Jacob Baranski on Learning From Entrepreneurship Podcasts

By Jacob Baranski Founder of Hartman Projects

Jacob Baranski — It can be incredibly difficult to keep up with the world of entrepreneurship. Considering how vast and varied ‘business’ is, what many consider to be entrepreneurship can be completely different based on size, sector, industry, and purpose.

There is no specific, useful definition to entrepreneurship, outside of the ambition to create and develop a business, run it well, employ people, and make some money. This can apply to vast, global businesses, or the craftsperson running a shop out of their garage. Entrepreneurship applies to Etsy shops, and it applies to franchised restaurant chains that take in millions a day.

So in my experience, the best way to keep up with the world of entrepreneurship is not to try. No, really. I’ve long since admitted to myself that ‘keeping up’ with the world of business is a full-time job. Getting a global view is important sometimes, but it’s best to keep your attention on subjects and matters that interest you. Try not to get caught up in the endless cycle of breaking business news and constant updates. One of the best ways to do this is through entrepreneurship podcasts.

Planet Money: For the Big Picture, and the Smallest Details

The first choice may seem obvious, but NPR’s Planet Money is a perennial favorite of mine. The venerable business news show has remained popular for ages, both in its broadcast form and as a subscribable podcast.

While it is generally considered a show about general business news and not specifically entrepreneurship, it is more than worth listening to, as it runs the gamut from the big picture to hyper-specific in what it covers, and it always covers its topics well, digging into the complex nuances of many different subjects.

The thing to remember is that Planet Money (the show) isn’t just Planet Money (the podcast). The show also runs The Indicator, a quick but often fascinating hit of business news on a very specific example. Taking in both of these topics, along with their newsletter, can often provide an excellent summary of just what is happening in the world of business.

On the topic of entrepreneurship, Planet Money recently covered the entrepreneurial boom occurring in the U.S., as many of the people unemployed or underemployed due to the COVID-19 pandemic have started new businesses. This, along with stories about the changing nature of remote work, the dangers of the boom in tequila, and many other subjects, make this podcast more than worth your time. Just don’t get lost in the show’s archive, it’s deep.

How I Built This, and Monocle’s The Entrepreneurs: Entrepreneurship on a Personal Level

How I Built This, hosted by Guy Raz, is a sort-of sister podcast to Planet Money. While it bills itself as “a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists”, it is focused strongly on people who build businesses, typically profiling one person or business per episode, telling their story from conception to struggle to success.

How I Built This covers entrepreneurs large and small (and ones that started small and became very, very large). For example, a recent episode focused on Mailchimp’s Ben Chestnut, who co-founded the email newsletter service in 2007, a full seven years before it became famous from its sponsorship of the podcast Serial in 2014.

And on the large side, another recent episode interviewed the founder of JetBlue Airways, David Neeleman. The episode addresses the history of the company, and how it dealt with the 2007 public relations disaster stemming from passengers being stuck in their planes for hours due to ice storms. It’s fascinating to hear Neeleman, and many other entrepreneurs discuss how they dealt with moments of crisis.

And if NPR isn’t for you, Monocle’s The Entrepreneurs podcast works in the same vein as How I Built This, but with a more global focus. It just interviewed Jessica Fong of Common Farms, an urban vertical farming startup based out of Hong Kong. Other recent episodes have interviewed business innovators based out of Uruguay,Finland, the UK, and Singapore. An incredibly useful and inspiring podcast for those with business ambitions that cross borders.

Other Podcasts of Interest

I think the best way to learn about entrepreneurship through podcasts is to try new ones and see how they fit. Not all will, and, as I said, don’t try to listen to all of them. That being said, there are plenty out there worth giving a try:

• Masters in Business from Bloomberg is more focused on the topical and technical aspects of business, but the episodes often deftly describe the world that entrepreneurs are dealing with as they attempt to grow their ideas.
• The Woodpreneur Podcast is wonderful for those interested in the smaller, more specific side of entrepreneurship. It is an excellent reminder that not all business ideas have to be world-conquering, and the interviews with small woodworking business owners often provide incredibly useful practical information.
• Monocle on Design focuses on design (of course) but provides great insight for business into how design affects everything, whether you know it or not.

To put it simply, entrepreneurship podcasts shouldn’t be ignored by anyone looking for insight, either for themselves or their investments. The ones listed above focus on the creators and their ideas. Anyone looking to make something of their business would do well to take their advice, and their inspiration.

Jacob Baranski is an entrepreneur, mountain biking enthusiast, and father to three amazing children. He is an avid traveler with professional interests in real estate and modern design.