10 Essential Podcasts for Founders and Business Owners

Everyone loves a good podcast.

No matter where you find yourself—whether you're bustling about, enjoying a peaceful stroll, or taking a breather at work—remember, podcasts are more than just entertainment; they're portals to learning and growth. Whether you're looking to get started, scale your business or tackle a tricky topic, a good podcast usually has you covered.

Podcasts can be like having a mentor in your pocket, full of wisdom and motivation. So with that said, let's check out these ten podcasts designed to light the fire of entrepreneurship in your belly.

1. How I Built This with Guy Raz

How I Built This is a popular podcast hosted by Guy Raz and produced by NPR (National Public Radio) in the United States.

The show features interviews with founders, entrepreneurs, and innovators, where they share their stories of building successful businesses and ventures.

The discussions often delve into the challenges, failures, and triumphs encountered along the way, offering valuable insights and inspiration to listeners interested in entrepreneurship and business.

Episodes typically tackle backgrounds and inspirations, challenges and setbacks, innovations and solutions and successes.

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2. Masters of Scale with Reid Hoffman

Masters of Scale is a podcast hosted by Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn and a prominent Silicon Valley investor.

The podcast explores how businesses grow from startup to scale-up and beyond. In each episode, Reid interviews successful entrepreneurs, CEOs, and business leaders to uncover their strategies, insights, and experiences in scaling their companies.

The podcast focuses on key themes such as innovation, leadership, strategy, and growth hacking.

Reid delves into the stories behind some of the world's most successful companies, examining the challenges they faced, the decisions they made, and the lessons they learned along the way.

One of the unique aspects of Masters of Scale is its emphasis on actionable advice and practical insights for entrepreneurs and business leaders.

Reid distills the wisdom and strategies shared by his guests into actionable takeaways that listeners can apply to their own businesses.

Masters of Scale provides a valuable resource for anyone interested in entrepreneurship and business growth, offering compelling stories, insightful interviews, and actionable strategies for scaling a business successfully.

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3. The Women In Business Radio Show

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The Women in Business Radio Show takes pride in supporting businesswomen in sharing their stories, breaking through geographical and financial barriers.

Participation doesn't require being an "influencer'", accumulating wealth, or feeling exceptionally accomplished. Instead, the emphasis is on authentic women, genuine business, and everyday experiences.

Discover inspiring success stories from accomplished female entrepreneurs who generously share their journeys, challenges, and strategies for achieving success.

Delve into career development discussions, where we explore ways to progress in the corporate world, tackle obstacles, and cultivate a thriving career.

The show believes that everyone has valuable insights to offer, regardless of scale, and aims to amplify diverse voices within the business community.

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4. The Indicator from Planet Money

The Indicator from Planet Money is a another podcast produced by NPR. It focuses on providing short, insightful episodes that explore various economic indicators, trends, and stories impacting the global economy and everyday life.

Hosted by journalists Stacey Vanek Smith and Cardiff Garcia, The Indicator from Planet Money aims to make economics accessible, engaging, and relevant to a broad audience.

It provides valuable insights into the forces shaping our world and our wallets. With its short and digestible format, the podcast delivers timely information and analysis to listeners seeking to understand the economic forces at play in their lives.

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5. The GaryVee Audio Experience

The GaryVee Audio Experience is a podcast hosted by entrepreneur, author, and speaker Gary Vaynerchuk, commonly known as GaryVee. The podcast features a mix of audio content curated from GaryVee's various media channels, including keynote speeches, interviews, Q&A sessions, and original discussions.

The podcast covers a wide range of topics related to entrepreneurship, business, marketing, social media, personal development, and leadership.

GaryVee shares his insights, experiences, and strategies for success, drawing from his own entrepreneurial journey and expertise in digital marketing and branding.

Listeners can expect episodes that are motivational, informative, and actionable, with GaryVee often providing practical advice and tips for aspiring entrepreneurs and business professionals.

He discusses current trends in business and marketing, the importance of hustle and hard work, the power of social media in building personal brands and businesses, and strategies for achieving success in a rapidly changing digital landscape.

The GaryVee Audio Experience is known for its high-energy and no-nonsense approach, with GaryVee delivering his message in a straightforward and often colorful manner.

The podcast appeals to individuals looking for inspiration, motivation, and practical advice to help them navigate the challenges of entrepreneurship and achieve their goals.

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6. StartUp Podcast

"A show about what it's really like to start a business," says the tagline on the Gimlet website. Even though it's been some time since the last episode aired, the podcast remains just as valuable to listen to.

Startup offered a revealing glimpse into entrepreneurship, following the formation of Gimlet Media and later exploring other startup stories. Created by Alex Blumberg and Matthew Lieber, it delved into the challenges, triumphs, and decision-making involved in launching a new venture.

Through interviews with founders, investors, and experts, Startup became a seminal podcast in the business and technology space.

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7. The Pitch

Vox Media's The Pitch is a podcast where entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to a panel of investors, similar to the format of the television show "Shark Tank."

The podcast provides a platform for aspiring entrepreneurs to showcase their ideas, receive feedback, and potentially secure funding to turn their visions into reality.

Each episode of features multiple entrepreneurs presenting their business ideas in a pitch format, typically lasting a few minutes each. The pitches cover a wide range of industries and sectors, from technology startups to consumer products and services.

Following each pitch, the panel of investors, which includes venture capitalists, angel investors, and experienced entrepreneurs, ask questions, offer critiques, and provide insights into the viability of the business idea.

The entrepreneurs must respond to the panel's feedback and defend their ideas, demonstrating their knowledge, passion, and readiness to execute their plans.

Listeners get to experience the excitement, tension, and drama of the pitching process as entrepreneurs face the challenge of convincing investors to buy into their vision.

Some pitches result in successful deals, with investors committing funds to support the entrepreneurs' endeavour's, while others end without investment, highlighting the realities and uncertainties of entrepreneurship.

The Pitch offers an engaging and educational look into the world of startup funding and entrepreneurship, providing valuable insights for both entrepreneurs and investors alike.

It combines storytelling with real-world pitches to offer a compelling and entertaining listening experience.

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8. Mixergy - Startup Stories

Mixergy - Startup Stories is a podcast hosted by Andrew Warner that features interviews with successful entrepreneurs and startup founders.

The podcast dives into the stories behind these entrepreneurs' journeys, exploring the challenges they faced, the strategies they employed, and the lessons they learned along the way.

Andrew Warner conducts in-depth interviews with a wide range of guests from various industries, including technology, e-commerce, healthcare, and more.

The podcast covers topics such as business idea generation, product development, marketing strategies, fundraising, team building, and scaling a startup.

One of the key focuses of Mixergy - Startup Stories is on practical insights and actionable advice that listeners can apply to their own entrepreneurial endeavors.

Andrew Warner encourages guests to share specific tactics, tools, and techniques that have helped them succeed, providing valuable takeaways for aspiring entrepreneurs and business professionals.

Mixergy - Startup Stories provides a wealth of knowledge and inspiration for anyone interested in entrepreneurship and startup culture.

Through candid and informative interviews, the podcast offers a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to build and grow a successful business from the ground up.

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9. HBR IdeaCast

The HBR IdeaCast is a podcast produced by Harvard Business Review (HBR) that features interviews with leading thinkers, authors, and experts in business and management.

Hosted by Sarah Green Carmichael, the podcast covers a wide range of topics relevant to professionals and leaders in various industries.

Each episode of the HBR IdeaCast typically focuses on a specific theme or concept related to business strategy, leadership, innovation, organisational culture, and current trends in the business world.

The podcast provides insights, analysis, and practical advice from renowned experts and practitioners, offering listeners valuable perspectives on how to navigate the challenges and opportunities of today's business environment.

Aiming to provide thought-provoking discussions and actionable insights that listeners can apply to their own professional lives and organisations.

Whether it's discussing the latest research findings, exploring emerging trends, or sharing best practices from successful companies, the podcast seeks to inform and inspire its audience to drive positive change and achieve greater success in their careers and businesses.

The HBR IdeaCast serves as a valuable resource for business professionals, executives, entrepreneurs, and anyone interested in staying informed about the latest developments and ideas shaping the world of business and management.

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10. Akimbo: A Podcast from Seth Godin

Akimbo: A Podcast from Seth Godin is a podcast hosted by bestselling author, entrepreneur, and marketing guru Seth Godin. The podcast explores a wide range of topics related to culture, marketing, creativity, leadership, and personal development.

Each episode of "Akimbo" delves into a specific theme or idea, drawing on Seth Godin's unique insights and perspectives. Seth often shares stories, anecdotes, and examples to illustrate his points, offering thought-provoking commentary on various aspects of modern life and business.

One of the key features of "Akimbo" is its focus on challenging conventional wisdom and encouraging listeners to think differently about the world around them. Seth Godin explores topics from multiple angles, questioning established norms and encouraging listeners to embrace their creativity, take risks, and make positive changes in their lives and communities.

The podcast covers a diverse range of topics, including the future of work, the power of storytelling, the importance of empathy in marketing, the impact of technology on society, and much more.

Each episode is designed to spark reflection, inspire action, and empower listeners to become agents of change in their own lives and organisations.

Overall, Akimbo: A Podcast from Seth Godin offers engaging and insightful discussions that appeal to a broad audience, from aspiring entrepreneurs and business professionals to creative thinkers and anyone interested in personal growth and self-improvement. It serves as a platform for exploring new ideas, challenging assumptions, and expanding the boundaries of what's possible.

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