with Steve Pratt, Author of the hit book Earn It
with Steve Pratt, Author of the hit book Earn It
CASE STUDY
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Amazon already played a significant role in the lives of millions of entrepreneurs, but most business owners experienced the company through products, services and transactions rather than through stories.
The opportunity wasn’t to tell entrepreneurs how Amazon could help them.
It was to demonstrate that Amazon understood what it actually felt like to build a business.
Small business owners don’t need another company talking about entrepreneurship. They need practical advice from people who have lived it, made mistakes and found ways forward.
Rather than producing a branded marketing show, Amazon wanted to create something entrepreneurs would actively choose to spend time with because it genuinely helped them become better business owners.
Together, JAR and Amazon created This Is Small Business, a documentary-style podcast that explored the realities of entrepreneurship through the lived experiences of business owners across a wide range of industries.
Instead of centring Amazon in every conversation, each episode focused on the challenges founders face while starting, growing and sustaining a business. Narrative storytelling, documentary production and thoughtful interviews transformed practical business lessons into compelling stories that entrepreneurs genuinely wanted to hear.
JAR partnered with Amazon across the entire production process, including:
Every editorial decision was guided by one question:
Would an entrepreneur recommend this episode to another entrepreneur, even if Amazon’s name wasn’t attached to it?
Amazon already had enormous reach.
The challenge wasn’t attracting attention.
It was earning trust.
The JAR System shifted the focus away from talking about Amazon and toward helping entrepreneurs navigate the realities of building a business. Instead of asking how the podcast could support Amazon’s marketing objectives, it asked how every episode could become genuinely useful to the people Amazon wanted to serve.
That shift shaped every aspect of the show, from guest selection and storytelling to distribution and measurement.
The result was a podcast that strengthened Amazon’s relationship with entrepreneurs by consistently putting audience value ahead of brand messaging.
The JAR System transformed This Is Small Business from a branded podcast into a resource entrepreneurs chose to return to throughout their business journey.
| Before | After applying the JAR System |
|---|---|
| Talk about entrepreneurship | Help entrepreneurs solve real business challenges |
| Promote Amazon’s support for small business | Demonstrate that support through valuable stories |
| Measure downloads | Measure trust, attention and long-term audience relationships |
| Publish branded content | Build an ongoing mentorship platform |
| Earn awareness | Earn recommendation and loyalty |
Brands rarely earn trust by talking about themselves.
They earn trust by consistently helping people solve meaningful problems.
Amazon already had products, services and programs supporting entrepreneurs. The opportunity was to organize those resources around stories that business owners actually wanted to hear. By defining the podcast’s job before production began, the JAR System transformed This Is Small Business into something more valuable than a marketing initiative. It became a trusted companion for entrepreneurs navigating one of the most difficult journeys in business.
The result demonstrates a principle that guides every JAR engagement: when you create something genuinely useful for your audience, commercial outcomes tend to follow naturally.
Before developing the series, JAR worked with Amazon to define the podcast’s Job, Audience and Result.
Help entrepreneurs build stronger businesses by sharing honest stories, practical lessons and real experiences from founders who had already faced similar challenges.
The podcast wasn’t designed to promote Amazon.
It was designed to become a trusted resource for entrepreneurs.
The series was created for small business owners, founders and aspiring entrepreneurs looking for practical guidance grounded in real experience rather than theory.
These listeners didn’t want motivational speeches.
They wanted useful stories.
Success meant strengthening Amazon’s relationship with entrepreneurs by consistently delivering value first, building a loyal audience that associated the brand with practical support rather than promotion.
Once the Job, Audience and Result were clear, every editorial decision became easier, from guest selection and narrative structure to production, distribution and audience growth.
This Is Small Business has surpassed one million listens, making it one of Amazon’s most successful branded podcast initiatives.
Listeners spent more than two hours each month with the show, creating a level of sustained engagement that traditional marketing channels rarely achieve.
Among exposed entrepreneurs and aspiring founders, 73% reported feeling more favourable toward Amazon, demonstrating that audience-first storytelling can strengthen brand perception without relying on direct promotion.
The series has earned major industry awards, recognizing excellence in branded storytelling, production and audience engagement while reinforcing Amazon’s reputation as a trusted resource for entrepreneurs.
Awards include:
“Thank you for being patient, but also pushing me in the right ways. This has been a challenging experience for me in many ways and having JAR as a partner has helped me sleep better at night. I know you guys have my (our) back and am constantly reminded that I was right in choosing JAR as our partner.”
Andrea Marquez
Sr. Story Producer & Host, Podcast Programming
Amazon
