The 24 Best Podcasts for Entrepreneurs In 2017 Podcasts are the next-best-thing to a long talk with the people who have the most to teach.
By Matt Mayberry Edited by Dan Bova
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Entrepreneurs and business leaders have turned to podcasts as a great source of inspiration and education. But with more business podcasts launching into the iTunes store to meet the growing demand, it's getting harder and harder to find the best podcasts for entrepreneurs.
That's why I've compiled a list of the best podcasts for entrepreneurs and executives. You might have heard of more publicized podcasts like The Tim Ferriss Show and Entrepreneur on Fire, but this list covers a wider range of podcasts and includes a lot of new and noteworthy examples, like Powderkeg: Igniting Startups and Breaking Into Startups, that you shouldn't ignore.
Here are the 24 best podcasts for entrepreneurs in 2017.
Starting Up Podcasts for Entrepreneurs
ShutterstockStartUp
StartUp is one of 10 shows produced by podcasting company Gimlet Media. Co-hosted by Gimlet CEO Alex Blumberg and former FiveThirtyEight editor Lisa Chow, it tells the story of how Blumberg founded Gimlet and everything he learned along the way. It tackles all the issues of starting a company, like naming it, valuing it and bringing on partners through a personal, narrative lens.
Related: Top 10 Online Book Clubs For Entrepreneurial Inspiration
ShutterStockMixergy: Startup Stories
What makes Mixergy unique is that host Andrew Warner arranges some of his interviews with world-renowned entrepreneurs into online business courses. The "Starting a Business" course presents six interviews in an order that works as a "how-to" guide for building a company, with each successive interview delving deeper into the topics of product development, customer acquisition and sales.
How to Start a Startup
Back in the fall of 2014, Y Combinator president Sam Altman gave a one-semester crash course at Stanford University on how to start a startup. Bringing in 29 other Y Combinator alumni as guest speakers, he put together 20 lectures on running a startup from inception to later-stage concerns. The lectures were recorded and have since been archived under the appropriate title, "How to Start a Startup," and can be downloaded as video or audio files.
Entrepreneur On Fire
EOFire is an award-winning podcast where host John Lee Dumas interviews the most inspiring entrepreneurs seven days a week. Every single day, you can expect to hear incredible stories from highly successful entrepreneurs, actionable ideas that can transform your business, and be inspired to build the life of your dreams.
Related: How Tai Lopez Took Over Social Media
Shutterstock.comPowderkeg: Igniting Startups
A newcomer to the business podcast lineup, Powderkeg is already turning heads in the industry with a solid lineup of guests, in-depth interviews, and informative content. Focusing on the tech industry, this show reveals how entrepreneurs outside of Silicon Valley found traction and ultimately, success. Energetic host Matt Hunckler taps into the minds of top-tier entrepreneurs, investors, and innovators to provide insights that will help aspiring founders no matter where they're located.
Leadership and Productivity Podcasts for Entrepreneurs
Jocko Podcast
Jocko Willink is a retired Navy SEAL officer who doesn't beat around the bush and tells it like it is. You are sure to learn key lessons on leadership, work ethic, and discipline that will help you to become the best version of yourself. Apple recently named Jocko Podcast one of the best podcasts of 2016 having this to say about it, "Leadership, fitness, military history -- retired Navy SEAL Jocko and his guests turn any topic into a riveting life lesson."
Self Made Man
In a nutshell, Self Made Man is a self-improvement podcast. Investor, entrepreneur and host Mike Dillard, along with each episode's guest host, offers advice on how to improve yourself so that you can improve the world and achieve true greatness. The show places a special emphasis on business and finance but also covers topics like health and relationships.
The Action Catalyst with Rory Vaden
The Action Catalyst podcast will inspire you to start taking action on what matters most in your life and how to take your productivity to the next level. Self-discipline strategist and New York Times bestselling Author Rory Vaden Co-Founded Southwestern Consulting, a multi-million dollar global consulting practice that helps clients in more than 14 countries get extraordinary results.
Related: 25 Best Habits to Have in Life
The Tim Ferriss Show
The Tim Ferriss Show is the first business/interview podcast to surpass 100,000,000 downloads and when you listen in, you will be able to see exactly why. Angel investor and #1 New York Times bestlling Author Tim Ferriss interviews world-class performers from all different industries on what helped catapult them to the top and provides actionable advice you can implement into your own routine. Former guests include Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Foxx, Tony Robbins, Peter Thiel, and many more.
Shutterstock.comThis Week in Startups
Innovation Podcasts for Entrepreneurs
This Week in Startups has a finger on the pulse of the tech industry. As the name implies, host Jason Calacanis brings on a guest entrepreneur each week and talks about what's happening right now in tech. The podcast is a combination of current events, company profiles and insider gossip, which means there's so much juicy information packed into each episode that you can't go wrong by tuning in.
ShutterstockYoupreneur FM
Lots of modern entrepreneurs are successful because they create a personal brand. Chris Ducker is one such person, and his Youpreneur podcast is aimed at instructing its listeners in all things personal brand entrepreneurship. He and his guests, which include top online business minds, cover everything from building your brand to creating products and marketing yourself in order to teach you how to succeed as a solopreneur.
ShutterstockThe Twenty Minute VC
Have you ever wanted to get into the mind of a venture capitalist? (Here's a hint: you should.) The Twenty Minute VC does just that. Host Harry Stebbings interviews two prominent VC investors each week, delving into why they do what they do and what they're looking for in a startup. The show is also notable for being brief and to the point, with most episodes clocking in at around 20-30 minutes.
Related: 4 Bad Money Habits That Have Left Millionaires Broke
The School of Greatness
The School of Greatnes which is hosted by successful entrepreneur and New York Times bestselling author Lewis Howes will without a doubt inspire you to achieve your biggest goals and dreams. Lewis is a phenomenal interviewer who asks great questions. This is one of the most popular podcasts each and every year for a reason. It never disappoints.
Related: 12 Life-Altering Financial Secrets From Top Wealth Creators
The Full Ratchet
Angel investor Nick Moran came up with the idea for The Full Ratchet as a result of his own difficulties obtaining clear and actionable information on how to be a good investor. He decided to start recording his chats with industry veterans to help investors and entrepreneurs understand how the whole funding process works. Like The Twenty Minute VC, this podcast teaches you how investors think and what will persuade them to buy into your company.
a16z Podcast
According to Silicon Valley-based VC firm Andreessen Horowitz (or a16z), "software is eating the world." Their podcast brings on tech experts and business leaders to talk about the current state of devourment, discussing tech news, industry trends and what the future holds. If you want to hear what industry behemoths have to say about their work and the world, then this is the show for you.
ShutterstockBreaking Into Startups
Breaking Into Startups has only aired a few episodes, but it's off to a very promising start. Created by Artur Meyster, Timur Meyster and Ruben Harris, the program shares the stories of people who broke into the tech industry from nontraditional backgrounds. The goal is to encourage and inspire people who want to get into tech by teaching them how to leverage their unique experiences in other industries.
Sales and Marketing Podcasts for Entrepreneurs
Marketing School
Neil Patel and Eric Siu are experts in digital marketing, and they share a bit of their knowledge every day in Marketing School. Each episode provides you with a unique online marketing tip in fewer than 10 minutes. It's a great podcast for anyone looking to roll up their sleeves and get to work implementing actionable advice on a daily basis.
Social Pros
Jay Baer of Convince & Convert and Adam Brown of Salesforce co-host this podcast about how to market your business on social media. Each week, they interview a leading social media strategist from a prominent company (think Dell, IBM and ESPN) to pick their brain and discuss the latest trends in social media marketing.
Related: 9 Things Ultra Productive People Do Every Day
ShutterstockSaaStr Podcast
From software-as-a-service community SaaStr comes the SaaStr podcast, presented by venture capitalist Jason Lemkin and hosted by Harry Stebbings of The Twenty Minute VC. The show focuses on the world of SaaS, bringing on business owners as well as investors to explore what it takes for companies to succeed in their highly competitive market. SaaStr's trademark area of focus is on advising startups how to go from $0 to $100 million ARR faster.
Shutterstock.comThe #AskGaryVee Show
CEO, entrepreneur, angel investor and internet personality Gary Vaynerchuk has built his personal brand with social media, and now he's helping others do the same with his show, #AskGaryVee (available in video and audio). The show follows a simple Q&A format, with Gary answering viewer-submitted questions about marketing, social media and entrepreneurship.
Shutterstock.comThe Growth Show
If you're looking for advice on growing your business (and why shouldn't you be?), then The Growth Show is just the ticket. It's produced by HubSpot and features guests who have achieved remarkable growth with their businesses, delving into how they did it and what it was like to go through the transition. It's sure to give you plenty of ideas and strategies for taking your business to the next level.
Inspirational Podcasts for Entrepreneurs
Smart Passive Income Podcast
Pat Flynn is known in the blogging and podcasting spheres for building an online business almost entirely through passive income channels. On his Smart Passive Income podcast, he shares tons of passive income strategies that work as well as all the ones that don't. Building passive income streams is all about working hard now so you can sit back and watch the cash flow in later!
Eventual Millionaire Podcast
Jaime Masters thought at a young age that she would one day be a millionaire. She still believes this is true, but she hasn't gotten there yet! In her Eventual Millionaire blog and podcast, Masters interviews businesspeople who have reached that milestone to learn their tactics and advice for growing personal wealth.
shutterstockUnemployable Podcast
If you've found yourself drawn to the entrepreneurial life, if might be because you're "unemployable," like lawyer-turned-writer-turned-entrepreneur and founder of Copyblogger, Brian Clark. In his weekly podcast, Clark draws from his 18 years of experience to provide advice and encouragement for freelancers and entrepreneurs looking to develop their personal businesses.
