For a decade I have been an avid listener of entrepreneur podcasts. As a small business owner and solopreneur, it can be lonely. There are not co-workers with whom to discuss ideas and best practices. This is why podcasts are the entrepreneur’s best friend. If you are seeking an entrepreneur podcast, a search on iTunes / Apple Podcasts will show you hundreds from which to choose. Entrepreneur Podcasts are one of the hottest topics.
Five years ago I launched my entrepreneur podcast, “Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do”. As a successful entrepreneur and keynote speaker, I found it important to be around others who were doing interesting things. This podcast has allowed me to connect with amazing people and find fresh ideas that have impacted my business. Being and entrepreneur can be lonely. Finding ways to go on this journey with others makes it easier to succeed.
Success leaves clues and an entrepreneurial life is once of continued discovery. My goal with this entrepreneur podcast was to host a show where I could interview others who were interested in business growth.
The entrepreneur podcasts I liked showed me the way to structure interviews and share ideas. My favorites included:
- Michael O’Neal’s “Solopreneur Hour”
- “The James Altucher Show”
- “The Tim Ferriss Show”
- John Lee Dumas’ “Entrepreneur on Fire”
- Lewis Howes “The School of Greatness”
Success Leaves Clues on this Entrepreneur Podcast
Listening to podcasts and getting advice from the top entrepreneurs on these shows was helping me with my business. However, the time had come to conduct my own interviews with business owners.
September 2014 was the launch of “Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do”. I began finding entrepreneurial thought leaders to have as guests, and I was pleasantly surprised how enthusiastic people were to join the conversation. Friends and strangers were supportive as guests and listeners.
Now, over 450 interviews later, my entrepreneur podcast has become a major part of my business and my life. The podcast features two shows a week. It originally was two interviews focused on actionable advice (released on Tuesday and Thursday), but in January 2019 I changed the format. Now the Tuesday show is just me sharing ideas on how to grow your business.
Competitive Landscape
There is a lot of competition for entrepreneur podcasts. At the time I launched the show there were only a few shows that were similarly themed. Now it seems a new show focused on business growth is launching on iTunes every three hours.
On the day I released my first podcast episodes, Gary Vaynerchuk launched his podcast. This was a clear sign of what was about to happen in the world of podcasting. Podcasting had been around for many years, but it was changing. in 2014 the hockey stick curve began to expand and everyone was jumping into the podcasting game.
The trick for me was to learn to host great interviews and produce and enjoyable audio experience. While I was not in a position to spend a lot of money on my show, I did buy great equipment and hired a producer / editor to ensure my show would sound fantastic. (If you are starting a podcast, check out the company that produces my show: Podfly Productions).
In 2018 my show was named a top entrepreneur podcast to listen to in 2018. This article helped propel my show to more listeners.
Making Money From A Podcast
Celebrities and big brands began to launch podcasts on every possible topic. Entrepreneur podcasts and business shows became extremely popular as people began seeing several podcasters beginning to make money. Everyone wanted in on the passive income that seemed to be falling from trees. Several of these successful shows were help up as the “normal”, but really they were the outliers.
I was not sure that I would be financially capitalizing on my podcast. It did not seem in the beginning that I would keep up the show for over four years. The decision was made not to worry about making money or selling advertising. I have never been one who believed the “4-hour workweek” theory. From the beginning it was clear that hosting show was going to involve real work and that any payoff would come in the long run.
The good news is that my show has spun off work for my main business as a keynote speaker and master of ceremonies. From the beginning podcasting proved to be the best networking tool I had ever found. People who listened to the show, guests, and other podcasters all became referral sources who connected me to companies and associations in need of my services.
Podcasting Replaced My Blog
In 2005 I began blogging. Writing daily was my standard. My original blog (The Some Assembly Required Blog) was a main marketing tool for my brand for nine years. Yet by 2014 I was tired of writing, and the blogosphere had changed. The results were no longer the same, and I had never migrated my blog to my main website. The SEO had fallen away, and I was too busy with work to make the necessary changes.
The effort I had put into blogging was now dedicated to “Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do”. I found that the show was being found on iTunes (not as much these days) by people seeking business advice. Those who were active on social media and followed entrepreneur hashtags were discovering the show. Entrepreneur podcasts became a hot topic.
Where Do I Go From Here
In 2019 I realized that much as blogging had changed, podcasting was changing, too. It was time to start blogging again, and thus I launched “The Paradox of Potential” blog and have tried to return to writing (and this new blog lives on ThomSinger.com). The combination of the audio and the written are showing to help with my findability.
I am currently seeking out larger company entrepreneurs to be guest on the show. Company CEOs that have grown to over 300 employees are the ideal guest. f
The CTED podcast also partnered with The Austin Technology Council to once a month feature members of this amazing entrepreneurs organization that is headquartered in my hometown. While my entrepreneur podcast is not Austin-centric, the Texas capital is indisputably one of the country’s hotspots for entrepreneurship. The first of these co-produced episodes launched in February 2019, and the number of downloads of that show instantly were showing higher numbers.
Do You Listen To Entrepreneur Podcasts?
If the topics of business growth and entrepreneurship are important to you, and if listening to podcasts is your things, I hope you will add “Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do” to your list of “must listen podcasts”. It is an entrepreneur podcast by an entrepreneur and for entrepreneurs.
Over 25% of all Americans regularly listen to podcasts. Business professionals are one of the fastest growing demographics, as podcasts are a great way to learn and find inspiration.
The growth of podcasting is still happening. In 2018 there were just over 500,000 podcasts listed on iTunes. That number is now north of 660,000. However, most shows seem to die out around their tenth episode. As of the writing of this post, my show has 437 episodes.
UPDATE
October 2019. My entrepreneur podcast has topped 500 episodes. Listeners from all over the world have tuned in and there have been more than 1 million downloads. I recently was sent a statistic that showed it was the 12th most popular entrepreneur podcast in Ireland (my grandparents would be so proud). The show has opened up doors for me and changed my career for the better. I have recently been hired to host another business podcast for an association that is looking to use podcasting as a tool to reach their members with customized content.
Do you want to start a podcast? Check out the company that produces and edits my entrepreneur podcast. Podfly Productions has been one of the best vendors I have ever worked with.
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Thom Singer is a corporate speaker and professional master of ceremonies / EmCee. You can read his latest articles and find the podcast on ThomSinger.com. His latest videos are found on LinkedIn, YouTube, and on his website. Thom is speaking often as a manufacturing keynote speaker, but his message works in all industries.
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