GET SOME MOTIVATION PLAYING WHILE YOU BUILD YOUR BUSINESS.
Author: Dan Craddock
November 14, 2017
How Do You Stay Motivated When You’re Running the Show?
One of the hardest things to do when you’re self employed, or an entrepreneur, or just running a side hustle is staying motivated. Posting inspirational memes only provides so much. It might help you feel better, but it probably won’t point you in the right direction.
Aw shucks…I’m a fellow, and flattered Ryan. But how do I manage to get it together and produce recurring revenue models, process reconciliation of my accounts, bring in new clients, handle my team, and brush my teeth?! And don’t get me started on Netflix stuff, or parent stuff!
My solution? PODCASTS!
They’re really great resources for motivation. You can take advantage of free content from a number of pros in your field. And you can literally listen to them anytime, anyplace. I personally listen to most of my Podcasts in the car in between meetings. The following are 10 Podcasts that I love to listen to. I hope you enjoy.
01 The Speaker Lab
First up is The Speaker Lab. I wanted to start with this one because every week they have someone on the show that helps you improve on your speaking skills. This is geared towards people creating a brand around speaking engagements, but I think it’s got a ton of value for anyone pitching a product or idea. If you can’t speak to your clients, you can’t sell them your product.
02 The #AskGaryVee Show
So Gary Vaynerchuk is a bit of a content rockstar right now. He makes no excuses, he’s rigid, foul mouthed, and “real” (as he puts it like every thirty seconds). I love what Gary puts out, or at least most of the time. I tend to find his flood of repetitive strategy boring sometimes to be honest. But I will say, if you ever need a quick boost of motivation, he’s like a RedBull, great once in a while in small doses, and you shouldn’t mix it with a ton of booze.
The dude’s Podcast title has a social media strategy in the title for cracker’s sake. NSFW
03 Side Hustle School
Let me just be up front about this one, it’s not amazing. The host is clearly reading a script, and it just completely lacks any personality at all in presentation. But what I do love about Side Hustle School is how direct it actually is. The host sounds like he’s grudgingly going through the stories in between chores, but the delivery is clean and to the point. The stories are short, and you’ll feel like you could be doing a little more to earn that extra cash. I keep saying to myself “gah…this guy just doesn’t care….I’m not listening anymore”. But then 3 episodes later, I’m thinking about how to start 10 other businesses.
04 The Way I Heard It
I only need to say two things on this one… Mike and Rowe. This guy is American royalty if that can be said. I mean, is there anything Mike touches that isn’t just a warm cup of joy? Well, this Podcast isn’t any different. And what I love about The Way I Heard It is Mike’s ability to keep you on the edge of your seat as he pours over years of tremendous yet ambiguous detail. And when he finally reveals the secret character and the final act of his biographical story you’re shocked that it’s been under 10 minutes. These episodes are amazing for quick consumption and just a true treat. Plus, you’ll look like a rock star at trivia night!
05 Branding Like a Boss
Like Gary Vaynerchuk, Aaron Pierson is loud, abrasive, and sometimes vulgar. And if you binge his show Branding Like a Boss you’ll realize that the repetitive theme is his friends and crew coming on his show to talk about their book and how awesome they are. But man, is it good. You’ve got some MAJOR heavy hitters in brand development and growth strategy coming on this show. It can be a little self righteous on the occasion, but it’s definitely filled with value. I mean, heck…I’m thinking about my own book because of that show! And I can barely write this crummy blog! That’s motivation. NSFW
06 TED Radio Hour
TED Talks is such a valuable resource for good content and story telling, plus you can impress all your business friends when you say you keep on top of TED Talks Radio Hour. TED, if you didn’t know, stands for what the program focuses on – Tech, Entertainment, Design. Or so it was at the start. It’s so much more now. Everything from business, to bio-engineering can be heard on this Podcast. It’s portfolio of digestible content is so diverse that you can find almost anything. It’s a great Podcast to have on in the background too. Just hearing this show can help pop up motivation.
07 Gaming With Scissors
Full discretion, the Gaming With Scissors Podcast is put together in part by our super genius, Senior Web Developer, Sean. When he’s not making your websites function he also runs NerdLife. What I love about this Podcast, and the culture this team has created is it’s inclusiveness. These guys are super passionate about the nerd culture and gaming. And for someone like myself who would consider himself Nerd Light at this point in his life, it’s nice to have a place to check in and feel like you’re not excluded because you don’t know what the TIE, in TIE Fighter stands for (it’s twin ion engine by the way, loser). This Podcast won’t exactly motivate you to work harder, but it’s light hearted and full of fun gaming stories. NSFW
08 Duct Tape Marketing
I’ve only listened to a small sample size of episodes from Duct Tape Marketing, but I really have enjoyed them. There are a lot of great stories told that touch on the outside edges of entrepreneurship, like being an introvert, or selling on teaching. I sometimes have a really hard time speaking in front of people, or even just to people and Podcasts like this are a huge help.
09 Death Sex and Money
Death, Sex & Money is one of my favorite Podcasts and has been for a long time. Every time I find a new show that takes off for me, I always find myself going back to DSM. It’s like my auditory comfort blanket. It’s real, not like Gary V real, but actually REAL. It talks about the things we all deal with, but nobody wants to discuss. Which I’m pretty sure is the tagline. So it’s clearly doing it’s job in the branding department. There’s just something about the semi taboo format almost voyeuristic, but not in a creeper way. Something about hearing stories of people who have loved, lost, lusted and lived through some major life moments. Nothing like hearing someone else’s struggles to make you feel like a doofus for not wanting to post on your blog because it’s cold, and Netflix is on. Get to work!
10 StartUp
I have a special place in my heart for StartUp because it was my first real exposure to Podcasts. I had listened to parts of things before, but this was my first real follow. And I started listening to it early on, when I first went full time with Metro Nova Creative. It really kept me going during those initial months. Long days on the road for sales and networking. Long nights at home working on estimates and marketing. This Podcast kept me entertained and motivated. Because just like me, the people on the show were also starting their own businesses. What more could you ask for? Solidarity my friends, solidarity.
