Running a business can get tedious without constant sources of inspiration and motivation to keep you going. Small businesses take quite a lot of time to grow, and many entrepreneurs lose their initial drive. What they need at this point is a daily dose of enthusiasm infused into them, and reassurance that they are going in the right direction and that their business will grow in time with the right strategy and dedication.
One of the best and simplest ways of finding this continuous inspiration is through podcasts. Podcasts are online broadcasts – very much like online radio – in which thought leaders and influencers in various niches discuss current topics of interests, share insights and personal advice on running a business, and even answer questions asked by their audience.
Podcasts can give you the opportunity to get a pertinent answer for a question that may be worrying you, and to discover new business or client acquisition opportunities and methods which you were not aware of. Plus, joining podcasts helps you expand your network and meet new people in your industry who could join forces with you as partners or become your trusted suppliers.
That being said, here are the top 6 podcasts which you should be following:
1. Social Media Marketing Podcast
Maintained by Michael Stelzner, the driving force behind one of the most engaging and valuable sources of information for marketers and entrepreneurs, this podcast offers insights into the most efficient and up-to-date social media marketing strategies and techniques.
The podcast host has powerful connections in the social media marketing world and frequently invites the most successful marketing professionals, self-made gurus and entrepreneurs for interviews. On other occasions, you can listen to case studies and success stories which may prove to be exactly what you need to push your business forwards.
2. Entrepreneur on Fire
This podcast came into being once its host found out that he had run out of other podcasts to listen to as he drove back home from the office each evening. So John Lee Dumas decided to start his own podcasts, and motivate professionals and entrepreneurs to find role models, emulate and learn from them, and grow professionally.
Whenever you feel that you are losing motivation, Entrepreneur on Fire will certainly light the spark back inside you.
3. StartUp
This podcast is exactly what its name says: it documents the journey of its host from the moment he thought of starting a business and along the path of establishing it and running it. The podcast will definitely prove inspirational and useful if you have just started running your business and feel unsure of your entrepreneurial abilities. StartUp does not leave out any aspect of running a budding business: failed talks with potential partners or financiers, the lengthy discussions and worries within the family, and the daily grind each entrepreneur has to go through.
4. Small Business Advocate Radio
Jim Blasingame, the host of SBAR, received an official recognition by Talkers magazine as one of the top influencers among talk show hosts in the US. The show began back in 1997, before the age of podcasts, and is now one of the most valuable sources of useful information and inspiration for entrepreneurs.
5. Being Boss
Although this podcast was launched only a year ago, it is growing in popularity among small business owners and entrepreneurs. The hosts, Kathleen Shannon and Emily Thompson, focus especially on creative businesses, such as those starting with a particular talent or craft, but can prove inspirational for many other business owners.
6. Small Business Unstuck
After 15 years of running businesses – some failed, some successful – Barry Molz shares insights from his own experience, issues warnings, draws attention to caveats and, overall, helps entrepreneurs find the light at the end of the tunnel during difficult times.
These are just six recommendations, but you can find hundreds of other podcasts to listen to, learn life and business stories from, and find that glint of inspiration you needed to become a better entrepreneur.