Right About Now - Legendary Business Advice

The podcast industry no longer looks like the creative, audio-first business it was a decade ago.
Jeff Umbro, founder and CEO of The Podglomerate and host of Podcast Perspectives, joins Ryan Alford to examine the rise of video podcasting, media consolidation, programmatic advertising and the decline of high-cost narrative shows. Jeff explains how creators can separate audience acquisition from retention, establish clearer goals and determine how much production quality actually serves the business.
Drawing on his experience producing more than 700 episodes, Ryan opens up about overproduction, niche audiences and creating a show that generates relationships instead of chasing vanity metrics. Together, Ryan and Jeff offer a practical strategy for sustainable podcast growth: understand what the listener receives, diversify distribution and revenue, and avoid depending on one platform.
TOPICS COVERED
The evolution of the podcast industry
Podcasting’s growing identity crisis
Audio podcasts versus video podcasts
Audience acquisition and listener retention
Podcast production costs and scope creep
Direct sponsorships and programmatic advertising
Media consolidation and platform dependence
The decline of narrative podcasting
Subscription, membership and live-event revenue
Building a podcast that supports business objectives
CONNECT WITH JEFF UMBRO
The Podglomerate: https://podglomerate.com/
Work With The Podglomerate: https://podglomerate.com/connect/
Jeff Umbro on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffumbro/
Podcast Perspectives: https://listen.podglomerate.com/show/podcast-perspectives
Podcast Perspectives on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/podcast-perspectives/id1699652108
CONNECT WITH RYAN ALFORD
Right About Now: https://www.ryanisright.com/
Ryan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/
Ryan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-alford/

Mode Mobile co-founder and CEO Dan Novaes joins Ryan Alford for a conversation about entrepreneurship, business pivots and turning smartphone activity into income. Dan shares how his instinct for finding overlooked opportunities took him from selling Pokémon cards as a kid to building a multimillion-dollar international electronics business before he finished college.
Ryan and Dan unpack the creation of Mode Mobile, its growth from less than $100,000 in revenue to more than $25 million by 2022, and the development of an operating system that rewards people for everyday mobile activity. Dan explains why consumer attention becomes significantly more valuable when paired with action and how that relationship creates measurable value for users, advertisers and technology partners.
The conversation also explores launching the EarnPhone, the challenges of entering the hardware business, the danger of pursuing growth at all costs and why Dan views the ability to pivot as his greatest entrepreneurial skill.
TOPICS COVERED
• Dan Novaes’ early entrepreneurial ventures
• Building a $2 million business during college
• The creation and growth of Mode Mobile
• How EarnPhone and EarnOS work
• Smartphone habits and the attention economy
• How brands value consumer attention and action
• Knowing when to pivot a business model
• Hardware, software and licensing partnerships
• Profitable growth versus growth at all costs
• Mode Mobile’s future and potential IPO plans
CONNECT WITH DAN NOVAES
Mode Mobile:
https://www.modemobile.com/
EarnPhone:
https://www.modephone.com/
Mode Mobile Investment Information:
https://invest.modemobile.com/
Dan Novaes on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielnovaes
Mode Mobile on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/modemobile/
CONNECT WITH RYAN ALFORD
Right About Now:
https://www.ryanisright.com/
Instagram and LinkedIn:
@ryanalford
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@RightAboutNowwithRyanAlford

Chandler Bolt, founder and CEO of SelfPublishing.com, joins Ryan Alford for a tactical conversation about writing, publishing, and using a book to grow a business. Chandler shares the eight milestones his team uses to move authors from an idea to a finished launch and explains the four Ps behind a book that connects with the right reader.
Ryan pushes on the questions entrepreneurs actually care about: how much publishing costs, how long the process takes, whether self-publishing beats traditional publishing, and what kind of ROI a book can realistically create. Chandler explains how the right book can generate leads, strengthen sales conversations, increase referrals, train customers and teams, and continue producing value years after publication.
The conversation also challenges the obsession with bestseller lists and makes the case that for a business owner, revenue, authority and impact are far more important metrics of success.
TOPICS COVERED
• Self-publishing vs. traditional publishing
• Chandler Bolt’s eight publishing milestones
• The MORE writing method
• The four Ps of positioning a book
• Publishing costs, time and ROI
• Using books to generate leads and close sales
• Books as authority and credibility assets
• Print books vs. ebooks
• Why business outcomes matter more than bestseller lists
CONNECT WITH CHANDLER BOLT
SelfPublishing.com:
https://selfpublishing.com/
Episode Offer / Consultation:
https://selfpublishing.com/writeaboutnow
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/realchandlerbolt/
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chandlerbolt/
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@ChandlerBoltOfficial
CONNECT WITH RYAN ALFORD
Right About Now:
https://www.ryanisright.com/
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-alford/

Steve Pratt joins Ryan Alford to explain why brands can no longer force people to pay attention. As the author of Earn It and co-founder of Pacific Content, Steve has spent decades studying what makes audiences willingly choose, remember and return to content.
The conversation explores why traditional advertising metrics often reward weak marketing, how short-term thinking undermines long-term growth and why valuable content should feel like a genuine gift to its audience. Steve shares his framework for creative bravery and explains how brands can connect their expertise to content people would consume even if the company name disappeared.
Ryan and Steve also discuss niche audiences, branded podcasts and the difference between paying for impressions and paying to generate an actual sample. This episode offers a practical strategy for marketers, founders and creators trying to stand out without becoming another interruption.
Topics Covered
Steve Pratt’s career in television, music and podcasting
The creation of Pacific Content
Why the traditional media and advertising model broke
Earning attention in an unlimited-content economy
Creative bravery and memorable marketing
Connecting audience value to business outcomes
Why sales-driven content destroys trust
Marketing to prospects who are not ready to buy
Super-serving an underserved audience
Designing a distinctive content format
Promoting content to smaller, qualified audiences
Cost per sample versus traditional CPM
Building an audience that chooses to return
Connect With Steve Pratt
Steve Pratt:
https://www.stevepratt.com/
Earn It book page:
https://www.stevepratt.com/book
Buy Earn It on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Earn-Unconventional-Strategies-Brave-Marketers/dp/177458476X
Steve on LinkedIn:
https://ca.linkedin.com/in/steveprattca
The Creativity Business:
https://creativitybusiness.substack.com/
Connect With Ryan Alford
Right About Now:
https://www.ryanisright.com/
Ryan Alford:
https://www.ryanalford.com/
Ryan on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/

Dani Lynn Robison joins Ryan Alford to explain why lasting wealth is usually built through consistent, repetitive decisions instead of exciting short-term opportunities. From working as a musician on cruise ships to building Freedom Family Investments and Oodles of Leads, Dani’s career has been shaped by learning where her strengths create the most value.
She explains why many aspiring landlords eventually become passive investors, how clear communication earns investor trust and why entrepreneurs should resist expanding into businesses they do not want to operate. Dani and Ryan also explore customer retention, lead nurturing and the long-term value businesses lose by constantly chasing new prospects.
The conversation closes with a practical discussion about passive real estate, artificial intelligence and building financial freedom without abandoning the work that gives your life purpose.
Topics Covered
Finding opportunity outside your original career
Mentorship, consistency and following proven systems
Fear of failure versus fear of success
Building teams with true leaders
Passive real estate and professionally managed investments
Trust, transparency and investor communication
The danger of chasing every new opportunity
Vertical integration versus building around core strengths
Lead generation for home-service businesses
Nurturing existing leads and customers
Building lifetime customer value
AI as a business tool instead of a replacement for human judgment
Connect With Dani Lynn Robison
Freedom Family Investments:
https://freedomfamilyinvestments.com/
Book a conversation:
https://chatwithfreedom.com/
Dani on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/danilynnrobison/
Dani on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/danilynnrobison
Oodles of Leads:
https://oodlesofleads.com/
Connect With Ryan Alford
https://www.ryanisright.com/
https://www.ryanalford.com/
https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/