58: Jason Van Orden, Monetizing your Intellectual Equity

In this episode of The All-In Podcast, Daniel speaks with Jason Van Orden, a serial entrepreneur, podcast pioneer and consultant who seeks to help thought leaders monetize their ‘intellectual equity’ by expanding their audience and creating new revenue streams.

Jason’s entry into entrepreneurship was surprisingly organic. He never had a lemonade stand, or grew up planning to work for himself. It just happened. While his first job out of college seemed like a dream come true, he found that a corporate job is just that. He quit with nothing in mind.

Due to his interest in investing, real estate seemed like a natural step. Jason quickly got involved with his local association and began to use his marketing skills to help colleagues find more buyers. As interest increased in his services, Jason decided to offer a class. He recorded it for future use.

Jason researched other forms of promotion and stumbled upon podcasting. With a background in engineering, as well as a desire to teach, it seemed like the perfect fit. Jason dove in headfirst and created a business podcast which quickly grew into a full-fledged coaching practice, then a digital course. Looking back, Jason can see these events as breadcrumbs to where he is now. To succeed, he had to embrace each challenge and have confidence in himself.

One of the things Jason learned is that an entrepreneur must figure out what audience they want to serve. Once they know that, they can figure out what’s top of mind for their audience, and find a way to solve their problem. This can only be done through honest conversation.

Productivity comes in many forms. Activities like meditation and journaling can help you ‘step back’ from your work and see it in a new light. As he looks to the future, Jason plans to keep these practices in mind and create the ‘Spotify of ideas’ to help people find others who can solve their problems.