For the past two weeks, this column has focused on podcasting. We talked about why you might want to start one, and how to go about planning it out to maximize your success. Today, it’s all about the nuts and bolts—what do you need, in terms of equipment, to get started?

First, let me say that a podcast can be started on a shoestring if needed. The equipment can also run into tens of thousands of dollars. But there is a happy medium between using your cell phone and budling out a full-blown studio.

 Here are some essential items that you will need to start a podcast with ballpark…

Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated failures. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. ~ Calvin Coolidge

All manner of personalities take on travel consulting. Those who remain in the business more than a couple of years, however, share some common traits that serve to explain their ability to remain in place in an industry so challenging. As President Coolidge indicated, if you are not persistent, there is no other quality to take its place.  There are seldom any shortcuts, just the love of what you are doing and the determination to do it…

I have been known to suggest that when somebody crosses your mind for no apparent reason, it would be in your (and their) best interest to contact them… sooner rather than later.

  — Travel Research Online
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