You could spend your entire day listening to business podcasts and many are quite good. But if you want a deeper dive that’s more than a podcast but takes less time than a book, I suggest you try “Acquired.”.
A recent review in the Wall Street Journal (subscription required) notes “Acquired is the unlikely hit show….whose ability to understand companies deeply enough to describe them simply makes listeners want to spend time with them. Lots and lots of time. By turning case studies into cinematic spectacles, they have built the business world’s favorite podcast…..a show telling the epic tales of the world’s most successful companies. ”
The site started by focusing on technology companies but expanded to other great success stories like Hermes, LMVH, Novo Nordisk and interviews with remarkable players like Charlie Munger, Morgan Housel, and others. It currently enjoys over 600,000 listeners. If you don’t have time for an MBA, this might be the next best thing.
As Acquired’s landing page says “Every company has a story. Learn the playbooks that built the world’s greatest companies- and how you can apply them as a founder, operator, or investor.
If you’re an SMB and thinking “these are big company stories”; they are, but please remember that all big companies were once small ones. “Acquired tells the stories and strategies of great companies.”
Maybe learning about a few of them will help you write your own.
