S2 Episode 11. BYOB with Andrew Ford - Chris Ashmore

Written By Andrew Ford

In this episode of Build Your Own Business (BYOB), I sit down with Chris Ashmore, podcasting expert and founder of Chris Ashmore Media, to uncover his inspiring journey from journalism to entrepreneurship. Chris has a rich and varied background, which includes time in Japan as a legal recruiter, a long-standing role in audio production, and now running his own business dedicated to helping others tell their stories through podcasting.

Chris’s journey began in regional Victoria, where his love for storytelling emerged during his school years, editing the school magazine and dreaming of a career in journalism. That passion took him through university and into his first professional role at Business Essentials, where he learned the art of high-quality audio production. But Chris’s story didn’t follow a straight line. A stint in Japan not only honed his skills in sales and relationship-building as a legal recruiter but also taught him valuable lessons about perseverance and adaptability—traits that continue to serve him as a business owner.

When Chris returned to Australia, he rejoined Business Essentials at a pivotal moment when podcasting was starting to gain traction. It wasn’t long before Chris saw an opportunity to go out on his own, founding Chris Ashmore Media to focus on producing high-quality podcasts for professionals, associations, and businesses. He shares how he made the leap from employee to entrepreneur by slowly building his client base and reducing his hours at his day job, ensuring a smooth transition. For Chris, success in podcasting isn’t just about technical quality—it’s about consistency, creating meaningful connections with your audience, and delivering content that reflects your brand’s values.

Toward the end of our conversation, Chris offers advice for anyone considering starting their own business. His message is clear: “You’ve got to love what you do. Whether you’re making socks or selling soap, passion is the cornerstone. Without it, you won’t have the energy to navigate the inevitable challenges of running your own business.”

Join me for this fascinating discussion as Chris Ashmore reflects on his career, the lessons he’s learned along the way, and why podcasting has become such a powerful tool for businesses today.

Resources:
Website: https://chrisashmore.media/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashmorechris/ 

Andrew Ford
Marketing expert Andrew Ford, the founder of Social Star, has discovered the secret of ‘Powerful Branding’. With a fire for unleashing people’s inner brand and developing business models to generate profit from an individual’s passions, Andrew leverages ground-breaking digital and social media marketing techniques to create digital strategies for clients to attract maximum opportunities. Having established a strong name for himself in the field, Andrew blends traditional business techniques with now-necessary tools for entrepreneurs to achieve scale, quality, and influence in their niche. Andrew’s comprehensive business background and qualifications consist of a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) (RMIT 2003), a Graduate Certificate in Management (MBA Executive Program, University of Sydney 2005), and a Masters of Entrepreneurship and Innovation (Swinburne University 2011). Continually on the cutting edge of his own education, Andrew has tested his marketing theories in forums such as the BCG Business Strategy Competition, which he won in 2005 against all Victorian MBA schools, and the Venture Cup Business Plan Competition (Swinburne University 2003), which he won in the Masters category. With experience working at Hewlett-Packard, Sensis (Telstra) and IBM, Andrew also has mentored dozens of junior staffs to help them achieve their professional goals. Meeting and influencing high-profile public figures helped Andrew to realise just how many professionals require more understanding and control of their public brands or appearance, and need help with the skills to use the many amazing free tools at their disposal to generate success. At Social Star, Andrew consults with clients to uncover their personal brand – both where it is today and where it can be tomorrow – and refine and define how that should be displayed in social media in order to attract their perfect target audience. Andrew mentors his clients to rapidly grow their business’ audiences, resulting in larger potential client bases and higher revenue. Applying formulas that integrate over twenty years of Andrew’s business experience and fifteen years of formal business education, Social Star specialises in building clarity and velocity for clients’ brands using the ‘Understand, Build and Leverage’ methodology. ‘Having a Personal Business enables people to have an authentic, congruent connection with their valued clients and partners, using their brand as the bridge,’ says Andrew. ‘I’m highly driven to work with the new breed of entrepreneurs and small business owners – people who have a passion for making the world a better place. Traditional business models are stepping aside as people follow their innermost dreams and my role is to see them operate within their values while creating wealth. Some people think you have to sacrifice what you love to be successful in your business, yet it is actually the opposite. Follow your passion and success will come.’ Lecturing at Swinburne University from 2009 to 2011 on brand dynamics and digital marketing, presenting at numerous conferences, and consulting to hundreds of clients, Andrew has seen his philosophy work that if you follow your unique path, based on your skills, experience, values and goals, you will automatically attract the opportunities you desire and achieve the success you deserve. Living his mantra, Andrew has created a successful business and attracts high-profile clients including musicians, athletes, authors, models, entrepreneurs, professionals and small business owners, helping them find their ‘why’ in their business and fulfilment in their lives. Business for Andrew is more than work, it’s personal. Running a personal business means that he is able to fulfil all of his values rather than separating his life from work. It supports his two boys while providing social opportunities, educational development, fitness opportunities, spiritual fulfilment and many valuable friendships. Social Star has now become the vehicle for Andrew to crystallise his mission in the world, to help people love what they do, supporting his ‘why’, that if more people loved what they did, the world would be a better place.
http://www.andrewford.com.au/
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Build Your Own Business with Andrew Ford - Episode 10 with Jon Ford