Ginni Saraswati

expert panel

With so many different people in any given industry, it's helpful to know how to identify the right individuals to network with. When you’re a business leader, connections that are made while networking can open doors to new opportunities and future collaborations. But knowing who to connect with and how to do so naturally can be a challenge, especially with so many potential ways to find and contact other professionals in your industry. To help you, a panel of Rolling Stone Culture Council experts share their top recommended strategies for how to find the right people to network with. Follow their advice so you can strategically make the right connections to help your business succeed.

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The end of the year is a notoriously busy time, but it's important to make room in your schedule for these key year-end to-dos. As the end of the year approaches, most businesses are wrapping up any outstanding projects and assessing what needs to be carried over into the new year. It's the perfect time for leaders to meet with employees to discuss what worked, what could be better and how teamwork can help achieve next year’s goals. Below, a panel of Rolling Stone Culture Council members share some essential items business leaders should achieve before January 1st. Here's why they believe these 13 tasks belong on your end-of-year to-do list.

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As the amount of e-commerce channels and online competitors increase, businesses must choose the right tactics to stand out. The e-commerce landscape has evolved rapidly in recent years as more and more "shoppable" digital platforms emerge. Instead of only being able to make online purchases on a company's website or Amazon page, consumers can also buy products directly through popular social media apps like Instagram or Facebook. Though there are more avenues than ever to get discovered by potential buyers, there may also be a smaller chance of getting noticed among a growing sea of competitors. To help businesses stand out, 10 Rolling Stone Culture Council members share their top tactics for getting the most online sales possible.

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Any employee who interfaces with customers should have the right skills to properly and effectively represent your brand. Hiring for any position is rarely an easy task, and it can be even more difficult when you're filling a customer-facing role. Not only does the person you hire need to be a match for your company culture, but they also need the right personality and skills to effectively represent your brand to the general public. Below, a panel of Rolling Stone Culture Council members share 10 specific skills or traits they look for when hiring for a customer-facing or public role, and explain why each of these qualities is so essential to an employee's success in this type of position.

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The way you respond to an online complaint can make or break your brand, so it's important to have a solid response strategy. Building an online presence across multiple social media platforms, websites and search engines is essential for any modern business. However, being a part of the digital realm also opens you up to online complaints from unhappy customers. It can be difficult to know how to handle a negative review in any environment, but with the added visibility online reviews have, the response you give will ultimately weaken or strengthen your reputation. To turn negative feedback into a positive brand experience, follow these tips from the members of Rolling Stone Culture Council. Below, they discuss what businesses should do when they find themselves on the receiving end of an online complaint.

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The key to modern employee retention really isn’t a secret at all. At a time when employees are leaving their jobs en masse, it can be challenging to maintain your top workers. Employees today are more comfortable quitting a job in search of something better, so if your business doesn't meet their expectations, you might be struggling to fill several suddenly open positions. Having committed, long-term employees helps with overall production speeds and cultivates a positive work environment. So with advice like listening to employee feedback and creating individualized success plans, 11 Rolling Stone Culture Council members share their "secrets" to employee retention and why these strategies work so well.

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Staying autonomous as your business scales up requires a strong understanding of yourself and your mission — and trust in your team to carry out that mission. If you're an independent creator, you may be considering scaling your business. While scaling is a great way to increase your presence and profit, it also often requires bringing other people into the mix — a significant adjustment when you're accustomed to working independently. Fortunately, it is possible to grow your brand without losing sight of your original creative vision. To help, the members of Rolling Stone Culture Council share 11 tips to help you scale your business while still maintaining your autonomy.

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Before you commit to a business partner, make sure they bring the right skills and traits to the table. As in any other partnership, a business partnership can bring incredible value -- as long as it's the right fit. If not, the relationship could become detrimental to the success of the company. That's why entrepreneurs must carefully consider whether a prospective partner will complement their leadership style and the business, or whether it's best to find another solution. If you're seeking a new business partnership, make sure your potential collaborator has these 10 critical essentials, as recommended by members of Rolling Stone Culture Council. 

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There are various ways to approach soundproofing, ranging from more budget-friendly methods to professional setups.

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The driving force behind any podcast is passion.

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Slow growth may seem counterintuitive, but it could actually lead you to greater success. When you first get into business, you may think you need to build your business and turn a profit as fast as you can, but according to the members of Rolling Stone Culture Council, there’s certainly an argument — or at least 12 — to be made for slow growth. While growing quickly may seem like the fastest way to reach success, slowing down and taking your time may actually be the key to long-term sustainability. Below, each member explains one reason why you should opt for growing slowly when building your business and why they believe that’s the best path for success.

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The more trust your audience places in you, the more intimate their listening experience will be.

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A mentor’s advice can change the way you view yourself and your business. For those lucky enough to find one, a mentor can be an invaluable ally when starting a business. Their expert guidance and leadership can help provide you with the tools and knowledge you need to push past obstacles and build something truly sustainable. The members of Rolling Stone Culture Council have each had their own role models and mentors throughout their business journeys. Below, they each share the top lesson they learned from their mentor and how that lesson impacts the way they lead their businesses now.

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The history of radio set the tone for contemporary audio media like podcasts.

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To grow as a podcaster, you’ll need a unique blend of determination, strategy and creative innovation.

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Take the time to evaluate the situation before you jump ahead. Being an entrepreneur is all about taking risks and reaping rewards. But it’s how you go about taking those risks that defines how successful you are in business. And whether calculated or impulsive, any risk has the potential for a negative outcome. However, with time and experience, it is possible to get better at taking risks and determining whether or not they’ll work out for you. Below, the members of Rolling Stone Culture Council share some signs you can look for that will indicate if you’re about to make a big mistake rather than a risk that’s going to pay off.

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It's 2022, and employees' expectations have changed with the times. As the world has changed in the past couple of years, so too have employees’ expectations about their work. Employees are putting their personal fulfillment and work-life balance first, which for many has meant changing roles, jobs or even entire career paths. But as the exodus of employees continues, many companies are left wondering how to retain their employees or attract new ones to take their place. Below, a panel of Rolling Stone Culture Council business leaders offer a list of perks they believe companies will need to offer if they want to improve their employee retention and gain the interest of new talent.

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Mediums like podcasting give audio storytellers a platform to stay true to the culture that made them.

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The better your employees understand you as a leader, the more confident they will feel in their work.

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You can’t grow your business without facing a few obstacles along the way. Leading a business often comes with its own unique challenges, some more difficult to navigate than others. What separates great leaders from good ones is the ability to face those challenges, overcome them and come out stronger and wiser on the other side. No matter the challenge, there’s always a lesson to be learned that can either overwhelm you or help your business grow. But learning those lessons can often be a challenge in itself. Below, a panel of Rolling Stone Culture Council leaders detail the lessons they’ve learned from some of the most difficult business situations they’ve faced and how they became all the wiser for it.

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Encouraging growth and development sets up the employee and the company for future success. In business, creativity sparks creativity, and the more employees are allowed to learn and grow in their positions, the more ideas and innovation they are able to bring to their company as a result. Continued learning, therefore, can be a powerful benefit to the company and employees within it, offering them new and exciting challenges and opportunities for promotion and leadership. To encourage this growth and development, employers can opt for a multitude of strategies. Business leaders themselves, the members of Rolling Stone Culture Council each shared the way in which they and their department managers inspire their employees to pursue continued growth and learning throughout their careers.