Today we’d like to introduce you to Lou Mongello.
Hi Lou, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in New Jersey, and for more than ten years, fulfilled my childhood dream of becoming an attorney. During that time, I also started an IT consulting business on the side. Having always been in the service business, I (and clearly because I needed something else to do) wanted to see if I could “make” something, and the idea of a book came to me. So I found a publisher and wrote the book I wanted to read – The Walt Disney World Trivia Book in 2004. Little did I know where that would lead…
I launched WDW Radio in late 2003 (originally known as DisneyWorldTrivia.com) and started with a simple website to start promoting my first book. Over time, I added blog posts (they were called “articles” back then), added a discussion forum (this was pre-social media) in January 2004, and wrote my second trivia book in 2006.
In 2005, not long after the podcasting technology and medium was first introduced, I started podcasting about Disney, and thanks to the incredible community and support, the show was named Best Travel Podcast for nine consecutive years by the Podcast Awards, the #1 Disney Podcast, and the show was once ranked #2 overall among over 600,000 podcasts in Apple Podcasts. I am also the author of the 102 Ways to Save Money for and at Walt Disney World book, The Disney Interviews: Volume I, and guided audio walking tours of Magic Kingdom.
I have been live-streaming weekly since early 2007, and it is one of my favorite ways to connect and engage with the incredible community which its members have helped create and nurture (I just built the “clubhouse,” it is the people that help populate and grow it). Connecting online and in “real life” remains the core of what I love to do, through a variety of social networks and live events, including monthly meetups in the Disney Parks since 2008, more than 15 group cruises on Disney Cruise Line, overseas Adventures by Disney (so far, we’ve been to Japan and China, with Italy coming next year!).
I, and the show/site have been featured in USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, People Magazine, the BBC, Associated Press, The New York Times, VentureBeat, Bloomberg Business, CBS News, Fox News, Parenting Magazine, Readers’ Digest, Fodors, SyFy, ComicBook.com, Cinemablend, Slashfilm, ScreenRant, and numerous others. I have also been named as one of the Top 40 Social Media Influencers, Top 100 Digital Marketing Experts, Top 50 Social Media Influencers, and Top 50 Social Media Experts.
In addition to everything I do on the Disney side of things, I am also a keynote speaker and provide mentoring and consulting to individuals and organizations looking to build their businesses and brands. I help people turn what they love into what they do and their passion into their profession. I speak on a variety of topics, including sharing the magic of Disney and teaching how to deliver exceptional customer service, social media, podcasting, live video, and community. I am the host and founder of the Momentum Weekend Workshop and Retreat in Walt Disney World.
The most important part of what I do, though, is as the founder of The Dream Team Project, which, thanks to the participation and generosity of our Disney community, has raised more than $450,000.00 to send children with life-threatening illnesses to Walt Disney World through the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America (DreamTeamProject.org).
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Struggles serve to make us stronger, and there is opportunity in adversity. I have been (and continue to be) faced with obstacles every step of the way. From trying to find a publisher when I first started out (I have 47 rejection letters to prove it… but you only need one “Yes!”), to building a brand and business from scratch while learning (and making mistakes) along the way.
But I don’t focus on the challenges… I learn from them. I think that everyone we encounter is a learning opportunity, as well as a chance to grow and improve. So I relish the ones that I have faced, as they have made me better (and hopefully a bit smarter).
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Going back to my “first career,” I have always been in the business of helping people… whether when they needed an attorney or wanted to network their office and build a website. Then it became helping them have the best possible Disney vacation experience, and now helping them turn what they love into what they do.
I am a huge proponent of the importance of building and nurturing authentic and meaningful community. I don’t use marketing techniques, “funnels,” or other traditional methodologies to build my business or brand. Instead, I focus on the individuals and people who already there, rather than worrying about vanity metrics. If you do an exceptional job building your own business and brand, the community you create and people you help will become your most effective brand evangelists.
As part of what I do professionally, I am a keynote speaker, teacher, consultant, and coach, who shares with businesses, associations and schools the magic of Disney and the power of new and social media, entrepreneurship, brand-building, storytelling, podcasting and more. I also provide mentoring, consulting, and workshops to individuals and businesses those looking to build their business and brand and help people turn what they love into what they do. I also host my Momentum Weekend Workshop and Retreat in Walt Disney World every year, which are small events designed to .”move the needle” and help people make meaningful, positive shifts in their business.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
As soon as I got to Windermere, I knew I was “home.” Not just because of its proximity to Walt Disney World, but there is something about that “Disney magic,” customer service, quality, safety and security, etc., that bleeds over to the surrounding communities. Orlando has everything y family and I need – from quiet neighborhoods where people know and care for one another to incredible culinary options, arts, entertainment, and proximity to beaches, parks, etc. I’ve never felt more at home than I have here.
Contact Info:
- Email: lou@wdwradio.com
- Website: WDWRadio.com / LouMongello.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/LouMongello
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/boxpeople
- Twitter: twitter.com/LouMongello
- Youtube: YouTube.com/WDWRadio
- Other: Apple Podcasts: WDWRadio.com/Apple, Spotify: WDWRadio.com/Spotify
