Building A Business From Python Expertise - Michael Kennedy (Founder, Talk Python Training)

If you are listening to this show, you have likely heard of a programming language called Python. And if you are a Python developer, you've likely heard of a podcast dedicated to this programming language - Talk Python To Me (https://talkpython.fm/). It was started by none other than Michael Kennedy, a Python Software Foundation fellow (https://www.python.org/psf/fellows/) who managed to turn his expertise into a viable bootstrapped business. In this show, we talk about ways to plan a training business from scratch, what tactics worked best to grow a podcast audience, and how to make sure that you have a viable idea before you quit your day job.

You can find Michael on the following sites:

🌎 Website (https://mkennedy.codes/)
😺 GitHub (https://github.com/mikeckennedy)
🐘 Mastodon (https://fosstodon.org/@mkennedy)
💼 LinkedIn (  / mkennedy  )
🎥 Video (   / @mikeckennedy  )
📚 Talk Python Training (https://training.talkpython.fm/course...)
🎙️ Talk Python To Me Podcast (https://talkpython.fm/)

Read more about the show: https://theworkitem.com/blog/building...

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You can check out more episodes of The Work Item on https://theworkitem.com.The Work Item podcast is hosted by Den Delimarsky (https://den.dev).

#engineering #Career #podcast

00:05 - Intro
00:21 - Michael's current work
01:13 - Talk Python as a bootstrapped business
02:18 - Bootstrapped business is not coasting
03:43 - Early interest in technology
04:52 - Why Python
08:35 - Python is amazing
11:04 - Python is about simplicity and reuse
13:30 - What's a Python Software Foundation Fellow
16:27 - What started Talk Python To Me
18:32 - Motivation for a self-started business
24:50 - Vision for the podcast
26:32 - Value of the inspiration factor
28:50 - Value of finding your own niche
31:21 - Becoming a trusted Python voice
33:29 - Podcast as a core component of the business
35:11 - Building a SaaS business
37:10 - Biggest challenges with starting your business
40:27 - Why you should not be giving up control of your content
41:03 - First time earning money from your business
41:58 - Spotting signs of a sustainable business
43:19 - Planning for fallbacks if the business doesn't work
45:20 - Hard-cut transition to full-time bootstrapping
48:01 - Legal considerations of working on side projects
51:47 - Scaling the tactical and operational sides of the business
54:22 - Framework for balancing the time
55:53 - Unconventional advice for viewers
57:11 - Where can you find Michael