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, one of my favorite 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:
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. Most of their advice is
immediately actionable, and better yet, they have jokes! The guys are simultaneously
funny and inspirational. As one reviewer aptly observed, “I’ve fallen into
this podcast, and I can’t get out.” They publish a new hour-long Fizzle episode
every Friday.
Favorite Episode: "27 Ways To Stumble On Unbeatable Content Ideas (#88)"
Because you can never find
the time to churn out enough info/product/blogpost/graphics, the Fizzle guys talk
about ways you can shake ideas loose, get them down on paper, and decide
which ones to start developing. This episode will resonate with anyone who has had
any sort of road block with content marketing, and assist in catching elusive ideas.
Startup
If you are looking for an addictive serialized story, I
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. I think it's 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.
Favorite Episode: "How To Divide An Imaginary Pie (#3)"
Spurred on by comments from potential
investors like “I think startups are a team sport,” Blumberg documents his
experience of finding a co-founder, both to bring in some solid business skills
and to alleviate the emotional burden of starting a company. Enter
Matt, a former radio producer and MIT MBA who knows how to write a business
plan. This episode provides great observations,
like “Pitching a business and suffering from a delusional mood disorder look
remarkably similar.”
Bonus Episode: If
you want to go behind the scenes of a behind-the-scenes podcast about a podcast, check out Max Linsky’s conversation with Alex on "Episode #124"
of Longform.
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.
Favorite Episode: "Gumption (#5)"
I’m going rewind a bit with
this recommendation and declare "#5" as my favorite episode. Producer Haddie Cook
and entrepreneur Garrett Dimon join forces with Benjamin to assess callers’
professional predicaments and corporate quandaries. Here’s a great sound bite: Dan: “You called me, out of
the blue, and you were at your wit’s end. Do you remember what I’m talking
about?” Garrett: “Which time?”
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.
Favorite Episode: "Social Media Sabbatical (#13)"
If you’ve ever fantasized
about taking a cold turkey break from the social media, this is your episode. It
might seem impossible to build a business without being
glued to social networks, but according to Zook and Jarvis, it's definitely possible. The duo discuss various “social media detoxes” they’ve tried — imagine a
Twitter-free life! — and the effect that these breaks had on their businesses,
productivity levels, and general state of being. This episode also marks the
first appearance of Zook's Stormtrooper microphone.