Meet Jason Gillikin | CEO, Earfluence

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jason Gillikin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jason, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Back in 2018, I convinced my wife Megan to start a podcast called Weddings for Real. She was a wedding planner, and she has some unbelieveable-but-true stories (kicking a bridesmaid out of a wedding as she’s about to walk down the aisle, a guest’s hair catching on fire at the sparkler exit, feuding parents with middle fingers flying at the reception) that I thought would be amazing for a podcast, and maybe even entertaining enough to sell ads. However, what quickly resonated with the audience wasn’t the stories – it was the wedding vendor education. Wedding pros were craving content on how to level up their businesses. So all these doors started opening up – for speaking, consulting, and partnerships. I realized then that podcasts didn’t have to be a viral sensation to be successful, and all businesses could leverage podcasting for top-of-funnel marketing.

There was also a gap in the market. Most podcast production companies were focused on making viral hits with the goal of attracting advertisers, and not nearly enough were serving businesses.

So in 2019, I left my job of 12 years to form Earfluence.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I take pride in the Earfluence collaborations with coworking spaces. Back in 2021, we teamed up with Jason Widen, Jess Porta, Lauren Romer, and the Raleigh Founded team to establish our inaugural studio. This venture instantly connected us with a vibrant community of hundreds of companies. Since then, we have expanded to two more coworking spaces.

What truly stands out about the coworking ethos here is the shared belief in the ‘rising tide lifts all boats’ philosophy. When a business thrives, a startup secures funding, or a stellar networking event takes place, it benefits not just one entity but the entire Triangle community. It’s this collective success that makes our partnerships with coworking spaces truly special and impactful.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
When my wife and I want to show someone a good time in the Triangle, we definitely have our go-to spots.

Coffee: NoRa
Breakfast: A Place at the Table
Lunch: Durham Food Hall (Ex-Voto’s crunchwraps are ridiculous!)
Dinner: Gonza
Dessert: Two Roosters
Activities (depending on season): Durham Bulls game, walk around Lake Lynn, NC Courage game, Heyday Brewing, NC Museum of Natural Science

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to shoutout Donald Thompson, who I am lucky to call a friend and mentor. I met Don back in 2019 as I was about to jumpstart my entrepreneurial journey. Don had (and still has) a million things going on, but he always took the time to guide me through challenges I was facing with getting a business off the ground, time management, building and team, and so much more.

He taught me an important lesson, and it’s a mantra we use both for podcasts and for our business as a whole – Fail Fast. That might sound scary and counterintuitive, but you’ve got to make mistakes to get better. You can’t learn how to delegate without failing first. You won’t be as good on your 1st episode as your 100th episode, so you’ve got to start with episode 1.

Giving myself and our team permission to fail has been instrumental in our success, and I credit Don for that part of the Earfluence culture.

Website: https://www.earfluence.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/earfluencemedia

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasongillikin/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Earfluence