Best business podcasts for entrepreneurs

Over 180 million downloads. That's the audience We Study Billionaires has built by doing one thing well: breaking down how the world's top investors and founders think. The best business podcasts don't just inform you; they give you frameworks you can apply to your own work. Here are the shows worth your commute time in 2026.

TL;DR

• Best for founder stories: How I Built This
• Best for investing: We Study Billionaires
• Best for daily business news: The Indicator from Planet Money
• Best for startup scaling: Masters of Scale
• Best for solopreneurs: My First Million

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How I Built This

• Host: Guy Raz
• Format: Long-form interviews (40-60 min)
• Release schedule: Mondays and Thursdays

Guy Raz sits down with the founders behind well-known brands and walks through their entire journey, from the initial idea to the messy middle to the eventual breakthrough. Episodes feature founders from companies like Airbnb, Spanx, Patagonia, and Dyson.

What sets this show apart is how personal the conversations get. Founders talk openly about the moments they almost quit, the deals that fell through, and the pivots nobody saw coming. It's the opposite of a polished LinkedIn post.

Start with: The Sara Blakely (Spanx) episode or the Airbnb two-parter.

We Study Billionaires

• Host: Stig Brodersen, Clay Finck, Kyle Grieve
• Format: Analysis and interviews (45-75 min)
• Release schedule: Multiple times per week

With over 180 million downloads, this is one of the most popular investing podcasts in the world. The hosts break down the investment strategies of Warren Buffett, Charlie Munger, Howard Marks, and other legendary investors, then apply those lessons to current market conditions.

Even if you're not actively managing a portfolio, the mental models here transfer directly to business decisions. Episodes on valuation, risk assessment, and capital allocation are relevant to anyone running a company.

Start with: Any episode in their "Billionaire Book Club" series, where they walk through a classic investing book chapter by chapter.

The Indicator from Planet Money

• Host: Darian Woods, Wailin Wong
• Format: Short daily episodes (10 min)
• Release schedule: Weekdays

NPR's Planet Money is a powerhouse, but its episodes can be sporadic. The Indicator delivers a focused 10-minute episode every weekday, covering one economic or business concept with clear explanations and real data.

This is the show to subscribe to if you want a daily pulse on what's happening in the economy without committing to a 60-minute episode. It's also good at explaining trends before they become mainstream headlines.

Start with: Any recent episode on a topic you're curious about. The short format means there's no wasted time.

Masters of Scale

• Host: Reid Hoffman
• Format: Narrative interviews (30-45 min)
• Release schedule: Weekly

LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman tests his theories about how businesses grow by interviewing the people who've done it. Each episode starts with a thesis (like "the best product doesn't always win") and then pressure-tests it against a real founder's experience.

The production quality is high: sound design, music cues, and tight editing make it feel more like a documentary than a typical interview show. Hoffman's questions are sharp because he's built and scaled companies himself.

Start with: The Mark Zuckerberg episode on moving fast, or the episode with Starbucks founder Howard Schultz on company culture.

My First Million

• Host: Sam Parr, Shaan Puri
• Format: Brainstorming conversations (45-60 min)
• Release schedule: Multiple times per week

Sam and Shaan break down business trends, brainstorm startup ideas on the fly, and interview founders who've built million-dollar businesses. The tone is casual and fast-moving, more like listening to two sharp friends riff on ideas than a formal interview.

This is the best business podcast for solopreneurs and side-project builders. The hosts regularly pitch business ideas that a single person could launch. If you've been sitting on an idea and need a push, this show will either validate it or give you five new ones.

Start with: Any "brainstorm episode" where Sam and Shaan pitch ideas to each other.

Acquired

• Host: Ben Gilbert, David Rosenthal
• Format: Multi-hour episodes (2-4 hours)
• Release schedule: Every 2-3 weeks

Acquired has become one of the most respected business podcasts by doing the opposite of what conventional wisdom says: episodes regularly run 3+ hours, and the audience loves it. Each episode dissects the full history of a single company, covering the founding story, key strategic decisions, financials, and what made it work.

The research is meticulous. If you want to understand how companies like NVIDIA, Costco, Berkshire Hathaway, or LVMH actually operate, Acquired is the gold standard.

Start with: The NVIDIA or Costco episodes are fan favorites and excellent entry points.

Entrepreneurs on Fire

• Host: John Lee Dumas
• Format: Daily interviews (20-30 min)
• Release schedule: Daily

John Lee Dumas publishes an interview every single day. Guests range from first-time founders to established CEOs, and the format is consistent: the guest shares their "aha moment," biggest failure, and top advice for new entrepreneurs.

The daily cadence means quality varies across episodes, but the best ones deliver concentrated, actionable takeaways. It's a useful show to dip into rather than binge.

Planet Money

• Host: Rotating NPR hosts
• Format: Narrative storytelling (20-30 min)
• Release schedule: Twice weekly

Planet Money makes economics entertaining. Each episode takes a single question (Why do we tip? What happens when a country runs out of money?) and tells a story that answers it. The storytelling is engaging enough for commutes, and the analysis is rigorous enough to hold up at a dinner party.

For entrepreneurs, it's a window into how markets, regulation, and incentives actually work in practice.

Start with: The classic "T-shirt Project" series or any recent episode that catches your eye.

How We Chose

We picked shows that offer practical value for people running businesses or building careers. The criteria: quality of guests and analysis, consistency of publishing, production quality, and whether the show respects your time. We prioritized shows available on all major platforms.

If you're looking for more podcast recommendations across different genres, check out our guide on what podcasts to listen to. And if you've already got a packed subscription list, our guide to managing podcast subscriptions can help you stay on top of it.

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