Podcast Review: Masters of Scale With Reid Hoffman

Name: Masters of Scale with Reid Hoffman.

iTunes Rating: 4.5 stars.

Duration: 30-45 minutes.

You may have heard of Reid Hoffman. He co-created a little something called LinkedIn. So, you can pretty much presume that this guy knows what he’s talking about when it comes to career and business advice.

I decided to give Hoffman’s acclaimed podcast Masters of Scale a listen to see if it lived up to his iconic entrepreneurial status. Thankfully, I wasn’t disappointed.

The podcast is based on interviews with CEOs and entrepreneurs who are, in their own way, ‘masters of scale’ (think people like Starbucks former CEO Howard Schultz and Twitter Cofounder Ev Williams).

Hoffman takes the listener through stories of how massive companies scaled up from nothing, and these anecdotes from successful people are sure to inspire you.

It’s not all champagne and parties. The guests give the listener a real insight into the issues they have faced along their journey.

Each episode features a main guest alongside one or two cameo appearances. The podcast also boasts a 50:50 gender balance commitment for its guests, which is a nice departure from the many male-centric business podcasts out there.

While this podcast has an impressive array of guests and content, it’s important to not overlook the production.

Masters of Scale is well-edited and snappy. The use of sound is second to none and it really adds to the storytelling.

If you’d like to give it a listen there are currently 32 episodes on iTunes now. Here are just three of my favourite episodes:

Episode 5: Lead, Lead Again.

This episode’s main guest is Sheryl Sandberg with cameos from Bill Gates, Margaret Heffernan and Selena Tobaccowala. Sandberg talks about the importance of being able to make career pivots and change tack when plan A isn’t working.

Episode 11: Escape the Competition.

Don’t play the comparison game! In this episode, PayPal CEO Peter Thiel talks about the importance of being different in business. Cameos include Darryl Woodson, Natasha Hastings, Umber Ahmad and Brian Chesky.

Episode 16: Model Behaviour.

Entrepreneur, investor and cofounder of Flickr Caterina Fake talks about establishing guidelines for your community in this episode. If you’re thinking about setting up a business then it’s well worth a listen.