So in honor of this news, we bring you a "print podcast:" A conversation between me (DD) and Mike Edge (ME).
DD: What is the mission of the Gain Traction Podcast?
ME: The mission is pretty simple. We want to build up the industry in multiple ways. It's turned out to have more tentacles to it than we expected.
We came up with the idea three years ago, but the mission is really meant to build up people, brand, service, products. A lot of times, guests can be moderately nervous, a little bit cautious. They've never done a podcast before, and they don't know what to expect from me.
We do a preliminary meeting, and I'll let them know what track we're going to go down and give them the opportunity to choose some topics they would really like to highlight. Then we take that; I make my notes; and then, really, it's an easy interview.
I'm here to build you up, build your product up, build your services. And like I said, your brand, the audience it serves primarily is tire dealers and auto repair shops. And so those folks tend to interact with us the most, to let us know that they enjoy hearing from people like themselves. And what's interesting is they'll let you know.
DD: What has been some of the audience response?
ME: They say, 'I loved hearing this guy say, X,Y,Z. I'd like to pick his brain. Is there a chance you could introduce me because he gave a golden nugget I want to implement with my company, and I don't compete against him.'
And what's great about the tire industry is people are willing to help, and so connecting people has been fun.
DD: You have had a wide array of guests on. That is really very impressive.
ME: Thank you. It's been a lot of fun. We've had several tire manufacturers on, from Sailun, Toyo, Prinx, etc. What's interesting is some of those guys have dealers they (recommend) I interview. And so over the course of the last couple years, they'll think of somebody and send me a name. It's been a lot of fun to interact with some of their dealers.
DD: So Mike, how did you get started as a podcaster?
ME: Neal Maier (co-owner of Tread Partners, which owns the Gain Traction podcast) came to me one day and he said, 'Mike, we're going to start a podcast.' ...I said, 'OK. Great idea.' And I'm thinking, I'm a team supporter. Then I had to ask the question: 'Well, I'm just curious. Who's going to host this podcast?' And he says, 'You and me.' And I'm like, 'oh boy.' And he probably could tell I wasn't real enthusiastic about it at first, but I didn't say anything negative. I just stayed positive.
I was like, 'I'm willing to try something new, right?' It's always a little bit better when someone's pushing you forward, and he was pushing me.
The first couple months, I was like a litigator. I beg no one to go back and listen to our original ones. I felt like I was litigating people. And it was kind of rough. Then, as we came up on year one, Neil and I had been alternating hosting different guests. And then Neil expresses to me, 'It's just not my thing. I still have the same anxiety putting it together, etc.'
I said, 'That's funny. I did not want to do this in the beginning, and now I absolutely love it.' And he goes, 'Great. It's yours.' And so since then, we've just done it with me as the host, and for the last three-plus years, we've got 150-plus episodes. So it's been great.
DD: What do you enjoy most about doing the podcast?
ME: It's an easy question. For me, it's the people I didn't know. I think I've always known I like people and I love meeting people, so that was an easy part, and that's one of the things I found really appealing as this process grew in podcasting and learn about it. So meeting new people and hearing their stories. I'm a storyteller. I love to hear stories, so it just fits.
I love hearing how people got into the business, what their interests are, what they like to do, and what they want to promote. They take pride and joy in their companies, and what can I do to assist them in telling that story and doing it through a podcast? It's fun for me to get to know them and help them promote their products, services and brands. That's cool.
DD: Is there one guest or one interview that stands out among all that you've done.
ME: Do you mean the one beside the one we did?
DD: Yes, you can talk about that. (I was a guest on Episode 103.)
ME: You and I hit it off the first time I had you on. And one of the stories that stood out to me just because I was a football fan as a kid growing up. I thought it was so cool you were a sports writer around the Cleveland area, and that you were at The Drive, with John Elway beating the Browns, with a 98-yard drive. And I know it was a sad moment for you, you guys lost the game, but it was a big moment in NFL history. I remember that game, and to think that you were there on the field, that was pretty cool.
So I enjoy hearing stories like that, and that was a personal encounter with you that I experienced as a kid in high school watching it on TV.
Another memorable interview — it just stands out to me because the guy is contagious, and I got to see him train his clientèle in a training session — is with Sonny McDonald (senior national training manager) of Toyo Tire. This is not to take away from anybody else I interviewed. Sonny is so honest and forthright. I asked him if he had a humorous story for me? And he said, 'Oh yeah, I got you one.' And he didn't give me this in the preliminary meeting.
I didn't know what was coming, but he tells me about his experience when he first got hired in the tire business. He worked in a shop when he was at Indiana University. It was a very embarrassing moment what he did. And I was just belly-laughing. I loved it. I loved his honesty about it.
He likes the people and he loves the industry, so you can tell he's there to serve. But it was fun, too.
DD: The tire business is all about relationships.
ME: If there's anything that I recognize about the people I interview, it has to be that 90% of them will tell you they love the people of the industry. You meet some people that maybe had another opportunity come up, maybe a challenge in life that got them out of the industry. But something brought them back. And when they got back in it, they knew they weren't going to leave again.
Most of them say it was because of the people, and they missed the connections, the old friends. It's an awesome industry, because everybody seems to be willing to support each other. I know we're competitive, but at the same time, everybody has a lot of respect for their counterparts, and they seem to enjoy talking to them.
DD: Finally, let's talk about the collaboration between Tire Business and the Gain Traction Podcast. We at Tire Business are excited to have you as part of our family. This gives us a great opportunity to hear the voices of the industry people we write about often. It's a win-win proposition for both of us.
ME: I couldn't agree more. Look, Don I think you're a celebrity within the industry. And I feel like you guys at Tire Business are like the Wall Street Journal of the industry. So I consider it a great honor. And I feel like you're going to bring us a listenership that has not tuned in yet. It's going to be a great collaboration. We're very excited to be part of the Tire Business family, Crain Communications, and we look forward to a bright future.
