About John H. Corcoran
Former White House Writer and speechwriter, attorney, author, and B2B podcasting expert
AS SEEN IN
John H. Corcoran is a former White House Writer and speechwriter, an attorney, an author, and a B2B podcasting expert. He is the co-founder of Rise25, a B2B podcasting agency that helps business owners get clients, referrals, and strategic partnerships with done-for-you podcasts and content marketing. He is also the creator of Smart Business Revolution and the Smart Business Revolution podcast, where he has interviewed hundreds of successful entrepreneurs about how they use relationships to grow their businesses and their careers.
Today, John works with B2B business owners such as M&A brokers, consulting firms, digital agency owners, IT services and MSP leaders, and other professional service entrepreneurs who want a more strategic, relationship-driven way to grow.
Featured Media and Speaking
John has written for the White House and the Governor of California. His work and ideas have appeared in Forbes, Entrepreneur, and Inc, Business Insider, Lifehacker, and Huffington Post. He is a frequent guest on business podcasts and speaks to B2B audiences about relationship driven growth, client acquisition, and building trusted partnerships.
He has spoken in person or online to a wide array of audiences including EO Seattle, EO Silicon Valley, FinCon conference, Tony Robbins Business Mastery, and a division of Salesforce.
He is the author of three books about relationship building and client acquisition. John has been profiled in Forbes and in the books Entrepreneurial You (Harvard Business Review Press, 2017) and Stand Out (Portfolio, 2015) by Dorie Clark; The Connector’s Advantage (Page Two, 2019) by Michelle Tillis Lederman; Success Is In Your Sphere (McGraw Hill Education, 2019) by Zvi Band; and The Successful Mistake by Matthew Turner. His writing has appeared in Forbes, Inc., Entrepreneur, Business Insider, and many other publications, blogs, and websites.
Early Years
John did not grow up surrounded by stability and financial security. As a kid, he watched his father get laid off three different times. Each layoff meant stress at the dinner table, difficult conversations, and a family doing everything it could to scrape by.
Those experiences left a mark. Instead of simply accepting uncertainty as a given, John became obsessed with a question:
Why do some people and families seem to have options, security, and opportunity, while others are constantly on the edge?
He started looking for answers the only way he knew how: by studying people who had created their own opportunities. He devoured autobiographies and biographies of successful figures across business, politics, the arts, and sports. Over time, a pattern emerged.
The common thread was not just raw talent, money, or perfect timing. Again and again, the most successful people built and nurtured relationships in a deliberate way. They surrounded themselves with the right people. They created value for others. They treated relationships as their most important asset.
From the White House to the Courtroom
John’s early fascination with communication and leadership eventually led him to the White House.
He started his career as a Writer in presidential letters and messages in the Clinton White House, working on video scripts, speeches and written communications. It was an environment where words and relationships mattered at the highest level. Inside those walls, John saw firsthand how the right message, delivered to the right people at the right time, could create real impact.
Working as a White House writer and speechwriter taught him how to:
- Clarify complex ideas so they are simple and actionable
- Listen closely to the needs and concerns of different audiences
- Build trust through consistent, thoughtful communication
The law sharpened his ability to analyze problems, think strategically, and advocate for his clients. But it also showed him something else: many smart professionals were trapped in a cycle of trading hours for dollars and relying on referrals that were inconsistent and unpredictable.
From Attorney to Entrepreneur and Podcaster
As John looked for ways to build a more scalable, relationship-driven business, he gravitated back to the ideas that had fascinated him as a kid.
He noticed that the people he admired most were not only experts in their field. They had also built powerful networks and platforms that allowed them to connect with their ideal clients, partners, and peers consistently.
In 2010, John launched Smart Business Revolution and the Smart Business Revolution podcast. The goal was simple and very personal: to explore how successful entrepreneurs and business leaders use relationships intentionally to grow their businesses and create new opportunities.
Over the years, John has interviewed hundreds of founders and leaders, from CEOs of publicly traded companies to billionaires to best-selling authors. Through those conversations, he has:
- Collected real-world stories of how relationships drive revenue and opportunity
- Identified patterns in how top performers build and maintain their networks
- Tested and refined relationship-building strategies in his own businesses
The podcast became both a learning lab and a powerful relationship engine. It also gave John a front-row seat to the early days of business podcasting.
Co-Founder of Rise25
As John built Smart Business Revolution, he met Dr. Jeremy Weisz, a longtime podcaster and early producer for one of the first groundbreaking business interview shows. Jeremy hosts the long-running INspired INsider podcast and had already been working behind the scenes to help other leaders use podcasting in a strategic way.
John and Jeremy connected over a shared belief: podcasting is not just about downloads or vanity metrics. It is a tool for building real relationships with the right clients, referral partners, and strategic partners.
They co-founded Rise25, LLC with a clear mission:
Rise25 helps B2B businesses get clients, referrals, and strategic partnerships with done-for-you podcasts and content marketing.
Rise25 works primarily with B2B firms such as:
- M&A and investment banking firms
- Digital and creative agencies
- IT services and MSPs
- Professional services and advisory firms
The team provides both high-level strategy around how to get great ROI and leverage with a podcast and the execution required to make it work in the real world. Rise25 handles strategy, guest targeting, production, editing, and distribution across all major podcast platforms and social channels, so clients can focus on having high-value conversations.
Over the years, Rise25 has supported a wide range of organizations, from a division of Berkshire Hathaway to one of the largest live event ticket sellers in the United States, as well as many growing B2B firms, advisory companies, advertising agencies, and law practices.
John’s Philosophy: Relationships First
Across every chapter of John’s career, one theme dominates: relationships come first.
He believes that for B2B businesses, relationships are the most important asset on the balance sheet. Marketing tactics, technologies, and platforms change. The value of a trusted relationship does not.
John’s work is built around a few core principles:
- Focus on the right relationships, not just more relationships
- Use content and conversations to create value first, before you ask for anything
- Treat every interaction as a chance to deepen trust
- Build systems so relationship-building is consistent, not random
Media, Writing, and Community
- Entrepreneurial You and Stand Out by Dorie Clark
- The Connector’s Advantage by Michelle Tillis Lederman
- Success Is In Your Sphere by Zvi Band
- The Successful Mistake by Matthew Turner
John is an active member of Entrepreneurs Organization (EO) San Francisco, where he serves on the board. EO is a global community of entrepreneurs, and his involvement reflects his belief that entrepreneurs are stronger when they learn from each other and share what works.
Life Outside of Work
Behind the professional bio is a husband and father who cares deeply about his family and his community.
John lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and their four children. The early experiences of watching his family weather multiple layoffs created a strong conviction about building a stable foundation for the next generation and about helping other business owners do the same.
He brings that perspective into his work every day. For John, B2B podcasting and relationship-building are not abstract concepts. They are tools to create more security, freedom, and opportunity for the people behind the businesses.
Is a B2B Podcast Right For Your Business?
If you are a B2B business owner, M&A intermediary, digital agency leader, IT services or MSP founder, or you run a professional services firm, you may already know that relationships sit at the center of your growth.
The challenge is that it is hard to:
- Consistently get in front of your ideal clients and referral partners
- Stand out from everyone else who is sending emails or asking for meetings
- Turn conversations into a repeatable system that drives revenue
This is where John and the Rise25 team come in.
Through a done-for-you podcast and content system, they help you:
- Identify and connect with your ideal prospects and partners
- Create meaningful conversations that deliver value on day one
- Turn those conversations into content that positions you as a trusted authority
- Build a relationship-driven pipeline that supports your long-term growth
Book a Strategy Call with John and Rise25
A strategy or discovery call is a focused conversation designed for B2B business owners who want to use a podcast to connect with ideal clients, referral partners, and strategic allies.
On the call, you will:
- Clarify your growth goals and your ideal relationships
- Discuss whether a done-for-you B2B podcast aligns with your model and market
- Get a clear picture of how the Rise25 process works and what it would look like for your business
Mini Bio
John H. Corcoran is a former White House Writer and speechwriter, an attorney, an author, and a B2B podcasting expert. He is the co-founder of Rise25, which helps B2B businesses get clients, referrals, and strategic partnerships with done-for-you podcasts and content marketing, and he is the creator of Smart Business Revolution and the Smart Business Revolution podcast. John has been profiled in Forbes and multiple business books, his writing has appeared in outlets such as Forbes, Entrepreneur, Huffington Post, Art of Manliness, Lifehacker, and Business Insider, and he lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and four children.
One Sentence Byline
John H. Corcoran is a former White House Writer, attorney, author, and co-founder of Rise25, where he helps B2B businesses get clients, referrals, and strategic partnerships with done-for-you podcasts and content marketing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is John Corcoran’s background, and what does he do today?
John Corcoran is a longtime entrepreneur, writer, and entrepreneur who helps B2B companies turn podcasting into a relationship-building and revenue-driving channel. Today, he is the co-founder of Rise25, where the focus is making podcasting simple, consistent, and strategically aligned with business development goals.
What did John do at the White House, and how did that shape his career?
John is a former White House writer in the Office of Presidential Letters and Messages, which sharpened his ability to find the real story, ask better questions, and communicate clearly under pressure. That experience carries into his work now: preparing thoughtfully, listening closely, and drawing out insights that make conversations memorable and useful.
What is Rise25, and who is it designed to help?
Rise25 is a done-for-you podcast production and strategy partner built for B2B leaders who want to start or scale a show without it taking over their schedule. It is a fit for founders, professional services firms, agencies, and other relationship-driven businesses that want to deepen credibility and create more high-quality conversations with the right people.
What makes B2B podcasting different from “audience-first” podcasting?
In B2B, the primary goal is often relationships and revenue, not just downloads or vanity metrics. The show becomes a structured way to consistently connect with prospects, clients, referral partners, and strategic partners. Audience growth matters, but it is usually a secondary benefit, not the main KPI. The main KPI is ROI.
What kinds of companies does John and Rise25 typically interview or work with?
Typically, he works with B2B founders, executives, and thought leaders. Many B2B shows also feature referral partners and strategic partners, because those relationships compound over time.
If I want to start a B2B podcast, what is the best first step?
Start by defining the business goal and developing your “Dream 200” list, then work backward into a simple show concept. A strong first step is to create:
A list of 25 to 50 ideal clients, referral partners, strategic partners and industry experts who feature as guests to launch momentum.
From there, you can build a repeatable outreach and recording workflow.
How do you measure ROI for a B2B podcast if downloads are not the main KPI?
Measure what you actually want the podcast to produce. Common B2B ROI signals include: sales conversations booked, referral introductions, pipeline influenced, deals accelerated, partnerships formed, and retention or expansion impact with existing clients. The cleanest approach is to track each episode and guest as an “account touch” and connect that to CRM activity over time.
What does “done-for-you” podcast production include?
Done-for-you typically means you record and everything else is handled around you, such as: episode planning support, scheduling workflows, audio and video editing, show notes, publishing, and distribution. Many teams also include repurposing support (clips and post assets) so each episode creates ongoing leverage across channels. The key distinction is reliability and consistency: the production system is designed so the show ships on schedule.
How long does it take to launch a podcast the right way?
Most B2B shows can launch in a few weeks if decisions are made quickly and the foundational pieces are clear (positioning, format, guest list, and workflow). The bigger variable is not the technology, it is getting the strategy, guest outreach, and production cadence aligned so you can sustain the show for the long term.
What is the best way to connect with John or explore working together?
If you want to explore whether a B2B podcast is a fit, the simplest next step is to book a discovery call. Come prepared with your target audience, your ideal guest list, and what you want the podcast to produce (pipeline, partnerships, authority, retention, or all of the above).