4 inspiring podcasts that will bring out your inner entrepreneur
Podcasts are back: They are in vogue and they are profitable. While the Great Podcast Renaissance can be traced back to the true crime juggernaut Serial, podcasts of all shapes and sizes are on the rise.
It doesn’t take much to figure out why there’s been a resurgence in their popularity. Between long, boring commutes, mundane household chores, or other routine activities that are best enjoyed with a side of audio entertainment (like walking intermittently during the work day to prevent death by sitting), we need and want something to help us whittle away the time. Podcasts, which are essentially on-demand radio, are just the thing. You can choose what you want to listen to exactly when you want to listen to it. An incredible amount of podcasts on every topic imaginable—philosophy, comedy, books, design, sports, tech, knitting—are out there for your listening pleasure.
These days, our favourite podcast genres is geared toward entrepreneurs or people who are gunning to quit their corporate day jobs and start their own thing. Whether you just started a business, are looking to go full-time with your side project or are just giving that cool business idea time to percolate, the following podcasts will give you a solid push toward getting started. It’s time to find a pair of headphones and check out these shows:
1. The Fizzle Show
If you’re looking for a show that runs the gamut of business building, The Fizzle Show is a good place to start. Promoted as a podcast for creative entrepreneurs who want to earn a living doing something they care about, hosts Chase Reeves, Corbett Barr, and Barrett Brooks have published 90 episodes to date. The trio covers a broad range of topics, from identifying and understanding your target market to how much to promote your own content and what really happens in the first year of business.
2. Startup
If you are looking for an addictive serialised story, we recommend Startup as the paragon of narrative audio. Startup chronicles This American Life alum Alex Blumberg’s experience of launching his podcast. As “A series about what happens when someone who knows nothing about business starts one,” Startup is a firsthand look into the fascinating—and uncertain—world of building a venture-backed business. Probably the best narrative-driven podcast out there. It’s the inaugural offering from Gimlet Media, a podcast network that Blumberg and co-founder Matt Lieber raised a cool $1.5 million to launch. A new 30-minute episode is released every Monday—make sure to start from the beginning.
3. Grit!
If you’re feeling trapped in your 9-to-5 cubicle, Grit! will be right up your alley. Hosted by Dan Benjamin on the 5by5 podcasting network, Grit! is a call-in show about the challenges of re-inventing your career, being decisive, and getting the heck outta your day job to start something awesome. Callers can ask questions to spark discussions about their freelancing/entrepreneurship/side-project dilemmas with Dan & Co., who (usually) offer solid advice. Benjamin assesses the risks and rewards of pursuing your passion and offers frank advice. If you have a long commute to a terrible job, you’re wondering why you went to college for this, or you have daydreams of entrepreneurial freedom, Grit! is the show for you.
4. Invisible Office Hours
Any entrepreneur will tell you that the road less traveled has growing pains, uncertainty, and epic ups and downs. Hosts Jason Zook and Paul Jarvis, now in the second season of Invisible Office Hours, publish weekly-ish episodes geared toward motivating unconventional thinkers to sail through the rough patches on the entrepreneurial journey. Jason and Paul cover a wide variety of topics ranging from creativity, productivity, time management, and overcoming the fear of failure. They have a wealth of firsthand experience building businesses and offer a pragmatic perspective that will encourage you to keep on trucking.
Are you feeling that entrepreneurial spark yet? (Or at least a burning desire to productively multitask while installing new DIY closet shelving?). Let us know if you’re digging these episodes, if we missed any of your favourites, or if—say it ain’t so—you still voluntarily listen to the radio. If it’s the latter case, trust us on this one: Podcasts are here to stay, so you might as well queue up this list and hit play.
