Welcome to the Grow a FanBase podcast. I am your host, Will Hardison. I invite you to come along with me as we learn from creators, founders, CEO’s, musicians, athletes and everyone else in between on how they grew their own FanBase. Full disclaimer - not all definitions of success are the same. Some of my guests might be household names while others might be someone you’ve never heard of. Regardless, each of them get up every day and put in the work needed to continue to move their story forward.
Keegan Guizard - Executive Director - College Skateboarding Educational Foundation
Today’s episode is with Keegan Guizard, the Executive Director of the College Skateboarding Educational Foundation. A non profit giving college scholarships to skateboarders. We all know college isn’t cheap these days and Keegan is out to help students who skate with good grades, are involved in their community, who need financial assistance for college. He’s got some really cool partnerships including a scholarship fund with major headphone company, Skullcandy. I’ve known Keegan for a dozen years now and he’s got a killer story – I hope you enjoy!
16 Apr 2024
Brandon Cobb - International Award Winning DJ and professional smiler
Brand Cobb is an international award-winning DJ who climbed the ladder at Carnival Cruise line before covid. Now he’s a site manager at Tidal Wave Auto Spa in Wilmington, North Carolina. Brandon spends most of his days bringing smiles to faces both young and old. My two kids love Brandon and until he sat down at my kitchen table, I had no idea about his backstory. I hope you enjoy my conversation with the man who is always smiling ear to ear, Brandon Cobb. And if you live in Wilmington - please go say hello!
22 Mar 2024
Maurice Mangum - Singer Songwriter who has opened for John Mayer, Maroon 5, Sister Hazel and more!
This episode hits completely different than the previous 8. It’s probably one of the most encouraging conversations I’ve had throughout my entire life. I have Maurice Mangum on today’s episode. Maurice is a singer / songwriter originally from North Carolina but now lives in Tallahasse Florida. He’s been performing since he was 14 years old and has opened for a wide range of folks including John Mayer, Maroon 5, Sister Hazel and more. He’s now decided to go out on his own to do the singer / songwriter thing and has just released his first single with plans to release 5 more this year. We talk all things faith, family, music, kids, and what it means to Maurice to grow his FanBase as he begins this next chapter of his music career. You probably noticed that there’s no intro music, well I’m about to play you a clip of Maurice’s first single, which is available for free on all the music platforms, followed by my conversation with one inspiring individual.
Follow Maurice on IG: "iammauricemangum (https://www.instagram.com/iammauricemangum/)"
Follow FanBase on IG: "growafanbase (https://www.instagram.com/growafanbase)"
13 Mar 2024
The Playbook - My Story Part 1 - how I flipped a $250 pair of shoes for $750 when I was 13.
They Playbook will drop every other week and will cover my story, business and marketing strategy, lessons learned, and tips on how to grow your own FanBase. It's unscripted and unrehearsed but I'm hopeful that the real and raw information will help you grow your own FanBase or that it gives you the confidence and encouragement to get off the bench and get in the game!
Part 1 of my story covers my first taste of entrepreneurship at the young age of 13 when I flipped a pair of sneakers for a $500 profit. I would then go on to build out a website selling rare Nikes and Air Jordans all throughout high school and part of college.
4 Mar 2024
Page Fehling - 15+ years in TV now Author, Speaker, and Emcee
With more than 25 years of experience in broadcast journalism and professional development training, and almost 6'0" of height, Page Fehling sets the bar high both literally and figuratively when it comes to extraordinary communication. Page and I go way back - in fact, she's the only person to ever call me out on TV for stealing (which I had no idea) one of her TV segment show names. Whoops. I'm clearly over it.
Page now runs her own company delivering keynote speeches and workshops to organizations across the States. She also hosts and emcees events and co-hosts her own podcast with her husband, Jake. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Page!
24 Feb 2024
Nick Engvall - 500,000 podcast downloads and the king of content strategy
Today’s guest is a legend. Nick Engvall is on the show. It would be easier to list the things Nick hasn’t done than the things he has. Nick has laid the foundation for content at multiple organizations such as NiceKicks.com, Sole Collector, Finish Line, Complex and StockX. He’s the host of his own podcast, Sneaker History that has over 500,000 downloads! And he’s one of the nicest and most generous human beings on the planet. He’s responsible for connecting me to 90% of the people that I know in the sneaker industry. Nick and I first met years ago through a mutual friend (shout out Matt Turney), we instantly clicked, and we’ve talked just about every single day since then. In this episode we talk about sneakers, marketing strategy and leadership - I hope you enjoy our conversation!
14 Jan 2024
Drew Hammell - 160K instagram followers that all got deleted
Drew Hammell is the man behind the legendary instagram account "Nikestories". For over 7 years he took sneaker fans back in time to a world full of Eastbay magazines and original Air Jordans. Through hard work, Drew was able to grow his account to close to 160,000 followers, which included celebrities like Justin Timberlake, Andre Agassi, Virgil Abloh and more! However, one morning Drew woke up to a locked account and one that would eventually be deleted by Instagram. Hear his entire story, how he handled the shut down of Nikestories, what he's up to now and plans to do in the future!
13 Dec 2023
UNCHAiNED - the radio's next big band!
I sit down with 5 of the 6 members of the band UNCHAiNED based out of Springfield, Illinois. “Unchained is on the right track to hit the "toppermost of the poppermost.”
What? That’s how the Illinois Times, alternative weekly in Illinois’ state capital, announced that their readership had voted UNCHAiNED as “Best Original Band” in Abe Lincoln’s hometown.
The guys talk about how they got started, the challenges they've faced along the way, the rewarding moments, and of course their plans for future which included a brand new album dropping Spring '24.
Hang in there because some of the audio cuts in and out due to wifi issues, but the story is worth it!
You can learn more about the band at https://unchainedofficial.com/
13 Nov 2023
Kyle Lacy - CMO Jellyfish, Three time author, 42K linkedIN followers, 34K on twitter
Kyle and I have been friends for 20 years. If there's anyone who knows what it takes to grow a FanBase, it's Kyle. He's scaled multiple companies while leading the marketing team, written three books, awarded Indiana's 40 under 40 at the age of 24, has 42,000 LinkedIN followers and 34,000 on twitter. Kyle talks about what it means to stay disciplined, to give yourself grace, and the power of a network all while weaving in his own professional journey.
6 Nov 2023
Seth Crossno - the man behind ITB Insider and Fyre Fest Legend
If you live in or around Raleigh, NC chances are great that you follow "William Needham Finley IV" to catch up on all things "Inside the Beltline". What started as a fun email exchange turned into a full time business for Seth over the years. His account exploded when he found himself stranded on an Island in the middle of the largest musical festival scam, Fyre Fest.
15 Oct 2023
Jake Fehling - CMO Movement Mortgage + Carolina Panther's Hype Man
Jake Fehling leads the marketing team at Movement Mortgage (top 10 lender in the country) out of Charlotte, North Carolina. Movement is known for their philanthropy efforts as they give most of their profits away to go back into the local community - in a two year span they gave away $300 million. When Jake's not leading the Movement team, joining his wife on their own podcast, you can find him on the field at every home Carolina Panther's game as the official "hype man" for the team.
23 Sept 2023
Unboxing 1.3 million YouTube subscribers with Jacques Slade
My first guest is YouTube sneaker unboxing king, Jacques Slade. Learn how Jacques turned an unfortunate job loss into an opportunity to create one of the most influential and popular YouTube channels focused on sneakers and golf. We'll cover how he got started, what an average day / week looks like, how he makes a living, and advice for those looking to start and grow their own channel.
Our relationship started professionally but has grown into a friendship over the years and I couldn't be more thankful and excited to have him as my first podcast guest. I hope you enjoy my conversation with the "King of Sneaker Unboxing", Jacques Slade
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.8 / 5
6 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
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