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295 Sam Sethi - Self-Deprecation, Sarcasm & Creating Communities Through Podcasting

Episode Summary

Award-winning radio presenter and Host of Podland News, Sam Sethi, joins the show to discuss the numerous entrepreneurial projects he’s worked on throughout his career, including the work he’s currently doing at River Radio. Today, Harry and Sam share in an engaging dialogue focusing on Sam’s tech journey, his transition to angel investing and other entrepreneurial pursuits, and the overall direction of the podcasting industry.

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Key Takeaways

06:42 – Entrepreneur Sam Sethi joins the show to discuss the inspiration behind launching TechCrunch Europe and his natural curiosity

11:53 – The self-deprecating, sarcastic and thirsty Brits

17:55 – Sam’s fondest memory of early tech

21:42 – From Netscape to Microstrategy and Sam’s experience with Michael Saylor

26:23 – Transitioning to angel investing and other entrepreneurial projects

34:08 – The origin story of River Radio

38:05 – What keeps Sam driven and motivated

42:49 – The Wine Keller and Viral Tribe

49:24 – Sam provides his thoughts on the overall health and future of the podcasting industry

54:27 – The most misunderstood thing about Sam and something he’s changed his mind about recently

58:58 – Harry thanks Sam for joining the show and let’s listeners know where they can connect with him

Tweetable Quotes

“I think British people are very sarcastic as well. That’s one thing the Americans can quite get from us unless they’ve been in the company of Brits for a while. So, we have three traits. We are self-deprecating, sarcastic and we drink like a fish.” (12:10) (Sam)

“The businesses I did after came about by chance. I sold a business to Topshop, which is a female clothing retailer aimed at teenagers in the UK. It came out of my daughter's need to find cheap clothing from her budget that we gave her. She was trying to maximize her budget and I thought, ‘I can write a real-time pricing tracker for her.’ So, I did. And out of that came another business.” (32:39) (Sam)

“We’re not a music radio station. We’re more of a talk radio station. We have shows on wine, parenting, books. So, we don’t expect someone to listen seven to seven. They dip in and dip out. It means we can build communities and tribes within each show.” (39:05) (Sam)

“I get bored quickly. Three years is probably the limit of my interest in something. If it’s not continuously moving forward, if it stagnates after two or three years, I’ll move on.” (41:32) (Sam)

“I think PR companies and brand agencies are beginning to wake up to the potential reach and the vertical communities that are being created around podcasts.” (51:04) (Sam)