In this Business Blast Podcast episode, host Tyler Wagner interviews Howard Fletcher, a former successful residential and commercial realtor with 18 years of experience in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia markets who transitioned to a career in journalism and podcasting. Fletcher explains that despite financial success in real estate, his true passion was storytelling, leading him to earn a master’s in journalism from the University of Maryland and launch the Number One Two podcast. He emphasizes that journalism is fundamentally about honest storytelling and serving as a conduit between subjects and the public across written, video, and audio media. When asked for advice to his younger self, he reflects on the importance of listening to elders and not ignoring warning signs. Discussing happiness, Fletcher says self‑knowledge and listening to one’s inner voice outweigh societal expectations. He cites the Complete Works of William Shakespeare (alongside the Bible) as the best book he’s read, highlighting Shakespeare’s insight into human behavior under pressure. His favorite quote is “Live long and prosper.” Finally, he provides his contact information: email at Howard12.com and Twitter handle @FletchDC.
Chapters
Welcome to the Business Blast Podcast. I'm your host, Tyler Wagner. This episode is brought to you by WagsMedia. WagsMedia provides you with everything you need to generate more customers and grow your brand. Head on over to wagsmedia.com, W-A-G-S-M-E-D-I-A dot com, to enter a contest where you can win a free, done-for-you custom website valued at $2,500 for a limited time only. Now let's jump into the episode.
All right everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast Podcast. I'm your host Tyler Wagner. Today I have Howard Fletcher with us. He was a successful residential and commercial realtor in DC, Maryland, and Virginia for over 18 years. And he is now working as a journalist and is the host of the Number One Two podcast. So welcome to the show, man.
Thanks, Tyler.
Of course, grateful to have you here. We'll dive into the first one. The first question I have for you, Howard, is what is the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?
The best story from my life that has a message. Wow, well, I would say probably what's happening currently. It's not necessarily an anecdote, But I, you know, I was in real estate for 18 years. I was very successful, made a decent amount of money, and was, by, you know, all indications, something that I would do until I retired. But it really wasn't my passion. And what I like to do is to tell stories. So I made a career shift and went back to school to get a master's in journalism from the University of Maryland and have decided to pursue journalism, which any journalist will tell you is not necessarily an upgrade in salary or income at the beginning. So I guess the underlying story is to— I've learned that following one's passion is sort of the way to go. I mean, I'm very happy. I have to learn how to monetize my podcast or maximize the monetization of my podcast, but Other than that, I'm doing really well.
And what's the most valuable piece of information we should know that's within your expertise or industry?
The most valuable piece of information? Wow, about me?
No, in your expertise or industry. So I guess you could go with the real estate, or you could go with the journalism, or even the podcast, the people you're interviewing.
Well, you know, that's a That's a big question. I would say an important piece to know or to consider when dealing with journalism is the, just the, the fact that it's honest, that it's storytelling. That's, I mean, you, what I think my job is as a journalist is to be a conduit from a story or an individual to the public, whether that's in written media, whether it's a video or it's a podcast, it's audio. I have to help them understand what this person is doing, did, or the incident or what they're saying. And so I think the most important thing is communication, I guess what I'm saying in this industry.
And if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?
I would tell myself to consider the advice I was given by my elders a little bit better. I mean, I was the type of person who would listen, but I would have to touch the stove. I'd have to see that it's hot. You know, I believe, you know, I didn't, I believed it was hot, but I felt that it might be hot for you, but I might be able to take that heat. And what I was finding a lot of times is that they were correct with their assessment. I probably would have been better off not touching the stove.
Yeah, I was just like you, man. I had to touch the stove too.
Yeah.
And I think you'll like this one. We'll say, in your opinion, what is the key to happiness?
Getting to know yourself, you know, no, get knowing, learning about yourself, you know, and that, and that takes, I don't know, a shortcut to that. For me, it just was time. But, you know, there are certain things that I thought that I liked because people or society told me that I would like them. But I found that that's not what made me happy. It made them happy or made some of them happy. But it didn't make me happy. And I only learned that through experience. So I had to start listening to my true voice and myself rather than, uh, trying to convince myself that I was doing something wrong or I wasn't, uh, totally appreciating what I should out of this particular experience that was supposed to make me happy, but it really did.
And what is the best book that you've read, and what was the number one thing you learned from that?
Wow, the best book that I've read was— golly, I've read a lot of books. Did you send me these questions? I did. Oh wow, okay, the best book that I read— oh man, probably Probably, it's gonna be a cop-out, but I'm gonna tell you what it is. It's not a book, but it's a compilation of books. It was probably, it's probably the Complete Works of William Shakespeare, probably. Okay. It's the best book I've read. And the reason I say that is because I've always told people that if an alien landed and asked me to give them as much information about human nature and behavior as I could in a condensed form, I would tell them to read the Bible and read the complete works of William Shakespeare, and they'd have a good head start on human nature and how people make decisions. And so that's why I like Shakespeare, because I think he has a— that writer or writers, depending on what perspective you come from, have a really good hold on what people do in pressure situations.
And what is your favorite quote and why?
Oh geez, I don't know. I'll tell you, I don't really have a favorite quote. I don't have one, but one. But if I had to pull one, geez, uh, man, I would just say live long and prosper, Mr. Spock.
Of course, dude. Thank you, uh, so much for coming on. The last question that I have for you before we let you go is, where is the best place for people to find you online?
The best place to find me online is to email me directly at Howard, H-O-W-A-R-D, at the number 1, 2, put the numeral 2,.com. Or you can find me at Fletch DC, F-L-E-T-C-H DC, on Twitter.
Perfect, brother. Thanks again for joining us. We appreciate it.
Oh, thanks, Tyler. I appreciate it.
The podcast you just heard was published with Anchor. Got something you want to say to the creator of this show? Send them a voice message using the Anchor app, free for iOS and Android.
