From Podcaster to Broadcaster: Pharmacy Podcast co-host shares his thoughts on pharmacy, entrepreneurship, and “The Three C’s”

Name: Tony Guerra

Position: Pharmacy Podcast Co-host (Pharmacy Future Leaders)

 

 

Interview Summary with Tony Guerra

Welcome everyone to The Nontraditional Pharmacist! Today we are joined by Dr. Tony Guerra, one of the co-hosts and podcast extraordinaire for Pharmacy Podcast. If you’re not familiar with Pharmacy Podcast, it’s actually the most popular and downloaded podcast about the pharmacy industry with over 50,000+ subscribers and listeners. In addition to the podcast, Tony has also had a very nontraditional path through pharmacy to this point.

 

1. What is Pharmacy Podcast and what is your role within that production?

• Was a longtime listener to the podcast and tweeted on their twitter stream
• Heard his name “Tony_PharmD” on the live podcast one day
• Realized that social media is interactive, not just something you listen to
• Erin Albert: PharmD, co-host Pharmacy podcast
  • Did a piece on 5 Roads Out of Retail
• Todd Eury: Director of Pharmacy Future Leaders
  • This is the segment Tony got involved with
  • Idea was based on a John Lee Dumas Podcast called “Entrepreneur on Fire”
  • They started to produce a new episode every week
• The podcast has been around for 8-9 years
  • Another segment with Darshan Kulkarni (attorney) called Gavel & Pestle Podcast Show
• Several co-hosts on the show focus on different topics
• Look to host people that are not only doing something for themselves, but for the profession as a whole
• There are 3 things that you need with a podcast:
  • Consistency
  • Interesting/diverse content
  • Having dedicated team members

2. How important is consistency? Does that also mean frequently?

• NPR will put out a podcast every Sunday
• Your audience needs to know what to expect
• Once a week would be a good place to be

3. How long have you been a co-host on Pharmacy Podcast?

• ~ 30 to 40 episodes (about one year)
• Every student has a new story
• It is easier to come up with content when you are talking to someone as opposed to deriving all the content yourself
• The life of a podcast is similar to the life of a new business
  • Most will die off within the first year
  • Many more will die off within the first 5 years
  • Pharmacy Podcast has outlived that

4. What’s been your favorite story so far?

• Brandon Gerleman (PharmD)
  • Found from twitter with 400-500 followers
  • Consistently Tweeted
• Asked Brandon to come onto the podcast
  • Extremely passionate about independent pharmacy
• This project has allowed for connections to be made that would have never happened without the podcast

5. What advice do you have to offer folks who are looking to start a new project?

• Has only met one of the other people from Pharmacy Podcast
  • The podcast has a strong community
• People are definitely attracted to community
  • Something they don’t get as a P4 or pharmacist
  • We all exist on our own islands
  • Hospital pharmacist vs. retail pharmacist vs. independent pharmacy owner
    • We’ve divided ourselves into these groups instead of having one central community
  • APhA and ASHP are large organizations
    • They still aren’t unified in a way that millennials are unified

6. What are “The Three C’s”?

• Consistent Content
• Caring Contributor
• Community Collaboration

7. How did you get started in your pharmacy career and where is the path you’re on leading you to now?

• Started off with a very traditional route
• School tried to change Bachelor’s into a PharmD, but students petitioned against it
  • Didn’t want another year of lost wages
• The PharmD came in handy later in life when for more academic jobs
• Started to struggle with repetitive use syndromes from retail, such as carpal tunnel and knee problems
  • Scared by the experience, and then got a real estate license
• First year in real estate was terrible
  • Only made $5,000
  • In 2 years, started to make a pharmacist’s salary
  • In 2007 (with a team of 3 people), brought in $253,000
  • Was coached in California
  • Learned about the 80/20 rule
    • 20% of your clients represent 80% of your business
    • Put all your energy into the 20%
• Passion project was teaching
  • Started teaching Kaplan courses for GMAT
  • Worked in a Baltimore middle school

8. Any words of wisdom for people with an entrepreneurial spirit?

• Working out of fear worked really well
• You should have a passion project
• Having only a pharmacy job is an extremely risky investment
  • Seemed counterintuitive at first because the traditional advice was get a medical career and you’re set
  • Having a single career these days is very risky
  • Soon, 30-50% of work is going to be contract work
• Became an Audible Author
  • Currently makes monthly income from book
  • If you hit a pain point, you can really do the Zig Ziglar
    • “help everyone else get what they want so you can get what you want”

 

Be sure to connect with Tony on the Pharmacy Network and reach out to us with any questions that you may have for him. We’ll be happy to connect you.