#35 Paddy Ryder – Identifying Market Opportunities, Balancing Side Projects & Creating Value

Paddy Ryder is cofounder of Covid Interns, a social enterprise established to connect businesses with university students and graduates to help combat the commercial challenges of Covid-19. Paddy is a recent graduate from Trinity College Dublin and currently pursuing a masters in Finance & Accounting in Imperial College London.Covid Interns has placed over 300 students into internships by scaling operations to 50+ universities worldwide, onboarding over 2000 organisations and students in the process. Placements now consist of a mix of short term projects, internships and full time graduate positions that have taken place across Ireland, UK, Germany, France, New York and Singapore.Our conversation deconstructs the business model behind Covid Interns as we share our experiences in a rapidly evolving job market. We discuss how to balance side projects with your career and the value this creates. Lastly, Paddy and I dig into topics such as learning, productivity and time management. Timestamps:(00:00) Introduction(03:33) Paddy Ryder's background & Covid Interns(06:54) Cancelled internships & job demand(11:21) Covid Interns application process(14:29) Supply shrinkage & demand shocks(17:22) Expansion, organic growth & marketing(20:30) Content deficit vs. content abundant platforms (24:10) Hiring experts & outsourcing(27:00) Accessing options & balancing side projects(32:00) Neuroplasticity & learning(35:19) Fear of failure & managing expectations(39:04) Productivity tipsFollow Kickoff Sessions on Spotify to keep updated with new sessions!If you enjoyed this episode, please consider sharing the session on Instagram or leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts. Tell everyone I'm a semi-decent guy and it really helps to grow the show!For show notes and more episodes, visit Kickoff Sessions website. Sign up to the Kickoff Sessions email list for regular updates and content.Follow me on LinkedInFollow Kickoff Sessions on LinkedInSupport the growth of Kickoff SessionsSupport the music artist FarsiThank you internet people!Support the show