Jim A James - BlogJim A James - Bloghttps://www.jimajames.com/blogsMon, 18 May 2026 17:12:19 +0200http://zoho.com/sites/<![CDATA[Is Running Your Own Podcast Costing You Time, Trust, and Growth?]]>https://www.jimajames.com/blogs/post/is-running-your-own-podcast-costing-you-time-trust-and-growthHosting a podcast may seem like a great visibility play—but for many CEOs, it’s a drain on time, resources, and results. In this episode, Doug C. Brown and Jim James explore a smarter way to build authority and drive business: podcast guesting.]]>

Podcasting is not an end—it’s a means to visibility, books, leads, and trust.

Hosting a podcast may seem like a great visibility play—but for many CEOs, it’s a drain on time, resources, and results. 

In this episode, Doug C. Brown and Jim James explore a smarter way to build authority and drive business: podcast guesting. They dive deep into what makes a guest appearance effective, how to turn visibility into revenue, and why preparation and authenticity matter more than polish. 

If you want influence without production headaches, this episode delivers strategic clarity.


Listen here
]]>Tue, 01 Apr 2025 15:22:47 +0000<![CDATA[The UnNoticed Entrepreneur Volume 3 Book Launch]]>https://www.jimajames.com/blogs/post/book-launch-volume-3Summary of the book launch for Volume 3 of The UnNoticed Entrepreneur.]]>

Public Book Launch at Waterstones, Bath, England.

On 22nd January I hosted an event at Waterstones, Bath to introduce the 3rd Volume of The UnNoticed Entrepreneur.

The Highlights

The evening kicked off with me sharing the story behind the book and why it’s all about helping entrepreneurs get noticed. I also showcased my podcast-to-published process, giving everyone a behind-the-scenes look at how the podcast inspired the book. 


I introduced my new avatar — a glimpse of how tech is helping bring stories to life in exciting ways. The Q&A session was a blast, with people asking great questions and sharing their own journeys. The room was buzzing with energy and inspiration.


Building Connections

This wasn’t just a book launch — it was a chance to connect with like-minded people and spark some exciting opportunities for the future. Everyone’s enthusiasm really brought the book’s mission to life: giving a voice to entrepreneurs who deserve to be heard.

Phil Tyler came, and passed me a copy of his book. I was so proud for him. Six months ago Phil had told me that he was inspired by my book writing, and so I gave him some coaching and guidelines to follow.

 

What’s Next

The journey doesn’t stop here! The UnNoticed Entrepreneur, Volume 3 is out now and ready to inspire more people to take their ideas to the next level. If you couldn’t make it, you can still grab a copy and join the conversation.


Here’s to shining a light on more  untold stories and helping every entrepreneur get the recognition they deserve.


The first is a video with the presentation, the second is the presentation without a voice over.


If you'd like to talk about how I can help you to write your book, build your brand, or your avatar...just book a call with me below.

Book a call with me here.
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Tony Stubbs gives Jim his NED Certification

Waterstones BathBook LaunchWaterstones Bath 22 JanuaryWaterstones BathWaterstones BathWaterstones BathWaterstones BathWaterstones BathWaterstones BathWaterstones BathWaterstones BathThe presentationWaterstones BathWaterstones BathWaterstones BathWaterstones BathWaterstones BathWaterstones BathWaterstones BathWaterstones BathWaterstones BathWaterstones BathWaterstones BathWaterstones BathWaterstones BathWaterstones BathWaterstones BathWaterstones BathWaterstones BathTony Stubbs gives Jim his NED Certification
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Order the Book
]]>Tue, 21 Jan 2025 16:14:41 +0000<![CDATA[How to get noticed]]>https://www.jimajames.com/blogs/post/how-to-get-noticedPresentation for aspiring non-exec directors on the topic of personal branding. ]]>

Personal brand essentials.

Presentation for aspiring non-exec directors on the topic of personal branding.

Get Started Now
]]>Mon, 28 Oct 2024 11:53:59 +0000<![CDATA[Constructive Distancing.]]>https://www.jimajames.com/blogs/post/authenticityIn today's business landscape, authenticity is key to building trust and long-lasting relationships with customers. However, entrepreneurs often strug ]]>

Entrepreneurs Can Be Authentic Without Killing Their Company.

In today's business landscape, authenticity is key to building trust and long-lasting relationships with customers. However, entrepreneurs often struggle to balance being their true selves while maintaining the professional image of their company. 

This short presentation explores the concept of "constructive distancing," a strategy where entrepreneurs create two distinct brands: one personal and one for the business.

 By separating these identities, entrepreneurs can authentically express themselves without the risk of damaging their company’s reputation. 

This approach allows for greater freedom in personal expression while protecting the business brand from any potential fallout that may arise from controversial or highly personal viewpoints.
]]>Mon, 23 Sep 2024 16:25:05 +0000<![CDATA[Don't be a podcast host!]]>https://www.jimajames.com/blogs/post/don-t-be-a-podcast-hostJim James talks with dr steve day about the reason that entrepreneurs should mind their own business, and not be podcast hosts.]]>
Dr Steve Day and Jim James

When being a guest is much more effective.

Leveraging Podcasts for Business Success: Insights from Dr. Steve Day and Jim James

In a recent episode of the "Systemize Your Success" podcast, host Dr. Steve Day sat down with Jim James, an international entrepreneur turned podcast and radio show host, to discuss the merits and challenges of starting a podcast. With a three-book deal with Wiley Publishers under his belt, Jim brings a wealth of knowledge to the table. The conversation delved into why many entrepreneurs might be better off guesting on podcasts rather than hosting their own, and how to maximize the benefits of podcasting for business growth.

Why Not Start Your Own Podcast?

Jim James kicked off the discussion by highlighting a startling statistic: the average number of episodes produced by most podcasts is just seven. This indicates that many podcasters give up early due to the time, effort, and resources required. Jim pointed out that creating a podcast involves much more than just recording episodes. It includes guest networking, equipment setup, post-production, and marketing—all of which can be overwhelming for entrepreneurs who are already stretched thin.

"Making a show is only a small part, maybe 10% of actually having a successful show. 90% is the marketing and the sales and distribution," Jim explained.

The Benefits of Being a Podcast Guest

Jim revealed a "little secret"—being a guest on podcasts can be just as beneficial, if not more so, than hosting your own. He emphasized that guesting allows entrepreneurs to leverage the podcast medium without the heavy lifting involved in hosting. As a guest, you can focus on delivering value and connecting with new audiences, all while someone else handles the production and promotion.

Dr. Steve Day echoed this sentiment, sharing his own experience of the challenges and rewards of hosting a podcast. He noted that while he loves hosting, it requires a significant amount of work, including a dedicated team for production and promotion.

Actionable Tips for Podcast Guests

Jim offered several actionable tips for entrepreneurs looking to maximize their impact as podcast guests:

  1. Quality Matters: Invest in good audio and video equipment. Jim recommended using an external microphone and webcam to ensure high-quality recordings. He mentioned tools like the Samsung QTU microphone and the Logitech HD webcam as affordable options.

  2. Repurpose Content: Jim stressed the importance of repurposing podcast content for other platforms. He suggested using tools like Otter for transcriptions and ChatGPT for writing blog posts. This approach allows you to maximize the value of each podcast appearance.

  3. Engage with the Audience: To turn listeners into leads, Jim advised offering something valuable, such as a free download, quiz, or consultation. He shared the example of Oscar Trimboli, who uses a quiz on his website to engage listeners and collect email addresses.

  4. Be Concise and Engaging: Jim highlighted the importance of getting to the point quickly and being engaging. He recommended structuring your responses to include key points early on, as listeners tend to drop off after the first few minutes.

Bridging Technique

One of the standout techniques Jim discussed was "bridging." This involves taking elements of the host's question and blending them with your own key points. This method ensures that your responses are relevant and engaging, while also allowing you to steer the conversation towards your areas of expertise.

"Bridging is where you take someone's question and you take the elements of that question, but then you blend that with your answer," Jim explained.

Conclusion

The conversation between Dr. Steve Day and Jim James provided valuable insights into the world of podcasting. For many entrepreneurs, being a podcast guest can offer a low-risk, high-reward way to engage with new audiences and grow their business. By focusing on quality, repurposing content, engaging with the audience, and using techniques like bridging, entrepreneurs can make the most of their podcast appearances.

In summary, while hosting a podcast can be rewarding, it requires a significant investment of time and resources. For those looking to dip their toes into the podcasting world, guesting offers a viable and effective alternative. As Jim aptly put it, "You can still participate in the benefits of podcasting by being a guest."

For more insights and tips on leveraging podcasts for business success, be sure to check out the full episode of "Systemize Your Success" with Dr. Steve Day and Jim James.

Listen to the show
]]>Thu, 15 Aug 2024 11:20:13 +0000<![CDATA[How authors can use podcasts to drive readership of their books]]>https://www.jimajames.com/blogs/post/BookLaunchers-Podcast-PresentationPresentation given to Book Launchers community.]]>

Book Launchers Webinar Presentation.

Podcasts offer a unique and powerful platform for authors to reach a broader audience and generate more listeners. I presented a 2 hour webinar for the BookLaunchers community on Saturday 18th May. 

Here are the slides from the presentation.

A full video link will be made available later.

Book Launchers
]]>Mon, 20 May 2024 13:40:37 +0000<![CDATA[Is AI Mightier Than The Pen?]]>https://www.jimajames.com/blogs/post/ai-is-not-an-obedient-authorHow I used AI to write Volume 3 of The UnNoticed Entrepreneur]]>

How I used AI to write Volume 3 of The UnNoticed Entrepreneur

The Publishers told me that I had six weeks to deliver this book.


 “No problem I replied.”


I could this. Or so I thought.


I took the transcripts of the 50 interviews and ran them through ChatGPT and found myself with 50 neat, equal-length articles. I was feeling so pleased with the process that I had my VA load them all to Dabble Writer, ready to output as a manuscript. 


A quick export of the file, and I sent it to my sister and my father for reading. 


I had been so determined to use the AI that I had ignored my own reservations about the content. I could tell the difference from the original interviews, but I wasn’t sure if anyone else could.

They were polite but not fooled. “It reads like you’ve used ChatGPT”, replied my sister Shelley. Sentences contained words that read well, but somehow didn’t quite carry the point. We had the gist of the conversation, but nuances had been paraphrased. My proof readers were sensitive enough to notice the absence of the human touch.

Undeterred, I spent hours writing custom prompts. I scoured the internet for how to be better at teaching the AI. The Guru’s were saying that you could do anything with AI – how hard could this be?

But still, I could only generate 600 – 700-word articles from 4,000 – 5,000-word transcripts. I was losing too much. In the well written abbreviations, the text was key points, erasing local dialect, removing turns of phrase, and most importantly the personality of the entrepreneur. Each time I hit ‘return’ I would have a similar but different article. 

The AI was more like my big brown eyed beagle Binkie; wandering off at the slightest scent of something more interesting, and forgetting that it did something wrong. 

With my deadline counting down, I was still determined to make AI my copy editor. On Upwork, I hired Sanjay, a student in Bangalore. He charged me $100 to make my very own writer. We opened an account with Anthropic and entered my credit card. Anthropic’s LLM [large language model] was writing better prose than Open AI. I really thought we were onto something. Early results were good, but the articles were only up to 700 words long. We could overcome this limitation on tokens [the way these APIs regulate usage] by breaking the transcript into multiple sub-sections. 


Sanjay in Bangalore built me a special app based on the Open AI API

All ready to press ahead, I logged in, or tried to…

“Your account is blocked due to violations of the usage policies.” Of course there is no customer service to call. Not even an AI bot!

How could a podcast transcript violate these hidden policies? 

We had to find another option, and fast. But before work could start, we had to stop. 

Power to Sanjay’s dorm was cut off for 5 hours…no internet, no work.

Back online, and just before he went into his engineering exam, he plugged in the Open AI API [application protocol interface] and I set my credit card to auto-recharge. Now, the number of queries I could make were unlimited.

Sensing victory, I playfully named my apps “Blender” and “Juicer.” One for the chapter and one for the actionable insights.



Pay for usage

I had unlimited usage, my own API-level prompts …, and my 50 transcripts were all ready to go into my production process.

The plan was working…I was generating lots of content. But it was still like controlling an errant beagle. It was still wandering off in various directions, oblivious to it’s errors. Returning looking pleased with itself.

Sanjay and I re-wrote prompts, fiddled with the back end (such a lovely term), but I didn’t even send the articles to my astute review team.

I spoke with an American company pioneering long-form articles. Their first article render got us all excited. The second rendering left me puzzled. At the third render, I was disconsolate. The AI was teasing me once more. One article would be 90% perfect. We would enter a few sentences to refine the prompt, believing the second iteration would be like the first but with the 10% fixed. Instead, the second iteration was an entirely new article and only 75% right. I called it quits when, on the third attempt, the AI spelt the name of the entrepreneur wrong, having spelt it perfectly in the first two versions.

Wiley my publishers called me from New York. They were were concerned about the use of AI.  They cautioned me about the rights of AI-generated content; it seems the jury is out on who can claim the royalties. More importantly, I didn’t want to let my entrepreneurs down, nor Brad and Jamie who agreed to take part in the book. 

I owed it to everyone to make this book as good as humanly possible.


The words of time were running out.

Running out of time, with the words of Shelley in my ears, I set out to edit all 50 interviews myself. This was over 150,000 words of raw scripts. Guess what – people don’t speak in written sentences. My guests have multiple accents, and in some cases, the transcripts look more like alphabet soup than an intelligent conversation between adults. We can’t just blame transcription software.  Problems set in from low audio levels, poor diction, and sentences that are started but never finished.

How do I know that to be the case?

Some transcripts are way better than others. Some people speak more slowly, with greater precision, and use a proper microphone. 

There is a lesson to learn here. For AI to be more accurate in their transcriptions, humans must be more precise in their delivery. 



Whilst the AI is flawed in the creative process of the book, it was excellent in the information classification part. I used it to extract Actionable Insights from the interviews. If you don’t understand my curating of the conversation, then skip directly to the AI-generated insights.



Looking to generate an alphabetical list of books and podcasts? The days of adding them all to a spreadsheet and trying to sort by column are over. ChatGPT loves this. 


Making a list of tech tools that need to be arranged into categories is another example of what ChatGPT is made for. But I had to game it first.  The AI could only generate a list of using the limits of the tokens…which meant it omitted 70% of the list of apps. My work around was to do chain prompting. I asked ChapGPT to extract all the categories from the list. That was 16. Then I asked it to find the apps which fit into each category, filling one category at a time. It was slow but so much easier than writing these myself. A real bonus…I prompted it to add the URL so that you’d find the software more quickly.


At the risk of mixing my metaphors here, AI is an assistant, like a sous chef. It’s not taking over the cooking just yet. It can’t go out to buy the ingredients and doesn’t always chop the vegetables the same way. Sometimes, it gives you carrots when you ask for celery. You’ll get something, but don’t rely on it to be good enough to serve customers at the restaurant. [I thought of the metaphor myself btw].

Today, ChatGPT has just launched ChatGPT4o.* The updated model “is much faster” and improves “capabilities across text, vision, and audio,” OpenAI CTO Mira Murati said. It’ll be free for all users, and paid users will continue to “have up to five times the capacity limits” of free users. 

Yipee! I wondered momentarily if I should tell the publishers I would try returning to AI to write this book?



I decided not to. I’ve enjoyed reconnecting with all the entrepreneurs who told me their stories. I’ve learnt so much by trying to paraphrase their words. I hope that you as the reader will feel as close to that person as I have been. More importantly, I believe that their lessons told in their own words will make them resonate more deeply, will help you to take these to heart. 

Relying on AI would have robbed me of the valuable lessons I have learned. The process can be how we learn. Letting AI take over the process may be quicker in the short term, but weakens us over time.

AI also removes the authenticity of the work.

As you read this book, you’ll see the word ‘authenticity’ appear many times in the stories of our entrepreneurs. 

In this age of AI, the entrepreneur who remains authentic will get noticed.


Stay Tuned - The book will be out in Q4 2024!

]]>Wed, 15 May 2024 20:33:09 +0000<![CDATA[Is Dabble The Writing App For You?]]>https://www.jimajames.com/blogs/post/Dabble-WriterWhat software I use when writing The UnNoticed Entrepreneur]]>

My simple use case - 50 chapters with 107,000 words.

I've just written 107,000 words...and created 50 chapters. 
This is for Volume 3 of The UnNoticed Entrepreneur.
I needed to move quickly as Wiley, the publishers, want to release this in October. I had thought I'd have longer...

Dabble Writer App has been really useful.


Why use an App instead of Google docs or Apple Pages?
1. It's easy to move chapters

2. There are word count and timer features

3. No distractions from too many features

4. Writing dedicated structure eg. chapters, page templates, story board

There is also a desktop app.


Get the work done in a dedicated app, then export it.

The document can be exported to google or Word. 

You can collaborate with other people too - which is how I then work with my VA in the Philippines. 

You could have an editor do the same.

The only features that would make it better would be a footnotes option. The work around is to leave a * and add them manually.
Then on export one has to format those in Word.

Still it's really quick, easy to use, and has a full screen mode which I find very helpful. Plus a timer and word count display. 

I can see all of my projects. Select my project and then choose to work on the chapters.


Simple outline in Dabble App. If you want to get more fancy you can add in a plot, character and story notes.

These are great for fiction authors but I didn't need them for my non-fiction work.

Export function is simple and easy to use.


I download to Word, then export to Mac Pages. It all works well. No loss of content and the page structure remains.

I did connect this to my google docs account - which was handy. The formatting isn't very pretty but it's easy enough to fix that in Google.


The Web creates the book in a Dabble reader - it's nice and clean.


Text is simplest form - and of course without any formatting. 

Sharing the book is nice and easy. Just sending an email link.

The can then see a clean reading interface. This removes distractions. They can then open the document and leave comments. 

Here is the comparison of Dabble with Google Docs, Scrivener. I tried Ulysses 3 years ago but then opted for Dabble Writer as it was more IOS friendly.

As I write this blog I'm revisiting Ulysses  and see that a)the price has come down to $5.99 pcm and b) has Mac and IOS versions. Dabble Writer doesn't have an iOS version.

So will check out Ulysses for the next book.

Dabble
]]>Thu, 09 May 2024 09:21:06 +0000<![CDATA[How to be a podcast guest.]]>https://www.jimajames.com/blogs/post/how-to-be-a-podcast-guest.I have made a presentation to the south west of England Federation of Small Business.  How to be a guest on podcasts, and to convert listeners int ]]>

FSB Virtual networking event today.

I have made a presentation to the south west of England Federation of Small Business. 

How to be a guest on podcasts, and to convert listeners into leads.

Here is the presentation.

]]>Thu, 09 May 2024 09:02:11 +0000<![CDATA[The UnNoticed Entrepreneur Live.]]>https://www.jimajames.com/blogs/post/SimonTeslerSimon Tesler, entrepeneur and director of Parade House, Trowbridge, shares his talk and tunes list.]]>

"If you're bright and agile, you can always work out how things should be done." 
​Simon Tesler, Entrepreneur, Director Parade House, Trowbridge.
​
Simon Tesler, Entrepreneur and Director Parade House, Trowbridge. Trowbridge


Simon Tesler, Director of Parade House, Trowbridge came into the Radio Bath studio as my guest on The UnNoticed Entrepreneur LIVE. 


Trowbridge resident Simon Tesler has experienced the highs and lows of entrepreneurship over his more than 40 year career. Tesler got his start as a young university student in 1980, co-founding the magazine Blitz with his wife Carey. The magazine was a huge success in the 1980s boom but unfortunately had to close during the 1990s recession due to reduced advertising spending. 


Fortunately they had already started to transition to a business publishing and database venture. They later sold that company to Pearson in the late 1990s. Tesler worked for Pearson for a time but left when he found that being an intrapreneur wasn't the right path for him. 


He then founded the advertising database company AdBrands, running it successfully for 24 years before selling it to focus on new ventures.*


Most recently, the dynamic duo purchased and renovated the historic Parade House building in Trowbridge. Parade House Trowbridge is a Grade I listed Georgian townhouse in the historic heart of the County Town of Wiltshire. Built in around 1720 for the wealthy cloth merchant Robert Houlton, it is one of the town's finest and most elegant buildings, the centrepiece of what Pevsner's Guide  to Wiltshire described as a "stretch of palaces" along Fore Street.  


They have transformed the Grade 1 listed building into a vibrant events venue, bar and restaurant, helping to revitalize the town.


This is a wide ranging conversation about business, life, and the impact that entrepreneurs can make for good.

​

Click the button below to go to the show page. 


[*Amazingly he sold it to Greg Paull, founder of R3, and an old friend of mine from Singapore days!]


Listen to the show
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