Lessons Learned – Katie Krimitsos: Monetizing vs. Consulting vs. Ad Revenue

Katie Krimitsos has made such a name for herself in the industry and put out so many episodes, that it’s safe to refer to her as “veteran podcaster Katie Krimitsos.” While her name became synonymous with Biz Women Rock and the global audience and online community that she built and watched explode, it’s that success that has her more pointed at the Women’s Meditation Network that she launched in July 2018.

This also makes for some great lessons learned, as she talked to Indie Pod News about her experiences and where they pointed her to.

“I had always intended for my podcast to be a business,” she said. “So I was always trying to figure out how to provide value in a way that my listeners would happily pay for. And my Facebook group was simple one strategy that allowed me to engage with my listeners in a deeper and more interactive way. And once I had the group, was giving value to the group, and felt connected to the group, then I began experimenting with how it could bring in revenue by providing valuable offers.”

While Biz Women Rock was initially launched as a podcast, it really became more of a movement and Krimitsos the leader thereof. It’s no surprise that she was hotly pursued by the members of her community.

“As soon as I launched Biz Women Rock, I had women asking me to coach them. But I refused for more than a year – because I didn’t have the confidence. I didn’t think I knew any better than they did. When I finally did say yes, it was because I finally realized that I did have a gift of strategy and marketing and communication and I fully stepped into coaching.”

Having found the success through BWR as a podcaster, coach, and speaker, Krimitsos – now a mother of two after being a wife but not a mom when she launched BWR – gathered up everything from the journey to that point and strategically created a new endeavor, the Women’s Meditation Network.

“I was incredibly intentional with how I set up the business model for the Women’s Meditation Network. I deliberately set it up so that it would have products and services that I could create and deliver without needing to show up live (i.e. showing up for scheduled coaching calls, regular masterminds, online workshops or live events). I knew that as a mommy of two little girls, I wanted more time freedom in the meditation business. So, I created the Women’s Meditation Network podcast with that in mind, knowing I was going to build out products (like meditation bundles, meditation challenges and the like). I knew a structure like this required something I hadn’t experienced previously with Biz Women Rock – BIG NUMBERS. In order to have a sustainable business that was selling $10 products (rather than a $20,000 coaching package, for example), I needed mass. That awareness drives my marketing activity and has worked well so far. The Women’s Meditation Network started surpassing Biz Women Rock’s monthly download numbers six months after it began! And shortly thereafter, I found myself in the space of being eligible to take on ‘traditional’ advertisers. So, I did!”

Krimitsos had, in fact, applied lessons from her BWR efforts to WMN so that she would hit the ground running.

“Biz Women Rock was my very first solo business as an entrepreneur. (My very first business-owning experience was co-owning a local entrepreneurs organization with my husband). That meant that it took me a long time to really evolve it because I was constantly dealing with fear, limiting beliefs, and tons of other internal ‘crap’ that slowed down my progress. No judgements on that – I think it’s part of any new entrepreneur’s experience. But by the time I launched Women’s Meditation Network, I had strengthened that muscle so much that I knew what to do when fear and all the what ifs come up – and I know how to move through it quickly so I can get onto imperfect action, or rather, ‘start ugly,’ as my husband says. I’ve started ugly a LOT. And I’m not afraid to – over and over.”

But take heed, though, podcasters, it always comes back to the core of what this industry is founded on.

“Also, I realized VERY quickly with the Women’s Meditation Network that my podcast is the golden goose right now,” Krimitsos explains. “That means that no matter how much I see the vision of the Women’s Meditation Network ultimately evolving into a giant publishing house, a meditation and community app, a movement…right now, everything comes from the PODCAST. That will feed everything else. This understanding helps me focus my marketing efforts on how I can continue to introduce more and more listeners to the show – because that will allow everything else I envision to be possible.”

Katie Krimitsos is all-in, going full throttle, which makes it fitting that her genre is meditation, as there’s surely clarity and peace to be gained from her own work.

EDITOR’S NOTE: In the first week of November, Krimitsos announced that as of December 2nd Biz Women Rock will be going on sabbatical – which probably surprises very few, she says, especially (my words, not hers) given the continued upward trajectory of WMN.