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Seven Podcasts for Entrepreneurs to Explore

Posted on by Case Foundation

Everyone loves a good story of innovation, and entrepreneurs tend to have especially fascinating ones. In her best-selling book, Be Fearless, Jean Case uplifts the stories of entrepreneurs and changemakers who used innovation to change the world. She examines the core qualities of great innovators, past and present, and identifies five surprising traits they all have in common. It isn’t wealth, privilege or even genius. In fact, it is that every leader who broke through and brought forward transformational changes made a “Big Bet,” took bold risks, learned from their failures, reached beyond their bubbles and let urgency conquer fear. 

However, sometimes hearing—not just reading—stories can be uniquely powerful. So, we asked the Case Foundation team to share some of their favorite stories of entrepreneurship, as told by podcasts. While there are many great stories out there, we compiled a list of episodes that stand out. 

We hope these podcasts inspire you on your entrepreneurial journey. And if you’re interested in more content on inclusive entrepreneurship, we regularly share stories of female entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs of color in our weekly newsletter, Breaking Good. Sign up here!

 

1. GirlBoss Radio, Building a Business Around Sustainability with Sarah Paiji Yoo of Blueland

GirlBoss Radio dives into what it takes to be a successful female founder through conversations with innovative women in business. Whether you are looking for advice on advancing your career, tips for scaling a business, or just a laugh, this podcast has you covered. Hosted by Sophia Amoruso, CEO and founder of Girlboss and Neha Gandhi, editor-in-chief and COO of Girlboss.

In this episode, host Amoruso interviews co-founder and CEO of Blueland, Sarah Paiji Yoo. Blueland is aiming to reduce the amount of single-use plastic in the cleaning product industry by building concentrated cleaning solution tablets that are water activated. Listen to this episode to learn more about the growing market for environmentally sustainable businesses and how entrepreneurs are tackling global problems while making a profit.

 

2. Being Boss, First Year of Business at Almanac Supply Co

In this podcast, hosts Emily Thompson and Kathleen Shannon examine what it takes to make money doing what you love. The podcast is geared towards full-time founders, those thinking about their first fearless step and anyone looking to learn from entrepreneurs who have turned their passions into a profiting business. 

In this episode, host Emily reflects on the one year anniversary of launching her product-based business. She highlights how she dealt with the challenges along the way, made failures from her past business ventures matter, and developed the skills necessary to be CEO. Emily’s firsthand knowledge and Kathleen’s advice offer a useful case study for those wondering about getting a business off the ground.

 

3. How I Built This, Live Episode! Walker & Company: Tristan Walker

In this podcast from NPR, host Guy Raz profiles entrepreneurs, changemakers, and innovators whose companies are making significant impacts on the world. The episodes examine the evolution of well-known brands and how successful founders turn ideas into movements.

Guy Raz interviews Tristan Walker, an entrepreneur and CEO of Walker & Co., a company that was recently acquired by Procter & Gamble (P&G), in this special live episode. Walker explains how his frustration with the way razors irritate those with curly hair turned into his first business, a subscription shaving system and personal care product line. His company attracted millions of customers and eventually was sold to P&G. Listen to this episode for an inside look at what it takes to build momentum around your business idea. *Bonus: Check out another episode of How I Built This with Case Foundation Chairman Steve Case!

 

4. How Success Happens, Tech Pioneer Jean Case on How to Change the World With Your Big Idea

How Success Happens features host Robert Tuchman as he converses with successful entrepreneurs in an effort to learn from their stories. Episodes focus on both successes and failures that the entrepreneurs have faced, and how challenges they encounter along the road can ultimately transform into steps towards progress and profit. 

In this episode, Jean Case discusses her bestselling book, Be Fearless, dives into the five universal qualities of great innovators, shares tips for startups pitching to investors, as well as how to turn an idea into a life-changing endeavor. This podcast is perfect for anyone looking for a roadmap for their next breakthrough in business.

 

5. RISE Podcast, Serving Your Community With Your Business with Charis Jones

Hosted by New York Times best-selling author Rachel Hollis, the RISE podcast aims to offer actionable items to listeners for both business and life outside of work. Through conversations with innovative entrepreneurs and personal development experts, RISE will arm you with real-world takeaways that you can implement directly in your own life. 

In this episode, Rachel interviews entrepreneur Charis Jones, founder and CEO of Sassy Jones Boutique. Jones discusses how staying connected to a loyal fan base has been crucial for the success of her business, allowing her to scale the boutique into a seven-figure enterprise. If you are looking to start or expand your business, listen to this episode for useful marketing tips that will help you connect to customers.

 

6. Side Hustle Pro, How To Get Your Niche Brand Into Major Retailers with Aycee Brown

Hosted by Nicaila Matthews Okome, Side Hustle Pro features stories of Black female entrepreneurs who have turned their side hustles into full-blown, successful businesses. Every week, Black female entrepreneurs such as Lisa Price of Carol’s Daughter and Myleik Teele of CurlBox highlight their startup stories and offer advice for burgeoning side hustlers. 

In this episode, Nicaila interviews Aycee Brown, Goodnight Darling Co.’s Chief Sleep Officer. Under Brown’s direction, the niche sleep company has created partnerships with luxury boutiques and companies like West Elm to expand their in-store presence and increase the visibility of their brand. Listen to this episode to learn how Brown scaled her business into a trusted authority in the self-care field and for tips on getting your product onto the shelves of major retailers.

 

7. The Failure Factor, Bluemercury Co-founder and CEO Marla Beck On Failing Her Way To Success

How do successful entrepreneurs respond to failure? The Failure Factor: Stories of Career Perseverance examines how the low points of careers can motivate entrepreneurs to reach highs that they had never dreamed of. Host Megan Bruneau sits down with founders to identify how they were able to leverage their experiences of both success and failure to overcome obstacles and ultimately reach their full potential. 

In this episode, Bluemercury co-founder and CEO Marla Beck talks about the severe downturn the company faced early on and how she was able to turn the company around. Spoiler alert: Bluemercury ultimately secured a $210 million acquisition by Macy’s. Beck explains failure in two distinct ways: how she deals with failure herself and how she responds to failure as a manager overseeing staff. This is a great listen for any entrepreneur looking to make failure matter.

 

National Literacy Month: A few books to inspire us all to read more

Posted on by Case Foundation

Reading plays a special part in my life. So, in celebration of National Literacy Month, I wanted to share some of the books that the team at the Case Foundation and I have had the opportunity to read recently. As you might imagine, I am drawn to stories of #BeFearless leaders and insights that help lead to inspiration. I hope these stories will motivate you to look at the world with renewed curiosity, appreciation and fearlessness.

I would love to hear from you with any reflections you have after reading one of these books or with additional books you think should be added to my reading list.

Happy reading!

1. The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World, by Melinda Gates – For the last twenty years, Melinda Gates has been on a mission to find solutions for people across the world with the most urgent needs. In this riveting and inspiring book, Melinda provides an eyewitness account from her travels to some of the most desperate places in the world, where women are not regarded as equals and face challenges many of us will never know. You will be pulled in and lifted up by the stories of the fearless leaders she has found in communities all around the world and how she came away with the clear vision that if you want to lift a society up, you need to stop keeping women down.

2. First: Sandra Day O’Connor, by Evan Thomas – Evan Thomas shines a light on the background and upbringing of the first female Supreme Court Justice, expanding our understanding of a woman who repeatedly shattered glass ceilings and made a fundamental impact on American society. A great way to be inspired to continue to make a difference and stand up for the values and ideals you hold dear.

3. Presidents of War, by Michael Beschloss – Michael Bechloss continues to turn out books that I can’t put down and is an inspiration to all who have sought to author a book. Based on ten years of research, Presidents of War is a fresh, masterful, intimate look at a procession of American leaders as they took the nation into conflict and mobilized their country for victory. For those of us who love presidential history, this is a must-read.

4. The Woman’s Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote, by Elaine Weiss – One hundred years ago, America was in the throes of a landmark battle over whether women should have the right to vote. Elaine Weiss’ book turns the clock back to a time where suffragists, after a seven-decade crusade, clash with a wide range of opposing forces who see Tennessee as the place where they are going to halt the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment. In a riveting read, The Women’s Hour opens your eyes to this unique period and the battle lines that were drawn in the fight for this fundamental right.

5. American Moonshot: John F. Kennedy and the Great Space Race, by Douglas Brinkley – Inspired by the celebrations around the anniversary of Apollo 11 and the first moon landing? Douglas Brinkley’s book is a great way to gain insights not only on the space race but on the extraordinary political, cultural and scientific factors at play during that time.

6. Hugs Daily Inspirations for Women: 365 devotions to inspire your day, Looking for a way to work more reading into your busy schedule and to start the day with a shot of inspiration? Look no further. I find this book of devotionals an uplifting way to kick off the day and hope you will find the uplifting quotes and the inspirational scriptures as energizing as I do.

7. This Blessed Earth: A Year in the Life of an American Farm, by Ted Genoways – Focusing on the plight of a longtime family farm from harvest to harvest, Ted Genoways offers a window into everything from family dynamics to the impacts of shifting trade policy and climate change as one family seeks to pass the land they have been farming for five generations to the next generation. This is sure to prompt some gripping discussions about the role the family farm in the future of our country.

8. Love Your Enemies: How Decent People Can Save America from Our Culture of Contempt, by Arthur C. Brooks – In a time of political polarization, this New York Times bestselling author offers his vision of how we can reunite the nation around principles of respect, kindness and dignity. A perfect gift for the people in your life who are looking for a playbook to make a difference in our present political environment.

9. Leadership: In Turbulent Times, by Doris Kearns Goodwin – One of my favorite historians takes a close look at four presidents—Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Lyndon B. Johnson—to examine how they cultivated the leadership qualities needed to both succeed politically, but also to fearlessly make decisions that upended the status quo. Close looks at key junctures like Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, Teddy Roosevelt’s relations with labor unions, FDR’s first 100 days and the priority LBJ placed on civil rights provide inspiration and deeper understanding of the distinct methods that each of these leaders used to distinguish themselves.

10. Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World, by Tim Marshall – While we often learn about maps in school so we can find the 50 US states or to identify countries, Tim Marshall sheds new light onto the role maps play. In fact, maps and the geography and socio-economic activity they bring to life can have deep real-world impacts. And those who ignore these realities or neglect to truly understand the implications represented on maps, often miss key elements that can have grave consequences. The insights brought to life in this book may lead you to see the world in a different light.

11. Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, by Bryan Stevenson – Bryan Stevenson is always inspiring, calling us all to act to make the world a better place through his visionary work. This book provides an unforgettable account of an idealistic, gifted young lawyer bursting through assumptions to find success, as well as a moving window into the lives of those he has defended. Bryan builds a bold argument for compassion in the pursuit of justice.

12. Raise Your Hand,  by Alice Paul Tapper –11-year old Alice Tapper tells the story of how she made a real change in her own behavior and, working with her Girl Scout troop and her parents, inspired girls to be more confident in school after she noticed that the girls in her class weren’t participating as much as the boys. Raise Your Hand is a book for children that echoes many of the themes of Be Fearless and reminds us of the importance of self-confidence and stepping outside of your comfort zone. Alice’s fearless attitude can inspire us all to act and empower those around us.

Hoping that this wide range of books inspires your fall reading and opens your eyes to new ideas and perspectives, and inspire you to Be Fearless.

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