We love a podcast in the Tribe Digital office. While there are plenty to choose from when you’re in need of a little inspiration, sometimes you need some suggestions. This post is about our top picks for business podcasts. Specifically, creative businesses that share an entrepreneurial spirit. We love hearing about how businesses got started, what drove the founders when things got tough and what they have learned along the way. In no particular order, the list below covers the podcasts we listen to regularly and recommend to anyone who asks.

1. How I Built This

First in our list is a classic entrepreneurial podcast:  How I built this. Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world’s best-known companies, weaving a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built. This is the podcast for anyone who wants to hear inspiring stories about how some of the biggest names in consumer goods, tech and pretty much anything that has a unique story. Our personal favourite episodes include Bumble founder, Whitney Wolfe; Burt’s Bee’s co-founder Roxanne Quimby and the story of Dollar Shave Club with Michael Dubin.

2. Creative Rebels

David Speed and Adam Brazier are the two guys behind this unique podcast for creative entrepreneurs called Creative Rebels. They believe (quite rightly) that there has never been a better time to be creative. This a great listen for anyone with aspirations to do their own thing, whether that’s a side-hustle to monetise a hobby or to set-up shop with a completely new career. Each week they interview a different creative rebel, demonstrating that the road to success is whatever you want it to be. We particularly enjoyed The Science of Storytelling with Will Storr, Disrupting The Market with Joe Benn & Do What Makes You Happy with Madeleine Shaw.

3. DOSE

Hosted by Hettie Holmes, DOSE examines the growing world of health & wellness. Inspired by the happy hormones – dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin and endorphins – the cleverly named DOSE knows everything there is to know about health and hedonism. Strictly speaking, this podcast isn’t focused on creative businesses and is a “podcast that explores what makes us feel good” but if you love a start-up story, Hettie does an excellent job interviewing the brilliant founders of brands such as Seedlip, SoulCycle & Elvie – all industry disruptors who have gone against the grain to pursue what they believe in.

4. Work Like A Woman

Retail guru, Mary Portas talks to the men and women that believe business can be conducted better. Following on from her book of the same name, Work Like A Woman shares the stories and unpicks the unconscious bias that everyone has experienced at one time or another and how being different is often your best asset to succeed. We loved hearing about Selling Sausage Rolls with Greggs and Embracing Failure with Elizabeth Day – another great podcast in it’s own right!

5. The Economist – Editors Picks

Selected articles from the audio edition of The Economist. As most folks know, the economist is far more than dry business info. It digs into the social trends and cultural phenomena that affect the economy, including everything from politics to tech. It’s essential if you want to stay informed and provides a weekly round-up of what is going on. The latest listen we tuned in to was all about FedEx’s visionary founder, no longer being visionary – a fascinating look at how even a household name like FedEx can be disrupted by new, agile businesses cashing in on the demands and expectations of quick delivery from e-commerce brands.

6. The McKinsey Podcast

This is a great podcast for those interested in “conversations with experts on the issues that matter most in business and management”. This might not seem like an obvious choice for creative businesses but all companies – no matter how big or how small – can benefit from hearing how digital is impacting our behaviour. Learn from insightful subjects such as “Data Privacy: What Every Manager Needs To Know”, “The Future Of Grocery” & “What’s new & what’s next in consumer behaviour around the world?”

7. Akimbo

Akimbo is a podcast by Seth Godin, an inspiring thinker about business. marketing and human behaviour. It’s a collective of thoughts and ideas about how brands can resonate and if you have ever read any of his books, this podcast follows in much the same way. This is a great listen for when you want insights around businesses or how to connect with audiences, simplified into pitch-perfect nuggets of information. Listen to ‘Blogs and Platforms and Permission’ to get his insight into how Google changed everything about the way consumers searched for products & why SEO is not what consumers think it is.

8. Smart Passive Income

Pat Flynn hosts this award-winning weekly podcast. Smart Passive Income offers interviews, strategies and tactics on how to increase profits and grow your online business. If you’re interested in learning about ways you can build atomic habits, create evergreen sales funnels, buy and sell businesses online, tap into niches or grow your YouTube presence, then this is a great resource to take advantage of. Episodes of note from us include the “Top 5 Major Business Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make” & “Anti-Busy, Pro-Purpose: Talking Work-Life Balance”.

So there you have it, our top business podcast suggestions for when you next want to hear about the business challenges and ideas that top brands & start-ups are tackling. If you have any suggestions, please let us know – we’re always want to listen & learn more.