Having a toddler running around the house lately has greatly reduced the amount of reading I’m getting done lately. What I’ve really gotten into though is podcasts. It’s the perfect thing at the gym or commute to get your thoughts flowing so I’m hooked for sure. Listening to a good podcast has many times gotten me through a rough traffic jam in Staten Island, and for that I am grateful. So below I’ve listed my top 5 podcasts for small business. check them out during you next commute!
5. Freakonomics Radio – This show is closer to the entertainment spectrum than educational, but I decided to include it because it teaches you how to questions things. Steve Dubner is a master storyteller and has really made podcasts an art form. This show goes down all sorts of alleys and draws unexpected conclusions. The value here is learning new ways to think and investigate topics, and again if nothing else you’ll be thoroughly entertained.
4. The #AskGaryVee Show – I’ve seen Gary Vaynerchuck speak at several conferences and have read all his books. He just started putting out this daily 10 minute podcast and it’s awesome. Gary Vee is an entrepreneur that cuts through all the crap and will call out his listeners regularly. If you’re just looking for some good old fashion straight talk on hustling, as well as some excellent marketing advice, this show delivers. I regularly listen to it when I’m doing late night work and it gets me pumped up
3. Pat Flynn – The Smart Passive Income Podcast – Pat Flynn has built tons of successful web businesses, and even if that’s not your thing he has all sorts of experts on his podcast and they really get in depth on all sorts of small business topics. I took the time to start from his first podcast and it took me months to get through, I picked up tons of tips and ideas though so it’s totally worth it. Another great thing about this is that he doesn’t just give you high level thoughts but step by step practical instructions on how to accomplish a variety of goals. Tons of my marketing and operational achievements are thanks to his podcast.
2. The Tim Ferriss Show – I’m a complete Tim Ferriss fan. I admire his way of thinking and much of his philosophy. He just recently started this podcast so the audio quality is terrible, but the content is so good it’s worth suffering through (it seems to be getting better slowly). Tim Ferriss has access to all sorts of world class people so he brings them on and interviews them in depth. I’ve learned about so many great books through this because he brings on a lot of big authors. The topics are all over the place but generally you can count on very smart people having interesting discussions that will make you think.
1. This Is Your Life with Michael Hyatt – Michael Hyatt is a bestselling author and business man. This podcast has made him my virtual mentor on all things leadership. His humility and honesty in this show is inspiring and I try to use it as an example in my own leadership role. He goes much deeper than just business and addresses marriage, family, and more. I always reserve this podcast for drives to work in the morning because it puts me in a servant-leadership mindset right at the start of my day. If you’re looking for some direction on leadership and only have enough time to listen to one show, I’d suggest this one.
So those are my top 5. For non-business related podcasts I’d recommend Radiolab and Hardcode History, those two shows are amazing. I’m always looking for more show though so please leave your recommendations in the comments!
