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‘Hey Google, play the latest episode of my favorite podcast!’
‘Okay, Anna, which one do you mean?’
One of the most common conversations I have with Google – apart from the ones about the weather forecast in Cambridge, of course.
According to recent research, 22% of the US population listens to podcasts every week and they spend an average of 6 hours and 37 minutes tuning in to a show. The most popular genres include Society & Culture, Business, and Comedy.
Source: Musicoomph
I find podcasts to be the quickest, easiest and most convenient way of updating my professional skills. Since I’m a digital marketer, I can’t afford to wait until a physical or even an e-book is published, as, by that time, the knowledge they share is likely outdated. Even if I waited for actual books, I would struggle to fit reading them into my busy days.
This phenomenon is, of course, not specific to me or even digital marketers. Business owners, sole traders as well struggle to keep their knowledge up-to-date while trying to keep all the plates spinning in their business.
The research also found that weekly podcast listeners subscribe to an average of 6 shows to stick with. I know by experience that finding that six best business podcasts from over 700,00 active podcasts is extremely time-consuming.
Luckily, you have me, the avid podcast enthusiast who listens to shows day in day out, on the commute to work, while preparing dinner and cleaning. I compiled what I reckon to be the best business podcasts for entrepreneurs who want to learn and grow both individually and professionally. However, I wasn’t able to stick to six shows, but this is now a more manageable mass than 700k.
The Best Entrepreneur Podcasts
If you are an entrepreneur or small business owner, you are likely doing all admin, web design, marketing, and sales tasks, which means that you need to educate yourself in all of these areas.
Some of the following shows will help you in multiple areas, offer general business advice and useful tips. Others, however, will dig into very specific topics such as storytelling or branding.
1. The Goal Digger Podcast
The Goal Digger Podcast is Jenna Kutcher’s entrepreneur podcast for those who firmly believe that work doesn’t necessarily have to feel like work. Jenna is a well-known Instagram personality, marketing guru and business coach who helps small business owners fulfill even their boldest dreams.
Jenna started her career and business as a wedding photographer and taught herself along the way of the secrets of running a successful business. Since then she launched her podcast which at the moment has over 250 episodes and a massive following.
Jenna most often hosts the show on her own, however, she sometimes invites industry experts to talk about a topic that might fall out of her expertise but is important for entrepreneurs who strive for success.
What to expect from this entrepreneur podcast?
On The Goal Digger Podcast, you will learn new techniques and get highly actionable tips in various topics from marketing, through easy-to-follow Search Engine Optimization advice, productivity, finances and even analyzing business data.
The style of the podcast is quite casual with easy-to-understand advice from a friendly host. The titles are very descriptive and helpful, so it’s easy to decide which episodes you want to listen to, and you will get the information you came for. Episode lengths vary from 25 minutes to around an hour.
2. Creative Rebels
Creative Rebels is a podcast for creatives hosted by David Speed and Adam Brazier. The show aims to empower the next generation of creatives and help them monetize their talent.
There has never been a better time to make money by leveraging your true passion. There’s nothing you cannot build a business on, be it Morse code or chopsticks, and David and Adam are here to prove this. They invite incredible people with fantastic stories about how they have been making money from something that nobody used to believe it was possible to monetize.
The message of the podcast is that your talent can earn you a living, and so one shall not exchange happiness for money.
What to expect from this entrepreneur podcast?
The hosts are always joined by a guest on the show who talks about the journey of their success. As the story unfolds, the hosts and the guests unearth the path that led from discovering the monetizable talent, to finding the niche market and driving a successful business.
The guests share their stories about the route to success that is more often than not paved with failures and having side roads. These entrepreneurial stories are both educational and highly relatable.
From the episode title, you can get a rough idea of the topic and find out the name of the guest, while the description digs a bit deeper and introduces the guest. Episode lengths are usually around an hour, however, there are shorter and longer ones too.
3. Frugalpreneur
Many people dream of building their own business. But, the most common roadblock people face is that they struggle to find the finances to get it off the ground. Well, this is where the Frugalpreneur comes in.
Created by Sarah St John, this podcast focuses on helping people build something from nothing. The podcast currently has 121 episodes, each dedicated to showing business owners – or future business owners – how to get their great idea off the ground on a tight budget.
What to expect from this entrepreneur podcast?
Frugalpreneur episodes range in length but are typically between 25 and 50 minutes. Sarah dives into depth with a range of topics, from how to sell an online course, to how to negotiate Airbnb rates. She’s also covered how to get more paid bookings (10to8 may have featured in this one!).
So, whether you’re looking to save cash, make a worthwhile investment, clear a debt, or create multiple revenue streams, this podcast is for you.
4. Building A StoryBrand With Donald Miller
StoryBrand.com is the home of workshops where business owners can learn how to clarify their message, connect with customers and build their business.
The success of these workshops inspired Donald Miller to launch a podcast that entrepreneurs can listen to for free and e-meet like-minded business owners who are struggling with the same problems and looking to solve them.
This podcast has just gone over 150 episodes and is very popular with small business owners who feel segregated and left alone with their daily struggles.
What to expect from this entrepreneur podcast?
As the title suggests, this show can help you identify your brand’s message and build a story around it. Appositely, the episodes tell a story about a business owner who has managed to boost their company by finding their own unique message and incorporate it into a consistent story.
Apart from the introduction to brand storytelling, Donald and his guests also cover important topics such as how to become a strong leader, deal with financial problems, look after your emotions and mental health, and boost your business to achieve maximum capacity.
The episode titles first name the guest and then the topic of the podcast, and by reading through the description you’ll get a clearer idea of what they will cover in the next 30 to 60 minutes.
5. The Agents Of Change
Rich Brooks’ The Agents Of Change podcast covers everything a small business owner needs to know about Search Engine Optimization, social media, and mobile marketing to drive qualified traffic to their website and convert leads into business.
The Agents Of Change is a digital marketing resource, conference and weekly podcast in one, that helps small business owners find their voice through the noise and transform their dream into a successful business.
What to expect from this entrepreneur podcast?
The slightly cheesy title is followed by an even more cheesy intro, however, the core content of the episodes is useful business advice and actionable tips. Rich is most often joined by an industry expert to dig deep into the secrets of that certain areas.
Rich knows that a busy sole trader doesn’t have hours to listen to chit-chat while trying to filter out the important pieces of information. This is the place to get short but detailed answers to all your digital marketing related questions condensed in around 30-minute-long episodes.
6. The Sales Hacker Podcast
Even if you’re not that keen on sales, the Sales Hacker Podcast might be something that you enjoy. Sam Jacobs, the founder of Revenue Collective and the host of this show, does an excellent job demolishing prejudice towards sales, while at the same time educating listeners about related topics.
Many of the episodes feature sales thought-leaders who disclose strategies that help them achieve accelerated growth and streamline sales.
What to expect from this entrepreneur podcast?
This show features two types of episodes; longer 45-minute interviews with thought-leaders about a specific topic and 5-minute quick and actionable tips. The latter is called ‘Friday Fundamentals’ and is published on Fridays.
The Sales Hacker Podcast is the extension of the leading sales community, so if you’d like to join in the conversation, the show is a great starting point.
7. Founder Coffee
Hosting one founder of a company per week, Founder Coffee is the chance to get to know the people behind various corporate businesses. Hosted by Jeroen, the Co-Founder of Salesflare, Founder Coffee has featured a range of guest speakers and a range of businesses – from the Co-Founder of Intercom, to the Co-Founder of Planable.
Throughout the 52 episodes (and counting), Jeroen gives us a little deep dive into the life of a business owner. And while the focus is on business lessons and guidance for budding entrepreneurs, there’s also a personal side to the podcast as Jeroen sheds light on the people behind what might seem to be a faceless company.
Guests talk about their personal business experiences, what they’ve learned on their journey, and share their top tips. But they’ll also have a general chit-chat about life.
What to expect from this entrepreneur podcast?
With Founder Coffee, you should expect to cover a lot of different topics. Ideal for anyone who’d ever had an inkling they might want to start their own business, or even just for those who want to get to know their favourite brands, the podcast is both inspirational and relatable. You might learn about product, customer care, or even simply some of the biggest challenges business owners face in the day-to-day running of a company. And it’s showing that flip side, that makes Founder Coffee so great.
The Best Healthcare Podcast
As well as simply chatting about business, many entrepreneurs would also benefit from learning a little more about healthcare too. Of course, while these podcasts mainly target those who work in the medical industry, many of the tips they share will resonate with a range of other business models.
8. The Business of Healthcare
Hosted by Tara Humphrey, The Business of Healthcare is dedicated to influencing positive change in the medical industry.
With a focus on teaching and inspiring others, the podcast both tackles important questions – such as why we should give blood – and important lessons – such as why consistency is the key to success.
Tara also regularly invites guest speakers onto her podcast. She’s spoken with healthcare experts, NHS leaders, and those who work directly with the above. With an MBA in Healthcare Leadership and Management and Leadership herself, Tara also brings her own ideas to the table, touching on healthcare issues of both today and tomorrow.
What to expect from this healthcare podcast?
Throughout each episode, Tara gives us a sneak peek into life behind-the-scenes in healthcare. It’s especially useful for those working in medicine, whether you run a small clinic, or a branch of the NHS.
You might learn about the top healthcare innovations of tomorrow, or touch upon some incredibly useful medical software tools. You’ll have to tune in to find out!
9. Tools They Use
Tools They Use is a Keep Productive production and is available on YouTube in the form of video interviews amongst iTunes and Spotify podcasts.
Each week, the host, Francesco D’Alessio chats to a guest who’s mastering productivity and is happy to share how they get their businesses to full capacity. Former guests include Wade Foster from Zapier, Chris Dancy ‘the Most Connected Man on Earth’, and Jill Duffy a well-known tech journalist.
What to expect from this entrepreneur podcast?
Tools They use is equally useful for entrepreneurs, small teams and large organizations that want to maximize efficiency and grow rapidly. You will not only learn about the best productivity software tools but receive advice on how to run meetings, organize your to-do-list and track your performance better.
The length of the episodes vary; you will find very short 7-minute clips up to 40-minute dig-deeps.
10. Bright Ideas eCommerce Podcast
As the title suggests, The Bright Ideas eCommerce Podcasts targets entrepreneurs trying to succeed in the world of eCommerce. Trent Dyrsmid interviews proven entrepreneurs to unearth tactics that work for them and that other business owners can implement as well.
The show covers topics such as increasing sales on Amazon, product research and launch, eCommerce specific content marketing strategies and maximizing value at exit.
What to expect from this entrepreneur podcast?
Even though this podcast was created with eCommerce in mind, I find that many of the strategies can be implemented or tailored to other industries.
If you have 35-45 minutes, definitely give it a listen and see if it is something for you.
The Best SaaS Podcasts
This section of our article is a bit of a curveball, as it lists podcasts that target start-ups and companies offering Software As A Service, nonetheless, these Saas podcasts share great takeaways for other service-based businesses too.
11. SaaS Breakthrough
The SaaS Breakthrough show is brought to you by Demio, the hassle-free webinar software. David Abrams hosts fantastic episodes that give listeners an inside look of what’s working in marketing for SaaS companies today.
The guests are marketing professionals in the trenches, experimenting daily. Former guests include marketers from HubSpot, G2, Outreach, and Albacross.
What to expect from this SaaS podcast?
Each week, you can listen in to marketers talking about their very own experiences with trendy marketing tactics and how they have worked for them. You can learn about various topics such as SEO, content marketing, customer retention, customer appreciation and more.
The episodes are very well structured and have great flows. Each 40-50 minute episode ends with a ‘lightning round’ of the same questions, which is a great source for tips from successful marketers.
(By the by, 10to8 has been featured on this show too. Listen here.)
12. The SaaS Podcast
The SaaS Podcast’s host, Omar Khan interviews another startup founder or industry expert each week to share stories and actionable tips with ambitious business owners who want to take their enterprise to the next level.
What to expect from this SaaS podcast?
With over 200 episodes, The SaaS Podcast offers gripping stories from startup founders who achieved $10 million Annual Recurring Revenue after a failed launch, and actionable tips on how to create an offer your customers won’t be able to resist.
If you are not familiar with SaaS terminology, you might find some of the titles a bit confusing but the descriptions will help and during the episodes, these terms will be further clarified. If you have about 40-60 minutes to spare and you’d like to listen to something different from the above-listed shows, this one is definitely worth your time.
13. Killing It: Adventures In Start-Ups And Mental Health
Killing It is a Spotify original podcast with 6 episodes. This series made the list of the best business podcasts because it covers a very important but often swept under the rug topic: mental health in the start-up, scale-up, and entrepreneurial world.
In our rushing world, we often become the victims of the relentless positive culture: ‘We’re killing it’, ‘Everything is awesome’, ‘Let’s smash it’ and ‘I’m okay’ mentality while ignoring mental health.
What to expect from this SaaS podcast?
Mental health professionals talking to real people from the frontline of the start-up world, honest conversations, and techniques to deal with stress in around an hour.
I reckon this topic to be very important for you, the small business owner or entrepreneur who firefights every day, trying to do the best you can, while feeling isolated with problems.
Allocate some time for yourself and your mental health, do yoga, go for a run, spend time with your family or simply listen to a podcast like this.
Why not share the name of the show what you deem to be one of the best business podcasts in the comment section and help fellow entrepreneurs grow? Also, if you decided to check out any of the above shows, don’t forget to rate them on Apple Podcasts, as it really helps hard-working podcast hosts spread the word about their shows.
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