10 brilliant business podcasts for small businesses with big dreams

September 30, 2021

As owners of a small (or maybe medium?!) business, we think it is fair to say we are standing on the shoulders of giants when it comes to the business world. Although we have definitely grown, we are still small fish in what seems like an ocean of knowledge and information. It makes sense to listen to advice and soak in the experiences of people who have done this all before. There is always so much learning to be done!

Here are ten of our favourite business-y podcasts that will inspire, entertain and encourage you. These podcasts have helped us along the way! They are perfect for a commute (a commute? We've forgotten what that looks like!), when you need something to listen to and focus on, or if you want to unwind with some wisdom in your ears. Wherever and however you listen to your podcasts, we recommend giving these ones a go!

My Daily Business Coach

Fiona Killackey is the kinda person we wish we had sitting on our shoulder each day at work, like a mini business coach Jiminy Cricket! Her podcast is an insightful mix of three types of episodes: ‘tips, tools and tactics’, interviews with business owners and coaching sessions. We love that Fiona has a really holistic approach to coaching and addresses wellness and mental health issues as well as current world topics that may be affecting business owners too (hello pandemic!) Having years of corporate experience and now running her own biz means Fiona has a wealth of deeply practical knowledge to share. You’ll be left brimming with ideas you’ll want to get stuck into actioning immediately.

We were chuffed to bits to share our story on My Daily Business Coach, #bizgoals! Listen to us in episode 102. It was really fun to record the podcast together and really reminded us how great it is working with each other!

Recommended if: you’re looking for really holistic, down to earth, practical, actional takeaways that you can apply right away.

How I Built This

We’ve been hooked on listening to this podcast for years. Host Guy Raz has a way of delving really deep into the journey his guests have been on and revealing the pieces of the puzzle that you actually want to hear. He’ll unpick the lows, dig into their childhood, discover their hard-earned lessons and leave you with a new perspective on the business. Some of our favourite episodes are Mailchimp, Brooklinen, Spanx and Eileen Fisher (this episode inspired the way we launched at a tradeshow with only samples!) It’s always fascinating to lift the lid on the founder of a brand and somehow always makes us feel less alone to know that all businesses, no matter how big or small, have their own rollercoaster story and really scary moments. Challenges come with the territory and this podcast reveals how the founders have navigated them when things got tough. At the end of the episode, Guy Raz always asks his signature question: Is your success down to luck or hard work. Spoiler alert: it’s usually both which sounds about right to us!

Recommended if: you want to know to learn how the really big brands were made and learn from the best!

Conversations of Inspiration

Holly is like a proud best friend, always there to cheer you on and make you feel like what you’re doing really matters. On the podcast Holly talks to a diverse range of entrepreneurs from creative, soulful brands and she really gets deep into the values and meaning that their businesses are built on. This is our go-to podcast for the loftier kind of thinking that you really need when things get heavy. Holly has a seemingly limitless enthusiasm when it comes to small businesses and generously shares her learnings to support her community.

Recommended if: you need to light that fire of inspiration!

How to Fail

This isn’t strictly business but it might as well be, because failure is part and parcel of running a business. Feeling like you’ve royally messed up is quite literally unavoidable when you are building a business from the ground up. Throw in some self-doubt, a dollop of imposter syndrome and Instagram-induced FOMO and we all know that failure is an ever present shadow. It’s hard to feel like we’re getting it right or even good enough sometimes. That’s why this podcast is so refreshing. Host Elizabeth Day talks to some high achieving humans about the times they felt they f*cked up or fell short. It’s a lesson in humility and not giving up because of course the only reason they’ve got where they are in their lives (and landed on this podcast) is because they pushed through the fear of failure.

Recommended if: you’re in need of a good pep talk and the comfort of knowing you’re not alone.

My Business Playbook

If your marketing plan is looking a little lacklustre, or you’re just not sure where to begin, Laura Higgins of Lala Social Club is the place to start. You’ll hear founders stories and some beautifully succinct and practical advice on how to level up your marketing game. Speaking from her own experience in her business and from working with business owners, Laura is able to break things down and get you excited about taking the next steps, and point you in the direction of what those steps should be!

Becca made her podcast debut in episode 112, where she talked about how we work together as sisters, the many challenges of running a business during the pandemic and gives her tips on creating your dream job.

Recommended if: you’re wondering where to begin when it comes to marketing and you need someone to explain it, all of it!

The Design Files Talks

When it comes to design blogs, The Design Files has been leading the way since 2008. Now, founder Lucy Feagins hosts Talks, where she interviews a line up of Australia's most talented and interesting guests. From architects and designers to artists and entrepreneurs, each episode is enlightening and inspiring. We thoroughly enjoyed listening to the episode with Kara Rosenlund, the one with Sasha Titchkosky from Koskela was a real gem and the recent episode with Louise Olsen from Dinosaur Designs had so many nuggets of wisdom.

Recommended if: your job (or your dream job) is creative

Jumbled Loves-A-Chat

Grab a glass of bubbly and listen in for a chat with Pip, owner of Jumbled, the most colourful lifestyle store in Orange, Australia. If you follow Jumbled on Instagram you’ll know that Pip is always up to fun, silly stuff like dancing round her shop and her podcast is all the joy you’d imagine it would be hanging out with her! But along with all that, you’ll get a wealth of insights from some of the most creative business owners in Australia.

Recommended if: home, interiors, fashion and bubbles are high on your priority list!

Your Dream Life with Kristina Karlsson

Founder of Kikki K, Kristina Karlsson is on a mission to inspire you to dream big - actually, to dream even bigger than that! The podcast is more life lessons than business lessons but we’d happily argue that those two things are closely entwined. Kristina interviews thought-leaders, telling their inspiring stories and challenging you to ask yourself: what would you do if you knew you could not fail? Listening to this podcast will make you think more deeply about why you do what you do and in terms of business, how you can align more closely with your purpose to do more good through your work. It’s a breath of fresh air.

Recommended if: you’re ready to put pen to paper and bring those dreams to life.

How's work? Esther Perel

We hope when we grow up we’ll be as wise as Esther Perel. Following on from her hugely popular podcast Where Should We Begin? Esther launched How’s work? during the pandemic. It’s a real life, one-off counselling session where two people talk through the blocks in their business and business relationship. Things get deep. The podcast is a revealing and intimate look at the dynamic of working together, some of the guests are couples, some are friends and others are family, all are tied together by the work that they do. As sisters in business we know only too well that the health of our business hinges on the health of our relationship. Communication is everything and if anyone can help you learn about yourself and your relationships, Esther can.

Recommended if: you’re a deep thinker, love talking psychology and like to unravel the things lying beneath the surface.

Stop, Collaborate, Listen

Wondering how to grow your business? Jess is the founder Collabosaurus who are basically the tinder of brands, matching up like minded businesses for a mutually beneficial hook up! The podcast breaks down the hows, whys and whats of collaboration as well as oodles of really useful small business advice. We laughed a lot at episode 61, where Jess sat down with her boyfriend who has been there for the ride and it really all sounded very familiar! There’s some juicy tips in this podcast that will give you loads of ideas for how to creatively bring more collaboration into your business.

Recommended if: you have thought about collaborating but aren’t quite sure where to start or how to tackle it.

We hope we have given you a jumping-off point to start exploring (or further explore!) the world of business podcasts! There's so much advice out there and we find listening can be the best way to soak up all the information, because you can multitask why doing it! When you have a business, that's a very important factor!

Let us know which were your favourites and if you have any faves of your own, we are always on the lookout for recommendations!