Community Highlights: Meet Rich Bennett of Danben

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rich Bennett.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started harfordcountyliving.com after getting out of radio and the Information Technology field. I wanted to start a website that promoted good, positive news, nothing negative. I also wanted a website that allowed all types of local businesses to be able to afford to advertise and I wanted to promote businesses, events, non-profits, and people of Harford County, Maryland.

I started the website in 2012 after leaving a radio station I was working at. The website and exploded and I started a podcast, Harford County Living with Rich Bennett, to go along with it in 2015. The podcast features people that have ties to Harford County and it’s a conversation between people telling their stories. Since that time, the podcast has had over 500,000 downloads and has won awards for best podcast and best podcast host.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It was tough to start but it was worth it. It took some years before I started making a profit, however, I was able to connect a lot of people and help other businesses and non-profits grow,

The biggest struggle was finding advertisers and I switched everything over to Sponsorship Packages instead, which made it much easier. Packages offer more than just an ad. The other struggle was getting guests on the podcast at first. I was recording monthly and now that the podcast has grown, I record up to 6 times a week and I have people contacting me from all over the world that want to come on the podcast.

The worst struggle was having other people take advantage of me. I had people selling advertising for me and they raised the rates and I lost customers because of that, needless to say, those people are no longer working with me and I have been able to spring back from that.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Danben was created in 2000 when an IT company I was working for went out of business. It started as an Information Technology business where I fixed computers and printers. Now I create and host websites and since I created the website harfordcountyliving.com, that website has taken up my time. So I’m in the process of changing Danben to handle website hosting, some creation, and consulting.

People know me for Harford County Living and that has helped me find my true creative niche, being able to talk with people. I have people contacting me to help with their podcasts whether it’s producing, hosting, or just consulting them on how to start a podcast.

Harford County Living and the podcast is what I’m very proud of. Since I started them both, I’ve connected with people all around the world and have connected businesses and people with others which have helped them grow.

Any big plans?
I plan to keep helping other businesses grow and connect people. I am planning to launch another podcast that will feature active military, veterans, and first responders. They all have a story to tell and I want people to hear them.

Pricing:

• Podcast Sponsors staring at $55
• Harford County Living Sponsorships starting at $625 a year

Contact Info:

• Email: rbennett@harfordcountyliving.com
• Website: https://harfordcountyliving.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harfordcountyliving/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HarfordCountyLiving
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/HarCoLiving
• Other: https://harfordcountyliving.buzzsprout.com/