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How Hala Taha Turned Her Facet Hustle into a Media Empire

How Hala Taha Turned Her Facet Hustle into a Media Empire

In 2018, Hala Taha labored as a company advertising and marketing executive when she started a podcast known as Younger and Profiting Podcast. Her objective was to assist youthful professionals increase their professions and find out from the most effective minds in business and amusement.

Now, the Young and Profiting Podcast is the #1 Training and Self-Improvement podcast across all apps, with more than 5M downloads. In 2021, she leveraged her affect from the podcast and LinkedIn and introduced YAP Media, a white-glove social media and podcasting agency. YAP Media swiftly grew to become a 7-figure company with 50 workforce.

We requested Hala about the origins of Younger and Profiting and transitioning from C-Suite to company owner and “podcast princess.”

Q&A with Hala Taha, Founder of YAP Media

Q: What’s one particular thing you’ve finished this week that helped your business enterprise?

A: My main concentration each individual week is to further grow the most recent portion of our organization, the YAP Media Network, a podcast community focused on the expansion and monetization of community podcasts. We released the network immediately after properly developing and monetizing my clearly show, as nicely as three other demonstrates we made in-home. In just a couple months, we have developed to around a dozen exhibits concentrated on organization, self-improvement, and entrepreneurship! It’s my key precedence as CEO to spearhead the community and established it up for very long-time period accomplishment, just as I have finished with our initial enterprise, YAP Media, our award-winning social and podcast company.

This 7 days, I am targeted on building new sales partnerships and likely picking an unique gross sales lover for our network so I can emphasis on recruiting, bettering, and increasing our network’s reveals. In truth, this week experienced a large amount of “pinch me” moments — appears to be like every person in the marketplace is courting “The Podcast Princess”— and it’s a really wonderful emotion!

Q: What is your favored podcast (besides YAP, of program)?

A: It is a tie between the Jordan Harbinger Present and The Ed Mylett Exhibit. Ed Mylett’s podcast is so motivational – he just lights me up so considerably! I hear to his interviews to research for future YAP visitors due to the fact there is a ton of overlap. I had Ed on Younger and Profiting Podcast not too long ago, and it is quickly come to be just one of my favourite conversations. They normally say you should really not meet up with your heroes IRL, but I liked Ed even Far more immediately after we spoke in individual! He’s these types of a genuinely fantastic-hearted person with an incredible information.

I’m also a large fan of the Jordan Harbinger Exhibit. A lot of folks have known as me the feminine variation of Jordan Harbinger for the reason that we are extremely alike when it arrives to our job interview design and topics. Following owning him on my demonstrate in 2020, I stored in touch and, by way of some strategic maneuvering, Jordan is now my mentor and an advisor at YAP Media. We discuss each individual one working day and he’s even in my Slack channel! He’s taught me so much about how the podcast field works and I am super thankful for our qualified partnership.

Q: You began Youthful and Profiting in 2018 as a side hustle. Why podcasting?

A: My really like for broadcasting started out in college wherever I interned for the New York radio station WQHT Very hot97 on “The Angie Martinez Show” for absolutely free for 3 yrs. I was the affiliate producer of the show and was dependable for the day by day present temporary, research, jogging the boards, and even reading through commercials on air which was my initially working experience as on-air talent. On the facet even though working at the station, I hosted on the internet radio shows–the precursor to podcasts–with the up-and-coming DJs who also labored for no cost at the station. Podcasts did exist at the time, but they ended up super specialized to develop and even more challenging to accessibility as a listener – so I did not pursue them.

Immediately after I still left Warm97, I went back again to college and started a weblog identified as The Sorority of Hip Hop, which grew into a movement in the Tri-Condition with 50+ female bloggers that obtained a ton of acceptance. We experienced a buzzing weblog, many online radio exhibits, and hosted the best parties in the town. Just after practically getting a present on MTV 2 times and finally staying rejected, coupled with not remaining in a position to efficiently monetize the blog, I shut every thing down. It was a very lower point in my everyday living, and I totally gave up on the thought that I was ever likely to make it in leisure.

I permit go of my desires, obtained an MBA, went into corporate marketing, and thought I would Never ever get back on a mic…

But then I obtained the itch once more four several years later. In April of 2018, I was doing the job at Hewlett Packard and didn’t get an possibility I seriously needed at my day job. I observed myself with a good deal of excess time and realized I experienced a ton of suitable practical experience less than my belt to begin a podcast. And now podcasts ended up way much more mainstream! I figured I’d be capable to use the capabilities I figured out radio, running a blog, and working social media for Fortune 500 organizations to create anything epic. And so I went on to do just that with Young and Profiting.

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Q: What were being your goals in the early times of YAP? Did you strategy to make YAP a full-time gig?

A: No, I started YAP even though I was a marketing and advertising government at Hewlett Packard (and then at Disney Streaming Solutions). I believed I was going to stay in corporate eternally and just increase up the ranks.

I started off the clearly show as a passion to give back by supporting some others pay attention, understand, and earnings. The system was to job interview the brightest minds in the earth and distill their wisdom into actional suggestions that my listeners could use in their everyday living. I had been a unsuccessful entrepreneur, but then was rocking it in company, so I felt like I had a whole lot of value to add to the conversation as well. And to be 100% truthful, I actually did not fully grasp the business enterprise model guiding podcasts at initial, and never dreamed that we would be monetizing the way that we do now!

I to start with commenced to monetize by using my podcast as a guide era instrument. By year two of the podcast, I was a key influencer on LinkedIn and my podcast was performing excellent. The attendees who would occur on my display would often request me if I could operate their social and podcast channels for them provided my observe document. I applied to usually say no, and that I had a tiny workforce of volunteers who only experienced potential for my present. But inevitably, I made the decision to lean into the demand from customers and start a facet hustle termed YAP Media, a white-glove social media and podcast company catered to CEOs, greatest-promoting authors, and celebrities–the same form of people who are company on my exhibit. The corporation took off appropriate away.

Q: You developed your team initially by asking admirers to volunteer. What enthusiastic that decision to arrive at out to your audience?

A: I truly under no circumstances attained out to my viewers to request for volunteers. My followers arrived at out to me! When I to start with introduced YAP Podcast, I experienced a large amount of practical experience less than my belt. My podcast and social had been fantastic from the get started, and since I had this kind of pure intentions to assistance people–I guess lots of individuals had been quite captivated to that–it was just about magnetic! In reality, I experienced my initially volunteer by episode 2, Timothy Tan, who is now my company spouse. By episode 8, I had 10 volunteers in a Slack channel to assist my clearly show. Most folks arrived at out on LinkedIn, expressed how a great deal the show meant to them, and requested how they could support. They needed to discover from me and felt very aligned with the mission of Younger and Profiting.

For illustration, I experienced just one volunteer from Estonia who managed my site, and just one volunteer from Atlanta who would operate on my video clips. I would teach them how to operate selected facets of the show, which unlocked time for me to investigate impressive ways to mature the demonstrate, and they had been happy to level up their competencies even though accomplishing good operate for the globe. It labored out actually properly and I am super thankful for it.

Q: Do you have any funny stories from the early days of recording and making YAP?

A: I was running a pretty big podcast by the conclude of my company occupation, but because I was nevertheless doing the job a total-time position, I made use of to report my interviews in the course of my lunch hour–oftentimes in humorous spots at the workplace. Finding a right meeting area was out of the dilemma. If I was lucky, I would get a mobile phone booth and sound like I was in a fish bowl! From time to time, I would have to file in an deserted closet and a person time I even locked myself in a girl’s toilet because there wasn’t a quiet put for me to document. Fortunately, this was back when my clearly show was audio-only… so no person realized, haha. And when I initially was an entrepreneur and just bought out of a lousy breakup, I was recording episodes in my mom’s basement for practically 8 months–even my interview with Matthew McConaughey was recorded in my mom’s basement!

Today, I have a super awesome studio with a branded chalkboard mural, mounted ceiling lights, a very hot pink desk, and I even have a teleprompter. Acquiring a correct studio was a huge second for me. I often just come to feel so overcome with joy when I feel again to how tricky I worked, and how significantly I have come! The arrive-up has been actual!

Q: Was there a second when you realized that YAP would be your entire-time job?

A: It was after I introduced my social and podcast agency, YAP Media. That was the to start with time I tasted what the foreseeable future could search like and realized the total potential of YAP. In December 2021, YAP media was 8 months outdated and I had constructed the agency to a substantial measurement though working in corporate. I experienced about 30 employees and we ended up producing in excess of 6-figures a month servicing a handful of superior-profile shoppers. That exact thirty day period, I also found I would be showcased on the go over of Podcast Magazine–a massive milestone for me. And just two months afterwards, I landed an interview with Matthew McConaughey. That is when I knew I had to acquire this prospect a lot more significantly, and I finished up quitting my corporate job at Disney in February 2021 to aim on YAP comprehensive-time.

 

Q: What difficulties did you face generating that transition?

A: Opposite to most new business people, revenue have under no circumstances been my problem. The development of YAP Media transpired extremely organically because we experienced terrific merchandise-market fit and extremely successful direct technology tools my podcast and social channels.

I consider the biggest problem for me has been transitioning from a volunteer group to a actual enterprise. In the starting, our YAP group was like a massive family–composed of volunteers who simply just wished to learn, add and do fantastic for the environment. But when we started out scaling and earning cash, imagine it or not, it grew to become substantially more difficult to keep talent. Volunteers are less complicated to control due to the fact the expectations are diverse. When people today are acquiring a paycheck–things naturally get a lot more severe and aggressive. Some people today did not want to let go of the prior adaptability they experienced as volunteers. There was also friction among externally employed staff and volunteers who turned into workers. We had a massive society change at just one position to get out of that “volunteer” mentality so we could successfully scale as a media agency.

Q: What have you learned about yourself as a chief from this transformation?

A: I’ve often been a chief, considering that I was a minimal female I was generally “president” of a little something or striving to be. Even so, YAP Media is the very first time I am a leader of a income-building company, and it’s a distinctive kind of obligation. I am responsible for the livelihoods and professions of not only my very own staff members but also my clients. It is a whole lot of tension, but I recognized this type of pressure is motivating for me.

I like to make an impact that is what drives me to near massive specials, believe of inventive answers, and so on.

I also understood I required to perform on my emotions a little bit. Entrepreneurship can be a rocky street. We have witnessed durations of skyrocketing advancement and it is thrilling. But of training course, each enterprise has both highs and lows. I employed to permit the specifics of what was going on in my company dictate my strength, but right now, I test my greatest to preserve an even keel no make a difference what the particulars are. My group demands confidence, strength, and consistency!

Q: You’ve experienced lots of incredible guests on YAP, together with Matthew McConaughey, Seth Godin, Yancey Strickler, and Heather Monahan. But which guest astonished you the most in what they shared?

A: The a single that truly sticks out to me is my current job interview with Wim Hof, the residing legend acknowledged as the Ice Guy. He retains dozens of world documents involving the cold – such as climbing Mount Everest in shorts and jogging a half marathon barefoot in ice and snow. His breathing strategies and cold remedy have been scientifically tested to improve manage of our brains, innermost bodily capabilities, and systems to do matters like reverse serious health issues. He would seem to be definitely enlightened! It was a extremely eye-opening and academic job interview for me. You can test out my interview with Wim Hof, below.

Q: For younger entrepreneurs, endless social media promoting channels can be overpowering. In which do you recommend they start out?

A: You have to have to be in which your focus on viewers hangs out and exactly where there is still natural and organic reach. The place are all the other influencers in your specialized niche selling them selves and getting good results? That is in which you should really be. And in conditions of natural and organic arrive at, LinkedIn and TikTok have a good deal of it right now. With that stated, there are nonetheless means to mature on each individual platform, for case in point on Instagram, making use of Instagram Reels is an efficient way to achieve visibility on the platform.

The genuine vital is to aim on just one platform instead of attempting to learn many at a time. Really understand the ins and outs of the platform use all of its characteristics, write-up just about every working day, research its algorithm, and reverse engineer what other influencers are executing very well.

When it arrived to advertising Youthful and Profiting Podcast and my individual brand name, I only targeted on LinkedIn for numerous many years. I purposely did not spread myself slender by also striving to win on Instagram. I posted each and every solitary working day and experimented. I attempted to stand out and be distinctive. I saw what labored by placing articles out there and then leaned into what labored. Nowadays, I am recognized as a single of the most prolific influencers on LinkedIn. I am aspect of their formal influencer method and converse at their situations. And I have leveraged that social influence to support increase my podcast and company. Choosing to aim on LinkedIn was one particular of the greatest selections of my everyday living.

Q: What is up coming for YAP Media?

A: Podcasting has grown exponentially over the very last couple years and it doesn’t look like it is slowing down any time soon. Securing podcast sponsorships is our most scalable option listed here at YAP Media and which is why I’m super bullish on the YAP Media Podcast Community!

I am entirely focused on expanding my network and guaranteeing we have an astounding portfolio of company reveals, as effectively as making sure we have restricted advertising and marketing operation processes and the ideal partnerships all set to rock by the 2023 Upfronts. My organization YAP Media is the only podcast network with skills in podcast media shopping for and social media, and mainly because of that, we are already having the field by storm!

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