Ready Set Do

In this episode, featured not-expert is Emma Jackson. Emma is the creative director at The Idea Farm - https://www.youtube.com/@thejourney-tif, which is a marketing consultancy with over 50 years of history that seeks to help businesses crack the code of digital marketing in today's privacy-first world.

Resources:https://www.theideafarm.net/aboutTimestamps:00:00 Introduction + Background02:32 Digital Marketing and Idea Farm05:41 Evolution of Digital Marketing Landscape: 2019 vs 202507:57 "Ask app not to track" WRECKED digital marketing10:09 Framework: Visual - Copy - Offer12:37 Tailoring Marketing Approaches for Different Businesses16:06 The Importance of Authenticity in Marketing18:45 When a dentist's selfies BEAT professional video content21:25 Tracking client lists and noting WHAT worked historically24:26 How to get started with a digital marketing company27:56 The Importance of Local Presence in Marketing31:13 This popular marketing strategy does NOT work32:53 Don't be at the mercy of social media algorithms - podcast growth tips37:03 Understanding Algorithms and Engagement39:17 Tool: ALWAYS use new features of various social media sites to ride the wave42:16 Leveraging Cultural Nuances in Marketing43:58 Marketing in-person events47:23 Combining Online and Offline Strategies49:07 When are paid ads ALWAYS better than organic growth?52:25 Challenges with Client Expectations54:22 Outro + Gratitude

In this episode featured not-expert is Supreeth Reddy. Supreeth is the co-founder of Serene AI, which is an sleep-tech startup.

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We discuss two tightly coupled themes in today’s discussion - primarily how Supreeth built this start-up and secured investment for it; but also the fact that he did this WHILE being a Master’s student on an F-1 visa. For those uninitiated, this is fairly rare as the F-1 isn’t exactly the ideal visa status to be able to start a company on. We go over the exact problem that Serene AI solves, the tech behind it, and Supreeth’s journey thru finding mentorship, shipping the first version, building in stealth mode and collaborating with lawyers and regulatory bodies and think-tanks in Silicon Valley to finally go public. Any person who is interested in starting a company will find a lot of value in this episode.Resources: https://www.linkedin.com/in/supreeth-reddy-738808120/https://sereneai.org/Timestamps:(00:00) Introduction + Background(02:16) What is Serene AI?(05:24) Original vision of Serene AI before pivots and iterations(07:59) Building the MVP: From Concept to Reality(11:10) User Feedback and Iteration(14:01) The NABC Framework and Market Positioning(16:52) Understanding User Sleep Patterns(20:10) Real-World Testing @ Stanford Research Institute(22:58) Finding an unexpected user-base in veterans(25:45) Balancing Complex Features and User Experience(29:52) Challenges in Development and Future Vision(31:45) Navigating the Investor Landscape(35:30) Leveraging Legal Resources(38:01) The Stealth Mode Strategy(39:51) Utilizing University Networks(40:49) The DUNS Number Process(42:41) Preparing for Public Launch(43:46) Balancing Work and Startup(46:58) Comparing Startup Ecosystems: India vs. USA(49:22) The Art of Customer Empathy(50:26) Outro + Gratitude

"Born to make art, forced to produce content." It’s the meme that haunts every creative in 2025.

We all marvel at the beauty of a masterpiece, but when it comes to the business of art, most of us are clueless. Is the "Starving Artist" trope a permanent reality, or is there a way to actually build a comfortable livelihood without selling your soul?

In this episode, we sit down with Zhanna Biletska, a Chicago-based artist who cracked the code. Originally from Ukraine, Zhanna didn't just rely on talent; she treated her art like a startup. From navigating the brutal commission fees of high-end galleries to carving out a "hidden niche" that didn't exist before, she breaks down exactly how she keeps the lights on doing what she loves.

If you are a painter, illustrator, or creative entrepreneur tired of the gatekeepers, this conversation is your roadmap. Zhanna reveals the truth about art school (what they don't teach you about money), the psychology of pricing your work, and how to balance the deep focus of Impressionism with the frantic demands of Instagram algorithms.

We also tackle the elephant in the room: AI Art. Will Midjourney replace the brush, or is there something about a human-made canvas that a computer can never replicate?

🚀 In this video, we cover:• The "Starving Artist" Myth: Why it’s outdated and how to kill it.• Gallery vs. Online: The reality of 50% commission fees and how to bypass them.• The "Hidden Niche" Strategy: How Zhanna found a profitable market painting Chicago architecture and homes.• Content Creation: How to market yourself without hating your life.• Art School Reality Check: Is it worth the debt?• AI vs. Artists: Why emotional connection is your only moat against automation.

This isn't a motivational speech about "following your passion." It's a tactical breakdown of how to turn a subjective skill into a sustainable career. Whether you work with oil, acrylics, or watercolors, the business principles remain the same.

About the Podcast:We explore the real stories behind high-agency individuals—from artists to techies—who are just a few steps ahead in the journey. We don't sell you "lottery ticket" success stories; we show you the practical first steps so you can find your own way forward.

#ArtBusiness #FullTimeArtist #ZhannaBiletska #CreativeEntrepreneur #SellingArt #Impressionism #ChicagoArtist #ArtSchool #AIArt #MarketingForArtists #SmallBusinessTips #Painting

Timestamps:(00:00) Intro + Background(02:53) Early life - Growing up in Ukraine(06:39) What EXACTLY is taught in art schools? (It's not just art…)(10:31) Painting with different types of colors - acrylics, oil, water + which is hardest?(14:25) Moving to the US + how to monetize art & photography talent?(17:48) Creating a hidden niche that didn't exist before(19:58) Art exhibits + how to land a spot in them + commission fees :((22:53) Painting chicago skylines for sale on art site(25:20) Strategies to convert sales + build a following online(28:23) Born to make art, forced to produce content(29:38) what's so special about the impressionist style of art(32:38) Using colors to portray emotions, life and moods(34:57) Challenges while painting a building in impressionist style over several days(38:11) Artist goals - do they make sense?(39:45) Zhanna's Artist inspirations (current famous artists trivia)(41:08) What makes a painting a masterful work of art?(41:53) Where does improvement come from for an artist's work?(42:49) Will AI end artists' careers forever?(45:15) Outro + gratitude

In this episode featured not-expert is Aashka Patel. Aashka is the founder of various initiatives all focused on AI regulation, including her podcast  @onairwithaashka , while also being a freelance bug bounty hunter for Anthropic.The topic for today’s discussion is AI Safety and Regulation - what exactly it means, why its important and what the average person of the world can do to play their part. We also go over some of the most critical risks that are already becoming prevalent, including the tragic incident of a florida teenager who tragically ended his life in connection with a character.ai bot and steps that can be taken to prevent such instances to the degree possible. We also go over potential career paths in this space that are going to blow up in upcoming years and user responsibility with AI interactions.

Resources:https://www.anthropic.com/research/constitutional-ai-harmlessness-from-ai-feedbackhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/aashkapatel608/Chatbot hints at suggesting k*lling parents: https://www.npr.org/2024/12/10/nx-s1-5222574/kids-character-ai-lawsuit

Timestamps:(00:00) Introduction + Background(02:42) On AGI & Regulation(04:35) Aashka's Journey into AI Safety(08:10) Understanding Anthropic and Constitutional AI(12:00) How did ChatGPT ship before Claude AI(14:53) AI Prompt Jailbreaking as a starting point(21:05) Most Critical Risks of AI Tools(27:01) On Florida teenager incident linked to character.ai bots(29:12) How to setup guard-rails to prevent AI mishaps?(32:45) Career Paths in AI Safety and Regulation(37:40) The Need for AI Education and Awareness(39:39) AI in classrooms - genius or dangerous?(44:03) The Role of Nonprofits in AI Safety(47:09) User Responsibility in AI Interactions(49:44) Outro + Gratitude

In this episode, featured not-expert is Farah Fallah Toosi. Farah is an Engineering Mgmt student at Purdue with extensive experience as a program slash project manager professional in organizations such as Apple and Capital One bank - having many coveted certifications in her belt including Scrum, Safe and Agile Product Mgmt.Our discussion today is centered around the PM roles - product, project and program management. We go over exactly what each of them entail, the overlaps and differences, and how one can break into each of the above in great detail. Indeed, Farah takes us thru all the skillsets that one has to cultivate for their PM role of choice as well as why, and spoiler alert, those can look very different depending on which “PM” you’re aiming for. Finally, we top it all off by discussing some common criticisms around Agile and whether or not they’re justified, and some amazing resources which I have linked in the description for you to get a strong grip on Agile.

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Resources:https://agilemanifesto.org/PEAK book: https://a.co/d/10zNJw2The PHOENIX Project: https://a.co/d/66VvfIPTimestamps:(00:00) Introduction + Background(02:23) Farah's Career Snapshot(04:18) Apple AI/ML EPM Internship + Naman's Brush with Google TPM(07:04) Interviewing for PM Positions(10:47) Understanding Product, Project, and Program Management(14:03) Product Management Deep-Dive(17:46) How Much Tech Expertise Do Product Managers Need?(19:37) PM Roles Analogies to CXOs - WATCH THIS PART!!(21:51) Importance of CSM Certification for Product Managers(23:54) Farah's Passion for PM + Purdue MEM(26:55) Program Management Deep-Dive(29:17) Tools for Program Management(31:48) The Art of Escalation(35:00) It's All About Proactive Communication(37:23) Navigating Change and Adaptability(41:14) Project Management Deep-Dive(44:19) The Future of Individual Contributor PM Roles(47:55) Agile Methodology Criticisms + Farah's PM Certifications Journey(51:53) Agile Resources + Book Recs (Also Linked in Bio)(57:05) Outro + Gratitude

In this episode featured not-expert is Vishwas Shanbhag. Vishwas is the head of Revenue Strategy at VerSe.The subject of today’s discussion is AdTech. Vishwas takes us thru the fascinating and cash-strapped world of ad tech and the engineering marvels it takes to serve personalized ads to users within 200 ms. We also go over some innocent and otherwise things companies do to track and store your data, exactly how cookies and tracking pixels work and why it can be risky to allow third party cookies, and a lot of best practices on how we can best secure our data online while also not degrading our search experience.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Resources:Vishwas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vishwas-shanbhag/Timestamps:(00:00) Background + Introduction(02:35) Vishwas's Journey into Ad Tech(07:45) Understanding the Basics of Ad Tech(10:02) InMobi's Role in the Ad Tech Ecosystem(13:24) Real-Time Ad Serving Mechanism(16:06) Data Collection and User Privacy(19:00) Skills for Aspiring Ad Tech Professionals(21:39) User Data and Targeting in Ad Tech(25:16) Privacy Concerns in Ad Tech(28:40) Understanding Cookies and Privacy(31:38) Quality experience on the internet comes with loss of privacy?(36:54) Are Ads Really That Bad?(41:13) Data Privacy and Public Wi-Fi Risks(46:01) Ads shown for what you watch on Netflix(49:25) Alexa & Siri are ALWAYS listening?(51:59) Are they listening to what you talk about to suggest ads?(55:10) Do NOT allow all permissions (photos etc) to random apps(57:46) Outro + Gratitude

In this episode featured not-expert is Rohan Gautam.

Rohan is the author of the book Romeo, Juliet and Hitler; an up-and-coming stand-up comic and is about to drop his first non-fiction venture as well. We discuss Rohan’s adventure of writing his first fiction book with over 50k words, and he takes us through his bias to action philosophy that got him there.

We then discuss Rohan’s foray into the nerve-wracking world of stand-up comedy, what to expect at your first open mic, how to improve and conclude with Rohan sharing insights on publishing, editing and honestly everything you need to know to drop your first book - having done it twice now.Resources:Romeo, Juliet & Hitler: https://www.amazon.com/Romeo-Juliet-Hitler-Rohan-Gautam/dp/9382665056

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Timestamps:(00:00) Introduction + Background(02:19) Contrasting between writing comedy and “serious” material(04:63) Writing "Romeo, Juliet and Hitler"(09:19) Writing Advice: Nobody Cares, Just Improve 1% Daily(14:29) Continuous Progress in Book Writing(17:19) Crafting Standup Comedy Material(19:12) First Open Mic Experience(21:52) Starting Standup: Common Challenges(25:37) Importance of Relatability in Comedy(27:14) Open Mic Logistics & Behind-the-Scenes(30:15) YouTube Journey for Comics/Commentators(33:06) Non-Fiction Writing: Human Potential(37:11) Book Publishing and Editing Process(42:21) Author vs. Editor: Book Editing Dynamics(45:21) Outro + Gratitude

In this episode, featured not-expert is Nikhil Pentapalli. Nikhil is a Sr Machine Learning Engineer at Adobe, working with building cutting-edge Generative AI features on Adobe Acrobat. Nikhil references his experiences and learnings from working with document intelligence for almost 5 years to walk us thru the best ways for current students and professionals to get hired for their first job as machine learning engineers. We also deep-dive into the best strategies to set oneself apart by building projects implementing Machine Learning and interview process for most MLE positions. Nikhil also takes us thru a day in the life at Adobe and what the future holds for Gen AI capabilities for Adobe Acrobat, the most popular PDF tool in the world - and his take on the impact of AI in the not-so-distant future.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Resources:ML / DS / GENAI Complete Roadmaphttps://docs.google.com/document/u/2/d/e/2PACX-1vRvrcbJ06_L89mk2vtxXUBcbB__1LpJw5PNGOmUoy-Wa1PJlgtMUwiYXTMp_fSYEnaW1KPzGUreTt4i/pubRAG / LLMs Roadmap with prereq'shttps://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dsmNuMVSHP8rqQTEli2H1GqzBi4d0IBqd-McRFvp-KE/edit?gid=0#gid=0E2E - Ragshttps://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dsmNuMVSHP8rqQTEli2H1GqzBi4d0IBqd-McRFvp-KE/edit?gid=0#gid=0Timestamps:(00:00) Introduction + Background(02:16) Build projects or practice algorithms for breaking into MLE roles?(04:38) Importance of building ML projects(08:24) Starting career as an MLE at Reliance(13:29) Transitioning to the US for Masters(16:52) US Internship Experience & Early Projects(20:04) What EXACTLY did OpenAI do to take the world by storm?(24:30) Starting at Adobe - 1 application, 1 offer letter(27:11) How to prep for MLE interviews (resources in video description)(30:28) Working at Adobe(33:59) Innovations in Adobe Acrobat(37:49) Generative AI in Creative Applications(43:28) Designing UI/UX for Generative AI apps(47:07) Future of Adobe Acrobat with GenAI capabilities(51:26) How to correctly use ChatGPT(56:11) $300k/year prompt engineers(58:47) Outro + Gratitude

In this episode featured not-expert is Ratik Dutta. Ratik is a Marketing Ops Assistant Manager at SEED Global Education, which is a role he recently started after returning to India - having finished his Masters in Marketing degree from Purdue University in the US. Ratik takes us through the realities of a move back to India after a Master’s in the US - the reverse culture shock, prospects of getting jobs and perception of foreign grads, and somewhat paradoxically, settling back into one’s home. This is a topic that almost every international Indian student has wondered about - and we leave no stone unturned in terms of covering all the logistical and mental preparations that must go into this decision. We also contrast MBAs in India vs Masters in the US, and what Ratik thinks about the India growth story.If you are someone that is considering going back, please do reach out ad/or let us know in the comments.

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Resources:Ratik: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ratik-datta-a9856074/

Timestamps:

(00:00) Background + Introduction

(02:37) Masters degree experience in the US
(06:39) Situation after graduation in the US - final months
(10:34) Wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita
(12:38) Status of Ratik's graduating cohort + Ways to stop OPT clock
(18:35) Logistics of leaving the US - please do all these!
(21:53) First two weeks in India immediately after returning
(23:48) Differences between the US and India - what did Ratik miss the most?
(29:13) Lifestyle Differences: US vs. India
(32:02) Pollution - no escape?
(34:12) Perception of foreign grads in India (SHOCKING!)
(39:45) Job situation in India
(40:48) MS in USA vs MBA in India - Which is better?
(45:38) Are extra-curriculars in foreign schools THAT important?
(47:13) Feeling like an outsider in your own country :(
(50:44) Does Ratik believe in the India Growth Story?
(53:31) Advice for current students

In this episode, featured not-expert is Tom Shannon. Tom is a co-founder at Omnia, which is a one stop-shop for deploying XR content at scale. Another way to think of Omnia is simply the YouTube for XR creators and brands.Tom walks us thru the specific problem Omnia solves, and showcases some stunning use-cases of Omnia that is currently used by realtors in Chicago.

We also discuss what the next era looks like with devices such as Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest and how Omnia makes it possible to bypass the problem of manually installing SDKs into individual headsets that companies have to do currently for XR training simulations and a bunch of other use-cases.

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Resources:https://www.theomnia.io/https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-patrick-shannon/

Timestamps:(00:00) Introduction + Background(02:17) First time experience wearing the Apple Vision Pro(02:47) Why build for AR/VR (XR)- Tom’s journey(04:47) What problem does Omnia solve?(06:57) How to develop content for XR/Spatial Compute(09:00) Are XR apps strictly limited to AR/VR devices?(10:22) Hardware as the final frontier(11:37) Truck driving simulation use-case (Go-to market plan!)(13:47) Omnia as the new YouTube (everybody is a customer)(16:14) Public-facing Omnia web browser(18:37) Building for AR/VR - tech stack?(21:10) What made Web-XR deployment possible?(23:10) How to create a great XR experience?(24:22) Dedicated content boom for XR(25:55) “Smelling” the future - all senses utilized(27:07) The future is now(27:53) Omnia - Full Demo(30:07) Outro + Gratitude

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