Best Business Podcasts and Books to Inspire
Quick note: As an affiliate member for Fuel Your Photos and The Legal Paige, this post contains affiliate links to their courses and membership that I use myself and love. If you make a purchase after clicking one of these links, I earn a small commission (at no extra charge to you). I promise any latte money earned ☕️ will be used to create even more useful content like this! Thanks!
Best Business Podcasts and Books to Inspire for Photographers
I love a good pep talk, especially if the talk has tactical advice I can apply to my personal life and business. So here are several podcasts and books I turn to when I need business inspiration, resources for goal setting and personal development, or I am looking for my next step.
Women in Business Podcasts
I am a woman-owned small business, and I intentionally seek out podcasts from other women-led businesses that are a step (or several steps!) ahead of where I’d like to be. Here are my favorite podcasts led by other women in business:
The Money with Katie Show by Katie Tassin — Tune in to hear Katie discuss various money-related topics, including spending habits, smart investing, and tax strategies.
The Goal Digger Podcast by Jenna Kutcher — Jenna offers a workshop style business podcast that will help you define your bold dreams and achieve your greatest goals.
Online Marketing Made Easy by Amy Porterfield — This is the “how to” podcast for entrepreneurs at any stage in their business.
The Rachel Hollis Podcast by Rachel Hollis — Join Rachel Hollis as she deep dives into finding health, motivation, joy, and purpose.
The Legalpreneuer Podcast by Andrea Sager — Take a peek into the legal side of becoming an entrepreneur, with Andrea Sager.
The Mel Robbins Podcast by Mel Robbins — Mel provides incredible advice and science-backed tools for becoming more confident, effective, and fulfilled.
Being Boss by Emily Thompson — Explore the mindsets, habits, and tactics behind being the boss as a business owner, freelancer, or side-hustler.
Fun fact: while Jenna Kutcher focuses solely on her digital marketing business, her entrepreneurial journey started as a photographer with a camera from Craigslist.
I also loved listening to the episodes by Charis Jones of the Audaciously You podcast. Charis hasn’t released a new episode recently, but the ones Charis has loaded are well worth a listen!
While these shows aren’t explicitly geared towards photographers, they cover several topics important to any small business owner, such as marketing, the legalities of small business ownership, goal-setting and mindset, money management, and personal development.
Podcasts for Photographers
These podcasts are done by and for photographers. They cover the legalities of owning and running a photography business, how to help your content rank on Google so you can drive clients to you organically, and the ins and outs of being in the photography business.
The Legal Paige Podcast by Paige Griffith — Tune in to hear legal, financial, and business tips specifically for creatives and online businesses. If you want to sign up for a course, click here.
Fuel Your Photos by Corey Potter and Dylan Howell — Check out their numerous discussions on SEO tactics, organic marketing, and so much more.
Shine and Thrive Photography Podcast by Sara Monika — Join Sara as she focuses on helping you create the life you’ve always dreamed of as a business owner!
Passive Income For Photographers Podcast by Nicola Dixon — Nicola provides amazing digital products, coaching programs, and workshops to help photographers scale their business!
I love that The Legal Paige offers legal information specifically for photographers. I’m also a huge fan of both the podcast and the Fuel Your Photos course and membership that Corey and Dylan run. Additionally, Corey and Dylan have a great Facebook group you can join for all things search engine optimization (i.e., SEO, which helps your content rank higher on Google searches).
Best Books for Creatives and Achieving Goals
As a busy mom, I usually gravitate toward podcasts. They’re easy to listen to while folding laundry, doing dishes, or driving my son to activities. However, I love to dive into a good book when I have a quiet moment.
Here are my go-to books for all things creativity, money management and mindset, personal development, and making big dreams happen:
Inspiration and Purpose
Find Your Why: A Practical Guide for Discovering Purpose for You and Your Team by Simon Sinek
Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek
Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert
The Art of Non-Conformity: Set Your Own Rules, Live the Life You Want, and Change the World by Chris Guillebeau
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson
The Practice: Shipping Creative Work by Seth Godin
Habit Building and Personal Development
High Performance Habits: How Extraordinary People Become That Way by Brendon Burchard
Manage Your Day-to-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, and Sharpen Your Creative Mind by Jocelyn K Glei
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
Finances and Business
Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman
Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen by Donald Miller
Marketing Made Simple: A Step-by-Step StoryBrand Guide for Any Business (Made Simple Series by Donald Miller and Dr. J.J. Peterson
You Are a Badass at Making Money: Master the Mindset of Wealth by Jen Sincero
Love Your Life, Not Theirs: 7 Money Habits for Living the Life You Want by Rachel Cruze
You’ll notice two similar books back to back at the top of this list about starting with and finding your why. I love all the books on this list, but I stuck these two at the top for a reason. And I couldn’t pick between the two because being clear on your “why” is crucial to building any business and brand.
Being an entrepreneur gets messy. And as much as pretty websites and Instagram reels may have you believing it always looks put together, let me be clear that it is not. Knowing why you are building a brand and business in the first place will keep you going through the messy middle. If you haven’t clarified your why, these two books are a great place to start.
And to save yourself the cost of a new book, consider utilizing your local library. Most also have digital books you can download straight to your device.
What’s Your Next Photography and Business Step?
While I find significant value in the resources listed above, there is one catch. You can consume all the information about habits, mindset, and starting and growing your business—but if you just take all the info in without taking action, you won’t move forward.
So regardless of where you are in your business building, pick a few essential action items from each resource you read or listen to. Taking steps, no matter how small, adds up over time.
Let’s Chat!
If you are a photographer looking to get into elopement photography, I’ve got your back. I believe in connection over competition and I am here to help you grow your business.
Unsure about the next step for your photography business and need a hand? Contact me to schedule a low-key, no-pressure call. We’ll discuss your dreams and goals and where I can help you lay the road map to building your dream elopement photography business.