Edited transcription

First, I haven't had time to do the creator podcast because I've been working on a special event for my game, Endless Hurdles. I'll put a link to it in the show notes. It's free on iOS.

I wanted to put out a Halloween event this year. The event runs from October 12th to November 15th, and I had a lot of last-minute things that I needed to take care of. I planned for this and have been working on it over the last few months.

Everything went according to plan. So that's a scary thing. Still, the exciting part is there were some technical challenges, and I won't get into them here because it's a software development-oriented thing, which is not necessarily a lot of the audience for this Podcast episode.

But the learning curve was great because I had to do many things I've not done before. I've never done time-limited events that unlock in games, so that was an exciting challenge. I am also just taking the whole experience up to the next level.

By that, I mean not only in the game and tweaking everything and improving all the parts for the players but also on the marketing side.

That's really what I want to talk about here because, as a developer, I'm not great at marketing. It's as simple as that. But what I did this time around was I went to town to work on the screenshots for the App Store. I did a promo trailer video to sell the idea of this event.

Now, this whole game and the event are free. This is just one of those passion projects if you like. And also, as I said, it is a learning experience from many things in there and the marketing side.

But it's all been precious and time well spent. This will help me going forward with other projects. That's the takeaway there. That's taken up a lot of my time.

I've also seen shockingly good growth on my Compile Swift podcast, which is excellent because that is my main side project. I don't make any money besides the advertising I put in the episodes. You'll never make enough money to retire from that.

I don't think it even comes close to covering the costs involved, but it helps. And that's kind of where I'm going with that. But a lot of what I do is about the learning experience.

But I do feel that as we're reaching the end of the year here in the last quarter, I'm thinking about all of the things that I've achieved this year, that next year I do need to stop and say to myself, “Okay, some of these side projects need to start giving me some kind of return financially.”

Because, as we all know, things are just continuing to get more expensive. Even things like podcasting and apps and all those kinds of things, you know, that phrase, “Yes, it's a lot of the time free to consume, but it's not free to make.”

I have to look at my projects and decide which ones feel like they have longevity and will pay off in regards to not only getting the experience from doing them and everything else but also maybe earning enough income from them to cover the cost.

That's all I want to do here: cover the cost of things. So, there is no illusion of becoming spectacularly rich or anything like that. I want to cover the cost of the things that I make.

That's all my goal ever really is on that side. I'd be interested to hear people's thoughts about that. We've had some episodes and some great guests on the podcast talking about passion projects and that kind of thing.

It's always tricky because you need the passion to do a good job, in my opinion. Sometimes, you get into a situation where you will push yourself further than you should regarding what it's costing you because it's a passion project.

I've got to stop and reflect upon that as we get to the end of the year.

So, that's just a couple of updates there.

I'm working on some other things.

I've been learning a whole bunch of stuff. Like I said, I'm learning to improve my marketing by asking folks, “Hey, would you like to come on the podcast? Are you interested?”

I feel fortunate that everybody I've asked to be a guest and on the podcasts has been fantastic. Nobody has said no, which is a blessing because it takes time.

I'm asking people to take time out of their day and talk to me. I don't know if it's going to help them or not, but I certainly hope that it does. So, I always appreciate all of that. It's been working out great.

All the guests I've had on all my podcasts have been fantastic. I hope to do more because it is great to talk and discuss things with people, bounce ideas around, and have conversations. A lot of my approach is just that: having a conversation.

The last thing I want to talk about is the live streams. I took a little break and didn't get as many live streams done as I used to, but I'm trying to get back into it again because I've got a better routine.

There's no denying it; I'm sure many folks have experienced this. All the companies and the day jobs returning to the office put a dent in things you feel like doing in the evenings or at the weekends and having to manage, right?

Indeed, I always know how much it takes out of me to drive to and from the office. By the time I get home in the evening, I often want to work on things, and I do. But on a live stream, it's tough.

It's tough to do a day's work, come home, and then perform, if you like, on a live stream because nobody wants to watch a live stream and someone looking tired or miserable. So, in that sense, it is a performance.

I'm lucky because the folks who come by my chat rooms are fantastic. They are very motivational, engaged, and helpful. By the end of the stream, I'm just feeling fabulous.

The problem is getting to that part where “Okay, forcing yourself to go live. It's going to be great. Just start the stream, and it'll work out.” And I guess that's some of my advice to folks.

So, there are some updates in this episode. I'm catching up here, trying to get back into the swing of things.

Thanks to those folks listening to the podcast and reaching out to me. I appreciate you all and the kind words that you send. Thank you so much for all that, the reviews, and everything else.

You don't know how much it means to folks to see acknowledgment of, “Hey, even if you don't like it, I took the time to listen to your thing.” That means a massive amount to us podcasters.

Click here to see what I'm working on in November. It's interesting, I promise.

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