Making $60k a month from a podcast on software engineering • Hacker News Board

Re: Making $60k a month from a podcast on software engineering

#121

Post by CydeWeys » Tue, Mar 13, 2018, 1:16 PM UTC

jacobwal wrote: post #116

roel_v wrote: post #115

Well they're not 'making' 60k a month - they have revenue of 60k. A small bakery with a few locations has that sort of revenue. They have payment processing fees, accounting and other admin costs, housing, hosting, yadda yadda yadda - not to mention three people on payroll (and not on minimum wage, I'd imagine). It would be much more interesting if they would show a balance sheet and profit and loss statement for the…

But the inputs to his podcast are merely time (and one-time equipment costs). As you point out, a car dealership needs to spend a ton of money on the inputs, but that doesn't translate to a podcast business.

You're forgetting salary, admin costs, and office/recording space (if they have one). They have three podcasters on staff.

Re: Making $60k a month from a podcast on software engineering

#122

Post by empath75 » Tue, Mar 13, 2018, 1:25 PM UTC

CydeWeys wrote: post #121

jacobwal wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But the inputs to his podcast are merely time (and one-time equipment costs). As you point out, a car dealership needs to spend a ton of money on the inputs, but that doesn't translate to a podcast business.

You're forgetting salary, admin costs, and office/recording space (if they have one). They have three podcasters on staff.

Three podcasters on staff = $20,000/month for each of them = $240,000/yr .

That's a pretty good salary.

Re: Making $60k a month from a podcast on software engineering

#123

Post by CydeWeys » Tue, Mar 13, 2018, 1:28 PM UTC

empath75 wrote: post #122

CydeWeys wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're forgetting salary, admin costs, and office/recording space (if they have one). They have three podcasters on staff.

Three podcasters on staff = $20,000/month for each of them = $240,000/yr . That's a pretty good salary.

It costs a company a lot more to employ someone than the amount that employee actually sees on a paycheck.

Also where did you get the $20K/month/podcaster number from?? You're just making stuff up.

Re: Making $60k a month from a podcast on software engineering

#124

Post by roel_v » Tue, Mar 13, 2018, 1:29 PM UTC

jacobwal wrote: post #116

roel_v wrote: post #115

Well they're not 'making' 60k a month - they have revenue of 60k. A small bakery with a few locations has that sort of revenue. They have payment processing fees, accounting and other admin costs, housing, hosting, yadda yadda yadda - not to mention three people on payroll (and not on minimum wage, I'd imagine). It would be much more interesting if they would show a balance sheet and profit and loss statement for the…

But the inputs to his podcast are merely time (and one-time equipment costs). As you point out, a car dealership needs to spend a ton of money on the inputs, but that doesn't translate to a podcast business.

"But the inputs to his podcast are merely time (and one-time equipment costs)"

Well no - they have, among others, the costs I mentioned in my second sentence. But maybe I'm wrong, hence why 'revenue' doesn't mean much - it'd be much more interesting to look at some real numbers instead of the clickbait of just using whatever is the highest number one can find.

An Uber driver doesn't 'make' 15k when he gets paid 15k a year by Uber. He has to pay for gas and maintenance and whatnot. He 'makes' whatever is left over after that, just like any job where one has to pay for (part of) business-related costs themselves. A construction worker who has to pay for his own safety shoes @ $250 and is paid 30k doesn't 'make' 30k, he makes 29750. In this last example the distinction is so tiny that it doesn't matter, but it all depends on the ratios.

Now I realize that in some (dare I say 'less financially savvy') circles the amount that comes in is called the amount that one 'makes', but no person with any (business) financial skills would call it that. And from a website that purports to target those interested in running ones own business, I would expect some more rigor in this respect.

Re: Making $60k a month from a podcast on software engineering

#125

Post by mgkimsal » Tue, Mar 13, 2018, 1:30 PM UTC

CydeWeys wrote: post #123

empath75 wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Three podcasters on staff = $20,000/month for each of them = $240,000/yr . That's a pretty good salary.

It costs a company a lot more to employ someone than the amount that employee actually sees on a paycheck. Also where did you get the $20K/month/podcaster number from?? You're just making stuff up.

he was dividing the $60k over 3 people.

Agreed that's simplistic, but it's a starting point.

Assuming taxes, office overhead, other processing stuff, keeping profit overhead in place, etc, one could still be paying 3 people $5k-$10k/month with room to spare.

Re: Making $60k a month from a podcast on software engineering

#126

Post by petercooper » Tue, Mar 13, 2018, 1:31 PM UTC

ghaff wrote: post #118

petercooper wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At the other end of the scale are podcasts that are a few minutes long - daily briefings, the news, etc. I've always found these hard to listen to in normal podcast software since they're meant to be ephemeral and quick, so I've been working on a new approach: http://briefings.fm/

I agree on both counts. A 5-10 minute podcast often feels like it's "not worth" selecting and playing--at least as part of a standard podcast queueing and listening flow. At the same time, a straight interview/discussion without a lot of production work to break it into segments, etc. that's an hour feels too long. (And producing a radio show rather than just putting an interview up is a lot more work.) I find the in…

Yeah, I'm totally with you on that. That's how I want my podcasts to stay. I do see the value in quickly grabbing an up to the hour briefing on something though, so want to explore ways to do that.

Re: Making $60k a month from a podcast on software engineering

#127

Post by marak830 » Tue, Mar 13, 2018, 1:39 PM UTC

astura wrote: post #103

marak830 wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I do that, I'm not the owner either. My wife just had a son, so I definitely have a family. Add on top an hour and a half commute each way and it can be a little difficult at times to have family time I'll admit.

"Having a family," as in, relatives that physically exist, is obviously different from "having a family you value spending time with." I think it was clear the GP was talking about the latter.

Well I have a wide and son, which I quite enjoy spending time with. Not sure how you managed to take from anything I said that I don't.

Some of us don't have a choice but to work jobs that require that many hours to pay the bills.

Re: Making $60k a month from a podcast on software engineering

#128

Post by marak830 » Tue, Mar 13, 2018, 1:39 PM UTC

adrianN wrote: post #99

marak830 wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I do that, I'm not the owner either. My wife just had a son, so I definitely have a family. Add on top an hour and a half commute each way and it can be a little difficult at times to have family time I'll admit.

I hope you manage to reduce your hours until your son is old enough to remember whether you were there or not.

I'm a chef, these are the hours expected of in this industry.

Re: Making $60k a month from a podcast on software engineering

#129

Post by edanm » Tue, Mar 13, 2018, 1:39 PM UTC

tonyedgecombe wrote: post #110

badpun wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> people from Henry Ford onwards have been finding people are more efficient with less hours. On average. It's not impossible that there are outliers than can just work crazy hours without productivity decrease.

I'm sure that's what they tell themselves.

And I'm sure that everyone is 1.77 metres tall, despite what people tell themselves.

Re: Making $60k a month from a podcast on software engineering

#130

Post by lsaferite » Tue, Mar 13, 2018, 1:58 PM UTC

fergie wrote: post #97

voltagex_ wrote: post #13

>(Work from 9am to 9pm, six days a week.) Jesus. I'm sure this is small business owner hours but still, this person musn't have a family or any other commitments.

6 day weeks = 6/7 of 365 = 313 days work per year 12 hour days = 313 * 12 = 3756 hours work per year Hours per month = 3756 / 12 = 313 Hourly rate if $60000 per month = 60000/313 = $192

$192/hr / 3/ppl = $64/hr/person

And that's without considering overhead costs.