Nerdpreneur Podcast: When And How Nerds Make Money

The continued success and growth of podcasting is due to a multitude of factors, and chief among them is its ability to identify and occupy audience segments ignored by TV, film, and radio. And that's the genius of the indie podcast Nerdpreneur. 

On its website, Nerdpreneur delivers its elevator pitch as such:  "At Nerdpreneur we have fun conversations with people turning their weird passion into a successful business! We interview entrepreneurs from around the world to discover the hacks, tools, and mindsets that turn nerd passion into full-time income."

The podcast boasts that it "interviewed dozens of niche professionals from all over the world, including board game designers, dice retailers, D&D content creators, tarantula breeders, and even a German zombie magician!"

And I'm happy to report that Nerdpreneur matches and exceeds its own swagger. It's a podcast that has successfully carved out its own topic niche that is the recombinant DNA of business entrepreneurship and nerdiness.  

Let's start with the podcast music. In a word, brilliant. The original music is composed by someone named Professor Epic, who is apparently the avatar of the co-host Chris Saunders. Anyway, the opening score is a syncopated beat with lyrics that begin with a whisper of "Keep it nerdy." and include "Life's a game, so I'm gonna take my turn." Cool stuff. As a listener, you know right away this isn't a Wall Street Journal business episode or something from Bloomberg. 

Then, the podcast plays clips of its "best of" episodes, such as the tarantula breeder, before the episode begins. The podcast began in March 2022 without a trailer and released over 30 episodes. Their episodes are divided into two types. First, there are the interviews with entrepreneurs who sell their nerdy passion, such as -- one of my favorites - Anthony who designs and crafts artisanal dice. Yep, and it's a legitimate business. 

This episode symbolizes all the interview episodes because the listeners learn that these nerdpreneurs are not some geeks who are indulging themselves in a weird passion that will never make money. Instead, we discover that these business people are smart, financially sharp, willing to fail in order to succeed, and developing a viable business plan. 

With Anthony, we learned that dice can be made from resin, wood, and even carbon fiber. These dice are meticulously designed and available in various sizes, up to the size of a baseball.

The list of guests is a who's who of nerds, ranging from a music composer for tabletop role-play games to a haunted house operator in Vancouver, and from a writer of Nintendo and Super Nintendo game system guides to a board game designer.

The podcast also has "Talking Nerdy" episodes, where the two co-hosts discuss "nerd-centric" topics. It's a good sign that co-hosts can carry a podcast episode and maintain interest level without a guest.

On the podcast and in written material, the co-hosts are identified as Chris and Frank, with no last names included. The co-hosts are apparently 30ish with wide angle experience in media from video production to online gaming.

As co-hosts, they are superb, both as a team and individually. Clearly, they have media experience, and smartly they enable guests to speak without interruption and then guide their guests with questions that enhance the interview. As co-hosts, they work hard to help their guests present themselves in the best light possible, and they market the products discussed by their guests. 

It would have been easy to poke fun at Aram the tarantula breeder, but Chris and Frank presented this nerdpreneur as a smart business person who monetized his passion. That's commendable.

In November 2022, Chris and Frank were guests on Acast's The Guiding Voice podcast (ep. #276), and the show is definitely worth a listen.

Interestingly, in July of this year, the Nerdpreneur team released a trailer, with over 35 episodes under their belt. I do not want to guess what prompted the release of the trailer, but I do think it's a terrific idea. A trailer can introduce a new season to existing listeners and entice new listeners. A trailer can juice interest level and listener numbers as the podcast organically builds an audience, as Nerdpreneur apparently has accomplished that goal.

A trailer also offers clickworthy content to the growing number of podcast newsletters and podcast review sites. 

You would hope that a podcast named Nerdpreneur would practice what they preach, and Chris and Frank do a laudable job monetizing their podcast with Patreon sponsorships. The podcast offers a Board level membership with a "Loot Bag" newsletter, uncut interviews, and what they describe as cool nerd products.

The podcast also has a strong social media presence on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

My two points of concern begin with their website, which is low-functioning, probably to drive listeners to Patreon membership, but I am a big believer in robust websites for indie podcasters. A substantial digital footprint that is attractive to listeners can drive audience loyalty and organic growth.

Second, it seems the mics for Chris and Frank vary in sound quality and volume level, and, at times, remote guests are at a much higher volume level than the co-hosts.

I highly recommend the Nerdpreneur podcast for nerds and non-nerds. The podcast has highly capable, smart, playful, and insightful co-hosts and fascinating guests, who have transformed their passion into a business. Check it out.

Who knows, you might find that your private passion could become a viable business. You find a few shells at the beach that look like Lionel Messi, the soccer great. Bam! A business is born.

 

Chris (below) and Frank (above), the co-hosts of the Nerdpreneur podcast.