Rebuilding A Podcast Business For Real Growth

A lease ended and a bigger vision began. We walk you through the Thorn City ecosystem built to help entrepreneurial podcast hosts grow without burnout: a strategic booking agency, an audio-first production playbook, automation that saves 10 plus hours a week, and a curated marketplace that connects serious creatives with serious shows. If you’ve felt the grind of editing, posting, and pitching with little to show for it, this is your blueprint for smarter momentum.

We start with the why: shutting down the physical studio forced a reset on systems, priorities, and process. That reset led to a rebrand with a clear niche—entrepreneurial podcast hosts—and a mission to turn visibility into a repeatable outcome. You’ll hear how we use PodMatch for streamlined guest booking, why audio still converts best, and how short-form video supports discovery rather than becoming a second full-time job. We unpack a practical workflow for prep, recordings, assets, and distribution that compounds episode over episode, instead of starting from zero each week.

From there, we dive into the marketplace: vetted editors, writers, designers, producers, and media buyers in one hub so you can move fast with people you trust. We talk sponsor readiness, packaging your authority for brand partners, and smarter ads that go beyond feeds—think high-intent placements and community screens that put your show in front of buyers who care. Along the way, we share milestones, revenue models, and a three-year roadmap to scale the syndicate across new markets.

If you’re using a podcast to power your business, these tools and strategies will help you be seen, be heard, and be remembered. Follow the show, share this with a creator who needs systems, and leave a review with your biggest bottleneck—we’ll build the next playbook around it.

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Transcript

From Lease End To New Beginning

SPEAKER_01 0:00

The lease ended, but the lights didn't go out. They turned on somewhere new. This episode starts the beginning of something brand new. But it's really about rebuilding from the ground up. Cause when the lease ended, I had to ask a real question. Do I just keep producing content? Do I build a system that actually works? I rebuilt from the ground up. New home setup, new workflow, new rules. And that reset became a visibility first method for entrepreneurial podcast hosts who want growth without burnout. Today, I walk you through the entire Thorn City ecosystem. A system that uses automation and AI to save 10 plus hours per week. We talk rebranding, why audio still matters, and a curated marketplace for creatives. So, if you're an entrepreneur using podcasting as a growth tool, this is for you. Share this with a creator who needs systems. Because visibility isn't about fame, it's about focus. Welcome to the Thorn City Spotlight Show. Be seen, be heard, be remembered.

Capstone, AI Tools, And Ad Network

Systems Over Hustle

Rebrand And Logo Story

Origins In Music And Visibility

From Tours To Podcast Studios

Launching The Spotlight Show And Sponsors

Defining The Thorn City Ecosystem

Marketplace And Vendor Network

Mission, Vision, And Niche Clarity

Solving Visibility And Time Drain

Strategic Booking And Automation

Audio First, Smart Video

Products, Services, And Differentiators

Revenue Streams And Growth Plan

Join The Syndicate And Closing

SPEAKER_02 1:08

After a long, hard decision, we decided to not renew our lease, and so the studio is now closed. The business don't stop, it just stops there at that building. GMP is now mobile podcasting. I got my last project for the strictly business program. Shout out to my guy, Jamal Lane, and his wife Christina Lane, Mr. and Mrs. Lane over there at CBI. They have a program that I just went through and I just found out. I think I knew. I think I knew I was the first one to really go through it, and they told me I set the bar pretty high. The bar has been set by your boy. Yours truly. The strictly business program, CBI School of Success. Shout out to them over there. I'm finishing up my last project, Capstone Project. I gotta make a presentation about everything I learned and finishing up the business plan. And they got some AI tools to help you get through all that stuff. And so that's what I'm in the process of doing. I'm gonna create my podcast host system, and then after that, I'll be launching my advertising network that I've been wanting to do for some years now. I was just listening to my guy Goods. He said, Don't let a thought just be a thought. And so I gotta stop letting this thought be a thought. And so we're gonna finally kick it off. Thanks to the help from CBI School of Success. Once we wrap it up, I will have a couple dollars to invest into the business. And first order of business is to get my systems and programs in place. I think that's one thing that we didn't have over at the studio. We had our systems we had in place that when we first opened up, it was working for a while. I mean, then shit happens in business, and we didn't have the mental bandwidth to step back and really take the time and put together what was needed next, and which was some better systems and processes to go hand in hand with the business. Like they say, without the systems and processes, your business is just a hobby. So, like I said, we had a plan when we were first got in the air. We executed it, it was working, and it was working until it stopped working. And there's a bunch of variables that went into that. I'm not gonna get into that. I'm sure I was at some point. But hey, man, sometimes you got to pivot in business, like my guy Ryan Clark and them. And so that's where we're at, man. We're making the pivot. Let's see. So I got my first draft of the capstone done. And so I'm just gonna run through this first draft. We got the new logo up here, the Thorn City Syndicate Management logo. Shout out to the CBI business course who gave me some pointers on how to rebrand the logo. And this is what I came up with, and I love it. I even like the little broadcast C of the Thorn City Syndicate Management. That's like a broadcast symbol. My guy put it into a C. I didn't know how I wanted to do it. I just told him I needed something, something that represented broadcasting, and that's what he came up with, man. It worked. I like it. And so that can even stand alone by itself. We got the Thorn City Syndicate Management Agency. Your boy Naeem Hall, the founder of Thorn City Syndicate Management Agency. We help podcast hosts, creators, and small business owners be seen, heard, and remembered. And started from music, homework from music to podcasting. 2014 was the beginning, man. That's when I my boy was doing bad, man. I'm not going to get all the way into that full story. If y'all want to check out the first episode of the Thorn City Syndicates by Light Show, my boy Third Twin, Roy Moore the Third. It was only right that he was my first guest because that's how it all started. Like I said, back in 2014, I launched artist management to help my best friend get back into music and get his life back together. And what I came up with during this course of the rebrand is I came up with the what it's always been about. I had to go back and think to myself, like, what has it been about? It's really been about transformation and visibility. He needed to transform from the person who he turned into more back into the person he was. And so that's what we did, man. And so I had to make Third Twin get visible. And so I was pushing the brand, I was pushing the movement on all the social media platforms. The first one we started out with that really gave us something to shoot for was it was this site called Reverb Nation. I wonder if it's still around. I'm about to check it out and see if it's still around. Reverb Nation. And we was climbing them charts, and so it's like, man, we doing something, right? So that's what we did, man. That went from 2014 to 2020. We went on tour. We went to Miami, Houston, LA. We went to Eugene. We did some stuff here in Portland. We did a music video. Award-winning video. Call Honesty. That's how it all started, really. Like I said, I'm not going to get into that. Y'all go check out that first episode. But dealing with my guy Third Twin, man, allowing me to hone in on my brand building skills and storytelling, telling his story. So y'all stay tuned because we got the documentary coming as well. It's another reason why we got out of the studio, is because we want to finish that movie, man. And my guy needs some time to really sit back, focus, and relax, and really try and put that together. So that's what he's gonna do. So the music video, that's where I met my business, my future business partner. Like I said, my guy Just Stone Gaddett. Shout out to my guy Just Stone with GMP Gaddis Motion Productions. And we came together and we started the GMP Podcast Studios, the GMP Podcast Group. Artist management from 2014 to 2020. Then COVID hit. All the music stopped. And like I said, like my guy Ryan Clark, we gotta pivot sometimes. Gotta know when to hold them and when to fold them. So it was time to fold the studio. Not the business, just the studio building. So we pivoted to podcasting in 2020. Founded the GMP podcast studios, and I began to start my I went my, I'm gonna say, we did five years there, 20 to 20, 2020 to 25, 2025. Those five years, I got my bachelor's degree, my associates, and my masters in podcasting. So that's how I'm looking at it. Helped other people launch their podcasts, got into a bunch of a bunch of stuff that that goes along with podcasting. And so much that goes into it. And the one thing I think that we did, I don't want to say we did wrong, but that a lot of people, I'm gonna say a lot of people get misconstrued is podcasting. It's become such a big thing nowadays. It's like a what we like to call it, it's like a utility. If you got a business, you probably should have a podcast. And so we got into the podcasting. And so one day I was sitting back in the office trying to figure out the next move, the next steps, what should I do? And I said I should probably start a podcast. And that's what I did. I want to say 2023, I launched the Thorn City Syndicate Spotlight Show. I launched the 2023, I launched the Thorn City Syndicate Spotlight Show all about the power of networking and former strategic alliances. My mission was to set out and get a sponsorship. All the other podcasts I helped people start, I wasn't able to get anybody a sponsorship. That was my mission. And so I got two or three. I got two sponsorships. I got one from the Rivermark Community Credit Union. Shout out to my people over there. They sponsored four episodes. And then I got a sponsorship from Tribal Portland. Shout out to Tribal Portland. We did an episode down there on location and they sponsored it. So that was dope. And then my guy Jamal hit me and said, We're launching this program. Let me know if you'd like to be a part of it. And I said, Absolutely. So we got into it. After 11 years of helping others grow, what I developed is a systematic approach to visibility and brand building. So that's my next step. I'm creating the Thorn City ecosystem. Starting with a booking agency. I'm gonna launch the Thorn City Syndicate Management into the Podcast Booking Agency. Shout out to PodMatch. That's who helping me on my rebrand with the spotlight show. I went through some courses on there. I went through a podcast booking agency course on there. So all my guests from now on will be booked through the PodMatch. They do pay you a couple dollars. It's not a lot of money, but it's something. I got a link to share with you if y'all want to sign up. I'll tell you how much you get paid each show you do. It's not a lot, but hey, it's something. First step to monetization. So we'll be doing the booking through there. I will create the podcast booking agency on my website, the ThornCitySyndicate.com. And so we'll be able to coordinate guests and create connections for podcast hosts. So that's the first part of the ecosystem. The idea of it is to save podcast hosts at least 10 hours minimum, if not more, depending on what you sign up for. With automating a lot of the processes, automation and AI, a lot can be done through that way. So getting to that, creating something else on the website. The creative vendor network and marketplace will be a place for serious professionals to collaborate and sell their digital services. Because that's something else I'm getting into the digital services. I'm gonna be getting more products. And really, it's like the ultimate affiliate site. So I'll be getting a bunch of affiliate affiliate products set up in there. I'll be getting a lot of service products, services from other creatives set up in there. Have my own digital services. We'll have the GMP services in there. So yeah, I'm excited about that. Over the years, me learning about the stuff people do, and it's always been about building your own community of people and people you can rely upon and work with and network with and like-minded people who have some of the same visions and goals and help each other get there. And so that's what we're gonna do there. And then, like I said, the other part that I haven't been able to conquer in podcasting is getting into the sponsorships, the ads place. So that's part of my advertising agency of the management agency that we'll be launching here pretty soon. Digital ads, some strategic visibility placements. I'm not gonna get too much into that until I'm ready to launch it. I got a little space I'm saving right over here. Give me something over here to show y'all what I'm talking about. So that's it. You got the booking, you got the podcast host system, you got the vendor network and marketplace, and you got the digital ads, all powered by the syndicate method and anchored in the Thorn City Syndicate community. Sometimes the mission and the vision changes, and you gotta be able to adapt and pivot and make moves and to be able to keep going along your journey. Shout out to my guy Jelani, Mr. Three to Harway. He got a lot of slack and a lot of hate from a lot of people I noticed over the years because he kept growing. Listen, you get a lot of slack and a lot of hate because you kept growing. That's crazy to me. He kept growing in life, in business, trying to figure out what he wanted to do. He was in a lot of fields. Sometimes you got to go through it to figure it out. And so that's what he was doing. So shout out to my guy for staying down on his own mission and not letting the haters knock him off because he's doing his thing right now. Let me get him back on the show again remotely because I like the moves my bro is making. Shout out to my cutting man. But the new mission is to empower podcast hosts with cutting-edge visibility tools and systematic growth strategies. The vision is to build the syndicate, a visibility-driven community where entrepreneurial podcast hosts, creators, and vendors thrive together. I've always had a trouble, always had a call it trouble, but yeah, problem, trouble, whatever you want to put on it, issues. Knitching down, figuring out what I wanted to do as a niche, what my niche wanted to be. It's always been too broad. And so going through this course with my guy and his wife with the lanes, they've asked me a few times what was the biggest, what was my biggest take from the course? And so my biggest take has been what's the word? Clarity. Going back to the basics and learning some of the stuff that I've learned over the years just by trial and error, having someone else teach it to you in a strategic way is what happened when I went back and started their program. So the clarity of what I want to do next is really there. And so entrepreneurial podcast hosts became my niche. Podcasting and entrepreneurs and business owners, all that goes into it. And we can still service those people, but the entrepreneurial podcast hosts, creators, and vendors. That's the new niche for me. And really it's the entrepreneurial podcast host, not just podcast hosts. There's a different tons of different ways that people do the podcast hosts, or they host their podcasts and what their show's about. But what I want to deal with and who I want to connect with are the entrepreneurial podcast hosts. People who have businesses, products, and services that they want to use their podcast to promote. And that's the new mission and vision is those entrepreneurial podcast hosts. And so that's what we're working on. Let's see. We got through the problems that we solve. It's a visibility struggle. Those who struggle with being visible, getting in front of the right people. Because it's not easy. What I learned going through this course is people aren't looking and discovering your podcast on social media. There's got to be other ways to be visible. And so that's part of my advertising service that I'm getting ready to launch is to take you from just being online into being in front of people in another way. For the podcast hosts who can't break through the noise to reach their ideal audience and monetize effectively, that's what the visibility struggle is about. And so I'm going to be solving that problem for you. The time drain, endless hours spent on editing, promotion, and publishing still focus from content creation. And so with the help of my podcast host system that I'm going to be building, I look to save, look to save hours for people so they're not drained of the time, all that other work. It's time consuming. So for you to do it, you got to have those systems and processes in place. And so that's why all these big name podcasts and companies and corporates with these big budgets coming in, trying to ruin the podcast industry for us, little independent people. But it's still room for us. We just got to focus on podcasting. And so consistently putting out podcasts. And so if I can save you some time on those time-draining project tasks, you can spend more time creating your content. So that's the goal with that. Along with that, you missed opportunities. Entrepreneurs and creators without podcasts missed crucial visibility in authority building channels. That will be a problem we solve with some of the products and services we'll be offering. And like I said, connecting with other people, getting them to my marketplace, getting those products and services out to you. That'll help. So you don't have to go places to look for that stuff. It'll be right here in one location, one hub, right here on thorncity syndicate.com. And just a growth bottleneck, getting stuck. Service providers getting stuck chasing clients instead of scaling their expertise and impact. That's always an issue. So if I can take some of this other stuff off your plate, you can focus on doing those things. So that's one of the problems we like to solve for you. The solution, strategic booking. Like I said, we'll be launching the podcast booking agency. I now have representation for my podcast booking. I now have an agency, and you do have to go through PotMatch to get on the Thorn City Spotlight show. That's just how it's going to be. I'm sure there'll be a few exceptions I make, but for the most part, if you ain't going through the right channels, you can't get on. So we'll have guest coordination, sponsorship opportunities, and a seamless show flow management. It's part of the agency. The solution is the syndicate marketplace. Digital first offers, services, and products. Not from just me, but other creatives like me. I'm going to start interviewing other creatives and seeing what they got to offer and see if I want to get them into the podcast host system that I'm creating. That brings us to the Whole system automation. That's what I'm talking about. It'll save time while ensuring consistency across all podcast operations. More emphasis on audio than the video because we are in podcasting, which is audio, but you got to do video these days. But you don't have to do video production like we were doing. Shout out to my guy Elso Fresh. That was one thing he always said when he seen what we were doing, we were stressing the new wave of video. He was like, nah, man, podcasting is audio. Focus on that. And so I'm getting back to that, the audio. Like I said, I don't have the video because you need to, you'll need to promote. There's nothing like video clips. And so we'll do that. That's what we're working on there with the podcast host system. That's the solution to the problems. Products and services portfolio is the booking agency. It's a full service guest booking, sponsorship opportunities, and optimized show flow for maximum impact. We talked about that a little bit already. And the vendor network. The curated marketplace of professionals, digital services, and products is what'll be in the creative vendor network. The digital ads placed in high traffic areas. It's all services integrated through our propriety host system. So this is where I'm at. Podcast dreams. I got podcast dreams, man, of having a it don't have to be the biggest podcast, but just the podcast who's helping me with my business, running my business up. That's what we want to do with the podcast. We want to be able to keep growing and growing. Not just the podcast, but the business. And so those are the type of hosts I'll be reaching out to and looking for to come on the show, is who's trying to grow their business. And so me, I'm going from delivery driver to a dream chaser. That's what the podcast dreams is about. The podcast dreams is about going from the delivery driver to dream chaser. That's what I do right now outside of all this management stuff with this and the GMP stuff. I can always consistently go make some money in the gig world. My brain be a million miles an hour sometime. But growing number of entrepreneurs you use podcasts to fuel brand growth. My journey from delivery driver to dream chaser shows how podcasting is a true launch pad for transformation. And Thorn City is built to capture this demand. So it's a massive opportunity, massive market opportunity in podcasting. There's plenty space for us independent podcasters. It's not like the music industry, but it's 4 billion plus in the podcasting market. That's the expected value by 2025. It's 464 million global listeners worldwide. So your audience is global. And there's 100 billion plus small business ads spent. And that's an annual investment opportunity. So that's why I've been trying to figure out my way to get into the advertising side of it. And so I'm finally gonna do that. And so that's the massive market opportunity. Let's see. Our competitive advantage. The spotlight show. It's the be seen, be heard, be remembered podcast experience. The Thorn City Spotlight Show. That's what we're doing here, mate. And so our competitive advantages, the traditional agencies, they offer single services like booking or editing in isolation. Thorn City Difference. It's a complete visibility ecosystem powered by our podcast host system and the syndicate method. So we don't do just one, we do it all. So that's what sets us apart. Our framework for predictable growth powered by the syndicate community. Let's see. Revenue streams and growth trajectory. We got subscription services, do-it-yourself, the DIY, and then the DFY, the done for you service packages for different clients' needs and budgets. The marketplace commission. I push your products and services, and when the sale comes in, then you take care of me. That's only right. That's a good way to work. About 10 to 20% commission. It's all negotiable on the transactions and the digital products. I'm your lead generator. And so it's only right that we both eat. So I help you get paid. Hey, you don't pay me to help you get paid. I just get paid when you get paid. Milestone's a roadmap. Year one is the foundation and spotlight show. It's a syndicate marketplace and our first digital ad screen. Year two is the national growth. We're going to expand the syndicate's reach nationwide. We're going to expand the syndicate's reach nationwide significantly. Grow the marketplace offerings and scale ads screens up to 10 plus high impact locations. Year three is market replication and tour. We're going to replicate the Thorn City model and new metro markets. We're going to launch the GMP Pod Tour and we're going to secure major sponsorship growth. We're shooting high, man. We're shooting for the stars. Grow with Thorn City Syndicate Management. We got the comprehensive visibility ecosystem powered by the Syndicate. You got our proven framework for predictable visibility and sustainable growth. And the entrepreneurial podcasters built for hosts who use podcasting as a business growth tool. Join the syndicate. Be seen, be heard, be remembered. It's powered by the visibility network where creators, vendors, and businesses get seen through a marketplace built for visibility and a network of advertising screens that puts you on the map. That's it. So yeah. That's what we got here. Hey man, it's the spotlight show. Either you're gonna rock with me or you ain't, but I ain't worried about it. I'm learning to not worry. Just do your thing and keep doing what you do and consistently do it, and it'll pay off.

SPEAKER_00 28:02

I appreciate y'all tuning in to another episode of the Thorn City Spotlight Show, where we network and build connections, interviews, and discussions. Until next time, I like your boy Thorn City Podcast Guy.