When it comes to my podcast subscription list, minimal would be the last word to describe it. I admit, I just cannot resist a good podcast, even though it’s starting to become a serious hoarding issue for me, but at least one without financial or physical consequences. There are two reasons for this:
- I’m always on the lookout for new ones, read all the recommendations I stumble across, and usually give the podcasts at least a try.
- There are so many awesome podcasts that it’s pretty much impossible to keep up. I really love that more and more people realize the power and value of podcasts and thankfully, there is really no shortage of really good ones.
As I said previously, I don’t like vague or exclusively theoretical podcasts. I like getting value – actionable tips, unique point of views, best practices, answers and insights, stories of success and failure, real-life experiences. And they should be told in a fun, entertaining way as well.
Related: Learn from the best: My 6 favorite blogging podcasts
Podcasts about creativity/entrepreneurship/business usually have a great mix of entertainment, business, and inspiration, and in recent months I discovered a lot of gems.
These podcasts all deliver a mix of practical tips and inspiration from and for creatives and entrepreneurs. It doesn’t matter whether you’re already pursuing your own business dreams or still in the planning phase, work as a solopreneur, freelancer, or a creative employee, if you’d like to take your creative pursuits to the next level, I promise you’ll enjoy these podcasts.
The Accidental Creative
The Accidental Creative, hosted by Todd Henry has been on the air for a decade, is one of the most popular business/creative entrepreneurship podcasts out there, and is one of my absolute favorites even in this master list. There’s something about the topics, the issues, and the insights of this podcast that deeply resonates with me and most of the time I’m just nodding along or write notes.
It covers issues we all experience, like overcoming creative blocks, dealing with a massive workload, redefining success and failure, as well as very concrete aspects of entrepreneurship and creative pursuits, like travel, scheduling, work-life balance, productivity. The show gives incredibly valuable and practical advice that we can all incorporate into our life. Besides the solo episodes, there are also interesting and inspiring interviews with artists, top thinkers, and creative souls.
Best for: dealing with real-life creative issues and getting truly practical tips
Beyond the To Do List
Hosted by Erik Fisher, this podcast is all about the productivity tips of real-life entrepreneurs and creatives. This podcast is very motivating and entertaining at the same time. I love hearing about other people’s routines, experiences, tips, tricks on productivity and time management, and this show is full of inspiring people’s personal journeys and stories, successes and fails. The quality of an interview-centric show like this always depends on the energy of the interviewer and how he/she is able to direct the conversation. Erik is great at that, he selects great guests as well, so I’m always hooked on the interviews.
Best for: tried and tested productivity and time management tips and inspiring personal stories
Boss Files with Poppy Harlow
I’ve recently discovered this podcast and has been binge listening ever since. I love great interview-based podcasts and this one is a prime example of that. Poppy Harlow is a CNN journalist who interviews the biggest names in business right now and those committed to making a positive change in the world. She selects great guests from a range of fields: CEOs, millennial female business icons, legendary businessmen, actors, tech leaders, fashion designers. She asks great questions, the interviews have a great rhythm, and are always able to draw me in. Awesome inspirational stories for all creative entrepreneurs.
Best for: a hefty dose of inspiration
Design Life
Design Life is a podcast about design and side projects for motivated creators. It is hosted by two successful creatives: Charlie, who is a marketing designer at ConvertKit as well as a YouTube influencer and Femke, designer at Uber, blogging regularly on her blog and Medium.
The show is very laid-back and has a nice conversational tone, it’s like you’re listening to two cool friends, but who are also awesome mentors. I got hooked very fast and it quickly went on my binge listen list. You’ll get great advice on the challenges creatives face, like the secrets of networking, launching businesses, job hunting, making creative content, as well as a lot of interesting talks about design and branding.
Best for: design-savvy creative entrepreneurs looking for practical business and branding tips
The Fizzle Show
Fizzle is not just a weekly podcast, but a whole online community for indie entrepreneurs, bloggers, creatives and artists. They provide a wealth of knowledge (both paid and free) on how to create a thriving business and turn your ideas into action. I love the dynamic of the show and the real-life challenges they tackle (i.e. getting over the fear of being on video, tips on networking, time management, work/life balance, business strategies, the best media and sales platforms). The questions, issues, and topics often come from the community, so they are very realistic.
Best for: very practical business and social media advice
The Gold Digger Podcast
The Gold Digger Podcast is a show about how to stand out from the crowd, build a business from scratch, bring ideas to life – and have fun along the way. The host, Jenna has such a great relatable personality and attitude as well as a highly infectious energy that it’s hard to resist the temptation to dive back into your business plans after each episode. It’s very motivating with tons of great tips on how to build a brand, run a business, and find balance in your life. Jenna shares her own experiences and isn’t afraid to get very vulnerable about her success, failure, and hardships on her business and personal journey.
Best for: practical brand and business building tips and some major energy-boosting inspiration
The Creative Class
The Creative Class is a podcast designed for freelancers. Hosted by two creative entrepreneurs and freelancers, Kaleigh Moore and Paul Jarvis, the show tackles common issues freelancers face every day, like how to network the right way, whether you should work for free, how to organize your life, how to set and negotiate prices or how to land major clients. The episodes are relatively short, easy to binge, and always full of very practical and actionable advice.
Best for: freelancers looking for great tips on how to navigate this lifestyle
Do you have a favorite business podcast I can add to my list?
