podcasts Archives - Successful Blog

15 Podcasts for Business Managers and Professional Entrepreneurs

November 15, 2018 by Rosemary

By Kayla Matthews

Business managers and entrepreneurs are busy people — there’s always more to do and room to grow. Busy people can still take time to learn, however. If you’re an ambitious worker, there’s a good chance that you’re always hungry for more knowledge. Podcasts allow you to fit learning into your free moments. If you’re interested in learning even more about your field, consider listening to a few of these 15 excellent business podcasts.

1. Seeking Wisdom

In the Drift podcast Seeking Wisdom, hosts David Cancel and and Dave Gerhardt talk personal and professional growth. They’ve covered topics ranging from marketing to running a meeting to furthering your personal career. Every episode comes in a short, bite-sized format perfect for busy managers and business owners.

2. Hack the Entrepreneur

In his interview podcast Hack the Entrepreneur, Jon Nastor talks to big-name and upcoming entrepreneurs about their fears, habits and inner battles to find out what makes them successful. Listeners learn about forming successful habits, finding ideas and starting an online business.

3. Startups for the Rest of Us

Startups for the Rest of Us is a show for developers, designers and entrepreneurs focused on helping people launch software products successfully. Listeners interested in tech entrepreneurship can learn loads from the hosts’ combined 20 years experience as software engineers.

4. HBR IdeaCast

From the people behind Harvard Business Review, HBR IdeaCast features talks with leading thinkers in business and management. Business professionals and entrepreneurs can learn about innovations and current issues in business, from AI to workplace diversity. The show’s host is Sarah Green Carmichael, an executive editor at Harvard Business Review.

5. Business Wars

Fans of documentaries and audio dramas will love Business Wars. Both entertaining and informational, this show tells the inside stories of battles in business. Some of the stories covered include Netflix vs. Blockbuster, Marvel vs. DC and eBay vs. PayPal. Learn what makes successful companies rise and others fall when facing fierce competition.

6. 1st Talk Compliance

Employers hoping to get legal advice during their morning commute might consider listening to 1st Talk Compliance. Host Catherine Short and her guests address issues employers face when understanding and complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act and handling ADA claims. Listeners can find legal definitions, discussions and more from experts in health care and compliance.

7. BBC World Business Report

Entrepreneurs who want to stay informed about the current biggest market influences might listen to BBC World Business Report. The show updates daily and brings listeners business and financial news from around the world.

8. The $100 MBA Show

Wish you could expand your business knowledge in the time it takes to take a shower? The $100 MBA Show provides short, actionable business lessons in just over 10 minutes. New episodes provide “no-fluff” advice every day on a variety of topics, so you can learn what you want whenever you want. Whether you’re new to business or an experienced entrepreneur, you’re sure to learn something new.

9. Mixergy

In the podcast Mixergy, host Andrew Warner interviews successful business founders so you can learn from them. You can listen to interviews with more than 1,500 entrepreneurs, including founders of well-known companies like Pixar and Linkedin.

10. Planet Money

From NPR, Planet Money explains the economy in a way that’s actually fun by telling both common and lesser-known money stories — from combating money in politics to conquering the onion market. Planet Money is entertaining, informative and weirdly fascinating.

11. WorkLife With Adam Grant

In the TED podcast WorkLife, organizational psychologist Adam Grant gives listeners an inside account of unusual workplaces. The show provides insight into how people tackle work challenges together, so it’s a great resource for managers and employers.

12. Girlboss Radio

In each episode of Girlboss Radio, host Sophia Amoruso interviews glass-ceiling-shattering women entrepreneurs, founders and creatives. Their conversations are honest, insightful and funny, providing lessons for hopeful female entrepreneurs and everyone.

13. No Quit Living

The No Quit Living podcast knows that people need motivation to reach their potential. In every episode, host Christopher Wirth interviews successful people from all walks of life to find out what motivates them to succeed. No Quit Living helps entrepreneurs find drive to pursue their goals even in the face of adversity.

14. Entrepreneurs on Fire

Award-winning podcast Entrepreneurs on Fire focuses on providing the inspiration and strategies entrepreneurs need to succeed. With over 2,000 episodes, Entrepreneurs on Fire has useful interviews and tips for anyone interested in business. You can listen to new episodes every Monday and Thursday.

15. Growth Now Movement

The Growth Now Movement podcast brings listeners interviews with entrepreneurs and game-changers who’ve turned professional and personal struggle into growth. Episodes will inspire you while providing some truly useful insight into the nature of growth and success.

Listen and Learn Today

As an ambitious entrepreneur, you’re always looking for new opportunities to learn an improve. These podcasts can provide insight and inspiration, whether you’re just starting your career or moving up. All you have to do is listen to start learning.

About the Author: Kayla Matthews writes about communication and workplace productivity on her blog, Productivity Theory. Her work has also appeared on Talent Culture, MakeUseOf, The Muse and Fast Company.

Featured image: Photo by Mohammad Metri on Unsplash

4 Tips for Better Marketing Results

November 16, 2016 by Thomas

As a business owner and/or marketer, how would you rate your marketing game?

If it is coming up short of the desired results, do you have a plan in place to change the direction it is headed? In the event you do not, will you sit idly by and watch competitors reap the rewards of your inept marketing abilities?

Unfortunately, some businesses do just that.

They try to market their products and/or services, but ultimately come to the conclusion that they can’t for this or that reason. As a result, the competition gets rich off of them.

So that you do not end up kicking yourself for what effectively are bad marketing practices, stop and listen for a moment.

You can in fact turn things around if you’re so determined.

Don’t Settle for Second-Rate Marketing Initiatives

If the time has come to turn your marketing initiatives around so you can win a little bit more, remember the following four tips:

Goals – First and foremost, what are your goals with your marketing program? Having clearly defined goals is crucial in order for you to succeed. If you’re a small business, you probably have some roadblocks in your way at times, notably your marketing budget. That said it does not mean you can’t accomplish satisfactory results. With this year almost in the books, now would be a good time to review what you set forth as far as marketing goals for 2017;
Listening – You may think you are a marketing whiz (perhaps you are to one degree or another), but it never hurts to listen to others in the profession. If you have a marketing team in your office, have regular meetings to iron out where the marketing initiatives are headed. You might also find this great marketing podcast of great benefit to your endeavors. Such podcasts can provide a plethora of good marketing information like trends in the industry, where consumers have their heads at these days, why social media can never be taken for granted etc. There are more and more marketing podcasts, videos etc. on the market today than ever before. As such, you can learn lots of good information, information that you can then take and apply to your marketing strategies. While it is perfectly fine to think you know just about all there is to know regarding marketing, keeping your ears and eyes open never hurts.

Networking with Other Marketing Pros

Networking – It is one of the proven ways of getting new business leads, yet so many businesses (and marketers for that matter) drop the ball all too often when it comes to networking. As a result, they miss out on some golden opportunities to secure new business. While your marketing budget may be tight, you should do all you can to attend valuable marketing conferences etc. Even if you have to meticulously pick and choose which ones to attend, do it. The door is open to potential new business at each and every conference, trade show, chamber of commerce event etc. Make those doors open even wider by attending and solidifying new business leads;
Hiring – Last but certainly not least, are you hiring the right marketing talent at your business? In some cases, the answer to that question may be no. If you are not, that needs to change sooner rather than later. Take a look at what some of your competitors are doing when it comes to those they hire. Where are they getting these hires from? What kind of opportunities are they giving them to succeed in their careers? Knowing what winning marketing pros want from a business etc. is something you can never take for granted.

With 2017 just around the bend, take the time now to make sure your marketing goals for next year are ready to rock.

If they’re not, you could find yourself on the outside looking in when it comes to adding more business.

Photo credit: Pixabay

About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business and marketing topics on the web.

Podcasts to check out right now

August 11, 2016 by Rosemary

It’s the end of Summer, a perfect time to add some fresh subscriptions to your podcast queue.

After all, once the kids go back to school, you’ll be able to wear headphones without interruption for popsicle breaks or bicycle tire repair. (Bittersweet, I know…)

Today I’d like to share my latest podcast recommendations for busy entrepreneurs/business builders.

Scott Monty’s The Full Monty

I’ve been a subscriber to Scott Monty’s excellent marketing/digital newsletter for a long time. This podcast is the audio version of the newsletter, and I love that it’s only 15 minutes. You can squeeze this in, even on a short commute, and be instantly up to date on what’s going on in the industry.

Patrick O’Keefe’s Community Signal

Patrick is one of the leading experts in online community, and Community Signal is a deep dive into how to do it right. If you want to really know how to engage with your customers, fans, and partners in an authentic way, give this great podcast a listen. (And I’m not saying that just because I’ve been a guest on the show.)

Julia Roy’s How We Work Now

Julia is a bundle of energy who has been known as “the digital girl,” with a highly successful entrepreneurial, blogging and speaking career. Her new podcast is an interview series that will focus on one area of creative professionals each season. This season focuses on writers, and started off with an excellent discussion with Dorie Clark. Seriously, you need to add this one to your list.

Stewart Rodgers & Travis “Teedubya” Wright’s VB Engage

Even though this podcast comes from Venture Beat, it’s not about venture capital. Don’t be intimidated away. If you listen, you will get smart discussion about marketing technology, user-centered design, mobile marketing, and more. Warning: there will be snark.

Andy Crestodina & Barry Feldman’s Content Matters

If you want to know how to do content marketing right, these are your guys. Andy and Barry explore the ins and outs of headlines, analytics, SEO, and everything else you need to know if you want to use content marketing in your arsenal. Need I mention the excellent banter? The fact that you can access both of these guys’ brains for free is simply amazing.

What are your favorite new podcasts?

Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for Social Strata — makers of the Hoop.la community platform. Check out the Social Strata blog. You can find Rosemary on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee