Entrepreneurship is just another word for “obstacle after obstacle awaiting you”.
This has been even more pronounced during the current pandemic. Whether you are at the start of your entrepreneur journey, feeling lost and drained of energy or facing different challenges in your startup experience, podcasts can speak to your different needs.
It is therefore encouraging to hear how entrepreneurs who were once lost in life found the resilience and inspiration to create products and services that have impacted so many lives. These 5 business podcasts give you inspiration and ideas when you feel lost and alone, or if you simply want to hear what other people are doing.
Note: The episode count is accurate as of 29 June 2021. The episode length is only an estimate.
#1 How I Built This
Started: 2016
Episode count: 354
Estimated episode length: 30 minutes, 1 hour or 1 hour 30 minutes
Who should listen to How I Built This: Entrepreneurs going through rough patches in life stand to draw strength from this food-for-the-soul podcast. Guests on the show bare their souls, recounting the struggles of beginner entrepreneurship and family tragedies.
Podcast host: Guy Raz is the host of this podcast, and you can listen to it for free. He has been described by The New York Times as one of the most popular podcasters in history. He is a correspondent and journalist of Harvard and Cambridge education.
What to expect: Go into the thought-processes of entrepreneurs who have struggled and struggled, then struggled through more till they emerged from the other side. Learn what they got so right and what they would do differently, if they could. Start-ups of wildly varying industries are featured, including but not limited to the culinary, sonic, finance and creative writing fields.
One episode discusses how entrepreneur Carla Bartolucci got into health foods to try and “cure” her terminally ill father. Years later, she founded Jovial Foods, selling gluten-free foods and einkorn wheat products.
#2 The School of Greatness
Started: 2013
Episode count: 1,129
Estimated episode length: 1 hour, 1 hour 30 minutes or 2 hours
Who should listen to The School of Greatness: Entrepreneurs who do not urgently need technical start-up advice, and those who want a lifestyle/ self-help resource. You will get a holistic look at the mindset and lifestyle a successful entrepreneur should have.
Podcast host: Host Lewis Howes was an Arena League football professional before a serious injury set him on another life path – breeding the next generation of entrepreneurs. His past guests on the show include Arianna Huffington, Tony Robbins and Kobe Bryant.
What to expect: The School of Greatness shares the winning formulas not just of successful businessmen, but of world-class athletes and actor-humanitarians.
The podcast’s signature series is 5-Minute Fridays, giving you bite-sized tips on being more accountable, creating your rich life, conquering your fears, etc. Not only does the host share mental health tips, he also shares which foods and lifestyle choices improve brain function and reduce inflammation.
#3 The Tim Ferriss Show
Started: 2014
Episode count: 519
Estimated episode length: Tends to be closer to the 2 hour mark
Who should listen to The Tim Ferriss Show: Those who want inspiring and insightful recounts from guests who have overcome PTSD, life-threatening illnesses and personal hardships. Those who are curious about the lifestyle choices and philosophies the high-flyers in fields like finance, business, performing arts, sports and more have in common.
Podcast host: Host Tim Ferriss spent his childhood in ill health, which fueled his lifelong passion to be better. He became an advisor and investor for companies like Evernote, Uber and Shopify. He also made The Tim Ferriss Show the first interview/ business podcast to pass 100 million downloads in November 2016.
What to expect: Tim Ferriss and his guest speakers navigate topics like the future of sectors like cryptocurrency and retail, managing your energy levels throughout the day, reducing anxiety, competition in the marketplace and how to not be cancelled by the public as a high-profile entrepreneur.
Past guests include Arnold Schwarzenegger, respected academics and even Guy Raz from How I Built This (the first entry in this list)!
#4 How to Start a Startup
Started: 2016
Episode count: 20
Estimated episode length: 50 minutes
Who should listen to How to Start a Startup: Entrepreneurs seeking advice on managerial/ leadership responsibilities. This podcast is also great for those who have just started setting up their business but are not sure which aspects of their business to prioritise. Get inspiration on how to run your start-up successfully, how to be a great founder, how to manage your staff and how to grow your business.
Podcast host: Host Sam Altman is CEO of OpenAI (which deals in AI deployment and research), Board Chairman for nuclear energy companies Oklo and Helion, and former CEO of Reddit. Sam and Y Combinator make a team of angel investors who give business courses in audio format. The courses were originally available to a privileged few on the campus of Stanford University, but popular demand means any entrepreneur with a dream can listen in today. You can also read Sam Altman’s blog for more entrepreneurial wisdom.
What to expect: Topics include user retention, Sales and Marketing, crowdfunding, Operations Management, ideal company culture and hiring practices and more. The podcast is only 20 episodes long and very digestible. Serious entrepreneurs stand to gain the most from this renowned podcast.
#5 Startups For the Rest of Us
Started: 2010
Episode count: 555
Estimated episode length: 30 minutes, 40 minutes or 1 hour
Who should listen to Startups for the Rest of Us: Entrepreneurs who want an optimistic yet grounded take on entrepreneurial risk-taking (like an author who decided to self-publish instead of finding a publisher). Entrepreneurs who want to learn from other entrepreneurs’ hard knocks and lessons learnt.
Podcast host: Host Rob Walling has spent almost 20 years founding, expanding and mentoring start-ups. Besides podcasts, Rob gives conferences and writes to inspire entrepreneurs worldwide. After failing to launch several software products, his breakthrough was his start-up DotNetInvoice. He cofounded Microconf and assembled Micropreneurs, a group of software entrepreneurs.
What to expect: Rob examines entrepreneurial pitfalls, like hiring staff whose attitude and skillset are a perfect fit for your company, but who want to strike out on their own after a year and found their own start-ups. There is also QnA on such topics as disruptive innovation, bootstrapping, lifestyle businesses, giving equity and concerns on anonymity.
In one episode, we learn guest Craig Hewitt’s journey from being an employee in the podcast industry to becoming the host of two podcasts. He used a WordPress plugin and, seeing which way the wind was blowing, relied heavily on private podcasting.
As pointed out on Startups For the Rest of Us, “Grief is part of entrepreneurship.” Such negative feelings come in many forms — entrepreneurs’ workloads affecting their relationships, splitting ways with a cofounder, selling a company, bouts of self-doubt and so on. At these times in your entrepreneurial journey, it helps to give one of these podcasts a listen, and to know that you are not alone.
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