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8 of the best podcasts for small business owners

Written by Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce | 30 Jun 2020

Every small business owner knows that the learning never stops. If you want to stay ahead of the competition you need to be aware of the latest news, trends and ideas in areas from leadership to marketing to the economy.

But there are other ways you can expand your knowledge beyond reading. There are plenty of podcasts out there packed full of tips and advice for maintaining and growing a successful business. We've put together a list of podcasts you may find helpful and inspiring.

1. HBR IdeaCast

The IdeaCast, by Harvard Business Review (HBR) is a weekly podcast covering a range of topics to inspire business leaders. The podcast usually follows an interview format, featuring some of the world’s leading thinkers in business and management.

The episodes are all under 30 minutes long, making them easy to fit into busy schedules. Recent episodes include “Great Leaders Use Tough Love To Improve Performance” and “Staying Agile Beyond a Crisis”.

2. Lead to Win

The Lead to Win podcast features weekly leadership lessons for lasting success. Hosted by New York Times bestselling author Michael Hyatt, it’s a refreshing and inspiring podcast offering actionable insights around productivity, personal development and leading with confidence.

Recent episodes include “Communication Fails You Need To Avoid”, “How to Communicate Sensitive Information” and “How to Make Your Vision a Reality”.

3. How I Built This

How I Built This looks at the world’s most successful brands and the leaders behind them. The episodes, hosted by journalist Guy Raz, are usually around an hour long, but include actionable tips you can apply right away.

In recent months they have also been hosting short weekly episodes in a new “How I Built Resilience” series. The episodes feature interviews with business leaders and entrepreneurs to find out how they’re navigating these uncertain times.

4. Conversations of Inspiration

Host of Conversations of Inspiration, Holly Tucker, is the founder of Notonthehighstreet and has spent years growing and empowering small businesses around the UK. Each week Holly talks to a new founder to chat about the highs and lows they've encountered while building their business.

Recent episodes include SME: SOS specials such as “Surviving and thriving through lockdown” and “Community, Connection and Hope - how will this time change the future of business forever?” As well as interviews with the founder of Riverford Organic Farmers, founder and editor-in-chief of the Big issue, and Joe Wicks.

5. Girlboss Radio

Girlboss Radio is hosted by Sophia Amoruso, founder of online retailer Nasty Gal and features honest and uplifting conversations with female business leaders. Episodes are released weekly and last around an hour.

Recent episodes include “How to tap into your creativity”, “The reality of funding your own business” and “How can we help women advance at work”.

6. Business Daily

The Business Daily podcast from BBC World Service covers the biggest news stories from across the globe and how they impact the business world.

Recent episodes include “Offices and cities after coronavirus” and “Remittances: When the money stops coming in”. Pre-coronavirus episodes covered topics like “How 24/7 life is rewiring our brains” and “Delivering in the gig economy”.

You may also be interested in reading one of our recent blog posts that touches on one of these subjects: What does the future of the office look like for small businesses?

7. Unofficial Shopify Podcast

Shopify is a great option for small businesses launching an online store or adding it to their existing business.

For Shopify customers wanting to get the most out of the platform, the Unofficial Shopify Podcast is worth a listen. Host Kurt Elster, a senior ecommerce consultant and Shopify Plus Partner, shares tips and advice for increasing traffic to your online store and boosting your revenue.

Episodes are typically held weekly - though they have been more frequent in the last few months - and last around 45 minutes. Recent episodes include "How a University Student Started a 7-Figure Vintage Clothing Business", "Why Revenue is a Vanity Metric (and what to watch instead)", and "Comedy in Commerce: Help Customers Love You More".

8. Marketing School - Digital Marketing and Online Marketing Tips

Marketing School is hosted by digital marketing gurus Eric Siu and Neil Patel. The bite-sized episodes - all under 10 minutes long - are aired every day, including weekends, and cover a range of practical tips for both established and new businesses to take away.

Recent episodes include “7 Alternative Ways to Promote your Content in 2020”, “7 Unconventional Tactics to Scale Any Consulting Business” and “How to Get a Good Marketing Intern”.

If you're looking for marketing advice, you may find our recent blog post useful: 10 cost-effective online marketing tactics. 

If you prefer video to podcasts, you may be interested in watching one of our recorded webinars that we've been hosting over the last few weeks. We've covered marketing, finance, health and wellbeing, and you can access all the recordings here. You may also want to take a look at our upcoming webinars.

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Topics: Leadership

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