Base Hits: Recent Episodes
Garth Haslem
Base hits is a journal about the windy and bumpy road experienced by an entrepreneur. Garth Haslem has started a clothing business, a tanning salon, a home inspection business, a structural inspection business, a diving inspection business, and you'd think it would get easier. If that's true, it's only because he's more confident now. .
Garth has three podcasts. The first is The HomeMedic, where he stores 30 years' knowledge as a home inspector. The second is Manalizing. This is a very vulnerable podcast about men and our ability (or inabilty) to navigate life. The third is this one: the diary about what he does every day to get to where his dreams happen. This is about the simple things (the base hits) he's making every day to shape his future.
Garth's goals are to build enough of an income to never have to worry about money again. Then he can focus on doing what's most important. Base Hits is a journal of how that pathway looks for him.
The end of an huge task is now complete and new tasks are ahead - first base is covered, we see second base, and as of today, third base is directly ahead. We're trying to cover them both at the same time. And with that, home base is in our mind. The 90th report of a 90 day challenge is perfectly timed, and I'm proud to say we're on track. We know where we have been, and we know where we're going, and we have people with us to carry the ball when I fumble or lose my way. All of this? It's awesome. .
It feels like it's been a long road, but I guess it's only been 90 days - and a few off for good behavior. Base Hits phase 1 is almost complete, and the new phase is now upon me. It's filled with doubts, demons and a bit of despair. Thankfully, it's also got some people who are with me. And with them, I can do this. I can't say how grateful I am. Here's the plan for me taking manalizing to second base.
It's been a long time coming, but now I've built a library of about 20 interviews, and have had some (about 5) of them edited, and have pulled the highlights, and have discovered the right format (MP4) to put them in, and have learned how to add a back bumper (you can't do it within SM, but I found a way), and have navigated my way through descriptions, hash tags and @ directs. And have added "to listen to the podcast please follow the link in my bio", and have asked my tech guru to add that. Other than that's it's been so easy!
But the day is here, and the first posts are done. Yah freaking hoo!
Big deal stuff. I had a big day earning money yesterday, but that's never an excuse for not moving forward with manalizing. I'm so pushed to move that forward - I can't even say. But things still moved forward. I had a conversation about trademarking Manalizing, and I'm having the Manalizing logo designed presently, and we now have the first and second manalizing groups created on Kajabi. Oh - and we have a pretty good idea of who's in that first one. Why is the second important? Because now I know how to create them and modify them. Even though it's much like making a copy, I'm still able to do it - and that's a step forward.
I've cleared my schedule so I can get back on top of manalizing editing and highlights and social media and boosting and building an audience so I can save the world, but it's not happening fast enough. I have 1000 interviews that need me to do edits and highlights on. To say I'm being pushed to get that done is an understatement.
My mind was pretty much blown when I realized while filling out a tiktok form that manalizing needed to be a legal entity, and it probably needs to be either a non profit or not for profit. Blam! Didn't see that one coming. Now I've got work to do that has nothing to do with microphones or sound stuff
Learning how to post on instagram ain't easy. I've fought with it and I'm learning that it needs to be me. My voice thoughout. While it would be nicer if I could assign that out, that wouldn't be my voice, and that can't happen.
When you're trying to do as many at-bats as possible, sometimes you find that there are bigger results, and sometimes they're smaller. This report contains a very small hit - but a hit nonetheless. The other hit is a good sized one. Here's the story
Sometimes not knowing everything about a subject teaches you the hard way to know what you must. Here's what I learned about using my RE27 mic - and some other stuff
You'd think posting on social media would be easy breezy right? Apparently only if you're a millenial. Instagram is hard! But I learned it. And other stuff.
If it's true that communities of men will greatly solve the answer to how men communicate and offload their issues, then how do we set up the communities? What characteristics should they have? How is this information communicated? Here's what I learned over the weekend
It's fun for me to solve new challenges. Not the usual home stuff, and not even singing or recording well stuff. This last gig was about how to record four different people when my pc only allows two inputs. I've got all this sound nerd equipment, and I'm using it. I've found that mixer boards are too much of a hassle and a crappy one adds fuzz. So my audio input device rules. But it doesn't rule alone. Here's my report.
You want to start a podcast you say? Great! It's more than just becoming a sound tech, more than learning to talk to a microphone. More than finding guests and learning to interview them well. More than finding out what equipment you need and getting it. It's also about promoting your stuff. Social media? Great! Which one and why? Men? Women? What age? Instagram you say? Great! Do you know how to do a reel? Do you know how to do captions? Why won't your phone do them and somebody else can?
Welcome to my world.
It's coming hard and fast. What used to be difficult (getting guys to interview) is only getting easier. It seemed before that getting guys to come on would be the roadblock. Who would come on and tell the world what they hadn't told anyone? Well, it turns out it's easier than expected. People want to tell their story. I'm glad that's the case and hopefully we'll help some people.
Yesterday I did a manalizing interview with Tegun (I'm sure I spelled that wrong) and the audio settings were all kinds of wrong. Live by the audio processor, die by the audio processor. So I fooled with some knobs and arrived at this point. As you'll hear, it doesn't sound like I fixed it. Here's my report anyway.
When you're planning out your social media marketing strategies, then to me that means you're almost there. You can now rest assured that it's about to be real. It's almost "out there", and the waiting and planning and waiting and hoping is finally going to result in something. Yeah - I'm there right now. Here's that report.
I gathered a great deal of information and inspiration while talking to Eddie yesterday - I love how his brain works and how he recognizes and relies on inspiration. He answered my most recent roadblock question without even looking like it was straining his brain. He's a great man. Here's what I learned while talking with him
Few things feel better than seeing the train that you've been pushing for years begin to move. It feels like the train budged. Moving forward into getting things published and marketed has been at least a 7 year project (if you include the HomeMedic stuff), and I've been waiting for what seems like forever. Today's base hits feel like I'm getting there. That's cause for some kind of super celebration! Wah freaking hoo!
Today I had a big win. I interviewed Aaron Walker. This is a very cool dude with a large following. A very successful man, and a significant man by all standards. I did it on Zoom - another first. Because of our interview, I gained access to the gold mine of all mines - access to an unlimited supply of men. Super awesome, right? Absolutely.
Yet I still feel frustrated because the podcast isn't being marketed. It's not out there. It's stacking up and getting dusty in a corner somewhere. I talk about all of this in this daily report.
Building the list of 12 manalizing mastermind members was tough. There are well over 12 candidates for these slots, and I'm concerned that not being in this group may potentially reduce my relationship with those who are not in. Still, 12 is a number, and I think it's the right number, and I don't believe there can be intimacy and perfect trust in a group of 30 or 50. I describe the list as it now stands in this podcast.
After 14 manalizing podcasts where me and other men cast around for the answer, finally I'm handed the missing piece on a silver platter. If men can't find someone to talk to by themselves, then let's give them a system and organization that gives it to them!! This is the birth of the Manalizing mastermind.
I'm as guilty as anyone at filling my day with things that matter less, at the expense of things that matter more. The fires almost always defeat the most important things that need to be done. Still, I was able today to accomplish both - do what wanted to be done while still moving manalizing forward. Here's how that went.
My basic programming is to get stuff done. It's a bit harder for me to get stuff done well. So when I realize that in order for things to be up to snuff for me, they have to be more elaborate - well, that's not the default.
But they need to be awesome because this is my purpose, and stuff that's my purpose can't be second rate. So - elaborate process, here we come. Still, I find the hard enjoyable.
Aaron Shields is that guy who appears to have it all. Super smart, good looking, good dude, has a strong relationship with his Savior, great musician - you know the one who seems to have absolutely everything together and is on a easy street in every way. It would appear that way. It does appear that way. It's also not true. Here's Aaron's take on life.
It never ceases to amaze me how "lucky" I am. This is also known as being blessed, guided, cared for, etc. My life is well managed, but not by me or anybody else you might guess initially.
The procedure for producing my stuff ought to be simple. It's not. Here's how things are developing
It seems that when you're a startup, you have to invent every new wheel yourself. How do you use youtube for both the pre-edit version and the finished version of a show, without having customers think they're seeing double, and watching the wrong show? Well, I figured that one out today.
Sometimes while in the woods of developing things, you get lost in the trees. Then you bump into an obvious one and it's shocking that it's there. I realized that we need to adapt our marketing for each manalizing podcast to those groups that identify. Whether that's human trafficking, bad divorces, alcohol addiction, whatever. We need to let those groups know that Manalizing and our resources are out there. Oh - and I learned a bit more about being a sound tech. There's always that.
Being OCD about detail definitely isn't me. So when I go through 170ish podcasts, then realize I have to go through them again to get them consistent, that's my brain you hear melting. The drudge continues. Oh - and yes, I'm still my own sound guy. Let's just say I'm less than awesome at it.
Painfulness sometimes comes when the job description, especially when you're small like me. The repetitive stuff? Yeah, I hadda do it because a) I don't have full time employees, and b) only I could write the podcast descriptions. But it's done. Kinda.
Sometimes starting a venture like this isn't sexy at all. Today, the tasks are extremely repetitive and brain numbing. But - ya gotta do what ya gotta do. Here's what today's base hits look like
Fulfillment can be found in a variety of ways, but maybe it's about just deciding what you want to be and do, then doing it. For me, that's been a 60+ year journey. I think I'm there. At least I feel like this is what I need to be doing right now.
Staying on top of tech is like riding a cheetah. It's even harder when you're an old geezer like me. Link trees? Replacing having stuff on my web site? Oh the weird brain bendyness of it all.
The techy side of being a microphone nerd is pretty much an every day thing. On my interview of me, I forgot to record the audio separately. So why is that a big problem? Because there's pretty much nothing out there that allows me to strip off the audio from a video file! I research all day long and get absolutely nowhere. Finally, a friend tells me about the traffic cone software. It's super clunky, but after some fidgeting with it, it worked! That's a massive wahoo you just heard btw.
Then... I just have to eliminate roughly 1000 ums and pauses. I hope I got enough of them for it to be good.
I've spent a career not leading anyone but myself. At over 60, now I'm doing more of that. How to be the leader you've never been? Just do it I guess. Here's what I did to be leader and manager for my team
Lightning strikes. I feel like I can't ask other men to be vulnerable if I'm not willing to sit in the same chair and do that myself. So - I agreed when Howard Little asked me to swap seats with him after his interview. He asks better questions than I do - or at least different ones. That man runs deep and I admire much in him even though I still barely know him. Here's my base hits report about the day I was interviewed
I thought when I started Manalizing that it would be a dark subject. That's not the case at all. There's so much hope that comes from the people I talk to, and the light that I feel from these people is simply - well, it brightens my soul
Just when I thought I was reaching the rounded off part of the mountain, and it was time to roll with the machine I've created...
I realize I've got to migrate everything. All of my hundreds of podcasts for everything. Manalizing, base hits, home medic for inspectors, home medic for homeowners, etc. It's all gotta be on Kajabi. Like they said in Pretty Woman. Big! Huuuge!
But- it's gotta happen. So at least I know what my direction is for the short term
It's a truism that nobody can do things themselves. None of us are gifted at everything that needs to happen for a business to be successful. So - you have to rely on others. And when they're extremely part time or it's a favor? Sometimes you still have to do what you can yourself.
Getting men to come on the show and be prepped to be vulnerable is no small task. Most men don't have the internals to do it. The ones that do need to know what I'm expecting of them so they can come mentally prepared to be vulnerable. No small task. Part of it comes with being able to describe what the show is all about. Here's how I'm handling that.
Some stuff is just hard. It wouldn't be hard if you were that kind of nerd, but you're not that kind of nerd. You try everything and boom! Nothing.
That makes it that much sweeter when you figure it out. Voice over victory is mine! Wah freaking hoo!
I think most of us think we can do anything ourselves if we put our mind to it. The fact is, we can struggle for days or months, or we could get it done in 15 minutes with the right help. I needed Nathan's help today. I needed McKell's help today. I needed what the right audio input device could do for me, and I got it all - partly because I'm willing and able to ask for assistance.
I think most of us think we could never succeed in business or whatever because we have weakness X or Y. Fact is, we're right. We can't succeed with that weakness if we don't let someone fill in those holes for us. But there are people out there who will help us succeed if we let them. That might be true for people on the other side as well, now that I think of it.
Some days are pretty awesome. I get my nickels made in the morning, then I can get after things. That was today. I filmed stuff with McKell to be used in a social media ad campaign, and generally I made feathers fly. Still, I look back and wonder what I accomplished. Is that a brain thing or is it a self discounting thing? Can't answer that one
I interviewed an interesting, bright and powerful man today. Howard Little. Good dude. Very good dude. He's having big time physical issues - cancer, infections, loss of circulation - it's bad. But despite it all his soul is bright. He talks about how we chooses to laugh rather than cry. He talks about how we all have issues to overcome. And I agree, we do. Except me. My life is great, and I'm the only person I know who's blessed that way. Why? I have no idea. All I can do is be grateful and try to give. Here are my thoughts on my interview with Howard.
The things I do to move my business forward and achieve my purpose? Well, let's just say I wouldn't have predicted them. What hat am I wearing this time? This time it was me figuring out how to argue with myself on social media. Me. I'm not exactly Mr. Tik Tok. Still, I gotta do it so here I go
Base hits can still be made when I'm busy. And here's a bit of gratitude for me being busy. Who am I grateful to? I don't know why God the Father and Jesus Christ do what they do for me, but it all strengthens my resolve to do what they're entrusting, hoping and needing me to do. We all have purposes - here's a bit about mine.
Some days I wonder if I did anything at all, then I remember I got a lot done. This was one of those. I tend not to give myself credit for stuff when I do move forward, but I'm real good at remembering when I didn't meet the bar.
That said, I came up with a concept that will be a centerpiece of my marketing and branding. I call it arguing with myself. Might as well - I do it anyway.
Learning how to lead well is a new experience for me. I've learned how to run a 1 man business and can do that comfortably. Employees? Leadership? Management? Stretch. Also, now I'm a baker. Who woulda thought?
Most of us men think we're strong. Give us a problem, we'll solve it. We do. We solve. We finish. We go. But asking us to talk about what it does to us? That's an uphill climb. And what happens when we do? That's interesting too.
Sometimes when you ask a guy to be vulnerable, people get uncomfortable. Not just the vulnerable dude, but others who are not used to that. I witnessed the results of that.
I feel like I'm getting to where I can start streamlining things. It's not about a thousand tasks that must be done before I get started - at least not at the moment. It feels like now I need to be moving into the production phase. Get stuff out, get it marketed, get it moving. But for today? Face shots is my base hit
There are always a lot of competing interests in a life. Entertainment, body, relationships, money, keeping business afloat, starting new ones - the list goes on. Still, how do you make sure that what's most important stays at the top of the list? How do you make sure that little stuff isn't eating up all the time for the big stuff? Here's that podcast
When you're the CEO, the janitor, the marketing guy and the tech guy, things can sometimes get interesting. Still, I'm learning and growing, and there are mistakes that I won't make again
There are a lot of rocks in the road when it comes to doing manalizing. First, men don't talk about stuff because it's vulnerable. Second, when men are vulnerable it doesn't always come out well or get taken well. Then I fear that it becomes evidence that men shouldn't be vulnerable. This sucks, and I don't have an answer. Sure wish I had someone who could answer this for me.
Being a podcaster and entrepreneur means you get to wear a lot of hats. Some of them I'm not comfortable in - like being an audio tech geek. Or like managing people in a professional way. Still, I've got it in me because I have to have it in me. There's a way because there must be a way. Here's my Friday report.
I don't know how many people are better at arguing with themselves than me, but I'm exceptionally good at it. As a businessman, I'm used to coming up against a business decision that I'm not feeling qualified to make, but knowing that I don't have anyone who can help me who is experienced in that arena. So I just make it. This is not unlike the experience men make every day. This podcast includes one of those moments for me
Wouldn't it be nice if the path to entrepreneurship, saving lives and helping men off their respective islands were always glamorous, motivating and easy? How will I ever know even if any of my efforts are making any difference? Here's my daily brain struggles - as well as my arguments I have regularly with myself. Part of being me I guess.
Today was a near failure but gratefully I have a team. That team includes people on the other side who are most anxiously engaged to help me succeed. I'm doing all I can to listen
For a guy who's used to be outside doing stuff, it feels less than great when I have an involuntary day of not doing stuff. I know, manalizing is my purpose and future, but today it feels like I've got to do manalizing because there are no inspections. So that's my report. And then something happened.
Whoever is pulling the strings does have a sense of humor. This is another entry in my gratitude journal
Today I departed from a report of all the base hits I did - there were plenty because I was granted a good deal to time to get things done. Those were all overshadowed by the sweetness that was my interview with Todd Nielsen. Great man. And I know I only breezed by how deep he runs. Some day when I have him back, I hope that I'm able to draw out more of who he is and get it captured on sound waves for all of us.
I have a lot of things that are important to me. My wife and family, then comes my future. I need to keep in shape, manage my inspection business, keep up on my voice (brain exercising and fun), manage homemedic and manalizing, exercise the body (swim and bike), keep up on the yard (tree landscaping is killin me), and make sure my employees are well guided. It's a lot. Today is an example of how I went too far in one area and left nothing for the rest of the categories.
Some days everything becomes a roadblock. What should be easy is nearly impossible. And then important things fall off the plate. And then you spend all night dream/thinking about how to fix the hard stuff. And - no shocker here - you wake up and it's still not fixed. That was my day
It must be true that when you're swimming in the muck the most, that's when you get help from above. That's happening to me today.
So sometimes I realize that I don't have the answers, and nobody I know does either. This is one of those times.
Sometimes I need to be reminded that no matter what I do to achieve my goals and fill my purpose, it's not about me. I can work my butt off, but I still need to rely on others, including God himself. Can't do it myself, no matter how much God and friends may think I should. Here's how the Lord and my friends came through this time.
The path to podcasting entrepreneurship for me has been roughly an 8 year exercise in patience. So many tens of thousands of dollars spent in anticipation of someday getting it back. That day may be just beginning as I explain the latest of my efforts to get the HomeMedic train rolling - and why I'm less passionate about that these days
I think I'm like a lot of people: whatever I get, I want something else. It's human nature to complain. The thing is I realize that the Lord is giving me what I say I want - even if I keep changing my mind as to what that is. What is vital, at least from my point of view, is gratitude. If I keep complaining that I don't have now what I want next, then there will be problems. I'm certain of that.
When you're married to the awesomest woman on the planet and you have a day full of free time, sometimes you have a choice to make. You can give her the quality time she's hoping for and deserves, or you can spend the day getting stuff done. I'd rather keep her. That said, I did strike something of a balance between the two.
My voice is supposed to be great - that's what everyone tells me. That's a good thing, right? Well, my voice is a pain in the hiney when it comes to the editing. I blow into the microphone and it thinks a hurricane hit. Then I have to go back in and edit all the peaks. Painfulness.
Some days just feel like that. You have 2000 little tasks to do, and they all have to get done, but it feels like you're not accomplishing anything important. This is one of those days. Despite that, there are some wins here. And one big win.
As I do the manalizing podcast, I listen extra carefully for the secret sauce from the people who are winning at life and relationships. I got a pretty good one in the episode with Colby the deck guy. Nope - I don't know his last name, but he's a very cool dude.
This is about a moment that shaped my future. Somebody I know fairly closely confided in me that my message hits pretty close to home for him. This is the moment that confirmed to me that this is my purpose. That I'm doing what I've been gifted to do. It's very reassuring, very liberating, and very saddening. It's everywhere - and there's only one of me.
I've come to realize that being the podcaster ain't all studios and microphones. Someday when someone actually cares about what I'm doing, I'll be invited out into that real world place where I'm flapping my jaw with more than just one person in front of me. And there? I can't be a lump of man-ishness.
This manalizing podcast thing I'm doing ain't just a walk in the park. I found this out the hard way, and I'm a bit guilted that I didn't prep one of my good friends well enough. Feeling like I laid a fast one on him. Here's what I learned
Sometimes being a podcaster means you gotta be a techno geek. At least the geek part comes relatively easy for me. Here's my battle with techy stuff, and how doing it became another base hit for me
It kills me when I do an earth shaking podcast like the one with Jordan Hanks, and the sound levels aren't right. Too puffy sometimes, too weak sometimes. Worse, it's me that's the problem. Ugh. Here's what I'm choosing to do about it
What I learned about puff shields? I'm not immune. In fact, I think I'm the reason they were invented.
Also, I've been doing my interviewees and my listeners a disservice. I get that letting an interview flow is one thing, but when it causes or allows an interview to not be as complete as it could be, then I've harmed everyone. I used some fabulous training put on by Rob Cornilles (gameface.com) and put together what I believe are excellent questions that will steer the discussion, without letting things get left on the side of the road.
Taking on a subject like this requires that I have my A game going where it comes to listening and asking the right questions. I realize that not just asking questions, but asking the right questions is key to the success of helping men everywhere. And it's not just the men I'm helping because there are marriages and families and lives involved. Here is a description of my journey
Some days it just feels like the train insists on staying right there. I push it forward, and it doesn't move much. How is this thing going to get to 60 mph when I'm pushing and it doesn't want to move?
Doing the manalizing interviews can be tough - men don't talk like that! We don't share the inner workings of our soft touchy feely side. Shoot - we don't even like to acknowledge our touchy feely side. And then Garth goes and just stabs a friend of his with questions about that stuff? Tough. Here's my afterthoughts about yesterday's interview with Robert Snow.
So I realize from time to time that I should rely on "the rules" less and on my own judgement more. The Lord has given me the guidance I need and it's up to me to accept.
Thankfully, I was arguing with myself about Sunday shows, and had come to the wrong conclusion. Here's how I was redirected. It makes sense now - the "rules" that I put on myself based on the guidance from others are simply guidance. Only God and myself make the final decisions.
The day was busy with fires, but I still got my base hits. Here's what I realized about how to make the podcast and the interviews authentic. It doesn't have to be a repeat, but it does have to be authentic!
My interview with Frank was my primary base hit yesterday. I talk about that and the little techy issues I'm running into as well. Bumpers, bouncies, wire issues, etc. This path toward serving the world is full of all kinds of little skill sets I have to learn
Just a few words, done in the right places can change a business. In this episode I explain how the phrase "there are no coincidences" and "when the student is ready the teacher appears" applies to me and my business. By the way, Rob Cornilles. If you can find a way to be taught by him, do it. It's worth whatever his price is.
Maybe just to keep me humble, but right after a day that was nothing short of a grand slam, I struggle to decide if I got my base hit. Maybe I did, but it felt like more of a walk - or a strikeout. Here's why.
My impromptu interview with a human slice of sunshine was nothing short of life changing. In this podcast I talk about meeting her and what it was like to interview such an inspiring and life brightening person. Jo - thank you.
It's awesome when your plan and reality meet up. When it doesn't? You improvise. At least I do.
Personal mental struggles that give an inside view of Garth's brain. His competing values and thought processes. Admittedly, some of it is brain twisty, but there are principles behind them all
Base hits results from a challenge to make progress every day for 90 days - something of a 90 day challenge. I know that if I don't measure progress for each day, I'll forget all about it.
So I was going to journal but then I figured I'd file my journal in the closet or lose it. Then I was going to blog it. Blogs are not my style. Podcast it? Yep! Then I know that both you and I are holding me accountable.
This is the story of an entrepreneur as he moves from being a simple home & structural inspector to someone who changes lives, and who finally takes the steps (the Base Hits) needed to live his Purpose.