If you’ve got the entrepreneurial itch and you can’t do anything but think about the business you dream of starting, you’ve got your work cut out for you. The next weeks and months will be a whirlwind of early mornings, late nights, frustrating disappointments, and reinvigorating successes.
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Whether or not you keep that success going will all come down to what you learn along the way. You can’t read how-to and self-help books without taking a break from building your business — but you can listen to podcasts while you grind.
The following is an introduction to the podcasts that you just can’t ignore if you’re serious about starting a business. Some are hosted by professional journalists who interview entrepreneurs, others are hosted by founders themselves. All of them will enlighten, inspire and educate you on your journey from dreamer to boss.
‘StartUp’
Alumni of NPR’s “This American Life” are the minds behind “StartUp,” a Gimlet Media podcast that launched in 2014 and ran through 2020. The entire first season chronicled the founding of Gimlet Media itself and the second season told the story of a different startup. In the following seasons, each episode focused on a different business and a different entrepreneur.
The podcast has been hailed for being real about the mistakes that its founders made along the way, what they learned from them and how they persevered. One of the most successful business podcasts in history, listeners have downloaded it tens of millions of times.
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‘How I Built This With Guy Raz’
Guy Raz — another NPR veteran — is one of the most prominent podcasters ever to get behind a mic, but he’s no one-trick pony. The “How I Built This” franchise includes a book, as well.
With a rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars, “How I Built This” is one of the most celebrated podcasts of any genre.
It’s known for compelling interviews with successful entrepreneurs who have built some of the biggest companies in the world. Among the show’s top guests include Jimmy Fallon — yes, “The Tonight Show” host is a major entrepreneur — and the founders of Wikipedia, Patagonia, Spanx and Bumble.
‘Entrepreneurs on Fire’
John Lee Dumas rose to fame as the author of “The Common Path to Uncommon Success,” and his podcast, “Entrepreneurs on Fire,” follows similar themes. He interviews entrepreneurs and founders of all backgrounds and businesses, including some of the most famous names in the startup world. Among his more than 3,000 interviews include discussions with Tony Robbins, Tim Ferriss, Barbara Corcoran, Seth Godin and Gary Vaynerchuk.