The amazing thing about podcasts is that they go everywhere you do.
Blogs, videos, and books are great — but they aren’t as easily consumable as a podcast.
With a podcast, any activity can become a learning experience.
Whether it’s driving, commuting, folding laundry, working out, or just going for a walk — a podcast is right there with you.
This gives you the perfect opportunity to educate yourself.
If you are an entrepreneur, you no doubt have a thirst for business knowledge and want to absorb as much information as possible to be successful.
Podcasts allow you to do that. These free shows are hand-delivering you valuable information and they need to be taken advantage of.
There are hundreds of great shows out there — and you may already have your favorites — but here’s a list of 6 great podcasts every entrepreneur needs to listen to.
Smart Passive Income with Pat Flynn
If you have started your own online business, you know that this is the OG podcast.
When I say the OG of business podcasts — it really is. Smart Passive Income goes all the way back to 2009.
In case this one is new to you, Pat Flynn was an architect that was laid off from his job. He started a small online business that helped people pass a specific architect exam.
Things rapidly grew from there and he started teaching people how to create their own online business.
This took off, and he was soon making six figures a month.
This is the podcast you need to listen to if you want to learn everything about creating your own business.
It covers everything you can think of including:
- finding the right niche
- getting your website developed
- how to market yourself
- how to launch a product
- hiring virtual assistants
It’s not just the technical info that's great, but the interviews with other entrepreneurs about their journey to success.
Pat interviews many levels of entrepreneurs from those just getting started, to some of the biggest names in business.
These interviews are extremely motivational and inspiring.
The Tim Ferris Show
The show is another podcast that should be required listening.
Not only are you getting to listen to the mind and insights of an incredibly successful entrepreneur — but Tim also interviews the top minds in business.
We’re all familiar with books like the “Four Hour Work Week,” but the Tim Ferris Podcast really gets into the nuts and bolts of what it takes to become a successful entrepreneur.
The Tim Ferris Show goes beyond the technical details of starting and running a business but explores the importance of mindset.
So much of our success has to do with eliminating self-doubt — and fear of failure — and this show explores all those areas.
You'll love getting inspiration from all the amazing guests he’s had. A few standouts include:
- Tony Robbins
- LeBron James
- Arnold Scharzenegger
- Maclom Gladwell
- Bob Iger
- Peter Thiel
That’s just a tiny sampling. Tim deconstructs his guests to find the specific tactics and tools they use to be successful.
It’s pretty incredible that this show is free as we get insights into the minds of some of the world’s most successful and brilliant people.
Hopefully, you have already listened to this show. If not, this is the time to start or get back into it.
It’s one of the most successful podcasts in the world for a reason.
Math & Magic with Bob Pittman
Bob Pittman has done some incredible work in his career. Pittman was one of the founders of MTV and was their first CEO. He has also been CEO of:
- AOL Networks
- Six Flags Theme Parks
- Quantum Media
- Time Warner Enterprises
- Century 21 Real Estate
In November 2010, he joined Clear Channel to become their chairman of media and entertainment platforms.
Pittman is considered a “Jack of all media,” and in 2014, Clear Channel become iHeartMedia.
As digital media grew, iHeartMedia expanded into iHeartRadio which is now the world's number one commercial podcast publisher.
It only made sense for Pittman to start his own podcast which is called “Math & Magic.”
This is one of my favorite shows and the premise is: how do the smartest marketers cut through the noise?
This podcast looks at how business and marketing are made up of data and statistics, but there’s also an intangible creative aspect that he summarizes as “magic.”
The world’s best marketers are able to combine both of these components.
Pittman interviews people in every business you can imagine and looks at how these people continuously find success no matter what line of work they are in.
Listening to Bob Pittman is like getting a masterclass in how to create a successful business. You will learn something valuable from every single episode.
The GaryVee Audio Experience
Gary Vaynerchuk probably doesn’t need much of an introduction. His reach in the entrepreneur world has grown wide.
He may be a bit much for some people to take — but that’s also part of his appeal.
There is no denying how incredibly influential — and inspirational — this man is. Vaynerchuck is at the forefront of most new business trends.
Early on, he saw how important social media would be for business. He now recognizes that the future is audio and voice.
What amazes me about “Gary Vee” is how he’s on top of every trend.
His podcast discusses current hot topics such as cryptocurrency and NFTs, but it still looks at the foundations required to become a successful entrepreneur.
This show is the motivation you need to buckle down and work hard. It’s a reminder not to waste money on frivolous things and how you need to sacrifice to be successful.
If you’re looking for things to be sugarcoated — this is not the podcast for you.
The podcast combines some of his keynote speeches, #AskGaryVee episodes, interviews, and segments of his weekly video series to give us invaluable insights into business and entrepreneurship.
How I Built This With Guy Raz
We all love a good origin story. It's inspirational to hear the story of the humble origins of a massive company more than the success they now have.
I love hearing about the struggles of the early days and the many times the founders almost threw in the towel.
"How I Built This" looks at this exact topic. The podcast is hosted by Guy Raz who interviews owners behind some of the world’s biggest companies.
Raz digs deep with his guests to find out about all the struggles they encountered in the early days and how they overcame them.
Raz gets his guests to share the tiny details that helped in the success of their now giant companies.
They also share how they dealt with their own insecurities and how they didn’t let that hold them back.
Some great interviews include:
- the founders of SoulCycle
- Jack Conte and Sam Yam from Patreon
- Steve Ells of Chipotle
- Drew Houston from Dropbox
- John Zimmer of Lyft
- Brian Chesky of Airbnb
This is the perfect podcast for any entrepreneur, innovator, and anyone with big dreams. A truly special podcast.
How to Start a Startup
This podcast is like a one-stop-shop if you want to start a business. It started as a series of class lectures at Stanford University.
The video lectures were turned into audio podcasts by Sam Altman and Y Combinator.
Y Combinator helps fund small startups to get them up and running for the first 3 months.
They also help to refine the new startup and get them ready to pitch to new investors.
This podcast is literally a front-row seat in how to develop a business.
Throughout the course of the show, you will learn everything from how to come up with the best idea, to how to hire the best staff.
Here are a few more valuable topics they cover:
- how to get users and grow your base
- how to build products users love
- sales and marketing
- how to design hardware products
- how to talk to investors
- creating the ideal company culture
It’s honestly astonishing a show like this is available with a single finger press on your podcast app.
World experts such as Dustin Moskovitz, Peter Thiel, Paul Graham, and Marissa Mayer are walking you through what it takes to create a successful business.
This show is made up of only 20 episodes and should be first on the list of podcasts that every entrepreneur needs to listen to.