Whether you’re commuting to work, out for a run, or waiting in line for coffee, a podcast can be a surprisingly good way to break up the tedium and learn something new.
If you can will yourself to forego music once in awhile, listening to a few startup podcasts is definitely worth the time. And who knows, you might even get hooked! (We certainly have.)
These podcasts are not only entertaining, but offer actionable advice for anyone who wants to up their startup acumen. They include specific tips for a wide range of startup roles – from sales and marketing, to community growth and business development – and feature interviews with prominent entrepreneurs, who share stories and insights you often won’t hear anywhere else. Their collective knowledge could easily give you a leg up on the competition and help you land your next startup job.
1. The Tim Ferriss Show
By Tim Ferriss
Photo Source: Stitcher.com
Tim Ferriss is a bestselling author, angel investor, and advisor to dozens of startups, such as Uber and Evernote. In his free time – as if he weren’t productive enough – he hosts this fascinating, entrepreneurial-focused podcast. Ferriss regularly features high profile founders and hyper-successful people from all walks of life. These folks share their thoughts about what has made them successful and where they’ve failed. Topics range from sage advice on working in any kind of business to specific tips about marketing, growth, creativity, and much more.
2. Foundation
By Kevin Rose
Photo Source: Youtube
This video podcast is a side-project of someone else who clearly isn’t productive enough, Google Ventures partner and Digg founder Kevin Rose. Foundation is essentially a video version of The Tim Ferriss Show, and it is every bit as good. Although it varies from week to week, Rose has sat down with a veritable who’s-who of tech luminaries, folks like Elon Musk (Tesla), Tony Hsieh (Zappos), and Jack Dorsey (Twitter, Square). During each episode, Rose’s guests often ruminate on the qualities they value in themselves and others, and usually examine their personal startup journeys.
3. The James Altucher Show
By James Altucher
Photo Source: Choosefreeagency.com
Another author and serial entrepreneur, James Altucher often speaks with prominent startup founders, though his interviews tend to be a bit longer and more in-depth. Over his 100+ episodes, Altucher has spoken with the likes of Peter Thiel (PayPal, Palantir), Jimmy Wales (Wikipedia), and Mitch Lowe (Netflix), to name a few. Interviews are interspersed with episodes on particular topics – for example, How to Make the Most out of LinkedIn – which can super-useful for job seekers.
4. Lean Startup
By Mark Graban
Photo Source: Leanblog.org
As it turns out, what works for big corporations often doesn’t work for young, nimble companies – especially those without vast coffers or R&D budgets. Mark Graban’s excellent podcast (and website) breaks down how startups manage to deliver great products and services on time, without overspending. Through specific cases, like Dropbox and Wealthfront, he illustrates general principles about efficient startups that every employee should be familiar with.
5. Duct Tape Marketing Podcast
By John Jantsch
Photo Source: Burgerconquest.com
If you’re interested in startup roles that have to do with marketing, there are few better resources than this podcast. Jantsch, a prolific author and marketing guru, sits down with guests from all kinds of small businesses to discuss what marketing strategies have worked (or fallen flat), and why. If you’re interested in creating great content, gaining new customers, and closing sales, this podcast is a must-listen.
6. 500 Startups Podcast
By 500 Startups
Photo Source: Linkis.com
500 Startups is a Bay-area seed fund and startup accelerator, which – surprise! – is acquainted with some of the most exciting up-and-coming entrepreneurs, as well as more established founders. Beyond funding and mentoring, the people at 500 thought it would be a good idea to share their mentees’ insights and experiences with the world. The great thing about this podcast is that it gets straight to the point: each episode is in the 15 to 25 minute range, making it ideal for a short commute, lunch break, or exercise sesh.
7. The Full Ratchet
Nick Moran
Photo Source: iTunes
Business development (or BizDev) can mean a lot of different things, including fundraising. If you’re going after a role that involves dealing with potential investors, this is an essential podcast. Nick Moran, a seasoned investor himself, interviews fellow VCs and Angels about twice a week to get their takes on when and why they decide to invest in startups. These conversations open a window into how investors think, and they help shed light on the qualities that all well-run businesses have in common.
8. The Rocketship Podcast
Rocketship.fm
Photo Source: Podbean.com
Whatever kind of startup job you’re pursuing, this weekly podcast has a relevant episode (or five). Hundreds of guests from every kind of startup imaginable have been featured, and they share their best advice on everything from productivity to marketing, sales, product development, growth hacking, relationship building, and more. Given the huge variety of guests and businesses featured, The Rocketship Podcast is probably the closest thing out there to an encyclopedia of startup savvy.
9. Entrepreneur on Fire
John Lee Dumas
Photo Source: Desireroberts.com
They say that smart people learn from their mistakes, but wise people learn from the mistakes of others – a saying that the host of this award-winning podcast clearly took to heart. In his unique format, Iraq veteran-turned-entrepreneur Dumas opens every interview with a discussion of his guest’s biggest failures – and what they learned from them – offering invaluable advice on how to tackle the gamut of challenges that growing businesses face. Guests have included Barbara Corcoran (The Corcoran Group), Seth Godin (Squidoo, among many others), and Tim Ferriss.
10. Product People
Justin Jackson
Photo Source: Productpeople.tv
If you are (or hope to be) a product person, this podcast is required listening. Whatever aspect of product you’re interested in, from development to design to marketing and sales, there is a relevant episode or three. Jackson mostly focuses on software, web-based products, and mobile apps, but there are discussions on a wide variety of products across his 70+ episodes. Topics range from how to build addictive products and viral marketing, to timeboxing and other productivity hacks - all discussed with expert product people from a variety of startups.
While these podcasts are all awesome, there are a ton of others out there to discover! As our final startup podcast suggestion, try doing a quick search to see whether the companies you’re interested in have a podcast of their own, or if their key personnel have appeared on any podcasts. This can be a great way to learn more about particular startups, and show a genuine interest in their (and hopefully your) work.
One of the best things about startup podcasts is that they make a wide variety of entrepreneurs’ perspectives easily accessible, not to mention entertaining. Some of them go into great detail on what it takes to thrive in different startup roles, yet they all tend to bring out common traits that lead to a healthy, happy, and successful startup life. So if you feel like taking a break from reading, or making the most of your run or commute, plug in your headphones and let one of these great podcasts expand your startup horizons.
Ready to tune in and take the next step? Start living your own startup success story with Planted!
Ryan Rappa is a writer, educator, investor, and startup advisor. He studied Politics and Economics at NYU, and recently completed a two-year teaching fellowship with NYU Abu Dhabi. He has also written for The Huffington Post, among other outlets. In his free time, Ryan enjoys international travel and practicing yoga.