Do you want to build business skills, create a safety net for your career development and achieve financial independence beyond academia? Start your side hustle to prepare for your future! In this episode of the PostdocTransformation show for the scientist leaping into business, you will learn how to leverage AI tools for the initial steps of business development. The "Fogg behavior model" and the "Ries lean startup methodology" will inspire your to start aligned to your motivation, ability, and prompts to make your side business a success. Plus, get insights on using various tech tools to streamline your efforts and maximize impact.
Listen to this 59 min episode for your PostdocTransformation! Capitalize on our chapter markers as needed.
In this episode we gift you our free email course with ten email lessons until you start your new job in business!
1) Check your readiness to leap out of science (episode 0001)!
Introducing myself, I share how I capitalized on my PhD as a mom, professor and business owner!
2) How to build your sustainable LinkedIn profile?
3) How to read social media & network?
4) How to research your fave jobs & employers?
5) How to do informational interviews to get insights?
6) How to create your customized applications?
7) How to prepare your thesis from a business POV?
8) How to apply to your fave employers?
9) How to choose the right job offer?
10) How to prepare for your new job?
- While or after listening to this episode, you can check your readiness to leap out of science in an instant - for free.
- If you are ready to leap into business, but need free structured guidance, enroll here in your email course with 10 actionable lessons until you start your job in business.
- Nominate an employer of choice, so that I can ask them bold questions informing your job application!
- I have fun mugs, hoodies & baby onesies to inspire you for your #PostdocTransformation. Enter "Show" to get a 25% discount in my shop.
- Follow me on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube & LinkedIn!
- I'm Prof. Dr. Eleonore Soei-Winkels, Founder and CEO of PostdocTransformation, mom of two little ones and happy to share how you can build a #PostdocTransformation according to your vision of life! Thanks for listening and subscribing!
- Please share our show with your underprivileged, underrepresented & underserved (future) PhD bestie!
https://postdoctransformation.ac-page.com/show0068
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:11):
PostdocTransformation.
Invest in your postdoc transformation.
Welcome to the seasonal show forscientists leaping into business.
Make sure to check your readiness toleap out of science with us for free.
As linked in the show notes foryour career transition, we offer
(00:32):
customized career transition,e-course, and memberships also at
graduate schools all over the world.
Maybe yours too.
And if your university isn't yet ourcustomer, enroll in your free email
course for career transition madeSimple as linked in the show notes.
I'm your host Prof. Dr. EleonoreSoei-Winkels with my team who is
rooting for you, and let's build yourPostdocTransformation with this episode.
(00:57):
Dear PostdocTransformers, welcome backto the final episode of Season six
of the PostdocTransformation Show forthe scientists leaping into business.
Woo-hoo.
So give yourself a huge round of applausebecause you have been on an incredible
journey, across six seasons, we havetackled everything from taming those
imposter syndrome monsters to identifyingwhere your research and teaching skills
(01:24):
actually do fit in the corporate jungle.
We've talked about how to leave academiawithout burning bridges, how to come
back maybe to academia one day, oneof the most favorite episodes of all
time, and let's be honest, navigatingthe shift from academia to business
and maybe also even back can feellike navigating a minefield sometimes.
(01:47):
And we have truly, truly tried toprepare you for the future of work and
the future of jobs in this era of AI.
We had inspiring interview guests fromall over the world, a few professors in
academia and most are in senior businessleadership positions in consulting
and other future-proof industries.
(02:09):
But today, dear PostTransformers,we're not just wrapping up season
six, we're igniting a spark.
We're talking about taking control,carving out your own path, and building
something meaningful that is truly yours.
Today's episode is about a topicthat is very, very close to my heart
something that I have lived andtried to also role model for you.
(02:33):
It's your side hustle sprintfrom idea to income beyond
academia, beyond your studies.
Wait, hear me out.
I know that many of youare thinking side hustle?
Eleonore, I'm barely survivingmy research schedule, my teaching
schedule, it's summer and I'malready exhausted for the whole year.
So I cannot try to launch a businesswhen, how, and believe me, I hear you,
(02:58):
but what if I told you that your sidehustle could be your launchpad, your
runway, it's about building confidence,self-efficacy, business acumen, all the
things that you really need in parallelto your research and teaching skills
if you want to leap into business.
(03:21):
Your side hustle could be thekey to unlock all of this.
Your side hustle could be thebest teacher that you can get
for honing your business skills.
So I want you to build aPostdocTransformation side hustle,
to create a safety net for whateverhappens in your life, whether it will
be as an employee, that you have anexit, whether it would be to start
(03:46):
your own business so that you now canhave already an idea of how to market,
how to develop a business, et cetera.
So whatever it is, I think the best timeto learn how to run a business is now.
(04:06):
Hey, before we continue, we wannaappreciate those who finance
this viable episode for you.
I wanna share with you my bestmarketing agent, serving my
underprivileged, underrepresented,and underserved audience.
Leads and clients is key for meas an agent, working mom, business
(04:27):
owner and professor in Germany.
But.
I can't be marketing and sellingall the time, and I have to be
mindful with my own resources.
So I chose Podbean as my podcastinghost and monetizing provider.
I'm on the Unlimited plus plan forour PostdocTransformation Show and
creating reorganized show with Podbean.
Your audience can inclusively listenon what your podcast, according to
(04:50):
their visual and auditive needs.
You can also embed your customizedpodcast player on your external website.
Or use one of the beautifulwebsite templates.
You can easily share your podcast on allmajor podcasting directories, which allow
you to reach a huge audience on theirfavorite devices in their countries.
Podbean also has an ads marketplace,and you can easily attract and manage
(05:13):
sponsors for dynamic ads, which are playedout depending on your audience criteria.
This way you can serveyour audience for free.
Some of them become your clientseventually, but your advertising
sponsors independently supportyou financially in each episode.
You will see insightful stats perdemographic and which episodes attracted
(05:34):
most listeners so you can tailor yourfuture episodes for your leads and
clients and present suitable external ads.
If you wanna try out pobe foryour own podcasting DM or email me
Podbean so I can share my experienceand consult you, please check it
out via my link in the show notes.
I only get a small financialreward if you become their
(05:54):
customer using my Podbean link.
After this quick appreciationof our sponsors, we are now
back in our insightful episode.
So this is going to be a jam packedepisode full of actionable prompts.
(06:15):
And as always in this season six,I will also discuss a psychological
model to help you actually do things,and of course share some AI magic
to validate your brilliant ideas.
And speaking of magic, get ready becausesoon season two of Creating Reorganized,
my other video podcast is launching andit's all about building a marketing and
(06:38):
selling machine for your own business.
More on that later.
Alright, let's go.
Dear PostdocTransformers.
You are an incredible listenerand the hero of our story, right?
You've dedicated years or decades evento become a rigorous academic researcher.
You're a critical thinker, a problemsolver, and a master of data.
(07:02):
You are very likely to thriveon intellectual challenges.
If you are just like me, then you arealso driven by the desire of having
impact on your students, on the peoplewho will also benefit from your research.
(07:22):
And hopefully you are alsothinking that also should benefit
you at the end of the day.
So a little bit more cashwould be really nice.
Okay, so here's the rub.
You are on your way to your thirtiesand adulting feels hard when you still
live like a student and maybe yournon-PhD friends enjoy their lives while
(07:44):
you, well you do your thing, right?
So maybe you wanna settle andstart a family, but getting
tenure feels like gambling.
And honestly, when you lookaround now is maybe not the
right time to start a family.
Really, you are not getting any younger.
So you might be feeling a a financialpinch perhaps, wondering how to
(08:07):
translate those grant writing thoseediting skills into something that
pays the mortgage outside of academia.
And maybe it's also a pinchof professional identity.
Like, who am I if I'm not doctor,lead researcher at blah, blah, blah.
And let's not forgetthe big scary unknown.
You've done research lived andbreathed academia for almost all of
(08:31):
your adult life, but now you don'tknow what's waiting on the other side.
And the fear of leaping into abusiness world where you feel that
you lack the right skills or that youlose that precious work life balance
I don't know, it doesn't sound precious,but I can tell you, you have more time
at your hands than you will ever haveonce you are in the business world.
(08:54):
Trust me, I've been there.
I'm still there.
I know what I can cherish in academia.
You might be aspiring for a moreflexible life, higher income that
truly reflects your intellect and agreater impact beyond academic citations
or a new intellectual challenge.
And I can feel youabsolutely deep in my heart.
(09:17):
In my grad school years, I often joked,only three to five researchers in
the world would read my publications.
And it actually made me reallysad to be honest, a couple of
years ago I actually made a reel.
Honestly, I can't find it anymorebecause I've done thousands
of videos and everything.
But I know the gist of that caption byheart, I left academia for having more
(09:42):
impact, went to IT and business andI had more impact, but I did a lot of
transformation and change managementwith people who did not want to change in
the first place, but they had to change.
And today as a professor, since10 years, I'm working with young
adults who want to change, and thatmakes my impact even better, right?
(10:07):
I have more impact as a professor teachingmy Bachelor and Master's students.
But if I would record that reeltoday, I would add the following.
I have more impact as a podcasterwith my two video podcasts.
True.
By the time of recording thisepisode, I have 11.8 K podcast
downloads or listenings for thePostdocTransformation show alone.
(10:32):
And then another 2.6 for theCreatingReorganized show.
And it's more separate audiences.
On social media, I have 20 5K viewson Instagram per month and 60 K
on TikTok and 16 K on LinkedIn.
For me, impact is important and that'swhy podcasting is my way forward.
(10:55):
And I already know which of my podcastswill shape my postdoc transformation most.
I just joked that I did more thana thousand videos, and that's true.
When you see me enjoying my videos,it wasn't like that in the beginning.
It's a journey.
I really went from a shameful socialmedia beginner to someone who knows
(11:17):
what to do and loves to learn more.
I don't think that I'm finished.
I will learn as much as I need inthis AI times to capitalize on my
data driven and IT strategy fueledway of working because that is much
more for me than being a professor.
(11:38):
Hey, before we continue, we wannaappreciate those who finance
this viable episode for you.
I wanna share with youmy time and energy saver.
As a professor for industrial andoccupational psychology, I also teach
about the future of work, and as a formerIT strategy consultant, of course, I
(12:00):
embrace AI to be a future approved podcastproducer of the PostdocTransformation
Show and the Creating Reorganized show.
Descript is the video and audiopodcast editing tool of my choice.
I pay for their creator plan,and it's worth every dollar.
Descript comes with an integrated,professional, remote recording
studio for the best audioquality for your guests and you.
(12:23):
For example, I record an hour interviewwith a guest or a solo, and instead
of painstakingly doing a rough cutand deleting all the arms, and arms
and fillers and rambling around,which I did for hours, I now click on
Descript's, AI editing for clarity,and my rough cut is done in seconds.
Or a minute for fine tuning.
I edit text instead of audio waves,and I just insert all my prerecorded
(12:47):
music, intro ads and outro likethis one in a matter of minutes.
I can then easily explore closecaptions, fine tune AI driven summaries,
chapter markers, and titles, which Ifeed into my show notes and podcast
Host Descript even suggests the bestclips for social media and their
video editor automatically includesthe synchronized speakers cameras.
(13:11):
Audio captions.
I can also include stockgraphics or prerecorded videos.
You can find our short formexamples on our Instagram and
TikTok at Postdoc Transformation.
If you wanna try out DS script foryour own podcast editing DM or email me
Descript so I can share my experienceand consult you, please check it
out via my link in the show notes.
(13:31):
I only get a small financialreward if you become their
customer using my Descript link.
Thanking our advertisersfor their financial support.
We are happy to returnto our inspiring episode.
I know a lot of you still contemplateabout becoming a professor.
(13:56):
I'm here to tell you that beinga professor is just a job.
It's a job that should pay your rent,bills, whatever is on your mind.
The salary of a professor is not alot, not for the way I wanna live.
So whether you wanna become a professoror not, you may want to have that
sense of fulfillment, that spark ofinnovation that is in research, right?
(14:21):
So now just the thought of going all inon a business venture feels terrifying.
You think I have purelyacademic knowledge.
How can I compete?
This is where this episode comes in.
This is your side hustle sprint.
It's a low risk sandbox to testthe waters, to build something that
(14:43):
reflects your unique genius and startgenerating income on your own terms.
And to be honest, no business rolein industries offers such a high
versus low peak work schedule aroundthe academic year, like you probably
have at the moment at the university.
So especially if you have kids,you will have invaluable time in
(15:10):
parallel with your children whoare in the school academic year.
I have strategically planned the seasonsix final to be on June 19th, so I can
enjoy the summer with my kids and batchcreate new episodes for my Creating
Reorganized while letting you enjoy andwork through our previous evergreen 68
(15:32):
PostdocTransformation Show episodes.
And please DM me your career transitionquestions so I can answer them in
future episodes in season seven.
My own PostdocTransformationis really a testament to this.
After completing my PhD inneuroscience in 2008, talk about
very specialized academic knowledge.
(15:53):
No application really in business.
I immediately leaped into IT, first asan IT analyst at Audi South and then
IT strategy consulting at Accenture.
Even after becoming a professor forindustrial and occupational psychology,
the entrepreneurial bug in me was stillbuzzing in 2014 when I was pregnant.
(16:16):
I started career coaching on the side.
It wasn't about replacing myprofessorship, but expanding my impact
as a psychologist and systemic managementcoach, building something flexible that
allowed me to prioritize my family,picking up my kids after school and spend
quality time with them in the afternoons.
Remember that was 2014.
(16:38):
I just had given birth to myfirst child, but I knew what
kind of mom I would love to be.
So that desire for a work life balanceand a different kind of impact drove me.
My blend of resilience, networking,leveraging technology allowed me to
create something from scratch in theCorona crisis because you know, my then
(17:00):
in-person and local German coachingbusiness crumbled and I had to reinvent my
business as an internationally availablee-course and membership based model.
But that's a story for another episode.
Here's your actionable prompt,my dear PostdocTransformer.
Take a moment to grab a pen orpaper or open a note on your device.
(17:23):
Brainstorm five to 10 low hanging fruitsbased on your academic background or
even pain points you've observed inyour academic field or among your peers.
These aren't just academic problems.
Think of everyday frustrations,inefficiencies or unmet needs.
For example, is there a softwaretool that you can develop, something
(17:47):
that you can build with AI,that could make data analysis or
whatever in your discipline easier.
Maybe you can think of a wayfor simplifying scientific
communication for a broader audience.
Could any of these be the basis of a smallservice or even product you could offer.
Do not censor yourself.
(18:12):
Let's pause for a moment to respectthose who sponsor this valuable episode.
Once you have determined your readinessto leap and want to transition into
business or industries, then you canenroll in your free email course with
10 actionable bingeable email lessonsuntil you start your job in business.
(18:34):
You'll get 10 emails like this.
Number one, how to leap out of signs.
Number two, how to build yoursustainable LinkedIn profile.
Number three, how to readsocial media and network.
Number four, how to researchyour favorite jobs and employers.
Number five, how to do informationalinterviews to get insights.
Number six, how to create yourcustomized applications with chat, GPT.
(18:58):
Number seven, how to prepare yourthesis from a business point of view.
Number eight, how to applyto your favorite employers.
Number nine, how to choosethe right job offer.
Number 10, how toprepare for your new job.
Did you know that we offer deepdive E-course workshops and
(19:20):
memberships at graduate schools,maybe also at yours in the future?
Ask your graduate school coordinatorwhether they wanna book my services
so that I can deliver them to you24 7 365 on your mobile device.
And even better, if you get us paidby your grad school, we will pay
(19:41):
you 50% recurring sales commissions.
So you will earn money with us aswe help you and your PhD besties
to transition into business.
We can build ourPostdocTransformation together.
Woo-hoo.
Thanking our advertisersfor their financial support.
(20:02):
We are happy to returnto our inspiring episode.
So here's your playbook for your sprint.
Now you might feel like you're at thestarting line of the sprint, looking
at a huge, intimidating marathon ahead.
But that's where I come in.
I've been there.
I've navigated the leaps and I evenlaunched my own video podcast, the second
(20:28):
one, which is literally a playbook foryour marketing and selling, and now we
are seeding your business development.
CreatingReorganizes is really a playbookfor starting a side business and
excelling in marketing and selling viaa video podcast just like this one.
You can show your services or even yourproducts or whatever it is, you explain
(20:52):
why you are the go-to person so thateveryone who is listening and watching
to your podcast will want to work withyou, will want to book you or hire you.
The plan for your side hustle sprint isn'tabout quitting your day job tomorrow.
It's about talking small,deliberate, and strategic steps.
(21:12):
It's about validating your ideas quicklyand efficiently learning as you go and
building momentum while playing aroundwith AI and building your business acumen.
And one of the core philosophiesbehind this is the Lean Startup
methodology by Eric Reese.
The Lean Startup encourage youto build, measure, and learn.
(21:34):
Okay?
So don't spend years perfectingsomething in secret until you
find out that no one wants that.
Okay?
You need to get a minimum viable product,an MVP minimum viable product out there.
Get feedback from themarket and iterate, adapt.
My own journey with theCreatingReorganized Show embodies this
(21:57):
by the time of recording this episode,
we are currently at a fantastic 2006K download for just eight episodes.
And do you know how manylisteners do I have?
Well, I have 819 listeners in ourfirst season, and that's a testament
for starting, learning and growing.
If you wanna learn more aboutmy podcasting journey, you
(22:19):
can check out this video.
Why Eleonore Soei-Winkelsis called the Trifecta.
I was actually the first guest inseason one of Podbean's in-House podcast
PodbeanAmplified, where the wonderfulcohost Shay called me the trifecta,
which is a true honor, and you needto listen why she caught me like that.
(22:41):
But essentially it's aboutconsistent content creation
that does not burn you out.
Learning how to generateleads that you really want to
serve well in your business.
Creating reorganized.
Woo.
So here's the actionable prompt.
Think about your brainstormedside hustle idea.
(23:01):
If you are a scientistleaping into business.
You have already a bachelor and probablyalso a master degree under your belt.
When you look at your degrees andeven outside of your academic life,
is there a niche problem that youcan solve for many people who would
pay you for that kind of solution?
So I repeat that.
(23:23):
Is there a niched problem that you cansolve for many people who would pay you?
And then you need to think aboutwhat's the smallest, simplest version
of that solution you could createto get initial feedback to further
refine your business development.
It could be a single social mediapost asking if people are interested.
(23:46):
It could be a simple free guide,a free ebook, or whatever,
A PDF that you can share.
It could be a quick 15 minute consultationor like in my case, a video podcast.
I use Creating Reorganizedas my minimum viable product.
And by the way, as a professor, Iknow a lot of professors, postdoc
(24:07):
scientists, and PhD students.
So if you are thinking of writing abook to earn more money, think twice.
There are better ways toearn money right away.
If you wanna write your book, creatinga Video podcast can even help you write
a better book that truly resonates withyour audience, because your viewers
and listeners engage or not and tellyou a different direction maybe with
(24:33):
their comments, likes, and shares.
They are contributing and shapingyour book with their attention,
which is the watch time.
You can even test and offer lowkey associated offerings, like high
ticket paid consultations, or a minie course for the masses in parallel
to your book that you eventuallydevelop based on the feedback that
(24:57):
you get from your video podcast.
And the idea is to create and testpaid services in an agile and low
cost, low risk entrepreneurial way.
Instead of trying to sell a bookthat very few people know, if you
only start marketing and sellingafter the book's publication date.
(25:20):
Let's pause for a moment to respectthose who sponsor this valuable episode.
I wanna share with you my numberone lead generator, and you can
start that even without a podcast.
It's TypeForm and I use them tocreate free quizzes with open
questions and multiple choice answers.
I also predefined mandatory answers soI can qualify and score leads, collect
(25:41):
their email addresses for later nurturing.
I can brand my quizzes.
For example, my check your readinessto leap out of science quiz with my
audio and video files, so this way Ican share specific podcast episodes
or other information based on theiranswers, and then automatically send
them an email after submitting the quiz.
(26:02):
I even included the calendar invite forthose leads who qualify specifically.
So now I can help everyone on the surfacefor free and divert my valuable time only
to my high ticket leads on a deep level.
I collect all the dataautomatically after my initial
setup, as I have also integratedit with my remaining tech stack.
(26:23):
If you wanna try out TypeForm for yourown lead generation and qualification
DM or email me TypeForm so I canshare my experience and consult you.
Please check it out viamy link in the show notes.
I only get a small financialreward if you become their
customer using my TypeForm link.
Thanking our advertisersfor their financial support.
(26:46):
We are happy to returnto our inspiring episode.
The same actually goesfor a full e-course.
Created my e-course for career transitionmade simple after I conducted my two
day career transition workshop formultiple times at graduate schools, I
(27:07):
knew it was tried and tested thoroughly.
So trust me, you don't wannacreate a huge effort product only
to find out that no one needs itand nobody wants to pay for that.
So based on my data, theCreatingReorganized business development
is the way forward because I seemore demand for marketing and selling
for business owners versus careertransitioning for scientists in my
(27:31):
statistics provided by Podbean, mypodcast hosting and monetizing platform
of choice and completing my tech stack.
By the way, I use a fantastic set oftools that truly embody this set and
forget capability that I cherish a lot,which is time saving error reduction.
And ultimately that shows how women andmen without a tech team can capitalize
(27:55):
on technology for nurturing thoseearly leads and building your audience.
ActiveCampaign is gold.
Behind the scenes, ActiveCampaignintegrates seamlessly for automatic
data flow, allowing you to automateyour communication and build
relationships with your leads and clientseffortlessly from one tool to another,
(28:18):
ActiveCampaign is thecenterpiece of my tech stack.
For collecting information and feedbackefficiently, I rely on TypeF orm . It's
brilliant for surveys, applications,or just gathering contact details of
leads you attract on social media.
And these tools aren'tjust for big businesses.
I'm not a big business, but these arevital for even your earliest side hustle
(28:40):
sprints because that allows you to focuson your core idea of running a business
while the tech handles the mundaneoperational side of your business.
24 7 365. And believe me.
If you want high ticket individualleads and clients, you want
professional and proven tech tools.
(29:03):
You don't wanna look like an amateurhaving no idea how to run a business.
You know that know,like, and trust factor.
That also comes with how youuse your tools beyond the
content that you are offering.
Alright, dear PostdocTransformers, let'stalk about something that is incredibly
powerful that will help you actuallydo this side hustle sprint rather than
(29:25):
just, you know, thinking about it.
Let's be honest, we all have brilliantideas, but to turn them into action or,
you know, get it on the street as wesay in German can be the biggest hurdle.
So this is where I would love tointroduce you to a psychological
model theory or concept.
This one is Dr. BJ Fogg's behavior model.
(29:48):
The Fogg model of behavioris B equals MAP map.
Behavior happens when three elementsconverge at the same moment.
So it's a product, okay?
So you need motivation.
That's M. You need ability,that's A, and you need a prompt.
That's B. So motivation,ability, and prompt, and that.
(30:11):
Then leads to behavior B equals map.
It's elegant, it's simple, and it'sincredibly effective for understanding
why we do or don't do something.
You will learn how to designand control yourself for action.
You can find his paper, a behavioralmodel for persuasive design as
a PDF in his Stanford Resources.
(30:34):
Truly foundational piece of work.
So let's break it down foryour side hustle sprint.
M like motivation.
This is your desire toperform the behavior.
For you dear PostdocTransformer,your motivation is high.
You want more impact, moreincome, more life balance,
more intellectual challenges.
(30:54):
You want to move away fromprecarious working conditions, a
cloudy future of work in academia.
That's your fuel probably.
And here's your actionable prompt.
Each morning before you start your day,take 60 seconds to visualize what success
with your side hustle would look like.
Feel that excitement,that freedom, that impact.
(31:15):
This keeps your motivation tank full.
Maybe you want to create arunway for your better future.
Maybe you wanna build your businessacument to land a good first job in
business, and maybe you wanna earn moneyon the side to finance all extra things.
Maybe you wanna do your first stepsin your journey as an entrepreneur.
(31:35):
So this is highly individual and bestaligned with your vision of life.
We have already talked aboutgoal setting in previous
episodes and your vision of life.
So if you're new to our show, listenback to the previous episodes so
that you get up to speed with allthe PostdocTransformers who have
(31:56):
already capitalized on more episodes.
My motivation is very clear.
I built my PostdocTransformationfamily first.
I spend maximum quality time withmy children as long as they are
little and want to learn from me.
But you must find your own motivationfor your PostdocTransformation.
I just want you to have the sameclarity, I know why I'm doing this,
(32:21):
so get out of my way and let mefocus on what is moving the needle.
Let's pause for a moment to respectthose who sponsor this valuable episode.
If you want a relatively passiveincome, creating a paid e-course as your
(32:43):
service is a great option, especiallyif you are like me, an experienced
teacher in higher education and nowwanna share even more knowledge and
create a paid membership with livegroup meetings beyond the e-course.
Offering an E-course is a no-brainer.
And Thinkific is an AI infusedlearning management system, which
is a dream for every educatorafter setting up an e-course.
(33:05):
And our membership.
You also need to market and sell youre-course, and that's when lead generation
with TypeForm and podcasting viaDescript and Podbean can compliment you.
Well, if you wanna try out Thinkific forcreating your own e-course and membership
DM or email me Thinkific so I can sharemy experience or consult you, please check
(33:26):
it out via my link in the show notes.
I only get a small financialreward if you become their
customer using my Thinkific link.
After this quick appreciationof our sponsors, we are now
back in our insightful episode.
(33:46):
Then after M like motivationcomes A like ability.
This is your capacityto perform the behavior.
Do you feel like you can do it?
This is often where academics getstuck and you know, we look at
building a business and think,oh my God, I cannot do this.
I don't have an MBA, Idunno how to do marketing.
(34:07):
I hate marketing.
I don't even want to do that.
I don't know how to sell.
Well, that task can feel too difficult,especially if you've never done this.
Maybe you are like me, you'll feellike selling marketing is evil.
But then you find out it's actually fun.
And to be honest, in the era of ai,know what is cheap, but know how, and.
(34:37):
Most importantly, know whyour valuable and sought er.
So how can you increase yourability for your side hustle sprint.
The key here is to makethat task incredibly simple.
Don't try to build awhole business at once.
And that is why I'm mentioning startinga side business from semester one with
(34:59):
my Bachelor and Master's students.
I'm preaching this for everyfresh incoming student.
Are you listening to this ideafor the first time as a scientist?
Well, as a professor, I see it as aduty for my own students to prepare
them for whatever is their future work.
(35:20):
So back to you.
Instead, you need to identify tiny,tiny steps that are doable for you.
So can you spend 15 minutesresearching a competitor?
Yes, can you draft one LinkedIn post?
Yes, can you make a contact, writethem why you wanna connect with them?
(35:40):
When these tasks are simple, youcan do them and your ability to
do something like that skyrockets.
And this is whether sprintmentality truly comes alive, break
it down, make it easy, and do it.
This reminds me on self-efficacy andmastery experiences, and we already
talked about it at length in previousepisodes, so I'll just link that in
(36:05):
the show notes for you to listen.
So here's my personal story.
When I decided to launch myPostdocTransformation Show for the
scientists leading into businessI did not think about to become
a podcasting consultant, Ithought can I record this episode?
Can I learn how to edit just thisone and then the next episode and get
(36:27):
better every time, I do something.
Okay.
I did not know everything, but I knewthat I could learn the next small step.
And tools like Descript madethat ability part so much easier.
I wish I had known that from episode one.
Trust me, I only started to useDescript when I wanted to record
(36:47):
interviews from episode 23 onwards.
I wanted to sound and edit professionallyto respect my guests and also my own
time because I knew that I wanted todouble down on this podcasting journey.
And Descript's AI features mean thatI don't need to be an audio engineer.
(37:07):
And I know a lot of podcasters whohave audio engineers I'd rather
pay for software that can do thework so I can focus on the content.
And Descript has AI featuresthat help me simplify tasks like
transcripts and subtitles, shownotes, social clips, et cetera.
So essentially it's saving meprecious time, which I can now
(37:29):
spend even more with my children.
All right.
So in order to get B like behavior andafter M like motivation, A like ability,
you now finally need P like prompt.
So not prompt like in AI, butmore like actionable prompt.
So this is your call to action, thetrigger that tells you to do the behavior.
(37:50):
It could be an alarm, a reminder, reallyalso seeing someone else doing it.
Like me as a podcaster,I try to walk my talk.
I try to be the role model, that you maynot see in academia, in your vicinity.
So how can you use prompts for youryour site hustle sprint times.
Okay, so put it in your calendar, even ifit's just 30 minutes, twice a week, set an
(38:13):
alarm, use a sticky note on your computer.
These simple triggers willnot you into action when your
motivation and ability are aligned.
Here's your actionable prompt.
Identify a specific recurrent time sloteach week, perhaps a 30 minutes time block
on Tuesday evenings or Saturday morning,and block it out as site hazard sprint.
(38:35):
Set a recurrent alarm for it.
And for me personally, my promptis my podcasting season schedule.
I know that I wanna get eight episodesin a season for both of my shows,
so I plan my year according to myprofessor duties, school breaks
of my children, family holidays.
And then I set a start andend date for my seasons.
(38:57):
Once I've got that down in my calendar,I reverse engineer my episode titles
to tell a horizontal story arch for agiven season, and then I evaluate what
podcasting deliverables went well andare worth repeating or adapting based
on my statistics, and I then derivethe vertical scripts for each episode.
(39:20):
I then batch record, edit a coupleof episodes, create all marketing
deliverables ahead of time so Ican enjoy maximum time and location
flexibility within my podcasting season.
And this is my CreatingReorganizedstrategy, which you can learn by
listening to my da da da videopodcast, CreatingReorganized
(39:41):
as linked in the show notes.
In our season break over summer, weare preparing season two, so please
ask me all your career transitionquestions and also your business
marketing and selling questions so thatI can answer them in future episodes.
See what I just did here.
I ask you to engage and contribute tomy video shows, CreatingReorganized,
(40:03):
but also PostdocTransformation Show.
So I'm taking out my guesswork so Ican align my future episodes for real
demand by my audience, you, and thatsaves me time to create a wanted product.
By understanding B behavior equalsmap, motivation, ability, and prompt,
(40:26):
you can intentionally design your sidehustle journey to be more successful.
Okay?
So make your steps easy, ensure yourmotivated, and give yourself the gentle
nudges to keep sprinting forward.
It's easy to get sidetracked orstagnate, if you don't know your
motivation, do not develop the keyabilities or have no problems to keep
(40:49):
you accountable for your behavior.
Let's pause for a moment to respectthose who sponsor this valuable episode.
So far you have learned all myfavorite marketing and sales tools.
Now, how can you bring all the data fromyour audience needs and clients together
(41:11):
so you can serve them on a value letter?
And for the long term, even aftermultiple touch points with you, you wanna
remain on their mind for when they areready to buy your service or product.
I'm expanding my digital business.
I use ActiveCampaign as the centerpieceof all my services, like email
course, podcasts, newsletter, shownotes, websites, sales page, mer
(41:32):
shop forms, whatever it is as needed.
As a former IT strategy consultant,I have high requirements on my tech
stack, and ActiveCampaign offers somany integrations to all my other apps.
I use it daily.
If you wanna create your own digitalbusiness with various AI driven lead
magnets and funnel options, DM oremail me ActiveCampaign so I can
(41:55):
share my experience and consult you.
Please check it out viamy link in the show notes.
Again, I only get a small financialreward if you become their customer
using my ActiveCampaign link.
After this quick appreciationof our sponsors, we are now
back in our insightful episode.
(42:20):
Alright, let's talk about thecutting edge because as scientists,
you live and breathe data.
And in the world of sidehustles data is gold.
But getting that data, understanding,market demand, and validating your
brilliant ideas is a long drawn outprocess that can cost a fortune.
(42:40):
And I already talked about how Iuse my video podcast statistics
from Podbean to ground my businessdecisions across all my social media
platforms like Pinterest, YouTube,TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, et cetera.
I use the social media management toolMetricool to track which posts get a
(43:00):
lot of attention, when, why, et cetera,worth to double down in the future.
And I love their calendar plannerand auto list feature on repeat.
They really are my game changerto enjoy social media off times.
Now let's talk about AI tools that youcan use to evaluate and also validate
(43:21):
your commercial value of your site hustle.
AI isn't just for complexalgorithms in the lab.
It's a powerful tool for quicklyassessing market demand and commercial
viability for your site hustle idea.
You can turn your brilliant ideas intodata-backed decisions in a true sprint.
I do that in my podcasts.
(43:42):
When I started offering my careertransition workshops more than 10 years
ago, I had no idea of pricing, calculatingcosts, total addressable market and
freelancer contracts, whatever it is,just to name a view of my then unknowns.
But today, you can ask AI to give youkey criteria to evaluate your site.
(44:03):
Use AI for idea expansionand initial market scan.
These large language models are likehaving a superpowered brainstorming
partner in preliminary marketresearcher at your fingertips.
Better than nothing, right?
Better than relying on yourscientific point of views.
Instead of asking them to writeyour research paper maybe prompt
(44:25):
them for business insights.
So, for example, you can write somethinglike, given my background in A, B, C, like
bioinformatics, what are five potentialside hustle ideas that solve core
problems for biotech startups, my targetaudience, and what are their biggest pain
points that my solution could address?
(44:47):
My strength, my whateverare blah, blah, blah.
I already tried this,blah, blah, blah, blah.
I want to earn more moneywith, hmm, whatever it is.
So you can even ask those large languagemodels to list common questions or
discussions around your specificniche idea and online forms, Reddit
(45:09):
or Quora or something like that.
And that gives you raw, unfilteredinsights into what real people are
struggling with or looking for.
So remember that I ask you to do the samebased on your previous academic degrees
and your outside live experience already.
Well, I want you to combine yourown views with the AI field output.
(45:30):
Don't just take the AI output assuch, because asking AI with that
kind of questions, well, a lot ofPostdocTransformation listeners may do
that, but you need to fine tune that.
You need to put your individuallayer on top of that so that your
business idea is unique to yourcapabilities, motivation, and prompts.
(45:52):
You can use AI for trendspottingand keyword demand.
You can use Google Trends, GoogleAds keyword planner, et cetera.
So these aren't chat bots, but these toolsare sophisticated algorithms, often driven
by machine learning, and they can analyzesearch patterns and predict interest.
And that is what you really needfor evaluating whether your business
(46:16):
idea is flying or not, so to speak.
So they really help you understandwhat people are actively searching
for, willing to pay for that.
You can type in your side hustlekeywords into Google Trends.
Is interest growing, stableor declining over time?
Are there seasonal peaks?
You can even compare side byside, which of your business ideas
(46:38):
would be more demanded or not?
Are there seasonal peaks youcan leverage for launches?
Then use Google Keyword Planner tosee how many people are searching
for terms related to your idea.
High search volumes often equalto high demand and the problem
people are trying to solve.
So for example, over summer, I'm notgonna explain how you can teach better,
(47:02):
but once the semester starts, thatis a totally different demand, right?
So this is really crucial fordeveloping your ideas and setting
up your marketing efforts later on.
Think about how I strategizecontent for ProjectTransformation
versus CreatingReorganized.
It's all about understandingwhat you are listeners and
(47:24):
paying customers are looking for.
Let's pause for a moment to respectthose who sponsor this valuable episode.
Are you wondering when and where youcan get the attention of your audience?
You always think you don'thave the time for posting on
(47:47):
multiple social media platforms.
I totally get you.
I have been enjoying weeks of socialmedia breaks during the school breaks
while I serve my audience with preparedcontent to be scheduled out as needed.
Ideally, you have just derivedcountless social media content from
your one video podcast episode.
Even without a podcast, withMetricool, the Swiss Army Knife for
(48:11):
your social media management, youcan create and schedule your content
in advance according to the bestposting times based on your followers.
For campaigns across many days or weeks,I capitalize on their auto list and repeat
features so I can focus on the importantthings according to my vision of life.
If you wanna schedule your content.
On social media DM or emailme Metricool so I can share
(48:35):
my experience and consult you.
Please check it out viamy link in the show notes.
Again, I only get a small financialreward if you become their
customer using my Metricool link.
Thanking our advertisersfor their financial support.
We are happy to returnto our inspiring episode.
(49:00):
Next one is to use AI for customerinsights and sentiment analysis.
And again, you can use large languagemodels or AI features in survey platforms.
AI can help you sift through vastamounts of unstructured data, social
media comments, product reviews,forum discussions to identify
(49:23):
common themes, pain points, and evensentiment, positive or negative, around
existing solutions or unmet ideas.
Here's how you can use them.
Look at your potential competitors.
Use an AI tool to summarize a bunch ofreviews for you, you can quickly scan
reviews of competing products or services.
(49:45):
What are their customerscomplaining about?
What features are they missing?
What are people praising?
This helps you to adapt your ownunique selling proposition because
then you can address all of that thatthey are missing or complaining about,
and make it an even better solution.
If you launch a small initial survey,using Type form , for example,
(50:08):
some modern platforms now use AIto categorize open-ended questions
and responses, giving you quicker,more robust insights into customer
needs without hours of manual coding.
And remember, these AI tools aren'tmagicians that will do all the work for
you and you don't have to do anything.
(50:30):
But really, they are incrediblypowerful to help you navigate the market
landscape and validate your ideas withdata so that you can sprint towards
a commercially viable side hustle.
It's all about leveraging technologystrategically and showing how
smart entrepreneurs, especiallywomen, can capitalize on technology
(50:53):
to build successful ventures.
Among my students, I see manymen using AI to their advantage.
If you are or identify as a woman,please take this as your nudge
to prioritize learning aboutAI, to leverage whatever you do.
And speaking of leveraging technologyfor impact, for those of you who dream
(51:16):
of building your own brand or business,and who can afford a premium white
label done for your podcasting serviceto market your own business one day,
maybe imagine having a service thatdoes all the heavy lifting for you, from
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(51:37):
from building brand awareness,consistent content, and generating leads.
I am working on somethingtruly transformative for you
as a small business owner.
So stay tuned.
This is exactly what CreatingReorganized,will delve into more deeply in season two.
So my amazing partners like Podbeanfor hosting my video podcast.
(51:59):
Seamless integration for automaticdata flow, total set and forget,
to all podcasting players, Spotify,YouTube, iHeart, or whatever, Descript,
that is my AI for editing and savingso much time and reducing errors.
Thinkific where I can hoste-courses, another set, forget
solution for digital products.
(52:19):
ActiveCampaign for my customerrelationship management.
Email marketing automation, leadnurturing, type form for data collection
and on brand surveys and Metricoolfor tracking all my social media and
analytics, showing me what's working.
All of these are tools I use to makemy side hustles and businesses flow
(52:40):
automatically freeing up my timeto focus on my family and passions.
The way I use technology should beyour role model so that you know
how you can capitalize on technologyto build impactful careers and
business truly CreatingReorganized.
So dear PostdocTransformers, as wereach the finish line of this sprint
(53:01):
and the grand finale of seasonsix, I want you to feel empowered.
You are not just scientists, you areinnovators, problem solvers, and potential
entrepreneurs CreatingReorganizers woowoo, and your academic rigor, your ability
to analyze complex systems and yourpersistence are precisely the superpowers
you need to thrive in the businessworld, whether it's through a side hustle
(53:24):
or a full career leap into business.
Here's your call to action.
It's very simple, yet profound.
Take that first small strategic steptowards your side hustle sprint.
Do not wait for perfection.
Do not let the unknown paralyze you.
Apply the Fogg behavior model.
Make your actions simple.
Stay motivated by your vision of lifeand give yourself that prompt to start.
(53:48):
Right after listening to this episode,open up your LinkedIn profile.
Start one, if you haven't.
Add keywords related to the businessproblems you brainstormed earlier.
Start connecting with two or threesmall business owners and entrepreneurs
in fields that interest you.
I actually take my students toFounders networks so that they can
(54:10):
connect with small business ownersand startups, because I really do
think that this is inspirational.
If you don't have it, use LinkedIn.
Just write a simple connection request.
Maybe with a brief note, I likedyour recent post on X because of Y.
Looking forward to connect with youto read more from you in my feet.
(54:32):
Greetings, your name.
So, imagine your success.
You are confidently buildingand growing your side business.
You are gaining financial freedom,discovering a new sense of fulfillment
and impact and potentially this isleading to a full time entrepreneur leap.
Even if not, you are securing rolesand projects that truly match your
(54:55):
skillset and your aspirations so thatyou can enjoy financial stability
and gain the professional respectyou've always desired feeling, truly
valued in your new business endeavors.
You're not just surviving,you are thriving.
Dear PostocTransformers,what's the failure that you
(55:18):
desperately want to avoid?
Maybe it's that remaining stuckin academia being left over.
Being left behind.
It's allowing the fear of the unknown,the lack of a clear starting point, or
the belief that your academic knowledgeisn't enough to prevent you from
exploring your entrepreneurial potential.
(55:40):
It really means that you are missingout on opportunities for greater
income impact, and ultimately amore fulfilling professional life.
So don't let that be yourstory dear, postdocTransformer.
Listening to this PostdocTransformationShow has prepared you for more.
Your scientific mind is your greatestasset, so use it for your own business.
(56:03):
Have you found this episodeso far helpful for yourself?
Well, maybe you can subscribe onYouTube, Spotify, apple Podcast,
popping or wherever you get our show,and also share this episode with your
PhD bestie because that would encourageus to help the underprivileged,
underrepresented, and underserved earlycareer scientists leaping into business.
(56:23):
This would also ensure that youdon't miss a future episode also.
Our subscription and listening numbersare key for finding the right sponsors for
our show so that we can help you for free.
And now back to the show.
Alright, and that was a veryserious note, but with that, my dear
PostTransformers, I really want tocome to an end of this season six
(56:47):
of the PostdocTransformation Show.
Thank you for being therewhen I needed you most.
You know in season five I had trouble withmy retention rate and with the help of
my students, we were able to turn the shiparound and have a wonderful season six.
(57:07):
So across these 67 episodes in sixseasons, you've downloaded my voice,
not just my speaker's voice, butinstead also my song, the way I sing,
my PostdocTransformation jingle, andalso my CreatingReorganized jingle.
So thank you for having mysong and my words in your ears.
(57:28):
All right.
We're taking a season breakover summer, but don't worry.
The PostdocTransformation teamwill be planning an even more
impactful season seven for you.
To keep you thinking and prepared,we will publish our best social clips
on most major podcast players so youcan enjoy life and get inspired for
your PostdocTransformation, , andif you need more, re-listen to
(57:51):
our evergreen full episodes.
Most PostdocTransformers actually dolisten to a single episode multiple
times as our content really hitshome differently, depending on your
stage of your PostdocTransformation.
And while we are on the break,make sure to subscribe to our
Creating Reorganized Show, seasontwo, launching very, very soon.
(58:12):
If you're curious about taking your sidehustle to the next level, understanding
marketing, selling and leveraging videopodcasting for your business, Creating
Reorganized is your go-to resource.
We're showing you how to build brandawareness, create consistent content
and generating leads all on yourown terms and without burning out.
And don't forget that little teaserI dropped about our upcoming premium
(58:37):
white label done for your podcastingservice for small business owners.
If you are an established businessowner looking to amplify your
message, reach new audiences, andconsistently deliver your expertise
without the headache of production,keep your eyes peeled for my offer.
It's designed to be yourultimate marketing powerhouse.
(58:58):
Thank you so much for listening.
Until next time, build yourPostdocTransformation according
to your vision of life.
Do you wanna a transcript or our episode?
And our episode sponsors answersto all six bold questions so
that you can choose to apply.
Do you wanna nominate your potentialemployer of choice so that we
can ask them our bold questions?
(59:19):
For all of that, click on our linksin our show notes and on our website,
www.postdoctransformation.com.
Remember to check your readinessto leap out of science and to
enroll in our free email coursecareer transition made Simple.
Thanks for your attention.
I'm Prof. Dr. Eleonore Soei-Winkels,the host of your seasonal
PostdocTransformation Show.
(59:39):
Postoc.
PostdocTransformation.
Invest in your postdoc transformation.
Welcome to the seasonal show forscientists leaping into business.
Make sure to check your readiness toleap out of science with us for free.
As linked in the show notes foryour career transition, we offer
(00:32):
customized career transition,e-course, and memberships also at
graduate schools all over the world.
Maybe yours too.
And if your university isn't yet ourcustomer, enroll in your free email
course for career transition madeSimple as linked in the show notes.
I'm your host Prof. Dr. EleonoreSoei-Winkels with my team who is
rooting for you, and let's build yourPostdocTransformation with this episode.
(00:57):
Dear PostdocTransformers, welcome backto the final episode of Season six
of the PostdocTransformation Show forthe scientists leaping into business.
Woo-hoo.
So give yourself a huge round of applausebecause you have been on an incredible
journey, across six seasons, we havetackled everything from taming those
imposter syndrome monsters to identifyingwhere your research and teaching skills
(01:24):
actually do fit in the corporate jungle.
We've talked about how to leave academiawithout burning bridges, how to come
back maybe to academia one day, oneof the most favorite episodes of all
time, and let's be honest, navigatingthe shift from academia to business
and maybe also even back can feellike navigating a minefield sometimes.
(01:47):
And we have truly, truly tried toprepare you for the future of work and
the future of jobs in this era of AI.
We had inspiring interview guests fromall over the world, a few professors in
academia and most are in senior businessleadership positions in consulting
and other future-proof industries.
(02:09):
But today, dear PostTransformers,we're not just wrapping up season
six, we're igniting a spark.
We're talking about taking control,carving out your own path, and building
something meaningful that is truly yours.
Today's episode is about a topicthat is very, very close to my heart
something that I have lived andtried to also role model for you.
(02:33):
It's your side hustle sprintfrom idea to income beyond
academia, beyond your studies.
Wait, hear me out.
I know that many of youare thinking side hustle?
Eleonore, I'm barely survivingmy research schedule, my teaching
schedule, it's summer and I'malready exhausted for the whole year.
So I cannot try to launch a businesswhen, how, and believe me, I hear you,
(02:58):
but what if I told you that your sidehustle could be your launchpad, your
runway, it's about building confidence,self-efficacy, business acumen, all the
things that you really need in parallelto your research and teaching skills
if you want to leap into business.
(03:21):
Your side hustle could be thekey to unlock all of this.
Your side hustle could be thebest teacher that you can get
for honing your business skills.
So I want you to build aPostdocTransformation side hustle,
to create a safety net for whateverhappens in your life, whether it will
be as an employee, that you have anexit, whether it would be to start
(03:46):
your own business so that you now canhave already an idea of how to market,
how to develop a business, et cetera.
So whatever it is, I think the best timeto learn how to run a business is now.
(04:06):
Hey, before we continue, we wannaappreciate those who finance
this viable episode for you.
I wanna share with you my bestmarketing agent, serving my
underprivileged, underrepresented,and underserved audience.
Leads and clients is key for meas an agent, working mom, business
(04:27):
owner and professor in Germany.
But.
I can't be marketing and sellingall the time, and I have to be
mindful with my own resources.
So I chose Podbean as my podcastinghost and monetizing provider.
I'm on the Unlimited plus plan forour PostdocTransformation Show and
creating reorganized show with Podbean.
Your audience can inclusively listenon what your podcast, according to
(04:50):
their visual and auditive needs.
You can also embed your customizedpodcast player on your external website.
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You can easily share your podcast on allmajor podcasting directories, which allow
you to reach a huge audience on theirfavorite devices in their countries.
Podbean also has an ads marketplace,and you can easily attract and manage
(05:13):
sponsors for dynamic ads, which are playedout depending on your audience criteria.
This way you can serveyour audience for free.
Some of them become your clientseventually, but your advertising
sponsors independently supportyou financially in each episode.
You will see insightful stats perdemographic and which episodes attracted
(05:34):
most listeners so you can tailor yourfuture episodes for your leads and
clients and present suitable external ads.
If you wanna try out pobe foryour own podcasting DM or email me
Podbean so I can share my experienceand consult you, please check it
out via my link in the show notes.
I only get a small financialreward if you become their
(05:54):
customer using my Podbean link.
After this quick appreciationof our sponsors, we are now
back in our insightful episode.
So this is going to be a jam packedepisode full of actionable prompts.
(06:15):
And as always in this season six,I will also discuss a psychological
model to help you actually do things,and of course share some AI magic
to validate your brilliant ideas.
And speaking of magic, get ready becausesoon season two of Creating Reorganized,
my other video podcast is launching andit's all about building a marketing and
(06:38):
selling machine for your own business.
More on that later.
Alright, let's go.
Dear PostdocTransformers.
You are an incredible listenerand the hero of our story, right?
You've dedicated years or decades evento become a rigorous academic researcher.
You're a critical thinker, a problemsolver, and a master of data.
(07:02):
You are very likely to thriveon intellectual challenges.
If you are just like me, then you arealso driven by the desire of having
impact on your students, on the peoplewho will also benefit from your research.
(07:22):
And hopefully you are alsothinking that also should benefit
you at the end of the day.
So a little bit more cashwould be really nice.
Okay, so here's the rub.
You are on your way to your thirtiesand adulting feels hard when you still
live like a student and maybe yournon-PhD friends enjoy their lives while
(07:44):
you, well you do your thing, right?
So maybe you wanna settle andstart a family, but getting
tenure feels like gambling.
And honestly, when you lookaround now is maybe not the
right time to start a family.
Really, you are not getting any younger.
So you might be feeling a a financialpinch perhaps, wondering how to
(08:07):
translate those grant writing thoseediting skills into something that
pays the mortgage outside of academia.
And maybe it's also a pinchof professional identity.
Like, who am I if I'm not doctor,lead researcher at blah, blah, blah.
And let's not forgetthe big scary unknown.
You've done research lived andbreathed academia for almost all of
(08:31):
your adult life, but now you don'tknow what's waiting on the other side.
And the fear of leaping into abusiness world where you feel that
you lack the right skills or that youlose that precious work life balance
I don't know, it doesn't sound precious,but I can tell you, you have more time
at your hands than you will ever haveonce you are in the business world.
(08:54):
Trust me, I've been there.
I'm still there.
I know what I can cherish in academia.
You might be aspiring for a moreflexible life, higher income that
truly reflects your intellect and agreater impact beyond academic citations
or a new intellectual challenge.
And I can feel youabsolutely deep in my heart.
(09:17):
In my grad school years, I often joked,only three to five researchers in
the world would read my publications.
And it actually made me reallysad to be honest, a couple of
years ago I actually made a reel.
Honestly, I can't find it anymorebecause I've done thousands
of videos and everything.
But I know the gist of that caption byheart, I left academia for having more
(09:42):
impact, went to IT and business andI had more impact, but I did a lot of
transformation and change managementwith people who did not want to change in
the first place, but they had to change.
And today as a professor, since10 years, I'm working with young
adults who want to change, and thatmakes my impact even better, right?
(10:07):
I have more impact as a professor teachingmy Bachelor and Master's students.
But if I would record that reeltoday, I would add the following.
I have more impact as a podcasterwith my two video podcasts.
True.
By the time of recording thisepisode, I have 11.8 K podcast
downloads or listenings for thePostdocTransformation show alone.
(10:32):
And then another 2.6 for theCreatingReorganized show.
And it's more separate audiences.
On social media, I have 20 5K viewson Instagram per month and 60 K
on TikTok and 16 K on LinkedIn.
For me, impact is important and that'swhy podcasting is my way forward.
(10:55):
And I already know which of my podcastswill shape my postdoc transformation most.
I just joked that I did more thana thousand videos, and that's true.
When you see me enjoying my videos,it wasn't like that in the beginning.
It's a journey.
I really went from a shameful socialmedia beginner to someone who knows
(11:17):
what to do and loves to learn more.
I don't think that I'm finished.
I will learn as much as I need inthis AI times to capitalize on my
data driven and IT strategy fueledway of working because that is much
more for me than being a professor.
(11:38):
Hey, before we continue, we wannaappreciate those who finance
this viable episode for you.
I wanna share with youmy time and energy saver.
As a professor for industrial andoccupational psychology, I also teach
about the future of work, and as a formerIT strategy consultant, of course, I
(12:00):
embrace AI to be a future approved podcastproducer of the PostdocTransformation
Show and the Creating Reorganized show.
Descript is the video and audiopodcast editing tool of my choice.
I pay for their creator plan,and it's worth every dollar.
Descript comes with an integrated,professional, remote recording
studio for the best audioquality for your guests and you.
(12:23):
For example, I record an hour interviewwith a guest or a solo, and instead
of painstakingly doing a rough cutand deleting all the arms, and arms
and fillers and rambling around,which I did for hours, I now click on
Descript's, AI editing for clarity,and my rough cut is done in seconds.
Or a minute for fine tuning.
I edit text instead of audio waves,and I just insert all my prerecorded
(12:47):
music, intro ads and outro likethis one in a matter of minutes.
I can then easily explore closecaptions, fine tune AI driven summaries,
chapter markers, and titles, which Ifeed into my show notes and podcast
Host Descript even suggests the bestclips for social media and their
video editor automatically includesthe synchronized speakers cameras.
(13:11):
Audio captions.
I can also include stockgraphics or prerecorded videos.
You can find our short formexamples on our Instagram and
TikTok at Postdoc Transformation.
If you wanna try out DS script foryour own podcast editing DM or email me
Descript so I can share my experienceand consult you, please check it
out via my link in the show notes.
(13:31):
I only get a small financialreward if you become their
customer using my Descript link.
Thanking our advertisersfor their financial support.
We are happy to returnto our inspiring episode.
I know a lot of you still contemplateabout becoming a professor.
(13:56):
I'm here to tell you that beinga professor is just a job.
It's a job that should pay your rent,bills, whatever is on your mind.
The salary of a professor is not alot, not for the way I wanna live.
So whether you wanna become a professoror not, you may want to have that
sense of fulfillment, that spark ofinnovation that is in research, right?
(14:21):
So now just the thought of going all inon a business venture feels terrifying.
You think I have purelyacademic knowledge.
How can I compete?
This is where this episode comes in.
This is your side hustle sprint.
It's a low risk sandbox to testthe waters, to build something that
(14:43):
reflects your unique genius and startgenerating income on your own terms.
And to be honest, no business rolein industries offers such a high
versus low peak work schedule aroundthe academic year, like you probably
have at the moment at the university.
So especially if you have kids,you will have invaluable time in
(15:10):
parallel with your children whoare in the school academic year.
I have strategically planned the seasonsix final to be on June 19th, so I can
enjoy the summer with my kids and batchcreate new episodes for my Creating
Reorganized while letting you enjoy andwork through our previous evergreen 68
(15:32):
PostdocTransformation Show episodes.
And please DM me your career transitionquestions so I can answer them in
future episodes in season seven.
My own PostdocTransformationis really a testament to this.
After completing my PhD inneuroscience in 2008, talk about
very specialized academic knowledge.
(15:53):
No application really in business.
I immediately leaped into IT, first asan IT analyst at Audi South and then
IT strategy consulting at Accenture.
Even after becoming a professor forindustrial and occupational psychology,
the entrepreneurial bug in me was stillbuzzing in 2014 when I was pregnant.
(16:16):
I started career coaching on the side.
It wasn't about replacing myprofessorship, but expanding my impact
as a psychologist and systemic managementcoach, building something flexible that
allowed me to prioritize my family,picking up my kids after school and spend
quality time with them in the afternoons.
Remember that was 2014.
(16:38):
I just had given birth to myfirst child, but I knew what
kind of mom I would love to be.
So that desire for a work life balanceand a different kind of impact drove me.
My blend of resilience, networking,leveraging technology allowed me to
create something from scratch in theCorona crisis because you know, my then
(17:00):
in-person and local German coachingbusiness crumbled and I had to reinvent my
business as an internationally availablee-course and membership based model.
But that's a story for another episode.
Here's your actionable prompt,my dear PostdocTransformer.
Take a moment to grab a pen orpaper or open a note on your device.
(17:23):
Brainstorm five to 10 low hanging fruitsbased on your academic background or
even pain points you've observed inyour academic field or among your peers.
These aren't just academic problems.
Think of everyday frustrations,inefficiencies or unmet needs.
For example, is there a softwaretool that you can develop, something
(17:47):
that you can build with AI,that could make data analysis or
whatever in your discipline easier.
Maybe you can think of a wayfor simplifying scientific
communication for a broader audience.
Could any of these be the basis of a smallservice or even product you could offer.
Do not censor yourself.
(18:12):
Let's pause for a moment to respectthose who sponsor this valuable episode.
Once you have determined your readinessto leap and want to transition into
business or industries, then you canenroll in your free email course with
10 actionable bingeable email lessonsuntil you start your job in business.
(18:34):
You'll get 10 emails like this.
Number one, how to leap out of signs.
Number two, how to build yoursustainable LinkedIn profile.
Number three, how to readsocial media and network.
Number four, how to researchyour favorite jobs and employers.
Number five, how to do informationalinterviews to get insights.
Number six, how to create yourcustomized applications with chat, GPT.
(18:58):
Number seven, how to prepare yourthesis from a business point of view.
Number eight, how to applyto your favorite employers.
Number nine, how to choosethe right job offer.
Number 10, how toprepare for your new job.
Did you know that we offer deepdive E-course workshops and
(19:20):
memberships at graduate schools,maybe also at yours in the future?
Ask your graduate school coordinatorwhether they wanna book my services
so that I can deliver them to you24 7 365 on your mobile device.
And even better, if you get us paidby your grad school, we will pay
(19:41):
you 50% recurring sales commissions.
So you will earn money with us aswe help you and your PhD besties
to transition into business.
We can build ourPostdocTransformation together.
Woo-hoo.
Thanking our advertisersfor their financial support.
(20:02):
We are happy to returnto our inspiring episode.
So here's your playbook for your sprint.
Now you might feel like you're at thestarting line of the sprint, looking
at a huge, intimidating marathon ahead.
But that's where I come in.
I've been there.
I've navigated the leaps and I evenlaunched my own video podcast, the second
(20:28):
one, which is literally a playbook foryour marketing and selling, and now we
are seeding your business development.
CreatingReorganizes is really a playbookfor starting a side business and
excelling in marketing and selling viaa video podcast just like this one.
You can show your services or even yourproducts or whatever it is, you explain
(20:52):
why you are the go-to person so thateveryone who is listening and watching
to your podcast will want to work withyou, will want to book you or hire you.
The plan for your side hustle sprint isn'tabout quitting your day job tomorrow.
It's about talking small,deliberate, and strategic steps.
(21:12):
It's about validating your ideas quicklyand efficiently learning as you go and
building momentum while playing aroundwith AI and building your business acumen.
And one of the core philosophiesbehind this is the Lean Startup
methodology by Eric Reese.
The Lean Startup encourage youto build, measure, and learn.
(21:34):
Okay?
So don't spend years perfectingsomething in secret until you
find out that no one wants that.
Okay?
You need to get a minimum viable product,an MVP minimum viable product out there.
Get feedback from themarket and iterate, adapt.
My own journey with theCreatingReorganized Show embodies this
(21:57):
by the time of recording this episode,
we are currently at a fantastic 2006K download for just eight episodes.
And do you know how manylisteners do I have?
Well, I have 819 listeners in ourfirst season, and that's a testament
for starting, learning and growing.
If you wanna learn more aboutmy podcasting journey, you
(22:19):
can check out this video.
Why Eleonore Soei-Winkelsis called the Trifecta.
I was actually the first guest inseason one of Podbean's in-House podcast
PodbeanAmplified, where the wonderfulcohost Shay called me the trifecta,
which is a true honor, and you needto listen why she caught me like that.
(22:41):
But essentially it's aboutconsistent content creation
that does not burn you out.
Learning how to generateleads that you really want to
serve well in your business.
Creating reorganized.
Woo.
So here's the actionable prompt.
Think about your brainstormedside hustle idea.
(23:01):
If you are a scientistleaping into business.
You have already a bachelor and probablyalso a master degree under your belt.
When you look at your degrees andeven outside of your academic life,
is there a niche problem that youcan solve for many people who would
pay you for that kind of solution?
So I repeat that.
(23:23):
Is there a niched problem that you cansolve for many people who would pay you?
And then you need to think aboutwhat's the smallest, simplest version
of that solution you could createto get initial feedback to further
refine your business development.
It could be a single social mediapost asking if people are interested.
(23:46):
It could be a simple free guide,a free ebook, or whatever,
A PDF that you can share.
It could be a quick 15 minute consultationor like in my case, a video podcast.
I use Creating Reorganizedas my minimum viable product.
And by the way, as a professor, Iknow a lot of professors, postdoc
(24:07):
scientists, and PhD students.
So if you are thinking of writing abook to earn more money, think twice.
There are better ways toearn money right away.
If you wanna write your book, creatinga Video podcast can even help you write
a better book that truly resonates withyour audience, because your viewers
and listeners engage or not and tellyou a different direction maybe with
(24:33):
their comments, likes, and shares.
They are contributing and shapingyour book with their attention,
which is the watch time.
You can even test and offer lowkey associated offerings, like high
ticket paid consultations, or a minie course for the masses in parallel
to your book that you eventuallydevelop based on the feedback that
(24:57):
you get from your video podcast.
And the idea is to create and testpaid services in an agile and low
cost, low risk entrepreneurial way.
Instead of trying to sell a bookthat very few people know, if you
only start marketing and sellingafter the book's publication date.
(25:20):
Let's pause for a moment to respectthose who sponsor this valuable episode.
I wanna share with you my numberone lead generator, and you can
start that even without a podcast.
It's TypeForm and I use them tocreate free quizzes with open
questions and multiple choice answers.
I also predefined mandatory answers soI can qualify and score leads, collect
(25:41):
their email addresses for later nurturing.
I can brand my quizzes.
For example, my check your readinessto leap out of science quiz with my
audio and video files, so this way Ican share specific podcast episodes
or other information based on theiranswers, and then automatically send
them an email after submitting the quiz.
(26:02):
I even included the calendar invite forthose leads who qualify specifically.
So now I can help everyone on the surfacefor free and divert my valuable time only
to my high ticket leads on a deep level.
I collect all the dataautomatically after my initial
setup, as I have also integratedit with my remaining tech stack.
(26:23):
If you wanna try out TypeForm for yourown lead generation and qualification
DM or email me TypeForm so I canshare my experience and consult you.
Please check it out viamy link in the show notes.
I only get a small financialreward if you become their
customer using my TypeForm link.
Thanking our advertisersfor their financial support.
(26:46):
We are happy to returnto our inspiring episode.
The same actually goesfor a full e-course.
Created my e-course for career transitionmade simple after I conducted my two
day career transition workshop formultiple times at graduate schools, I
(27:07):
knew it was tried and tested thoroughly.
So trust me, you don't wannacreate a huge effort product only
to find out that no one needs itand nobody wants to pay for that.
So based on my data, theCreatingReorganized business development
is the way forward because I seemore demand for marketing and selling
for business owners versus careertransitioning for scientists in my
(27:31):
statistics provided by Podbean, mypodcast hosting and monetizing platform
of choice and completing my tech stack.
By the way, I use a fantastic set oftools that truly embody this set and
forget capability that I cherish a lot,which is time saving error reduction.
And ultimately that shows how women andmen without a tech team can capitalize
(27:55):
on technology for nurturing thoseearly leads and building your audience.
ActiveCampaign is gold.
Behind the scenes, ActiveCampaignintegrates seamlessly for automatic
data flow, allowing you to automateyour communication and build
relationships with your leads and clientseffortlessly from one tool to another,
(28:18):
ActiveCampaign is thecenterpiece of my tech stack.
For collecting information and feedbackefficiently, I rely on TypeF orm . It's
brilliant for surveys, applications,or just gathering contact details of
leads you attract on social media.
And these tools aren'tjust for big businesses.
I'm not a big business, but these arevital for even your earliest side hustle
(28:40):
sprints because that allows you to focuson your core idea of running a business
while the tech handles the mundaneoperational side of your business.
24 7 365. And believe me.
If you want high ticket individualleads and clients, you want
professional and proven tech tools.
(29:03):
You don't wanna look like an amateurhaving no idea how to run a business.
You know that know,like, and trust factor.
That also comes with how youuse your tools beyond the
content that you are offering.
Alright, dear PostdocTransformers, let'stalk about something that is incredibly
powerful that will help you actuallydo this side hustle sprint rather than
(29:25):
just, you know, thinking about it.
Let's be honest, we all have brilliantideas, but to turn them into action or,
you know, get it on the street as wesay in German can be the biggest hurdle.
So this is where I would love tointroduce you to a psychological
model theory or concept.
This one is Dr. BJ Fogg's behavior model.
(29:48):
The Fogg model of behavioris B equals MAP map.
Behavior happens when three elementsconverge at the same moment.
So it's a product, okay?
So you need motivation.
That's M. You need ability,that's A, and you need a prompt.
That's B. So motivation,ability, and prompt, and that.
(30:11):
Then leads to behavior B equals map.
It's elegant, it's simple, and it'sincredibly effective for understanding
why we do or don't do something.
You will learn how to designand control yourself for action.
You can find his paper, a behavioralmodel for persuasive design as
a PDF in his Stanford Resources.
(30:34):
Truly foundational piece of work.
So let's break it down foryour side hustle sprint.
M like motivation.
This is your desire toperform the behavior.
For you dear PostdocTransformer,your motivation is high.
You want more impact, moreincome, more life balance,
more intellectual challenges.
(30:54):
You want to move away fromprecarious working conditions, a
cloudy future of work in academia.
That's your fuel probably.
And here's your actionable prompt.
Each morning before you start your day,take 60 seconds to visualize what success
with your side hustle would look like.
Feel that excitement,that freedom, that impact.
(31:15):
This keeps your motivation tank full.
Maybe you want to create arunway for your better future.
Maybe you wanna build your businessacument to land a good first job in
business, and maybe you wanna earn moneyon the side to finance all extra things.
Maybe you wanna do your first stepsin your journey as an entrepreneur.
(31:35):
So this is highly individual and bestaligned with your vision of life.
We have already talked aboutgoal setting in previous
episodes and your vision of life.
So if you're new to our show, listenback to the previous episodes so
that you get up to speed with allthe PostdocTransformers who have
(31:56):
already capitalized on more episodes.
My motivation is very clear.
I built my PostdocTransformationfamily first.
I spend maximum quality time withmy children as long as they are
little and want to learn from me.
But you must find your own motivationfor your PostdocTransformation.
I just want you to have the sameclarity, I know why I'm doing this,
(32:21):
so get out of my way and let mefocus on what is moving the needle.
Let's pause for a moment to respectthose who sponsor this valuable episode.
If you want a relatively passiveincome, creating a paid e-course as your
(32:43):
service is a great option, especiallyif you are like me, an experienced
teacher in higher education and nowwanna share even more knowledge and
create a paid membership with livegroup meetings beyond the e-course.
Offering an E-course is a no-brainer.
And Thinkific is an AI infusedlearning management system, which
is a dream for every educatorafter setting up an e-course.
(33:05):
And our membership.
You also need to market and sell youre-course, and that's when lead generation
with TypeForm and podcasting viaDescript and Podbean can compliment you.
Well, if you wanna try out Thinkific forcreating your own e-course and membership
DM or email me Thinkific so I can sharemy experience or consult you, please check
(33:26):
it out via my link in the show notes.
I only get a small financialreward if you become their
customer using my Thinkific link.
After this quick appreciationof our sponsors, we are now
back in our insightful episode.
(33:46):
Then after M like motivationcomes A like ability.
This is your capacityto perform the behavior.
Do you feel like you can do it?
This is often where academics getstuck and you know, we look at
building a business and think,oh my God, I cannot do this.
I don't have an MBA, Idunno how to do marketing.
(34:07):
I hate marketing.
I don't even want to do that.
I don't know how to sell.
Well, that task can feel too difficult,especially if you've never done this.
Maybe you are like me, you'll feellike selling marketing is evil.
But then you find out it's actually fun.
And to be honest, in the era of ai,know what is cheap, but know how, and.
(34:37):
Most importantly, know whyour valuable and sought er.
So how can you increase yourability for your side hustle sprint.
The key here is to makethat task incredibly simple.
Don't try to build awhole business at once.
And that is why I'm mentioning startinga side business from semester one with
(34:59):
my Bachelor and Master's students.
I'm preaching this for everyfresh incoming student.
Are you listening to this ideafor the first time as a scientist?
Well, as a professor, I see it as aduty for my own students to prepare
them for whatever is their future work.
(35:20):
So back to you.
Instead, you need to identify tiny,tiny steps that are doable for you.
So can you spend 15 minutesresearching a competitor?
Yes, can you draft one LinkedIn post?
Yes, can you make a contact, writethem why you wanna connect with them?
(35:40):
When these tasks are simple, youcan do them and your ability to
do something like that skyrockets.
And this is whether sprintmentality truly comes alive, break
it down, make it easy, and do it.
This reminds me on self-efficacy andmastery experiences, and we already
talked about it at length in previousepisodes, so I'll just link that in
(36:05):
the show notes for you to listen.
So here's my personal story.
When I decided to launch myPostdocTransformation Show for the
scientists leading into businessI did not think about to become
a podcasting consultant, Ithought can I record this episode?
Can I learn how to edit just thisone and then the next episode and get
(36:27):
better every time, I do something.
Okay.
I did not know everything, but I knewthat I could learn the next small step.
And tools like Descript madethat ability part so much easier.
I wish I had known that from episode one.
Trust me, I only started to useDescript when I wanted to record
(36:47):
interviews from episode 23 onwards.
I wanted to sound and edit professionallyto respect my guests and also my own
time because I knew that I wanted todouble down on this podcasting journey.
And Descript's AI features mean thatI don't need to be an audio engineer.
(37:07):
And I know a lot of podcasters whohave audio engineers I'd rather
pay for software that can do thework so I can focus on the content.
And Descript has AI featuresthat help me simplify tasks like
transcripts and subtitles, shownotes, social clips, et cetera.
So essentially it's saving meprecious time, which I can now
(37:29):
spend even more with my children.
All right.
So in order to get B like behavior andafter M like motivation, A like ability,
you now finally need P like prompt.
So not prompt like in AI, butmore like actionable prompt.
So this is your call to action, thetrigger that tells you to do the behavior.
(37:50):
It could be an alarm, a reminder, reallyalso seeing someone else doing it.
Like me as a podcaster,I try to walk my talk.
I try to be the role model, that you maynot see in academia, in your vicinity.
So how can you use prompts for youryour site hustle sprint times.
Okay, so put it in your calendar, even ifit's just 30 minutes, twice a week, set an
(38:13):
alarm, use a sticky note on your computer.
These simple triggers willnot you into action when your
motivation and ability are aligned.
Here's your actionable prompt.
Identify a specific recurrent time sloteach week, perhaps a 30 minutes time block
on Tuesday evenings or Saturday morning,and block it out as site hazard sprint.
(38:35):
Set a recurrent alarm for it.
And for me personally, my promptis my podcasting season schedule.
I know that I wanna get eight episodesin a season for both of my shows,
so I plan my year according to myprofessor duties, school breaks
of my children, family holidays.
And then I set a start andend date for my seasons.
(38:57):
Once I've got that down in my calendar,I reverse engineer my episode titles
to tell a horizontal story arch for agiven season, and then I evaluate what
podcasting deliverables went well andare worth repeating or adapting based
on my statistics, and I then derivethe vertical scripts for each episode.
(39:20):
I then batch record, edit a coupleof episodes, create all marketing
deliverables ahead of time so Ican enjoy maximum time and location
flexibility within my podcasting season.
And this is my CreatingReorganizedstrategy, which you can learn by
listening to my da da da videopodcast, CreatingReorganized
(39:41):
as linked in the show notes.
In our season break over summer, weare preparing season two, so please
ask me all your career transitionquestions and also your business
marketing and selling questions so thatI can answer them in future episodes.
See what I just did here.
I ask you to engage and contribute tomy video shows, CreatingReorganized,
(40:03):
but also PostdocTransformation Show.
So I'm taking out my guesswork so Ican align my future episodes for real
demand by my audience, you, and thatsaves me time to create a wanted product.
By understanding B behavior equalsmap, motivation, ability, and prompt,
(40:26):
you can intentionally design your sidehustle journey to be more successful.
Okay?
So make your steps easy, ensure yourmotivated, and give yourself the gentle
nudges to keep sprinting forward.
It's easy to get sidetracked orstagnate, if you don't know your
motivation, do not develop the keyabilities or have no problems to keep
(40:49):
you accountable for your behavior.
Let's pause for a moment to respectthose who sponsor this valuable episode.
So far you have learned all myfavorite marketing and sales tools.
Now, how can you bring all the data fromyour audience needs and clients together
(41:11):
so you can serve them on a value letter?
And for the long term, even aftermultiple touch points with you, you wanna
remain on their mind for when they areready to buy your service or product.
I'm expanding my digital business.
I use ActiveCampaign as the centerpieceof all my services, like email
course, podcasts, newsletter, shownotes, websites, sales page, mer
(41:32):
shop forms, whatever it is as needed.
As a former IT strategy consultant,I have high requirements on my tech
stack, and ActiveCampaign offers somany integrations to all my other apps.
I use it daily.
If you wanna create your own digitalbusiness with various AI driven lead
magnets and funnel options, DM oremail me ActiveCampaign so I can
(41:55):
share my experience and consult you.
Please check it out viamy link in the show notes.
Again, I only get a small financialreward if you become their customer
using my ActiveCampaign link.
After this quick appreciationof our sponsors, we are now
back in our insightful episode.
(42:20):
Alright, let's talk about thecutting edge because as scientists,
you live and breathe data.
And in the world of sidehustles data is gold.
But getting that data, understanding,market demand, and validating your
brilliant ideas is a long drawn outprocess that can cost a fortune.
(42:40):
And I already talked about how Iuse my video podcast statistics
from Podbean to ground my businessdecisions across all my social media
platforms like Pinterest, YouTube,TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, et cetera.
I use the social media management toolMetricool to track which posts get a
(43:00):
lot of attention, when, why, et cetera,worth to double down in the future.
And I love their calendar plannerand auto list feature on repeat.
They really are my game changerto enjoy social media off times.
Now let's talk about AI tools that youcan use to evaluate and also validate
(43:21):
your commercial value of your site hustle.
AI isn't just for complexalgorithms in the lab.
It's a powerful tool for quicklyassessing market demand and commercial
viability for your site hustle idea.
You can turn your brilliant ideas intodata-backed decisions in a true sprint.
I do that in my podcasts.
(43:42):
When I started offering my careertransition workshops more than 10 years
ago, I had no idea of pricing, calculatingcosts, total addressable market and
freelancer contracts, whatever it is,just to name a view of my then unknowns.
But today, you can ask AI to give youkey criteria to evaluate your site.
(44:03):
Use AI for idea expansionand initial market scan.
These large language models are likehaving a superpowered brainstorming
partner in preliminary marketresearcher at your fingertips.
Better than nothing, right?
Better than relying on yourscientific point of views.
Instead of asking them to writeyour research paper maybe prompt
(44:25):
them for business insights.
So, for example, you can write somethinglike, given my background in A, B, C, like
bioinformatics, what are five potentialside hustle ideas that solve core
problems for biotech startups, my targetaudience, and what are their biggest pain
points that my solution could address?
(44:47):
My strength, my whateverare blah, blah, blah.
I already tried this,blah, blah, blah, blah.
I want to earn more moneywith, hmm, whatever it is.
So you can even ask those large languagemodels to list common questions or
discussions around your specificniche idea and online forms, Reddit
(45:09):
or Quora or something like that.
And that gives you raw, unfilteredinsights into what real people are
struggling with or looking for.
So remember that I ask you to do the samebased on your previous academic degrees
and your outside live experience already.
Well, I want you to combine yourown views with the AI field output.
(45:30):
Don't just take the AI output assuch, because asking AI with that
kind of questions, well, a lot ofPostdocTransformation listeners may do
that, but you need to fine tune that.
You need to put your individuallayer on top of that so that your
business idea is unique to yourcapabilities, motivation, and prompts.
(45:52):
You can use AI for trendspottingand keyword demand.
You can use Google Trends, GoogleAds keyword planner, et cetera.
So these aren't chat bots, but these toolsare sophisticated algorithms, often driven
by machine learning, and they can analyzesearch patterns and predict interest.
And that is what you really needfor evaluating whether your business
(46:16):
idea is flying or not, so to speak.
So they really help you understandwhat people are actively searching
for, willing to pay for that.
You can type in your side hustlekeywords into Google Trends.
Is interest growing, stableor declining over time?
Are there seasonal peaks?
You can even compare side byside, which of your business ideas
(46:38):
would be more demanded or not?
Are there seasonal peaks youcan leverage for launches?
Then use Google Keyword Planner tosee how many people are searching
for terms related to your idea.
High search volumes often equalto high demand and the problem
people are trying to solve.
So for example, over summer, I'm notgonna explain how you can teach better,
(47:02):
but once the semester starts, thatis a totally different demand, right?
So this is really crucial fordeveloping your ideas and setting
up your marketing efforts later on.
Think about how I strategizecontent for ProjectTransformation
versus CreatingReorganized.
It's all about understandingwhat you are listeners and
(47:24):
paying customers are looking for.
Let's pause for a moment to respectthose who sponsor this valuable episode.
Are you wondering when and where youcan get the attention of your audience?
You always think you don'thave the time for posting on
(47:47):
multiple social media platforms.
I totally get you.
I have been enjoying weeks of socialmedia breaks during the school breaks
while I serve my audience with preparedcontent to be scheduled out as needed.
Ideally, you have just derivedcountless social media content from
your one video podcast episode.
Even without a podcast, withMetricool, the Swiss Army Knife for
(48:11):
your social media management, youcan create and schedule your content
in advance according to the bestposting times based on your followers.
For campaigns across many days or weeks,I capitalize on their auto list and repeat
features so I can focus on the importantthings according to my vision of life.
If you wanna schedule your content.
On social media DM or emailme Metricool so I can share
(48:35):
my experience and consult you.
Please check it out viamy link in the show notes.
Again, I only get a small financialreward if you become their
customer using my Metricool link.
Thanking our advertisersfor their financial support.
We are happy to returnto our inspiring episode.
(49:00):
Next one is to use AI for customerinsights and sentiment analysis.
And again, you can use large languagemodels or AI features in survey platforms.
AI can help you sift through vastamounts of unstructured data, social
media comments, product reviews,forum discussions to identify
(49:23):
common themes, pain points, and evensentiment, positive or negative, around
existing solutions or unmet ideas.
Here's how you can use them.
Look at your potential competitors.
Use an AI tool to summarize a bunch ofreviews for you, you can quickly scan
reviews of competing products or services.
(49:45):
What are their customerscomplaining about?
What features are they missing?
What are people praising?
This helps you to adapt your ownunique selling proposition because
then you can address all of that thatthey are missing or complaining about,
and make it an even better solution.
If you launch a small initial survey,using Type form , for example,
(50:08):
some modern platforms now use AIto categorize open-ended questions
and responses, giving you quicker,more robust insights into customer
needs without hours of manual coding.
And remember, these AI tools aren'tmagicians that will do all the work for
you and you don't have to do anything.
(50:30):
But really, they are incrediblypowerful to help you navigate the market
landscape and validate your ideas withdata so that you can sprint towards
a commercially viable side hustle.
It's all about leveraging technologystrategically and showing how
smart entrepreneurs, especiallywomen, can capitalize on technology
(50:53):
to build successful ventures.
Among my students, I see manymen using AI to their advantage.
If you are or identify as a woman,please take this as your nudge
to prioritize learning aboutAI, to leverage whatever you do.
And speaking of leveraging technologyfor impact, for those of you who dream
(51:16):
of building your own brand or business,and who can afford a premium white
label done for your podcasting serviceto market your own business one day,
maybe imagine having a service thatdoes all the heavy lifting for you, from
conceptualization strategy to scriptwriting, to editing and distribution,
(51:37):
from building brand awareness,consistent content, and generating leads.
I am working on somethingtruly transformative for you
as a small business owner.
So stay tuned.
This is exactly what CreatingReorganized,will delve into more deeply in season two.
So my amazing partners like Podbeanfor hosting my video podcast.
(51:59):
Seamless integration for automaticdata flow, total set and forget,
to all podcasting players, Spotify,YouTube, iHeart, or whatever, Descript,
that is my AI for editing and savingso much time and reducing errors.
Thinkific where I can hoste-courses, another set, forget
solution for digital products.
(52:19):
ActiveCampaign for my customerrelationship management.
Email marketing automation, leadnurturing, type form for data collection
and on brand surveys and Metricoolfor tracking all my social media and
analytics, showing me what's working.
All of these are tools I use to makemy side hustles and businesses flow
(52:40):
automatically freeing up my timeto focus on my family and passions.
The way I use technology should beyour role model so that you know
how you can capitalize on technologyto build impactful careers and
business truly CreatingReorganized.
So dear PostdocTransformers, as wereach the finish line of this sprint
(53:01):
and the grand finale of seasonsix, I want you to feel empowered.
You are not just scientists, you areinnovators, problem solvers, and potential
entrepreneurs CreatingReorganizers woowoo, and your academic rigor, your ability
to analyze complex systems and yourpersistence are precisely the superpowers
you need to thrive in the businessworld, whether it's through a side hustle
(53:24):
or a full career leap into business.
Here's your call to action.
It's very simple, yet profound.
Take that first small strategic steptowards your side hustle sprint.
Do not wait for perfection.
Do not let the unknown paralyze you.
Apply the Fogg behavior model.
Make your actions simple.
Stay motivated by your vision of lifeand give yourself that prompt to start.
(53:48):
Right after listening to this episode,open up your LinkedIn profile.
Start one, if you haven't.
Add keywords related to the businessproblems you brainstormed earlier.
Start connecting with two or threesmall business owners and entrepreneurs
in fields that interest you.
I actually take my students toFounders networks so that they can
(54:10):
connect with small business ownersand startups, because I really do
think that this is inspirational.
If you don't have it, use LinkedIn.
Just write a simple connection request.
Maybe with a brief note, I likedyour recent post on X because of Y.
Looking forward to connect with youto read more from you in my feet.
(54:32):
Greetings, your name.
So, imagine your success.
You are confidently buildingand growing your side business.
You are gaining financial freedom,discovering a new sense of fulfillment
and impact and potentially this isleading to a full time entrepreneur leap.
Even if not, you are securing rolesand projects that truly match your
(54:55):
skillset and your aspirations so thatyou can enjoy financial stability
and gain the professional respectyou've always desired feeling, truly
valued in your new business endeavors.
You're not just surviving,you are thriving.
Dear PostocTransformers,what's the failure that you
(55:18):
desperately want to avoid?
Maybe it's that remaining stuckin academia being left over.
Being left behind.
It's allowing the fear of the unknown,the lack of a clear starting point, or
the belief that your academic knowledgeisn't enough to prevent you from
exploring your entrepreneurial potential.
(55:40):
It really means that you are missingout on opportunities for greater
income impact, and ultimately amore fulfilling professional life.
So don't let that be yourstory dear, postdocTransformer.
Listening to this PostdocTransformationShow has prepared you for more.
Your scientific mind is your greatestasset, so use it for your own business.
(56:03):
Have you found this episodeso far helpful for yourself?
Well, maybe you can subscribe onYouTube, Spotify, apple Podcast,
popping or wherever you get our show,and also share this episode with your
PhD bestie because that would encourageus to help the underprivileged,
underrepresented, and underserved earlycareer scientists leaping into business.
(56:23):
This would also ensure that youdon't miss a future episode also.
Our subscription and listening numbersare key for finding the right sponsors for
our show so that we can help you for free.
And now back to the show.
Alright, and that was a veryserious note, but with that, my dear
PostTransformers, I really want tocome to an end of this season six
(56:47):
of the PostdocTransformation Show.
Thank you for being therewhen I needed you most.
You know in season five I had trouble withmy retention rate and with the help of
my students, we were able to turn the shiparound and have a wonderful season six.
(57:07):
So across these 67 episodes in sixseasons, you've downloaded my voice,
not just my speaker's voice, butinstead also my song, the way I sing,
my PostdocTransformation jingle, andalso my CreatingReorganized jingle.
So thank you for having mysong and my words in your ears.
(57:28):
All right.
We're taking a season breakover summer, but don't worry.
The PostdocTransformation teamwill be planning an even more
impactful season seven for you.
To keep you thinking and prepared,we will publish our best social clips
on most major podcast players so youcan enjoy life and get inspired for
your PostdocTransformation, , andif you need more, re-listen to
(57:51):
our evergreen full episodes.
Most PostdocTransformers actually dolisten to a single episode multiple
times as our content really hitshome differently, depending on your
stage of your PostdocTransformation.
And while we are on the break,make sure to subscribe to our
Creating Reorganized Show, seasontwo, launching very, very soon.
(58:12):
If you're curious about taking your sidehustle to the next level, understanding
marketing, selling and leveraging videopodcasting for your business, Creating
Reorganized is your go-to resource.
We're showing you how to build brandawareness, create consistent content
and generating leads all on yourown terms and without burning out.
And don't forget that little teaserI dropped about our upcoming premium
(58:37):
white label done for your podcastingservice for small business owners.
If you are an established businessowner looking to amplify your
message, reach new audiences, andconsistently deliver your expertise
without the headache of production,keep your eyes peeled for my offer.
It's designed to be yourultimate marketing powerhouse.
(58:58):
Thank you so much for listening.
Until next time, build yourPostdocTransformation according
to your vision of life.
Do you wanna a transcript or our episode?
And our episode sponsors answersto all six bold questions so
that you can choose to apply.
Do you wanna nominate your potentialemployer of choice so that we
can ask them our bold questions?
(59:19):
For all of that, click on our linksin our show notes and on our website,
www.postdoctransformation.com.
Remember to check your readinessto leap out of science and to
enroll in our free email coursecareer transition made Simple.
Thanks for your attention.
I'm Prof. Dr. Eleonore Soei-Winkels,the host of your seasonal
PostdocTransformation Show.
(59:39):
Postoc.
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