Over this past summer I have been doing a lot of traveling. My road trips have taken me to 5 different states and next week I’m off again! Traveling by car is my preferred means of transportation because there’s almost no limit on what I can take with me. As a matter of fact, several of my road trips were pet friendly, which allowed me to bring along my two dachshunds. ? However, the one thing I don’t like about car trips, is the down-time from my business. Luckily, I’ve found a great way to never stop learning, even while driving.
I am an avid fan of podcasts. I listen to them when I’m at the gym, walking my dogs, and even while cleaning. I especially like listening to podcasts when I’m driving in the car. A good podcast can keep my mind engaged, which stops me from becoming a drowsy driver. It’s the best way to make time fly by. Instead of focusing on the destination, I can enjoy the journey.
While I do have a few podcasts, I listen to for pleasure, the majority of the ones I subscribe to are business related. I especially like podcasts that focus on marketing, leadership, and non-fiction books.
They say that you can tell a lot about people by the books they read. The same holds true for podcasts. I say this because when you listen to a podcast, it’s like you are inviting the host/hosts into your head. You want to make sure their personality, style, and voice is pleasing to you… no matter how much you enjoy the topic. I have run across some podcasts that were just not a good fit for me because I didn’t care for the host. For instance, one podcast was scratched from list because the hosts kept giggling. I dumped another podcast because it was too short (only 8 minutes long) and I got tired of spending all my time listening to the opening and closing credits. Another podcast had way too many commercials. I suggest you listen to at least 1-2 episodes before you hit the “Subscribe” button. Once you finally do subscribe to a podcast, you will automatically receive new podcast episodes as they’re released.
So how do you even find podcasts to listen to? The best place is to start with iTunes, where you can find hundreds of thousands of free podcasts. From Business to Comedy, Health to News, and Sports to Technology, there’s a podcast (or more) for everyone! You will quickly learn that choosing a podcast is a matter of personal taste. No two people will have the same preferred podcast list.
Here are just a few of my favorites:
I Love Marketing with Joe Polish and Dean Jackson
I Love Marketing is an ever expanding world-wide community of people that love marketing and want to keep innovating and learning. This podcast is for Entrepreneurs, small business owners or even start-ups that want inspiration and ACTIONABLE marketing strategies about direct mail ideas, lead generation, lead conversion, getting referrals, email marketing and more. Joe and Dean also discuss psychology, books, people and productivity delivered every Monday to help jump start your week!
If you believe as I do, that intentional and consistent reading is key to success in business and in life, then this is your podcast. My goal each week is to bring you key thoughts and insights from my conversations with those I consider to be among today’s brightest minds: our generation’s non-fiction authors. We discuss their latest book, as well as their unique perspectives on Leadership, Business, Personal Development, Marketing, Career and Entrepreneurship. If you love reading, or desire to do more of it, then consider this podcast your audio Cliff’s Notes. The Read to Lead Podcast is a three-time Best Business Podcast nominee.
***Proud to be named as one of the “Top 25 Business Podcasts for Entrepreneurs” by Entrepreneur.com (Dec 2014) and featured in the “Inspiring Women’s Voices” category on iTunes (March 2015).**** This show is a lively space for conversation, learning and sharing. Through interviews and discussions, we’ll talk about business and life from an introvert perspective, providing resources, advice and inspiration. Show topics fall into four general categories: * Entrepreneurship: self-promotion and networking; productivity; defining success; moving through fear, uncertainty and doubt; creating focus and intention; finding your voice; and goal setting * Leadership: living your vision and values; showing up with authenticity; being a leader among your peers; communication; and courage * Relationships: partnerships and collaboration; forming support networks; and balancing your time and energy between your family, your business and yourself * Personal Growth: self-confidence; self-talk; tapping in to personal power; managing your energy; taking care of yourself and all of your parts, including the physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual and creative
The Mind Your Business Podcast
All entrepreneurs want to know the secret to success. James Wedmore, a seven-figure online entrepreneur, believes success is created by mindset over strategy, magic over metrics, and attitude over action. In this podcast, James untangles the common misconception that hustle and hard work are all it takes to be successful.
The Social Media Examiner Show
Discover quick tips for marketing your business, from Social Media Examiner. Consume snackable social media content each day. The result: this daily dose of marketing vitamin will equip you to take your social media to an entirely new level. Find out more at SocialMediaExaminer.com/show
For other suggestions, simply go to iTunes and browse through the category of: Podcasts > Business > Management & Marketing
There are several different ways to listen to podcasts – on a computer, tablet, iPod, or smart phone. I have an iPhone, so I opt to use my mobile phone to store and listen to all my podcasts. I like using my phone because it gives me the portability I need. To listen to my podcasts in the car, I simply plug an audio aux cable from the earphone jack to my audio input port in my car. That allows me to hear the podcast through my car’s built-in speakers. Other options to connect your mobile device to your car stereo include using a Bluetooth car radio adapter using your car’s cigarette lighter outlet, or a car audio cassette adapter (if you have a built-in cassette player). A real simple method is to just use your phone’s native earbuds. If you feel uncomfortable wearing headphones while driving, you can always listen with just one ear. Finally, if your car stereo is already blue-tooth enabled (lucky duck) you can simply pair your mobile device and begin listening – no extra equipment required.
One thing I especially like about the podcasts I subscribe to, is that most of them include complementary “show notes.” These are episode related web pages, the podcast host creates to share resources mentioned in the show (ex. speaker contact info, book recommendations, free downloads, transcript of the show, etc.). Having later access to the show notes means you never have to worry about stopping to write anything down. Instead, you’re free to listen at your leisure.
Podcasts are an excellent tool to help entrepreneurs and business professionals stretch and grow. For many of us, it seems that there just aren’t enough hours in the day. When you put all our energy into growing our business, there’s not much time left over to work on your own personal development. Thankfully, once you become a regular podcast listener… you will find you never stop learning.
