Episode 110: The Numbers That Aren't the Point

Last week, I talked about community and why having the right people around you can make the difficult parts of the journey a little easier. This week, I'm pulling back the curtain even more and talking about something that can make those difficult parts feel a lot worse: the numbers.

Whether you're writing books, running a podcast, building a business, posting online, or trying to turn something you enjoy into something bigger, there is always another number you can check. Downloads. Sales. Revenue. Followers. Views. Rankings. The numbers don't necessarily lie, but they also don't tell the entire story.

When I recorded this episode, the previous episode had seven downloads after being out for six days. From June through August, this podcast had 73 downloads even though I barely released anything during that period. Those aren't massive numbers, and I'm not going to pretend they are. But there are still real people behind them, and that matters more to me than trying to make this podcast look bigger than it is.

The same thing has been happening with my writing. I had been averaging around $10 to $13 a day in book revenue, which would put me somewhere around $300 to $390 a month if that pace continued. Then I suddenly had several slower days back to back, including a day where I made less than two dollars. When you've finally started seeing some progress, watching those numbers fall can mess with your head quickly.

It becomes easy to start asking what you should change. Maybe I should run ads. Maybe I should only write whatever genre is popular right now. Maybe I should research what other podcasts are doing and start talking about the same things. There will always be something you can change in an attempt to make the numbers go up, but eventually you have to ask whether you're still creating what you actually want to create.

In this episode, I discuss:

Why constantly checking numbers and dashboards can become a trap

The actual download numbers behind The Books By Josh Audio Immersion

Why seven people listening still means something to me

How easy it is to compare your numbers to creators who appear more successful

Why I don't want podcast numbers deciding what I talk about

The temptation to chase whatever book genres or topics are currently popular

Why creating only for money can eventually pull you away from what you enjoy

My recent book revenue averaging around $10 to $13 a day

What it felt like when that suddenly dropped to less than two dollars on one day

Why I'm continuing to focus on organic growth before deciding whether to run ads

What years of working in sales and retention taught me about good days and bad days

Why several bad days don't automatically mean everything you've built has stopped working

The problem with turning today's numbers into a prediction about tomorrow

Why the value of something isn't always visible on a dashboard

I've been creating content for more than a decade and writing for almost two decades. I've had projects that went nowhere, things that made money, things that didn't, and plenty of times where the numbers made me question whether continuing made sense. The internet makes it easy to believe everyone else figured out some shortcut that you somehow missed, especially when you're constantly seeing videos telling you how easy it is to make money online.

The reality is that some people will make money and some won't. Some days will be great and others will be terrible. I've seen the same thing throughout my years working in sales and retention. You can have days where everything seems to work and then have another day where almost nothing does. You still have to come back the next day and try again.

Numbers are useful. I'm not saying to ignore them. They can show you what's working, what's changing, and where you might need to adjust. The problem starts when the number becomes the entire reason you're doing something or when one bad day convinces you that everything you've been working toward suddenly doesn't matter.

I'd love to hear your thoughts. How much attention do you pay to the numbers behind what you're working toward, and have you ever caught yourself letting a bad day convince you that you were failing?

The Books By Josh Audio Immersion is a reflective podcast focused on perspective, growth, and the quiet lessons we often overlook. Each episode is an invitation to slow down, think differently, and explore ideas that don't always fit into neat categories.

Episode 109: Community

Last week, I talked about imposter syndrome and what happens when success finally starts showing up but you still question whether you deserve it. This week, I'm looking at something that can make that journey a little easier: community.

A few weeks ago, I attended Port Chester's Unity Day, an event that's been bringing people together for longer than I've been alive. Being there made me start thinking about the different communities I've had throughout my life and the one I've slowly built through my books, this podcast, and BooksByJosh.com.

I may only know a small percentage of the people who follow my work personally, but every listener, reader, review, comment, and email reminds me that I'm not creating completely alone. This podcast and my website don't directly make me money, and that's never really been the point. I've always wanted them to be places where I could share whatever knowledge, experience, or perspective I have with people who might find value in it.

Community also goes beyond an audience. It's your friends, family, mentors, coworkers, business connections, gym partners, and the people you choose to surround yourself with. The right people can motivate you, teach you something you didn't know, give you somewhere to vent, or simply remind you to keep moving when progress feels slow.

In this episode, I discuss:

Growing up in a large family and why community has always been part of my life

How attending Port Chester's Unity Day made me think differently about my own community

Building a community through my books, podcast, website, readers, and listeners

Why I continue creating free content even though my podcast and website don't directly make money

The importance of mentorship, networking, and learning from people ahead of you

Why the people you surround yourself with can influence your habits and direction

The importance of bringing value to a community instead of only taking from it

Having people who can motivate you, teach you, or simply give you somewhere to vent

Why friendships and communities naturally change as we move through different stages of life

The difficulty of building something when success can take years to finally appear

How AI has helped my creative workflow while also making an already crowded creator market even more competitive

Why having people around you matters when the difficult parts of the journey eventually arrive

I've been writing for almost two decades, podcasting for nearly a decade, and running my website for around a decade. A lot of the results I'm beginning to see now didn't happen quickly. When you're working toward something for that long, having people around you—even if they're simply listening, reading, encouraging you, or sharing the journey—can make a bigger difference than you realize.

Communities won't always stay the same. People leave, friendships change, and sometimes you eventually move on from a group that once meant everything to you. The important thing is continuing to find people you can learn from, contribute to, and lean on when the inevitable storms show up.

I'd love to hear your thoughts. Who makes up your community today, and how have the people around you changed as you've grown?

The Books By Josh Audio Immersion is a reflective podcast focused on perspective, growth, and the quiet lessons we often overlook. Each episode is an invitation to slow down, think differently, and explore ideas that don't always fit into neat categories.