you know, it's just, people will listen to it, but you know, no one would think that they would have now. So I, I love it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I, I'd really like it. I really like the. So we do video productions, video podcast productions, like the live streaming of events. Now we're trying to look more into and like I I try to like let the team do what they're good at.
Speaker 2:Um, when it comes to the live production, like I love being there in the head like and like managing the pieces and hey, we're going to camera one or going camera yes like that's just fun and I think we're seeing more of that like with brands and businesses now kind of coming back to that, that connection, that realness, that live kind of unedited portion to things.
Speaker 3:I think when I was I went to school at a small community college in iowa and you know that was one of the things part of the degree of me getting a quote-unquote radio degree. I don't know what that meant, but we would do the basketball games for that college, you know, and that was a really great time. You know, like you're right. I mean it's like get the camera. You know, you know I was never producing I don't at that time I don't think I could think that fast, but um, it was cool. I mean it was fun to do that and man, I mean a couple of guys I know are still in that trade and yeah it's pretty amazing, I mean, and you're right, it's, it's interesting, right?
Speaker 2:I mean, yeah, so, yeah, so yeah that's cool because when I used to be an athletic trainer too like I'd be sitting there just watching the games, and basketball specifically comes to mind. When I'm sitting there in the high school covering both things, I'm like, okay, I'm in here, how can I make this more enjoyable? And like whatever. And so I actually ended up running doing announcements like the team intros for the high school and running music and like stuff, and it was awesome. I'd get like my and now like it was so fun. It was uh, and it was awesome. I'd get like my and now like all that. It was so fun, it was and it made it. It just was enjoyable and I mispronounced some names every now and then and got some laughs. But yeah, I think just that I don't know the excitement it can bring. You know, cause it changes.
Speaker 3:It's so much fun and I I did the same thing with my sons were in football when they were in high school and we, you know, we they want to record the games and pretty soon we had like a three cameras running, you know, and it's that's just exciting and fun. So yeah. So that kind of led me into technology, I guess.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what part of tech. Like tech, I mean, you're going for radio. Um, yep, you know what tech did you kind of, was it something connected with radio, or were you? Did you see something that was maybe new and upcoming, that you're like, yeah, I want to do that?
Speaker 3:yeah, so back then there was like three choices there was hardware, there was not web software, and then there was web software really around around.
Speaker 3:The 2000s is just before 2000 is when I kind of got into it, so I I actually went into web web programming okay um, there was a like a accelerated six month kind of shove a bunch of stuff in your brain and go get a job and learn how to do it, you know, and so, uh, yeah, so I got into web development was really it was interesting. Um, you know, this is right when people were starting to just early e-commerce, early people putting their first websites up, just in general. So, um, I worked with some consulting firms, with some advertising agencies, and did a lot of uh websites, just generic brochure websites or banks, a lot of banks was nice. And then we did do some early e-commerce, I mean, and that was when you're building the shopping cart yourself. I mean, we wrote the shopping cart, you know, to get a credit card online.
Speaker 3:Back then, I mean, seriously, it was like it was hard. You had to, like, call the um, you know, the bank that owned the credit card. And then there was, you know you had to do all this work, so everything was manual. And now you know you just plug a stripe in and everything goes right. Yeah so, yeah, so I was doing that and then you know, it was kind of getting evolving and then it was like you know, you're it's thanks for being a web developer, tom, but you're not really that good, so why don't you just manage people? So that's kind of how I took the next steps into management and that would have been the first.
Speaker 3:About 15 years working hard on that, worked at a newspaper, which was kind of fun. There was just a lot going on. It was fun to like the number of traffic. At that time I mean this is early 2000s there was a newspaper and a TV station that was together, so like you'd get some weather events and back then I mean nine you'd get nine million hits on the weather page on the day. So you're trying to figure out how to stand that up and not just have it crash, you know, and so that was kind of fun. And then I kind of got into e-commerce for like the next 10 or 12 years and so learned a lot about e-commerce doing a lot of ERP conversions into the different shopping platforms at the time and what is ERP?
Speaker 3:Sorry, that would be like enterprise resource planners, so kind of like your finances, you know, like a NetSuite. There's a lot of NetSuite advertising on podcasts these days. So basically it runs, all your finances and everything come into there and then you try to you run your business off that software. So sometimes people run that. You know, I mean it's like a glorified QuickBooks, right, like that's what it is. I mean a lot of people are moving from QuickBooks to a ERP like a NetSuite SAP, microsoft Dynamics. It's just a little more sophisticated.
Speaker 3:When you start to get so many transactions, so many records, things flying around, you kind of need more firepower and so those are kind of at the base and the back end of most of these companies. And then we were connecting those to front-end e-commerce websites. So yeah, so that was kind of my evolution there, nice. And then in the last few years you get kicked out and told you know, kind of bumped out of the job, and so that's kind of led me to this fractional space, which has been wonderful, you know, it's just kind of a new area Fractional executives, more or less part time, c-suite work.
Speaker 2:Yeah, c-suite work.
Speaker 3:Yeah, um, and I, you know it's funny because I talked to people that have been in, kind of retired from their businesses and they're like, man, I wish I really could have, like, had a frat, if that would have been a thing, that would have been awesome because, you know, growing businesses, small businesses, they don't really need to spend huge dollars on, say, a cfo right, you got good people in their finance department but they need someone with some experience to come in. You know, know kind of set the stage, guide them, come back out for a while, come back, and so I think that's where people are finding this fractional space to be really, really good for them.
Speaker 2:Yeah, can you dive in for those who don't know what that fractional space means, that fractional CFO kind of thing?
Speaker 3:So two or three different things. Of course I'm working on the technical side, but the CFO is an easy one to talk about because you know everyone has finances in their business and you know most people have someone doing the bookkeeping work. Maybe they have a controller that's taking care of all that stuff. But you know the CFO's job is really a strategic right. We need to make sure we have enough money for the next, you know, 18 to 24 months. How do we manage the bank relationships?
Speaker 3:And those are things that you know your controller that maybe worked their way up through has never really talked to a bank or never had to negotiate these things. So that's where you see sometimes a fractional CFO come in, or because you know they don't need to come to your business and work 40 hours a week because, generally speaking, you know if they're there for 40 hours a week, because generally speaking, you know if they're there for 40 hours a week they're probably doing 15 to 20 hours of cfoing and then they do bookkeeping for the rest of the time and it's like you don't want to pay someone that much to do bookkeeping. Yeah right, it's, it's not efficient. So that's that was kind of. Cfos came into the fractional space probably 10 years ago, and now you're really starting to see all the other disciplines find their way through.
Speaker 2:So it's basically like hiring someone in the C-suite level like a CEO, cmo, cfo, for like almost quote unquote, like gig work, sort of like, for like a project on a reoccurring base.
Speaker 3:Yep, it can be like project based, it can be interim based. You know, if tomorrow your cfo decides to take a job or you know would have another unfortunate accident or something where you're just out of a cfo.
Speaker 3:You know what do you do, you, you know you kind of get by, but you need that, that expert guidance at times. Yeah, um, or you know sometimes what we find is, you know, a CHRO. So in the HR space, like you know there's, you don't necessarily always need that person there. Maybe you just need to get the processes in place and kind of make sure everything's working, working fine.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 3:Client that I worked for in the past had a security breach. You know compromise, so I would go in and work for them for a little bit of time to make sure we get all the you know, get them in person, you know, get get them back on track. They were understaffed. So we get like hooked up with a company that can help them kind of be their people, set up their policies, get all that stuff structured, and then you can kind of step back. Now you might stay there for four or five hours a week. Maybe that's good for them or you just be done. And so I think that's the thing where, um, it's just kind of need-based. But and I think the biggest difference between a fractional executive and a um like a consultant would be that you know the fractional is really working for that company. They'll generally have an email at that company. You'll really be embedded. But yeah, you're just only you know, maybe you're just not doing 40 hours at a time for them.
Speaker 2:Sure, that makes sense and thank you for clarifying that. Yeah, of course you know. You mentioned a little bit back that you, you know, were working and sounds like you got let go of your job.
Speaker 3:Yeah, twice.
Speaker 2:So what is that process Like? How do you navigate that when you're let go from a job for whatever reasons? Yeah, how did you process that? How did you manage that to kind of keep moving forward? Not?
Speaker 3:very well, the first time.
Speaker 2:I think I panicked.
Speaker 3:You know, called some people I knew got a second job within a little bit of time.
Speaker 3:And then you know nothing changed, right, yeah. And so you know it, it was just. And then the second time you're like, okay, wait a minute. Like first time, you know, shame on you, right. But second time it's like wait a minute.
Speaker 3:And so that's kind of when I just kind of relaxed, kind of thought about what I wanted to be doing and just realized that, uh, you know, like I kind of wanted to be more of my own boss. I, I guess you might say, and you know, you get older and you think, gosh, I just don't want to just burn both ends of the candle at the same time anymore. And how can we restructure all this? You know, it was kind of an interesting timing. My sons were kind of leaving the house, so we were kind of empty nesting at the same time, which was cool and interesting. And so you just get it, it's an opportunity to rethink what is it that you want to do? You know I mean yeah, so I think not panicking, which is what everyone told me. But yeah, you decide you're still panicking, right.
Speaker 3:And so that's when I found a firm that was kind of just starting up in this fractional space. This was back in April of 24. And just I'm trying to learn myself as we go. You know, the hardest part is I never really had to sell anything. You know, and so you become. You know part of you have. There's a lot going on there. So it's been fun to build the company together with with others and we're growing. But you know it's you want to help companies be successful. I think that's for me, what I, what I want, is you know you want to help other companies take advantage of things that you've learned over time and you know, and and and get them to the next spot.
Speaker 2:So Absolutely Now. So with this you know, coming into this new firm that you're helping and being a part of, like what has been some big challenges for you in growing that, this new business that you maybe didn't realize or didn't think about, yeah, I think one of the toughest parts is you know you've got to balance all the things right.
Speaker 3:You've got, you need to get some work done, because if you don't do any work then you don't get paid, and then you know. But at the same time you got to be networking and talking to people and you know, finding out what's happening in companies and people's lives. So I think, just finding that right balance and yet you know, at the same time not trying to kill yourself like maybe you did before in other positions. So I think that's probably the hardest part.
Speaker 3:And then you know you're kind of learning to work with people, but you know we're structured much like a law firm. So you know you're working for yourself but you're also working for the company. So it's been fun to try to grow that cool.
Speaker 2:You know embed a culture, but at the same time you're kind of you know independent uh, you know operators at the same time yeah, and that's I mean such a shift too, because, like you real really will see where your discipline lacks, right when you're having to work for yourself and grow something on your own, and it can show you kind of your shortcomings or your blind spots that you didn't have to worry about as in a job.
Speaker 2:And, um, you know, it's funny you mentioned the balance, or what I like to call harmony, cause everything going on, like you just have to have to kind of make it all work and mesh well for your life and what you want, cause I mean I quit my job just cold Turkey to try to figure things out and and then you know I was married and now we have two little kids and and we I have my hobbies and I'm networking, like you said. So it's like how do I like I feel like if I give balance, like something gets more weight than the other, like trying to find that harmony. I think is is super critical. So how have you went? How have you went about finding that harmony within this process with you, your wife and everything?
Speaker 3:Yeah, well, the first thing that was good within like the first three months my wife had said hey, you're happier than you ever been for like probably 20 years, and I'm like I didn't really think about that, so like, so that's kind of the maybe a little reward that came early, right, and then, you.
Speaker 3:Then you know, I mean, you just think, what is it that I really want to do? Because, like you know you, every meme that exists in the world right is monday. Nobody wants to go to work, right, we don't even take, we don't even take heathens to that right. It's like why are we allowing this to happen, like you know. And then you know, I think you, you gut check and you look at, like what are all these things that I'm buying that I maybe don't need to? Why am I doing all this? You know, for me I think sometimes it was just therapy, right, like buy stuff to feel better, even though, you know, inside I probably wasn't feeling good at all.
Speaker 3:And so I think it's just an opportunity to kind of reevaluate everything. And then you start to realize that if we have to sell this house, would that be better, or should I go get a job Like let's weigh those two things and see.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:We decided it would be okay to sell our house, you know, and so like I think that was when it's like okay, well then I'm all in, you know, and we'll see what happens and and whatever you know if we have to do that, I mean in like what people think, it's not much, you know. I like the stuff but like do I need all this stuff?
Speaker 3:So I think it's having a grounded conversation with yourself to say what exactly is it that I need? And then from there, I think things start to kind of shape themselves a little bit.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I like that a lot, themselves a little bit. Yeah, I like that a lot. And and just that truth of conversation, because are we doing it just because we actually need it or are we trying to, you know, appease other people's opinions or, uh, you know, are we caring too much about what other people think if we're not in the bigger house or whatever? Like what are they going to think if I, if we sell house to downside, you know right, caring too much about that, which I mean, everyone's guilty of it, myself included. So, again, I think I like to to have that real conversation with yourself and getting deep. And yeah, I think that's a great way to kind of go about it. And you mentioned too, like we kind of brought up like this one side of things. How did you shift from that Like going from a structured kind of job to now it's kind of really weighs all on your side of getting things done? How did you find that discipline or what did you do to create that discipline?
Speaker 3:I'll let you know when I find it. That's probably the worst part, I think you know I call it my to-do list and CRM problem, right, Like I don't have a good one of either one of those two things, and I think I you know, I think if I could solvedo list and CRM problem right, like I don't have a good one of either one of those two things, and I think I, you know, I think if I could solve that I would feel better.
Speaker 3:But you know cause I'm, I'm pretty, I mean I feel like I'm ADHD or whatever you want to say. I mean I'd love to kind of find the next new thing, but you got to just buckle down at times.
Speaker 3:So you know, I was finding myself just bringing more things together, doing more. You know lists, I guess you might say, and I think if you're a disciplined person, you're probably already doing better things than I was doing, and maybe that was what I mean. I think some of it is what's caused my demise. You know, in the past and you know you reflect a lot right. You don't want to kind of go back into the same thing. So you try hard to, you know, to do.
Speaker 3:You got to find out what works for you, you know like I think for me, I just found myself need to be quite a bit more forcefully organized. You know, blocking more time on the calendar, um, which is a little bit scary because you don't want to block your life away, but at times I think if I don't do that then I seem to wander. Yeah, for me, um, that would be ideal.
Speaker 3:So yeah so yeah, I mean, and then I mean I'm a big tech guy, so I love all this AI stuff that's coming out. So you know, I like to leverage that too. Like you know, you ask me questions. I mean it does work as a fairly good therapist for you. I don't know if you've used it in that way, but it's pretty cool. I mean I find that it brings logic to some things that are less logical. You know, like I think this world has gone illogical at times. I mean we just don't stop and think about the just basics. And it doesn't mean that, you know, you can't have your values, but I mean sometimes, like some of the decisions we make, you think why did I do that? You know, and it doesn't seem like it fits sometimes, you know, and it doesn't seem like it fits sometimes. So I like to use AI to help me process through things and make lists and it helps me organize.
Speaker 2:Yeah, definitely a great tool. I mean, it's crazy how we're seeing it advance just within this last year and kind of scary how fast it's going to continue to evolve and grow and what it's going to, you know, continue to to be able to do in the future. But, um, I think, yeah, what you mentioned there, though, going back to the discipline and time blocking, it kind of reminds me of and I'm probably butchered the quote. But, like um, if you don't, if you don't know where your money is or where your money's going, it'll leave you, like, if you don't know, you don't keep an eye on it.
Speaker 2:It'll leave you, like if you don't know, you don't keep an eye on it, it'll leave you and it's kind of like so like you just kind of spin it without knowing what your budget and everything is. It's kind of like your time budget, like if you're not um scheduling laid out and know what you're giving it to, it'll just kind of vanish right um. And and I have another, a mentor of mine, who talks about doing time audits, so like, for I think it's like 16 days, every 15 minutes you stop and you write down what you're doing in that last 15 minutes and at the end of the 16 days or 14 days, you'll see just how much time you're wasting yes um, because you're you're taking note and you're writing it down and you'll see, like, oh, I spend way too much time on tikt, tiktok or whatever it might be.
Speaker 2:you know, or maybe it's, I've spent way too much time responding to emails and so maybe if we can exchange that task for a virtual assistant so you can focus on what you can do best, like, things like that is crazy.
Speaker 3:Talking about that is just efficiency with email. Like you know there's a great book out there that's called the come up for air by nick sonnenberg, and he just talks about no one ever taught us how to use email. You know like, yeah, just kind of you just had it right, like and you know there's ways to.
Speaker 3:You know you don't need to respond to every email right away and like you know, like I don't know, I think people talk about that as just block time for responding email. I mean, most emails are not going to be immediate need right, and if they do, you should, people shouldn't be doing that anyway. Like, if you need immediate help, don't email like that's not it. You know, yeah, I got a phone.
Speaker 3:I like to use the scheduling of the sending of emails too, because I figure, you know like let's just use the scheduling of the sending of emails too, because I figure you know like let's just use the block of time, like I don't want to bug people in the middle of the night yeah, just because it happens to work good for me right that day to work, you know, to work late or whatever, because maybe during the day I was doing something fun, because I like to ride motorcycles and do things like that.
Speaker 3:so so, yeah, so like it, so like it's like, like I don't know, like I think we're getting it's going to be really interesting. I think what I tell businesses and I think it applies to people too is like you know, write down what you do, write your processes down, because in a couple of years from now, these AI agents can probably help you with these processes. I mean, I think you know they're going to become our virtual assistants, right? I mean I think they're going to become our virtual assistants. They're going to be helping us a lot the more you can write your process down.
Speaker 3:If you don't know what your process is, you'll never be able to automate it, because you don't even know if it's scattered and all this other. I'm sure it's the same way with your podcast. There's a process, right? I mean, a buddy of mine have a. I love podcasts so much, I've been listening for so, so long. But we do a motorcycle podcast. It's the same thing. It's like trying to learn on the what. What are the people like? You know, how do you make it more conversational? I, when we first started, and yes, your stories. I mean, yeah, you started out that way. Yeah, like let's, why did you make these decisions?
Speaker 2:or what happened here.
Speaker 3:You know, yeah, the more we've done that, you can definitely see more interaction with people, which is which is nice.
Speaker 2:I mean people need that connection right yep, yeah, and I think it goes back to kind of what we discussed a little bit earlier of like the live stream, the live production you know radio was is now kind of shifted to pre-recorded and yeah, um, and going now to and I still think it's true, I think it's going to happen is more, more and more small businesses, um, and that's up to like 50 employees I think it's the definition of small and I could be off on that number but like they're going to start utilizing video content or live streams to again build that bridge of connection. Because we're going to start utilizing video content or live streams to again build that bridge of connection, because we're going to see so much AI generated content.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So much stuff like that, because I think we're going to start yearning more and more for connection, uh, community, and you know, just upfront, you know being able to interact and live streams are a great way to do that. So I still foresee, you know, businesses really to interact and live streams are a great way to do that. So I still foresee, you know businesses really hopping on that live streaming events for not only more revenue, but just to make a bigger difference and impact with the events too. So, yeah, I think that that can.
Speaker 3:I think it's like Seth Godin that talks about, isn't that in his book tribes, isn't that a thousand fans? Is that part of that same concept? I think it is.
Speaker 2:I think so I'd have to revisit that one.
Speaker 3:Yeah, but it's around that, right, you need a thousand, you know. And that's where I think, when you're getting into podcasts or you're getting into some of these things, you start to see this niches of niches, right, I mean like, because it doesn't really take that many people to support a podcast running, you know. I mean, and you know, like, I don't know, I've listened, I love your podcast, it's great. Well, and it's just what I like about it is the variety. Sometimes you get some podcasts are centered around a topic, which is which is interesting. You know, it's like a deep dive, but I think yours is interestingly, kind of just like hey, these are good things for just life, right.
Speaker 3:I mean that's what I've picked up, you know. So it's so interesting. I mean, I think in that same time, like I mean we've had audio books for years and years on cassettes and CDs- and now you can just load it on your phone.
Speaker 2:And.
Speaker 3:I mean I find myself doing a lot more. You know, I was so into like nonfiction learning all the time, and now I find really interesting to just let your mind explore. I mean I kind of like post-apocalyptic type stuff, but yeah, yeah, so uh, I don't know, it's just so easy to get to this content now oh yeah, there's so much, we have so much more access to, to knowledge, to entertainment, to everything.
Speaker 2:We have so much, and it almost like drowns it out, like we have so much option, so much, that we can look and that we almost forget to take action and like focus on what matters. You know, kind of it's a crazy thing where we're at, really. Yeah, um tom, this has been a great conversation. I'm super, super excited and grateful that you shared your story and just your journey and you know the realness of it and how you're still growing, but you're still, you know, not where you used to be and and you know you're working and improving on things and I think that that's a testament to like everyone, like no matter what level you're at, no matter where you're at in life, like we can always improve and always be, you know, at least 1% better each day.
Speaker 2:You got can always improve and always be, you know, at least one percent better each day. You gotta keep adapting, yeah. So if you were to talk to someone maybe they're 10, 10 years younger than you right now yeah, trying to figure out next steps, don't know, with so many options nowadays they're kind of just like you know they're taking that inner look, kind of like you did after you kind of got let go. What would be one thing you would tell them? Uh, to kind of maybe point them in the right direction or give them a little guidance.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I would definitely never sacrifice like work for family. You know that's just a limited resource, right. I mean, you know I I read a quote and you know, again, we're getting close but like when your kids turn 18, you've already spent spent like 90 of the time with them that you're going to spend in your life, yep, um. So I remember it wasn't too long ago one of my son's car broke down and I took the day off and people like why are you taking the day off? You know to bring it, you could just get it fixed up where he's at.
Speaker 3:I'm like, yeah, but like we're gonna spend two hours together, right, and like that might be the last block of two hours that him and I spent together alone ever again. And you're like it seems silly. You know he was like 20 maybe, or 21. You know you're thinking my gosh. I mean like I think the resources that's so precious and I love tiktok just as much as everybody else but you know I think we're replacing that TikTok, you know quick hit stuff for maybe some actual, you know interactions and you know you have to wonder if that's not part of kind of our mental health crisis that you see.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:They're replacing this in inorganic objects with these, and they do. I mean I love TikTok. There's funny things on there, you know these new. I mean I cannot stop watching these babies like karate in these chickens oh, the ai videos it's not man, it's so great, but like, but also, you know, I don't know, we tend to like. I mean I think there's a balance of that um with people, right? I mean, I think and I'm not a huge bunch of people, person, I don't have a huge circle of people- yeah man.
Speaker 3:I mean I love conversations like this. I mean I like authentic, good conversations. My wife used to get mad at me. She's like why'd you bring your phone out when we're eating dinner with these girls? Like I was bored, like the weather was more impressive than this conversation, so you know yeah, I don't know, get intentional, be real and, like I don't know, like you start to get to know people.
Speaker 2:Then, like you know, yeah, I think that's so huge. And jesse itzler, uh, he said this one time. I was listening to him and he said think, if your parents are 60 years old right now and you know they live to, we'll say 80, for, for the sake of numbers, yeah that's and people are like oh yeah, I got 20, 20 more years.
Speaker 2:My parents. He's like, well, how often do you see your parents? I might see them once a year. So he's like you don't have 20 years, you have 20 more opportunities, 20, 20 more moments with your parents.
Speaker 2:Like that is crazy right like because, and so that again, if you think of things like that, you shift your perspective. Like I think my kids the same thing like I, you know you only have. You know if I might, if I'm got 50 more years, you know, 50 more summers with them, you're like like under a hundred, like not very much.
Speaker 2:Like you start. We have to shift. What really matters in life, I think, and that's relationships, I think that's community, I think that's trying to. You know, use our gifts and talents to to make a difference. I think everyone's created for a purpose to to make a difference. Yeah, it's just such a. It's just such a. I love that guidance that you're giving people because I think it's spot on with just seeing the big picture and losing your job, or maybe that task at work or the grand scheme of things, it don't matter, it'll pass. And so, tom, again, great, great words of wisdom there and I would love for you to share. You know, if people are interested in getting connected with you, find out more about all the fractional things and what you're doing, where's the best place that they can go and connect with you?
Speaker 3:Yeah, easiest place is LinkedIn. Just look up Tom Altman. You know I'd be happy to talk about what is fractional. I'd love to geek out about AI or just anything. Just connect. I can send some virtual coffee things and yeah, it's just fun to get to know people. You know motorcycle riding, whatever works right there you go.
Speaker 2:I'm in Awesome, yeah. So everyone make sure, I mean get connected with them, learn from them, reach out to them. But again, tom, thanks so much for being on the Elevate Media Podcast today.
Speaker 3:Yeah, thank you, it's been a pleasure.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, and if you're listening to this, remember that you help us reach more ears by going and subscribing and leaving a review. That way we can make a bigger impact together and make sure you go full-time Again, get connected with them. But until next time, go out there and continue to elevate your life, elevate your brand, and we'll talk to you again soon.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Elevate Media podcast. Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review. See you in the next episode.
