How can I avoid burning out? That’s a big question facing many creators — and other entrepreneurs — as they look to scale up their businesses.
Star podcaster Steven Bartlett has thought a lot about how he can extend his business longevity. The host of “The Diary of a CEO” said he approaches decision-making with the goal of lasting for 50 years — and it comes down to how he picks guests for his show.
“I say to my team all the time, ‘Yes, I know this person has 150 million followers, but if I wake up in the morning and I look at my schedule, and I’m in a chair for four hours interviewing someone that I might not be interested in, and I have to do two hours of research, at some point, I’m going to get burned out,'” he told Business Insider in an interview.
Bartlett, who has the No. 1 business podcast on Spotify in the US and 20 million YouTube subscribers, started out nine years ago with early guests including business tycoons like Richard Branson and Brian Chesky. He’s since moved into more emotional and lifestyle territory. Recent guests have included WeWork cofounder Adam Neumann, Ivanka Trump, and the entertainer Druski.
Another way Bartlett said he protects his curiosity — and avoids burning out — is by structuring his holding company, Steven.com, so he controls the board and decision-making about the business.
Bartlett has also been making moves to grow the company in ways that don’t rely directly on him.
AI has played a big role in the company. He’s used AI to clone his voice for a show, made a fully AI-animated kids show called “Steven’s World,” and used AI to translate “DOAC” into other languages. Company execs have stressed that they’re using AI to free up employees to do more high-value work. Bartlett has said AI can help him focus on the elements that make creators irreplaceable, like in-person events.
Bartlett has diversified his business by bringing other creators into his orbit through his company FlightStory, which now has five shows in addition to “DOAC.” He’s signaled plans to launch a paid membership program to extend his brand and those of the other creators in his network.
He’s also applying his diversification approach to his new tie-up with Authentic Brands Group, which will invest up to $400 million to help other creators grow their businesses.
Bartlett said the goal is to help creators branch out into areas such as events, products, and animation.
“We think we have a blueprint, which we think we’ve now proven, to help a creator grow and scale their audiences and therefore their commercial and everything else,” he said in announcing the partnership.
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