Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ginni Saraswati. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Ginni, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Is your team able to work remotely? If so, how have you made it work? What, if any, have been the pitfalls? What have been the non-obvious benefits?

Since the beginning, Ginni Media has been a 100% remote company. After having worked the 9am-5pm model for most of my 20’s, there was just something about it that didn’t fit me. It was like that really cool dress or outfit that all the cool kids were wearing and you thought you’d try it on too, because you wanted to be cool as well. Yet, each time you tried it on, something didn’t feel good about it. Little did I know that back then, what this feeling was telling me was that I didn’t beat to the drum of traditional model of work. In fact, I needed something a little offbeat. Something that was yet to be explored but I wanted a sense of freedom and autonomy around my day. From my last 9-5 job, I moved into shift work, where I learned the next valuable data point for me – Shift work allowed me to leave work at work. There was no “take home” work, after hours task or “unpaid overtime” that I needed to do. This allowed me to make a living to cover costs, save and also have the freedom of mind and space to build my side hustle, now known as Ginni Media. And in that company, we have team members from over 16 countries around the world and we are entirely remote. This freedom and autonomy, along with other values we share, is a corner stone to our success. What I value about creating a company and hiring a team is that it matter that we had a connection point to share ideas, thoughts and get to know each other, yet also have the freedom to go and execute. Remote work felt the way to do this, and my entire team is remote – infusing their own backgrounds, cultures and creativity into our global fam at Ginni Media.

Here’s 3 ways Remote Work can be effective for your company:

Working From Home Is Not The Same As Working In The Office

One of the biggest mistakes businesses make when implementing a remote work plan is assuming that their employees are doing the same jobs, but from home. It’s simply not always the case. Access to resources that you would so freely have in an office environment may not be so available from home. Companies need to start thinking about ways on how to support their team to be fully set up and be autonomous in their home, without the added frustration of having to figure out basic communication or infrastructural issues. These are the things that will frustrate employees and steer their attention away from their day to day tasks and impact morale if not addressed in time.

Workshops on Time Management & Remote Tools

While 77% of surveyed workers say they are more productive when working from home, it can be quite an isolating environment. It’s also one where you can be easily distracted and be far less productive if not supported. Think about offering workshops on how to manage time, especially in the work from home context. What programs, tools and advice can team members use to effectively executive and make an efficient use of their time?

Clarity is key. When expectations are unclear, everything can feel urgent, leading to poor focus and productivity and little to no progress. Project management tools like Asana or monday.com can help with making tasks clear and organized and can lessen ineffective back-and-forth communication that might otherwise slow productivity to a crawl.

Find New Ways To Connect

You can’t wonder over to your co-worker’s desk or cubicle to discuss where to go for lunch. The team environment or energy is missing from a remote setting. There can still be bouts of loneliness and missing the camaraderie of an office environment. Employers need to consider how they can maintain a genuine connection with their team members now that the physical, in-person element is no longer there. Companies should still put time and effort into incentives, social events, in-person meet-ups or a membership to a co-working space that team members can use should they want a change of scenery from the home office.

Ginni, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

About Me:

Born in Sri Lanka, migrated to Melbourne, Australia at 2 years of age and lived there for 30 years. Now, living in NYC :)

Formerly a morning show FM radio host in Melbourne, Australia, I become a podcaster as a consequence :) When podcasting first came about in the early 2000’s, FM radio stations were pulling interviews and segments that were done live on air and repurposing them as podcasts. From the data we were receiving at the time, it was clear that this was the new “on demand radio” that had followed closely to what was happening with Cable TV. From there, I noticed that content that was specific to topics, community or “Niche” was opening up a world of new listeners thanks to the internet. From here, I started my podcast ‘The Ginni Show,” and side hustled Ginni Media.

I’m a passionate coffee drinker, love finding magic in the mundane, enjoy trying new restaurants and travelling to new places with my girlfriend, Aleah.

About Ginni Media

Ginni Media is a company with team members hailing from over 16 different countries. I’m extremely proud of our culture and the fact that it’s influenced by individuals from all around the world. Our retention is high due to our work environment and how we walk or talk – podcasting is about conversations, audio netflix and a vehicle to build brand authority, bridges and connection, yes, however the key component to achieving all of this is to listen. We have built our culture of freedom, community, joy, growth and adventure and are a community of creatives serving diverse voices from around the world.

We have the priviledge of working with some of the world’s most leading brands and individuals – Conde Nast, Siemens, Microsoft to name a few, and are excited about the future of audio media.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

As Ginni Media is privately owned, I’ve haven’t had to go through seed rounds or raising capital. My journey was as follows: 1. Have a full time job that allowed me to make enough money to cover my costs of living, leave work at work so I had the mental capacity and space to focus and dedicate to building my business and to outsource some of that work, if need be.
2. Once I have revenue coming in from my side business, I can now start to thinking about where I need to focus and start to delegate some of the lower priority tasks that require my attention elsewhere
3. Constantly look at what you need (numbers, profit, team) to turn your side hustle into your main hustle.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Referrals. Ginni Media’s growth has been 100% referral based. We have not spent a dollar on digital advertising or marketing. It’s honestly the highest compliment a client could ever give you and I don’t take that lightly. It can be easy to fall into the trap of always looking for new clients in shiny places – take care of the people you have (your existing clients), and more of the same people will be referred to you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ginnimedia.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theginnishow
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ginnimedia
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ginnisaraswati
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/theginnishow
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiV870B4lcJaJ_OaLJTDS5Q

Image Credits
Joey Middleton Hannah Schwab