Podcasts and webinars have seen a massive rise in popularity over recent years. Even the fall in commuting hasn’t put people off. Podcasts provide a great way of catching up on the latest business trends while on the go and are an engaging source of news, opinion and inspiration.
We spoke to Innovate UK EDGE scaleup director Chris Ellis to find out which business growth podcasts he and his clients value.
Best podcasts for aspiring entrepreneurs
How I Built This with Guy Raz
Hear the ‘behind the scenes’ stories of how some of the most well-known companies were built, from Canva to Mailchimp. This podcast follows the personal stories of innovators and entrepreneurs and their journey to business success.
How I Built This is a US podcast hosted by journalist Guy Raz so there is a focus on American businesses. Highlights include conversations with Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales and Whitney Wolfe, the creator of innovative dating app, Bumble.
A good one for when you need a dose of inspiration and an entertaining story.
How I Grew My Brand with Mary Nightingale
How I Grew My Brand is the UK version of How I Built This, featuring one-on-one interviews with successful entrepreneurs from around the UK. Hear from the likes of Gymbox founder Richard Hilton and Propercorn founder Cassandra Stavrou.
In each episode, Mary Nightingale, journalist and ITV news presenter, asks guests about the three critical stages in their business where a step change was required to fuel sustainable growth.
The High-Performance Pod with Jake Humphrey and Damian Hughes
In the High-Performance Podcast, hosts Jake Humphrey and organisational psychologist Professor Damian Hughes interview highly successful people in the public eye. Offering an ‘intimate glimpse’ into the lives of the super-successful, the podcast aims to share the lessons learnt and behaviours employed to get them where they are today.
Guests cover all sectors and fields, from sport to retail. Highlights include retail expert Mary Portas, astronaut Tim Peake and England manager, Gareth Southgate.
Entrepreneurs On Fire with John Lee Dumas
Entrepreneurs On Fire is a highly successful, award-winning podcast with over 100 million listens. There is a huge amount of content to get stuck into here, with episodes on everything from content marketing to business planning. The focus is on inspiring budding entrepreneurs to achieve financial success.
Best podcasts for scaling a business
Masters of Scale with Reid Hoffman
Reid Hoffman is the co-founder of LinkedIn and an investor at Greylock. His podcast, Masters of Scale sets out to ‘describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion’.
Past guests include co-founder of Birchbox, Katia Beauchamp and Airbnb’s Brian Chesky. This podcast combines theory with real-world stories and experiences to inspire new ways of thinking.
Scale up your Business with Nick Bradley
Nick Bradley is a business growth expert who has built, bought and sold 24 businesses with a combined valuation of over $5bn. His Scale Up Your Business podcast talks to successful entrepreneurs and business experts to answer questions such as; Do you have what it takes to become an entrepreneur? Or why do startups fail?
Learn how to develop the right mindset for growth and hear strategies for transitioning from start-up to scale-up and beyond.
Best business podcasts for women
Girlboss Radio with Puno
Girlboss Radio was created to help women redefine success in their own terms. Hosted by the lifestyle business founder of I Love Creatives, this podcast features stories from successful female entrepreneurs. A good one for social media marketing strategies and advice on building a brand in the digital age.
Promote Yourself to CEO with Racheal Cook
After surviving burnout and resultant panic attacks, entrepreneur consultant, Racheal Cook now teaches women to ‘uncomplicate business’ so they can spend less time working and more time living. Racheal claims to work just 25 hours a week and has still been able to achieve her financial goals.
In her Promote Yourself to CEO podcast, Racheal talks to female CEOs and business experts to share tips and advice on managing workload and progressing in business. From setting boundaries to building a team, this podcast offers practical advice from women who’ve been there before.
Best startup podcasts
The Startup Survival Podcast with Peter Harrington
Peter Harrington is the Entrepreneur in Residence at the London School of Economics and has over thirty years of business startup and growth experience.
His Startup Survival Podcast was created for small business owners affected by crisis at any stage of business growth. Here you’ll find a combination of expert advice, theory and practical solutions. From resilience to money management and networking, this podcast offers a wealth of information for startup founders.
Best business news podcasts
Pivot with Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway
Get the biggest stories in tech, business, and politics from Recode’s Kara Swisher and NYU Professor Scott Galloway. Pivot features bold predictions and conversations on everything from Amazon’s worker problem to Elon Musk.
A good one if you’re looking for a witty, unfiltered take on the big news items.
BBC Business Daily
The BBC’s Business Daily podcast offers a wide range of news stories focusing on money and work. Delve into diverse content ranging from menopause in the workplace to the latest updates in Big Data.
Best business podcasts for leadership
The Living Leader with Penny Ferguson
Created by Penny Ferguson, a leading figure in the personal leadership space, the Living Leader's Personal Leadership Programme has already inspired over 65,000 attendees and has been translated into 5 languages.
Following the success of this leadership and management training development programme, the Living Leader podcast joins the CEO as she chats with business leaders to extract their insights on successful leadership.
Eat, Sleep, Work, Repeat with Bruce Daisley
Looking for a solution to burnout or tips for creating a happy and healthy work culture?
In Eat, Sleep, Work, Repeat, best-selling author and technology leader Bruce Daisley speaks to psychologists, neuroscientists and workplace experts to understand how we can improve our jobs, work culture and happiness. From politics in the workplace to the future of co-working, this podcast offers practical advice based on research and evidence.
It turns out that reducing work-related stress and introducing healthy habits is a popular topic. This podcast is #1 on the Apple Business Podcast Chart with 250,000 streams per month.
Built to Sell Radio with John Warrilow
Weekly Built to Sell Radio episodes share the key lessons behind how various business owners have built and sold their companies.
Some of the most popular recordings include ‘Cracking the Amazon E-Commerce Code’ and ‘How to Sell a 30-person Consultancy Company for $162 Million.’ Host John Warrilow is the founder of The Value Builder System™, a software system used by thousands of global businesses to build the value of their companies.
As well as authoring several books, Warrilow has interviewed over 400 business owners as part of the podcast to find out about their exit.
A good one for business owners looking ahead.
Best business marketing podcasts
The Growth Show with Meghan Keaney Anderson
For all things business, management and marketing, The Growth Show is a great place to start. Hear the inspirational stories behind growing a business, idea or movement with Hubspot’s Meghan Keaney Anderson. An eclectic mix of guests includes diversity consultants and non-profit founders which keep things interesting.
The Marketing Meetup
The Marketing Meetup connects and educates marketers around the world through their newsletter, webinars and podcast.
You’ll find an eclectic mix of blog posts and articles, ranging from social media hacks and online marketing tools to thought leadership pieces. Check out the Marketing during a Pandemic webinar with Mark Ritson which covers the brands that were getting it right, why marketing is worth the investment and how to adapt.
A great resource for digital marketers or those looking to connect with others in the business space.
Best podcasts for personal growth
The Rich Roll Podcast
If you’re looking for something to aid your personal growth, the Rich Roll Podcast could be for you. This podcast focuses on wellness, from mental health to nutrition.
In each episode, Rich converses with thought leaders in health, fitness, nutrition, art, entertainment, entrepreneurship and spirituality to find out what makes them tick and pass on their insights to his audience.
The Melissa Ambrosini Show
The Melissa Ambrosini Show is all about transformation. How to achieve your potential in business, life and beyond. The podcast invites thought leaders and experts from around the globe to discuss wide-ranging topics, from overcoming anxiety to successful relationship habits. While it’s not all directly business-related, you may find it helpful for taking a holistic approach to growth.
Where can I listen to business podcasts?
Most business podcasts can be found in all the usual places;
- Apple Podcasts
- Spotify
- Google Play
You can also listen on;
- Overcast
- Stitcher
- BBC
- Podchaser
- NPR
You can also find news, advice and support in our selection of the best books to scale your business.
Business growth webinars
Since the move to remote working, webinars have really taken off as a source of valuable business and sector information.
The Cambridge Network
Cambridge Network is a membership organisation created to encourage collaboration for shared success. They organise webinars and online events for entrepreneurs and innovators - from optimising employees to building trust in international markets.
LinkedIn webinars
For Chris, LinkedIn is a valuable resource for news and insights, as connections bring the content to you. Webinars are hugely popular on the platform currently and can provide a great way to connect and hear from leading industry experts and thought leaders.
Join LinkedIn groups focused on your industry or sector to hear about online events going on in the space.
Looking for more support to grow and scale? The Innovate UK Scaleup Programme helps the highest potential businesses realise their ambitions.
