Blossoming Technologist

What's it like to move from software engineering to business management?

Learn from Trevor Ewen, the CEO of Southport Technology Group and Partner at Southport Ventures. With 12 years of experience as a software engineer and an MBA from Columbia Business School and London Business School, Trevor understands how software development maps to business skills.

In this episode, we discuss the journey of jumping from software engineering into business and the paths you can take to get there. We also discuss the difference between a tech-enabled business and tech company, the workload of a CEO, how to translate technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders, and how acquisitions work.

Mentioned in This Episode:

• Southport Technology Group: stg.software

Connect with Trevor:

• Website: trevorewen.com

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Credits:

• Podcast Production by Marisa Hoenig

What is no-code? How can your business utilize no-code to save thousands of dollars?

Meet Alexandria Tomayko, the Founder of Little Black Book Series, an app built to bridge the gap between destination event planners and venues. During the pandemic, Alexandria started building a no-code solution for her company's web application, which serves as a proof of concept to investors and clients.

In this episode, we discuss why no-code is a great solution for new applications and how to get started. Alexandria explains some of the struggles of learning how to build an app this way but how awesome it can truly be. We also discuss how no-code is a solution for both developers and non-developers.

Mentioned in This Episode:

• Glide: glideapps.com

Connect with Alexandria:

• Website: blackbookseries.com

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Credits:

• Podcast Production by Marisa Hoenig

How does bitcoin help immigrants and refugees? What is bitcoin and how do you get started?

Learn from Alex Dischinger, Host of the Tucson Bitcoin Podcast. Based out of Tucson, Arizona, Alex is passionate about educating others about bitcoin and how it can be leveraged in everyday life.

In today's episode, we discuss the basics of bitcoin and why it's the most important freedom technology. Alex speaks with bitcoin experts regularly in his mission to make an impact in his community with bitcoin.

Mentioned in This Episode:

• The Pomp Podcast: anthonypompliano.com/podcast

Connect with Alex:

• Tucson Bitcoin Podcast: apple.co/3q83dkf

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Credits:

• Podcast Production by Marisa Hoenig

How do you mint and sell an NFT? What is the process of designing a logo?

Meet Arinjay Shekhar, a 16-year-old self-taught freelance designer, based out of Delhi, India, who started his business at the age of 12. Not only does Arinjay design logos for companies, but he also creates art online to sell as NFTs.

In this episode, we discuss the process and challenges of designing logos. We talk about how NFTs work and Arinjay's first-hand experience of listing and selling them.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Connect with Arinjay:

• Twitter: @arinjayshekhar

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Credits:

• Podcast Production by Marisa Hoenig

What are common misconceptions about the tech industry? What is required to get a job in tech?

In this episode, we cover the realities of getting into tech and the roles you can find. We break down common misconceptions about the industry and why that shouldn't hold you back.

We're joined by Jennifer Robertson, a co-founder of Qwasar Silicon Valley, a digital learning platform focused on technical skills. Based out of Seattle, Jennifer has a mixed background with 10+ years of experience in marketing, sales, business development, and education. She works with students in Qwasar's training programs and understands the realities of getting a job in tech and learning the necessary skills.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Follow Qwasar:

• Website: qwasar.io

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Credits:

• Podcast Production by Marisa Hoenig

What are the unique challenges of building a mobile app? Which soft skills are essential for developers?

Learn from Tim Bornholdt, an entrepreneur, developer, and podcaster based out of Minneapolis. Tim is the co-founder and partner at The Jed Mahonis Group, a tech agency that builds custom iOS and Android software for businesses. His podcast, Constant Variables, is a show that explains app development without technical jargon.

In this episode, we talk about mobile development as well as soft skills as a developer. We start with Tim's journey from buying the first iPhone to learning mobile development and starting his company. We discuss how soft skills are often even more important than the tech skills as a developer and how this plays into who he hires.

Mentioned in This Episode:

• Stanford Mobile Development Course: web.stanford.edu/class/cs47

Connect with Tim:

• LinkedIn: /timbornholdt

Follow Jed Mahonis Group:

• Website: jmg.mn

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Credits:

• Podcast Production by Marisa Hoenig

What’s it really like to get a master’s degree? How does the workload compare to a bachelor’s degree?

Learn from Stephen Sam, a Cloud and LexMobile Solutions Software Developer at LexMark. Stephen recently graduated from the University of Connecticut with a Masters in Computer Science & Engineering. During his master's program, he was a GEM-Full Fellow and active member of his local National Society of Black Engineers chapter. Stephen is also a co-host to the podcast, After Dinner Conversations, discussing challenges in adulthood.

In this episode, we talk about everything grad school: when to get your master’s, your advisor’s role, the experience of taking the GRE, the workload, the experience of doing research, and how a fellowship can help.

Mentioned in This Episode:

• GEM Fellowship: gemfellowship.org

Connect with Stephen:

• LinkedIn: bit.ly/30DAhaa

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Credits:

• Podcast Production by Marisa Hoenig

Aubrey Terrazas is an 18-year hospitality professional, Master Sommelier candidate, and co-founder of Palate Club, a digital wine service that uses machine learning to fit the user’s unique taste of wine. Based out of France, Aubrey uses her experience of tasting 100s of wines every year to identify over 200 wine traits, the core data for Palate Club's machine learning algorithm. Aubrey's ideas and disruption to the classic “wine club” model positioned her as one of America’s top sommeliers and wine entrepreneurs.

In this episode, we discuss the wine industry, giving background on how to become a Sommelier, Aubrey's experience in wine, and why blind taste-testing is such an important part of Palate Club. We also talk about how Palate Club utilizes machine learning, technologies being used in the wine industry (like blockchain!), and parallels between the wine and tech industries.

Make sure to enter our giveaway for a gift certificate for a blind tasting kit ($59 value): forms.gle/RS6h7bxrMsF2DHCd7

Mentioned in This Episode:

• Palate Club Giveaway: forms.gle/RS6h7bxrMsF2DHCd7

Follow Palate Club:

• Website: palateclub.com

Connect with Aubrey:

• Linkedin: /aubrey-terrazas

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Connect with Marisa:

Credits:

• Podcast Production by Marisa Hoenig

Lucy Zheng is a freelance social media marketer, Public Relations Specialist at Baldwin Legacy, and the new Public Relations Specialist for Blossoming Technologist. After graduating from the Thinkful Digital Marketing Immersion Program, Lucy completed a digital marketing internship and now helps companies improve their social media presence through freelancing.

In this conversation, we discuss what digital marketing entails, why it's important for companies, and how to get started. We also cover personal branding: how she rebranded herself, why personal branding is important, and how to create your own personal brand.

Mentioned in This Episode:

• OhMyZsh: ohmyz.sh

Connect with Lucy:

• Website: lucyzheng.com

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Credits:

• Podcast Production by Marisa Hoenig

Welcome back to Season 2 of Blossoming Technologist! In this intro episode, Marisa talks about the break between seasons, how the podcast has impacted her, topics for the rest of the season, and upcoming changes to the podcast.

Want to be a guest on our podcast? DM/email Marisa with contact info below.

Mentioned in This Episode:

• Episode 0: https://bit.ly/2ZBMhb2

Connect with Marisa:

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Credits:

• Podcast Production by Marisa Hoenig