Location | Santa Monica, CA
All right, how many of you have had an idea for a blog or a podcast and wondered if it could really be done…? Introducing a beautiful lady who made it happen!
Meet the gorgeous host of a new hot podcast for the tech-savvy: Tech by Southwest (techxsw). We had the privilege to photograph this beauty and learn more about her amazing business.
what is techxsw?
Tech by Southwest is a ten minute tech news podcast for tech-savvy listeners with content aggregated from reliable sources like TechCrunch, Mashable, Los Angeles Times, Ars Technica, Slashdot, the Blogosphere, other independent new sources and The Economist. My cohost Jay Kamdar and I get together and, with relatively low overhead, are able to crank out podcasts almost three times a week. We also interview Los Angeles startups as well as Fortune 500 tech executives.
wow! how did you come up with the concept?
We saw a void in the market for a Los Angeles based tech podcast. Most podcasts are done out of San Francisco or the Valley, so we thought why not add a So Cal voice into the mix and meanwhile highlight LA startups while we’re at it? Also, average podcasts last 25 minutes which is why we spawned the ten minute concept. Any executive or gadget geek can listen to what he or she needs to know is happening in the tech world without all the fluff.
many people talk about starting something. what made you actually do it?
The need to have a creative outlet and inspiration from family and friends. I see several lackluster podcasts get a lot of press and thought we can do better. Jay and I pride ourselves on being able to add fun and energy into what is normally a ‘geeky’ topic. And as I mentioned, the set up cost is low so we have relatively nothing to lose. We are able to continue to do our ‘day’ jobs while doing the podcast at night. You’d be surprised at how many more conversations I can get started mentioning TXSW at networking events than with just an ordinary office job.
any lessons learned along the way?
Social networking and personal networks can be a springboard for promotion. Many of our early fans were our friends who also spread the word. My own network on twitter also helped because I was able to share the concept with gadget geeks, whom I’ve never met in person, but were interested in tech and projects I was working on.
what advice do you have for someone who wanted to follow in those same footsteps?
Do your research first. I learned this in my New Product Development MBA class at Merage. Sometimes you think you have a great idea but the market is not there or not ready to support it. Create a five minute market research survey, talk to your friends, talk to people in the industry you want to get in and test the waters before diving in head first.
At the same time taking risks are fun. I’m personally a risk averse type person, so entrepreneurship was never in the cards for me during my MBA. I’ve learned along the way that most successful entrepreneurs I met didn’t always have the analytics to back their business move yet were successful.
any last minute thing you want to share about techxsw or your experience?
Podcasts are a strong form of communication for companies or individuals who have expertise or interest in a specific area. It can be a useful resource internally or can be another form for communication since blogging isn’t for everybody. I normally listen to podcasts while I’m driving or on a separate tab in my browser so podcasts are perfect for the multi-tasker in all of us!
Thanks, Chathri, for the great info! If you want to check out more about techxsw, you can connect with Chathri below:
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