Somethought. Something. Someone

I think you probably know this by now, but I'm that person who, when they decide to do something, doesn’t settle for any half measures. No test runs. Just this total belief that if I am to try and do something, I have to give it my all. Use everything I have to hand. This was my strategy in convincing my now wife to marry me, this is how I’ve approached every job I’ve ever worked, which inevitably made me indispensable very quickly, and it’s how I approached making my podcast. The Tools at Hand.

I turned one of our old animal sheds into a recording studio. I built my own sound-deadening panels, because I didn't like any of the ones you could actually buy. Lights, cameras, the whole rig, worked it out myself, awkwardly at first, then less awkwardly with every change. There's a version of this room from a few months ago and a podcast I recorded in it that I'm not going to describe to you, but that I'm very grateful to my guest for re-recording with me.

That's just how I'm wired. Give me a problem and I'd rather spend three weekends figuring it out myself than pay someone to hand me the off the shelf version.

Which, in many ways, is also exactly what's happening with season two.

Season two of The Tools at Hand starts August 13th. I can't tell you who's coming on yet. What I can tell you is I've already recorded a couple of these conversations and I’m so excited to share them. After 5 years of being the guest of every interview since I first showed up on Irish television screens, I love being the one asking the questions now. Telling more of my own stories, that are about so much more than being an Australian eco-builder. More conversations with people who are carving their own path and using what they have to create what they need.

But I’m shaking things up for Season 2 and I’m so excited about those conversations that I'm launching anyway, sponsor or no sponsor. The slot where you'd normally hear someone else's jingle, I'm using that airtime myself, to find the right fit instead of just taking whoever's next in line.

Which brings me to the actual reason I'm writing. Because I want your thoughts in this, not just your download.

There's roughly three ways a podcast gets paid for. A sponsor gets some air time, you get the show free. The Patreon model, a few euro a month from people who believe in it, and I get to make exactly the show I want without clearing it with anyone. Or some blend of the two.

I don't know which is right yet. Genuinely don't. But I do need to figure it out because producing this show takes a huge amount of my time and a very considerable wedge of cash for each episode.

So, please tell me your thoughts. I’m your annoying friend who’s asking for your advice all the time. Reply to this email. Are you happy with sponsor-funded? would you be into and contribute to a Patreon model? Should be a blend? Or could you not care less how it arrives as long as it does? I will read and respond to every single reply.

And if you, or someone you know, runs something or makes something that would actually make sense to advertise on this show please get in touch. Reply here. Forward them this email. I'd rather build this with someone who already believes in it, and believes in me. And I would always prefer to build it from the ground up.

August 13th. New season is dropping and we’re doing things a little differently so make sure you subscribe. There’s also going to be several longer form elements which are exclusively going out on youtube so make sure you subscribe there too.

Looking forward to building the rest of it with you.

With love, Harrison