S10E12 - Karaoke, Conferences, And Flops To Boost: How Pivoting Saved A Podcast Tech Startup (BTW We Break Glasses, Not Spirits Here lol)!!

What happens when your “great idea” is actually the wrong play? We go there. Mike tells the unfiltered story of mowPod’s first podcasting product—ambitious, clever, and a complete flop—and how killing it fast unlocked mowPod Boost, a transparent, programmatic engine that drives real listeners, not vague traffic https://charts.mowpod.com/. 

From fireworks on a party boat to late‑night pool plots, the thread is the same: people over polish, community over posturing, and data over hype.

We also zoom out. Mike’s two months alcohol‑free and living in Japan, balancing founder intensity with being a present dad, building a soundproof music room, and leaning on “blowouts” like karaoke or a hard run to reset his head. We talk about identity beyond titles, why comfort quietly kills growth, and how thinking like a chess player helps you plan moves, counters, and outcomes without losing the joy in the game. If you’ve ever considered sunsetting a project you love to make space for the next chapter, this will land.

For creators and brands hungry for practical tools, we dig into self‑serve growth that respects indie budgets and why the industry needs to ditch the black box. 

Don’t miss the free resource drop: mowPod Charts offers historic Apple and Spotify rankings with alerts, so you can track trends without a paywall. If you care about product‑market fit, transparent attribution, and building real community that shows up for you years later, you’ll feel at home here.

If this sparked something, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review on Apple Podcasts or a rating on Spotify. Tell us: what will you end or begin to grow on your terms?

To check out mowPod... https://mowpod.com/ and to connect with Mike, you can find him on IG https://www.instagram.com/sobimike/#

Chapters

• 0:00 Cold Open Chaos And Midnight Energy
• 1:28 Conference Tales And Inside Jokes
• 4:20 Sobriety, Social Rituals, And Connection
• 7:35 Tech Gremlins And Podcaster Reality
• 9:26 Parties, Community, And Why People Matter
• 13:45 Origin Of Mopod: Boat Parties To Brand
• 16:50 Pivot Story: The Product That Flopped
• 22:15 Building Mopod Boost And Transparency
• 26:30 Self‑Serve, Indies, And Access
• 29:10 Life In Japan And Health Resets
• 33:20 Friday Night Karaoke And Creative Outlets
• 37:05 Mental Health, Perspective, And Action
• 41:36 Identity Beyond Titles And Roles
• 46:05 Comfort Zones, Chess Thinking, And Growth
• 51:15 Quick‑Fire: Industry, Myths, And Success
• 55:40 Team Retention And Long‑Term Wins
• 58:30 2020 Lessons, Status, And Values
• 1:02:10 Friendship, Serendipity, And Support
• 1:06:30 Mopod Charts: A Free Data Resource
• 1:09:15 Where To Find Mopod And FNK
• 1:12:30 On‑Mic Flops, Recovery, And Owning It