How do you go from being utterly broke to interviewing some of the wealthiest people in the world? Omar Elattar knows, and he’s been sharing what he’s learned about podcasting and the art of the interview with all the people he mentors. However, this young man’s story starts off in a very dark place, but one that’s familiar to many entrepreneurs.
Learning To Be an Entrepreneur As a Kid
Elattar’s first venture into entrepreneurship happened when he was a kid. He would buy boxes of candy and sell them back, making around $20 a box. He got a friend to hold onto the candy while he pitched and sold it, splitting the profits with them.
As he got older, he realized what he wanted to do with his life. He wanted to combine his entrepreneurial skills with the things that he enjoyed. Creating and editing videos became a huge part of his life, and before too long, he realized that being a YouTuber was where he wanted to be.
Financial Difficulties Arise
As with most entrepreneurs, his goals became sidetracked by financial difficulties. Starting a podcast isn’t cheap or easy, yet Elattar was dedicated to it. But what would he do, and how could he stand out from the thousands of other podcasts already underway?
He moved into working for a famous celebrity, and it was the job he had always dreamed of. He would spend his nights in five-star hotels and jet-setting around the country. Sadly, it ended when his internship ended, and he was rudely thrown back into the real world.
Hitting Rock Bottom
In many cases, entrepreneurs who do extraordinary things come from a place of rock bottom, and Elattar’s point of lowest decline came right after his internship ended. He lost the job of his dreams and had to settle for peddling solar panels in the desert. But life wasn’t done with him yet.
He was lost for direction, broke, and even lost his girlfriend. He needed to make a change, which had to happen soon, or he would lose all motivation to do anything else. He hired a motivational coach who told him to write down what he thought would happen if his life was perfect.
A Roadmap For Success
Using the life he outlined for himself, Elattar settled down and figured out how to make things work. He already knew that he wanted to build a business out of podcasting, and he was good at it, too. But how would he get the high-profile guests he needed, and how would he package it for other people?
This issue taught him his first lesson – the power of networking. By tapping into his existing network, he got in contact with celebrity after celebrity. He pitched them the idea of being on his podcast, but most weren’t interested. This might have been a sign to give up for most people, but not Elattar.
Dedication and Commitment Count
Elattar knew it would be easier to get others once he started getting one or two celebrities. But he would have to build up to it. With constant calls and emails reaching out to celebrities, he finally landed one. Then another and another.
Before too long, he had celebs lined up to appear on his podcast, telling people how they did what they did and inspiring them. According to Elattar, those are the most critical parts of his podcast because they show people that most entrepreneurs are regular people who come from similar backgrounds as they did.
Asking the Right Questions
Anyone who’s listened to Elattar’s podcast knows his style of interviewing high-profile guests. He doesn’t use the brash, pushy method of putting a guest on the spot. He doesn’t ask pointed questions and leads the interviewee to the answer. Instead, he genuinely is interested in what they have to say.
Elattar says he’s always excited to learn what entrepreneurs have to teach and that every single session is a chance to learn more. While he knows being informed is essential, he thinks listening to people and asking the right questions can give more insight than simply picking up a book.
Preparation And Research Are Crucial in the Podcasting Business
Before a guest even comes into the studio, Elattar picks out a few of their previous interviews and notes the things he wants to know about them. He explores what they haven’t said before and crafts a unique angle to get them to talk naturally about the things they’re passionate about.
That was also why he named his podcast The Passionate Few. He sees entrepreneurs, especially those who have become successful, as a few people who are passionate about the things they love. Naturally, that leads them to embrace their passions and monetize that passion.
Gratitude and Positivity Extend a Long Way
No matter who he interviews, Elattar sees gratitude and respect as the most crucial parts of his work. As we know, networking is a core part of podcasting, but Elattar links those ideas. Gratitude and positivity work in tandem with networking to ensure there’s always a great lineup for his guests.
It goes beyond his guests and extends to his audience, too. Elattar knows his success is based on his audience, and because of that, he’s extremely grateful for each listener who subscribes or tunes into his podcast. He lets his audience know that he values them.
Take Risks, Build Relationships, and Do What You Love
All in all, Elattar is doing what he loves and enjoys every second of his life. He builds relationships with his audience and the people he interviews, but all of this comes from the risks he took when he was younger. He claims that taking those risks opened the doors to the life he now lives.
When asked if he would do it all again, Elattar says he would. He’s grown and learned so much from his interview guests that he wouldn’t trade what he does for anything else in the world. By offering that information to his listeners, he hopes to change their lives as well.
