From an Editor to an Entrepreneur.

Top 10 things CUNY’s Entrepreneurship Creators Journalism Program taught me.

Published in

Journalism Innovation

8 min readAug 18, 2022

I often toyed with the idea of quitting my job and becoming an entrepreneur. During Covid, when I saw my newspaper’s circulation steadily declining, I was sure it was either now or never. I felt that this newspaper would not be feisty anymore and that my employer, Asia’s largest newspaper conglomerate, the Times of India Group, would not be non-smart enough to continue with it. Bang on. Less than four months after I left, my prophecy turned true. Ahmedabad Mirror was sold to a local builder. But by then, I was soaring high.

In June 2021, I launched www.vibesofindia.com, a multimedia, multilingual website. To be honest, I was just an Editor who had launched a startup. CUNY’s EJCP played a pivotal role in re-shaping my raw entrepreneurial dreams. This program became a “sounding board” for all my entrepreneurship issues when we started “meeting” twice every week. The best part of the ECJP was that they made no efforts to teach us journalism. They just focused on entrepreneurship from day one to day 100. This is exactly what every journalist turned entrepreneur wants. Here are my takeaways from the course.

1. Don’t get obsessed with perfection.

Perfection is illusory. Instead of being a perfectionist, just keep evolving. Lingering on after perfectionism takes us nowhere. Planning to launch that podcast of yours for infinite years? That news portal with which you still want to work upon after a year? Well, the best action you can take is: Plunge. Improve upon your product as you learn and unlearn. Don’t delay your dreams. All knowledge but no implementation makes the most aspiring journalist entrepreneur frustrated.

2. Focus on solutions, not problems.

This sounds easy but it isn’t so. Our distinguished panel of teachers, from the inimitable Jeremy Caplan, to Jeff Jarvis, Ariel Zirulnick, Dan Oskinsky, and Amanda Mcloughin reminded us in their individual classes about how not to get caught with problems (there will be many) but to focus on solutions.

3. Don’t feel shy raising money.

Well, I took this lesson personally! I have an inherent problem. For my project or for anything personal, I have never been able to openly voice out and ask for money (even to those who love or respect me). It is only through this excellent program that I gained confidence. I will soon be pitching for funds with a newly acquired confidence that I have launched something with a purpose and for a good cause. Good journalism needs good investment. Period. So I am not going to feel shy or embarrassed to seek monetary support or pitch for investment and funds. I don’t want to make my project and its funds a lonely job. The program taught me the privilege of being an entrepreneur who seeks out the right people and asks them to contribute and be our cheerleaders. When we build our dream venture, we require funds. Money is not a bad word. Wealth creation for the right reason, social justice, and empowerment is not a despicable thing. This program taught me how to develop a revenue portfolio by analyzing and testing potential monetization strategies. Also remember, a good entrepreneur understands market needs and identifies her niche. She serves an audience that she will engage with, cater to her community, and most of all not give up. Sharpening survival skills is very important along with resiliency. But it all begins by not being shy asking for the funds you need.

4. Have a Product Mindset

You are no more just a journalist, I was told. I got slightly nervous. That’s all I had been. I’m still wary and have not picked up a designation in my company except that of a Founder. ECJP rightly taught me that I have to abandon that short-sightedness of seeing everything through a journalist’s or an editor’s prism. I have to see what is beyond filing a story, producing a video, or planning a podcast. A product is a thing in entirety and cannot be viewed in isolation. “Value proposition,” “audience funnel,” or “product-market fit” were words I did not know. Well, even the biggest journalism projects in the world do not have a master key of making journalism sustainable. Neither have I, so far. But I am going to give these concepts that I have learnt a serious try. Back to the product-market fit, which means that your “product” (your website, newsletter, podcast, or whatever journalism service you have in mind) has to evolve to a degree that the “market” finds it attractive enough to invest in.

5. Audience, Audience and Audience

Be clear who your audience is. Know them. Stay engaged with them. Connect with them. Trust them. Build a partnership with them. Do not depend on other “means” that provide you online ads. That can evaporate. If you have your audience with you and they trust you, you will be fine. For a good product, it is non-negotiable to start identifying the customer’s wants and then creating a viable solution around it. So, it’s not just that Editor’s mindset that gives your audience what they need. As an entrepreneur, even their wants matter!

6. Do not run away from technology

Content is the queen but it is technology that gives a seamless experience of your product. It is the marriage between content, technology, marketing, and monetization that makes the product a viable and sustainable one. Technology and I have had several break ups in the past. A candid confession: technology did not excite me. The ECJP gave me a huge complex. I had never used Slack before. I had no idea about “memberful routines.” But as the course progressed, I found myself exploring new tools, getting hooked on Pathwright, and not being able to live without Canva. I have to thank Danielle Bonnici from CUNY and my colleague Shawn Carrie (a tech wizard) for patiently re-sending me links when others were half way through a task. Yes, all these years I had been running away from technology. Now at 50 plus, I’m all set to embrace it. Without any terms and conditions. By the way, try out Coda or Notion. They are great team and work management apps. Also, I would like to thank Jeremy Caplan and his wonderful newsletter that makes me try out new technology and apps. What Jeremy said will stay with me forever. Use technology as it will simplify and better your life, journalism, and your product. You don’t know what you are losing out by not subscribing to Jeremy’s wonderful newsletter. https://wondertools.substack.com/p/giphy?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

Do it right now. You will thank me later.

7. List out your scalable goals

Then again list out another set. Keep going. Dan Oshinkey and Ariel Zirulnick impressed me immensely with their easy attitude and great teaching. In very simple language and equally easy disposition, Ariel taught me “How to execute your goals.” Having your goals as a list helps you to scale them. It is just because of her and Dan that www.vibesofindia.com will soon embark upon a new journey of audience engagement and monetization. (Surprise, surprise!).

Thanks to Ariel, I now implement an Eisenhower matrix that helps me under and manage my time efficiently, prioritize my work goals, celebrate small victories without the guilt of having clinched that fund or having missed all those ads that less deserving newspapers are still getting! Managing your time and resources is a must for any entrepreneur or leader. Not being organized or not having your notes within a reachable distance is an example of sloppy leadership. Dan’s influence on me is lasting. All that www.vibesofindia.com embarks upon after this quarter will be because of Dan and the lessons I learned from him.

8. Finding Your North Star

I have to thank Candice Fortman of Outlier Media for this wonderful lesson. Well, this reads very nice and romantic but it is a difficult exercise. It involves categorically listing out goals that we expect to achieve through our entrepreneurial venture. Still not clear? Well, as Candice said: Be brave. Keep listening, keep listing. Keep achieving. And yes, remember to take care of your mental health. It is very crucial. The entrepreneurship journey is not some caged clerical job. It is about freedom. So cherish it.

9. Small is Beautiful

Do not compare yourself with that multinational website or that moneyed man’s wayward son who is trying to replicate your efforts by pumping in more cash and “buying people professionals.” Be happy that you have built something on your own. That you are not a cry baby piggybacking on someone. Even here, size does not matter! Small is beautiful. Enjoy the process. Be confident in your creativity. This is a knowledge economy. What matters are your goals, your efforts, creativity, and a positive outlook. It is through others that you often find the light you are chasing.

10. Connect, Collaborate and Cheer up!

Asynchronous learning is how I would describe my 100 day journey at ECJP. After all, it was CUNY that came up with America’s first Master’s Degree in journalism. They know their job. Also, a little before the end of my journey, I came to know that I am not alone in my solo entrepreneurship flight. So far, there have been 92 journalist entrepreneurs from 30 different countries. As an alumni, I now intend to connect with them, each an extra ordinary person with a distinguished media vision. Collaboration is a key word and I want to really explore it with like minded media entrepreneurs across the world. This enriching program also rewarded me with great friends across continents. From Mumbai to Mexico, New Jersey to Nigeria; I feel blessed with wonderful friends. Cheers to my entire batch.

I need to grow and spread my wings. But while I do so, I will be glad to connect and collaborate with budding media entrepreneurs and journalists across the world. We can all “slack” up.

Reach out to me at deepal@vibesofindia.com.

Twitter: @deepaltrevedie

Linked in: @deepaltrivedi

www.vibesofindia.com is my startup. Do check it out and share your feedback.