Do Good, Make Money: Podcasting with JJ Ramberg

<p>If you’ve ever started your exercise time by standing there for 20 minutes choosing a podcast, know that you are not alone. You are in the company of <a href="https://www.jjramberg.com/" target="_blank">JJ Ramberg</a>, who launched <a href="https://www.goodpods.com/" target="_blank">GoodPods</a> to help curb that endless search for great podcasts by tapping into what your friends and favourite influencers are already listening to. “It’s like <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> for podcasts,” she explains, channelling the energy of the popular book recommendation site. </p><p>Before launching GoodPods, JJ—who was already a podcaster herself, with <i>Been There, Built That</i>—talked to more than 700 people about their experiences with podcasts. Those folks ranged from established producers and hosts to the casual listeners who tuned in a few times a month. At the end of those conversations, she had a wealth of knowledge and used it to release something special. “We launched a product that people liked. These were people who really enjoyed the app and realized that there was nothing else out there like it.”</p><p>JJ’s focus has long been on products that improve your life, but also give back. <a href="https://www.goodshop.com/" target="_blank">GoodShop</a>, another project of hers, combines coupon codes for more than 7000 popular retailers with a chance to donate the difference to national and international charities (they’ve raised over $70K for the ASPCA alone). And <a href="https://www.searchkibble.com/" target="_blank">SearchKibble</a>’s mission is to feed pets living in shelters—each search on the site is worth two bites of kibble. JJ startedSearchKibble in large part because of the COVID-19 pandemic, when shelters saw a serious dip in donations. “It’s a way for people to do good while they’re doing what they’re already doing, which is search the internet.”</p><p>Her early days hosting <i>Your Business</i> made her a trailblazer in the small-business world. “Back then, there w