A podcast a day makes you wise at the workplace | Livemint

Millennials are enhancing their learning skills by listening to podcasts despite busy workday schedules, reports Shweta Taneja, SF/Fantasy Novelist. Technology Journalist. Brand Storyteller.

(L to R) Mayank Dhingra finds podcasts more updated than books; Jayant Paleti uses transit time to listen to them; Ami Sata seeks inspiration from podcasts.

For a busy startup founder, who has to learn a lot about every aspect of business, every little minute of a day counts. That’s the reason Ami Sata, founder, Amouve, an organic bed and bath brand based out of Mumbai, has turned to podcasts to learn. “Since listening is non-intrusive," says Sata, “podcasts can be heard when you’re multi-tasking, convey an idea in 20 minutes and allows you to gain immense know-how while doing mundane everyday things like travelling to work."

It was listening to a podcast about Sarah Blakeley, the founder of Spanx, that Sata discovered the power of cold-calling. Sata tried cold-calling prospective retailers for her brand in Mumbai and found leads, follow-ups and clients. Since then, she’s hooked to kernels of knowledge offered by podcasts, constantly on the lookout for new ideas. Other than listening to podcasts while commuting, Sata has even added other podcasts on entrepreneurial journeys (How I Built This by Guy Raz, Masters of Scale, The Tim Ferriss Show and Freakonomics) to her bedtime routine so she can learn and get inspiration before she sleeps.

Like Sata, Jayant Paleti, co-founder, Darwinbox, a software services startup, also prefers podcasts to learn and get inspired from. “I’m leading business development for Darwinbox, which means I spend a significant amount of time on the road, heading to meet clients all day," says Paleti. Most of his transit time is spent on calls with sales team and on podcasts about other entrepreneurs’ experiences. His current favourites are Masters of Scale and The Joe Rogan Experience, which is his “daily dose of inspiration wrapped in good humour"...

The listening format is perfect to comprehend other people’s experiences and learn from them, says Amit Somani, managing partner, Prime Venture Partners, early stage venture capitalists based in Bengaluru. “It’s a great starting point to learn about new thoughts, ideas and trends, essential for me since I work in investing in early stage startups," he says.
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Source: Livemint