Canada
The Knowledge Project
Shane Parrish
Long conversations with leaders in business and investing about how they make decisions, from Shopify’s Tobi Lütke to investors and sales experts. Produced by Farnam Street.
Business & Entrepreneurship
Business & entrepreneurship podcasts worth exploring
Running a business in Canada means dealing with Canadian payroll, taxes, financing and customers. Half of these shows focus on exactly that. The other half are international interview and history podcasts that are worth your time wherever you work.
Photo: Joshua Rodriguez on Unsplash
The collection
Business & Entrepreneurship podcasts
Twelve shows: seven made in Canada, from small-business operations to the startup scene, and five international favourites.
Canada
The Shopify Podcast
Shopify
Founder stories and practical e-commerce lessons from the Ottawa-founded commerce company: how brands found products, marketed them and scaled from small beginnings.
Canada
The BetaKit Podcast
BetaKit
News and interviews from Canada’s tech and startup scene: fintech, AI talent, quantum computing, tech sovereignty and the companies trying to scale from here.
Canada
Just Good Business
Allan Grego (Moneris)
Advice for Canadian small businesses on starting up, staffing, security, marketing and consumer spending trends, produced by the payments company Moneris.
Canada
Be The Anchor
Kari Lotzien
Leadership for small and mid-sized business owners: scaling beyond the founder, building systems, hiring, managing resistance and valuing a business.
Canada
Small Business | Big Insights
Zenbooks
Short, direct episodes from a Canadian accounting firm on financing, taxes, payroll, legal risk and marketing, with interviews of experts and small-business owners.
Canada
The Moment
Jason Maghanoy (Canadian Business)
The publisher of Canadian Business talks with Canadian entrepreneurs about the turning point that shaped their company, including the setbacks and lucky breaks along the way.
United States
Acquired
Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal
Multi-hour histories of major companies and the strategy behind them, recently including The Home Depot. Choose it when you want depth on one company at a time.
United States
HBR IdeaCast
Alison Beard and Adi Ignatius
Harvard Business Review’s weekly interview show with researchers and executives on management, careers, strategy and the workplace.
United States
Masters of Scale
Masters of Scale
Business leaders share how they grew their companies, with recent episodes on Hipcamp, Barnes & Noble, MTV and the Savannah Bananas.
United States
How I Built This
Guy Raz
Founders tell the story of how their companies began, including early mistakes, near-failures and turning points. An accessible entry point if you are new to business podcasts.
United Kingdom
The Diary of a CEO
Steven Bartlett
Long, personal interviews with business leaders, experts and public figures that often move beyond business into health, psychology and life choices.
What you can explore
Topics covered in this collection
Small-business operations
Taxes, payroll, legal risk, hiring and marketing, explained by accountants, payment providers and coaches who work with Canadian owners.
Canadian tech and startups
Funding, AI, fintech and the policy questions facing companies that want to grow from Canada.
Founder stories
How companies started, what almost broke them and the turning points their founders still talk about.
Strategy and decision-making
Long-form conversations and company histories for listeners who want to understand why some businesses last.
Photo: Dan LeFebvre on Unsplash
Practical guidance
How to choose a business podcast
- Start from your current problemIf you need help with cash flow or hiring, a practical Canadian show will pay off sooner than a celebrity founder interview.
- Check the producerSeveral shows here are made by companies such as a payments provider or an accounting firm. They can be helpful, and they also promote their own services.
- Mix short and longPair a short practical show with one long-form interview podcast so you get both tactics and perspective.
- Keep notesBusiness podcasts are most useful when you write down one action to test. Many official websites publish show notes and links mentioned in each episode.
Keep exploring