This was a show full of great guest with great stories and terrific free advice.

We started with Shawn O’Keefe from SXSW Interactive (SXSWi).  Shawn is the producer for this year’s conference.  We talked about the fact that SXSWi has been steadily growing–rapidly over the past two years–and that attendance is expected to be up over 40% this year.  Last year there were about 12,000 attendees for the conference which is considered one of the premier technology, developer, and social media conferences.  Taking place in Austin, TX each year, SXSW Interactive is part of a three-part conference which also includes Film and Music.  What’s cool about this conference is the way the panels are chosen.  With over 2,000 entrants, the job of the organizers is to narrow it down but that process is helped by the Panel Picker which allows attendees to vote on what panels they would like to see each year.  For such a big conference, it is incredibly well-organized and I know that Erik and I are looking forward to speaking this year.

Next up we were talking socially-responsible business practices in for-profit businesses.  We had Dru Dalton from Realthread and Tom Lynch, founder of Worthwhile Wine.  Realthread uses environmentally-friendly ink for its products but also gives back by supporting children in Africa.  Worthwhile Wine imports sustainably made wines, but also runs their operations guided by “triple bottom line” business principles; the focus is on Profit, People, and Planet (versus the more traditional philosophy of business that is only focused on Profit).  They both said that running a socially responsible business is much more rewarding but that you can’t just do it as a marketing ploy.  It has to be something that you truly believe in and are willing to invest the effort (and perhaps extra money) in to making it successful for both yourself and the cause you are supporting.

Our last guest brought me a pair of pajamas.  It’s a wonder I didn’t put them on right then and there because they are soooo soft!  Isabella Padua, one of the three founders of Zielo Dreamwear, talked about what encouraged them to get into the business of designing comfortable and fashionable sleepwear.  She talked about some of their biggest surprises–the demand for plus sizes which are some of their best sellers–as well as what she would do differently if she were starting over.  She claims that being more organized has been really key in helping them continue to grow.  Her free advice was to be flexible and be willing to adapt and change with your business.  And, they are offering a 40% discount to any Gravity Free Radio listener until next Tuesday.  Go to www.zielodreamwear.com and enter the code “gravity” when checking out to take advantage of that great offer!

Announcements:

We’ll be at Strongbox West on February 18th for a presentation and book signing for Marketing: Unmasked.  RSVP here.

Great show and we’ll see you all next week!

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