Tropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder Lifestyle: Recent Episodes
Dan Andrews; Ian Schoen
With 10M+ downloads and thousands of listener meetups worldwide, the TMBA Podcast is the hub for 7 & 8-figure founders who’ve built life-changing businesses while attaining personal freedom. New episodes every Thursday morning.
Dan flies solo this week in a 3-part episode where he circles back to a few hot topics that caught some listener’s attention over the last few months. Back in May, Dan shared insights from a book he read called the 5 Types of People Who Will Ruin Your Life. Today he’s sharing a recent story where this came into play. He also shares lessons from the best business book he’s read in the past 6 months (of which he reads about 3 each week). And last but not least, he reaches into the mailbag to share a story from a listener about their Mexican Fisherman Moment. Dan & Ian’s Stuff: The Newsletter (https://tropicalmba.com/subscribe) “The DC” (https://dynamitecircle.com/join-dc/) DC Black (https://dynamitecircle.com/dc-black) Global events (https://dynamitecircle.com/events) Hire remote talent (https://remotefirstrecruiting.com/) Find a remote job (https://dynamitejobs.com/) Listen on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@OfficialTropicalMBA) Follow on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/tropicalmba/) @TropicalMBA (https://twitter.com/TropicalMBA) @AnythingIan (https://twitter.com/AnythingIan) Show Notes: 0:00:00 Intro 0:01:44 Too old for basketball 0:04:33 Personality disorders 0:11:07 Leadership 0:24:30 Mexican Fisherman Links: DC Events (https://dynamitecircle.com/events) DC Black (https://dynamitecircle.com/dc-black) Language Mentoring (https://www.languagementoring.com/) Clockwork by Mike Michalowicz (https://www.amazon.com/Clockwork-Design-Your-Business-Itself/dp/0525534016) The Checklist Manifesto (https://www.amazon.com/The-Checklist-Manifesto-audiobook/dp/B0031Q9ZWY/ref=sr_1_1?hvadid=241601530794&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9003540&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=9562829446745895865&hvtargid=kwd-14787969625&hydadcr=9803_10377300&keywords=the+checklist+manifesto&qid=1692177815&sr=8-1) Scorecards (https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/how-to-create-employee-scorecards) Traction (https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Gino-Wickman-audiobook/dp/B00A9Z973M/ref=sr_1_1?crid=19A7QTUHDLFXW&keywords=traction&qid=1692178108&s=audible&sprefix=tractio%2Caudible%2C231&sr=1-1) Past guests on TMBA include Cal Newport, David Heinemeier Hannson, Seth Godin, Ricardo Semler, Noah Kagan, Rob Walling, Jay Clouse, Einar Vollset, Sam Dogan, Gino Wickam, James Clear, Jodie Cook, Mark Webster, Steph Smith, Taylor Pearson, Tommy Griffith, Justin Tan, Matt Gartland, Travis Jamison, Ayman Al-Abdullah, Tynan Additional episodes you might enjoy: TMBA 688: Mailbag: What Can Scorecards Do For You? And Equity Split Dilemmas (https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/how-to-create-employee-scorecards) TMBA 695: The Money Theory of Location And Why Employee Scorecards Are So Helpful (https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/money-theory-location-employee-scorecards) TMBA 707: Deceptively simple ways to have a better business (https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/simple-ways-to-actually-improve-your-business) TMBA 702: Millions for Podcasts and Jay Clouse on Memberships (https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/jay-clouse-on-memberships) TMBA 689: Re-visiting Our Conversation with Seth Godin (https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/seth-godin-akimbo)
Dan raises the question: if you only had to implement one simple framework to improve your business, what would it be? In other words, what’s your minimum effective dose of operational practices? Sometimes–most of the time–one simple change can make a huge difference. Today’s guest represents this line of thinking to a T. Lydia Machova talks about the ROI of spending a month implementing one simple idea, developing an integrator/visionary relationship, and the minimum effective dose of operational practices that improved her business. Lastly, Dan & Lydia talk about how founders often confuse assistance with delegation and how Lydia built an operating system that empowers her team to take ownership, solve problems, and send fewer Slack messages. Dan & Ian’s Stuff: The Newsletter (https://tropicalmba.com/subscribe) “The DC” (https://dynamitecircle.com/join-dc/) DC Black (https://dynamitecircle.com/dc-black) Global events (https://dynamitecircle.com/events) Hire remote talent (https://remotefirstrecruiting.com/) Find a remote job (https://dynamitejobs.com/) Listen on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHPBISaCA5pVb_U1dq088KA) Follow on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/tropicalmba/) @TropicalMBA (https://twitter.com/TropicalMBA) @AnythingIan (https://twitter.com/AnythingIan) Show Notes: 0:00:00 Intro 0:02:02 Systems are too complicated 0:04:23 Scorecards, scorecards, scorecards 0:07:20 Delegation vs assistance 0:08:32 DCBKK updates 0:13:42 Becoming an entrepreneur 0:21:48 Perfect integrator 0:27:07 ROI of process 0:37:25 Meeting tempos 0:39:09 Accountability chart 0:42:46 The issues list 0:48:05 Get out from under Links: DC Events (https://dynamitecircle.com/events) DC Black (https://dynamitecircle.com/dc-black) Language Mentoring (https://www.languagementoring.com/) Clockwork by Mike Michalowicz (https://www.amazon.com/Clockwork-Design-Your-Business-Itself/dp/0525534016) The Checklist Manifesto (https://www.amazon.com/The-Checklist-Manifesto-audiobook/dp/B0031Q9ZWY/ref=sr_1_1?hvadid=241601530794&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9003540&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=9562829446745895865&hvtargid=kwd-14787969625&hydadcr=9803_10377300&keywords=the+checklist+manifesto&qid=1692177815&sr=8-1) Scorecards (https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/how-to-create-employee-scorecards) Traction (https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Gino-Wickman-audiobook/dp/B00A9Z973M/ref=sr_1_1?crid=19A7QTUHDLFXW&keywords=traction&qid=1692178108&s=audible&sprefix=tractio%2Caudible%2C231&sr=1-1) Past guests on TMBA include Cal Newport, David Heinemeier Hannson, Seth Godin, Ricardo Semler, Noah Kagan, Rob Walling, Jay Clouse, Einar Vollset, Sam Dogan, Gino Wickam, James Clear, Jodie Cook, Mark Webster, Steph Smith, Taylor Pearson, Tommy Griffith, Justin Tan, Matt Gartland, Travis Jamison, Ayman Al-Abdullah, Tynan Additional episodes you might enjoy: TMBA 688: Mailbag: What Can Scorecards Do For You? And Equity Split Dilemmas (https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/how-to-create-employee-scorecards) TMBA 695: The Money Theory of Location And Why Employee Scorecards Are So Helpful (https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/money-theory-location-employee-scorecards) TMBA 707: Deceptively simple ways to have a better business (https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/simple-ways-to-actually-improve-your-business) TMBA 702: Millions for Podcasts and Jay Clouse on Memberships (https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/jay-clouse-on-memberships) TMBA 689: Re-visiting Our Conversation with Seth Godin (https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/seth-godin-akimbo)
Dan (https://twitter.com/TropicalMBA) and Ian (https://twitter.com/AnythingIan) give the inside scoop about their upcoming events strategy and the realization that prompted them to relaunch their hiring search not for an events planner but a business-minded community organizer. In light of resetting the event strategy for 2024, Dan also chats with the DCx London hosts Seonaid Beckwith (https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/), Noel Andrews (https://jobrack.eu/), and John Ainsworth (https://datadrivenmarketing.co/) about how they pulled off one of the best all-time DC events in London last month. They also give their thoughts in response to a listener's email: should you optimize for revenue growth, profit growth, or both? Dan and Ian share frameworks for thinking about this and how they think about revenue and profit in their business. Plus, stick around til the end for a first-timer's guide on how to max out your DCBKK experience if you're going (or thinking about going) for the first time. Dan & Ian’s Stuff: The Newsletter (https://tropicalmba.com/subscribe) “The DC” (https://dynamitecircle.com/join-dc/) DC Black (https://dynamitecircle.com/dc-black) Global events (https://dynamitecircle.com/events) Hire remote talent (https://remotefirstrecruiting.com/) Find a remote job (https://dynamitejobs.com/) Listen on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHPBISaCA5pVb_U1dq088KA) Follow on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/tropicalmba/) @TropicalMBA (https://twitter.com/TropicalMBA) @AnythingIan (https://twitter.com/AnythingIan) Show Notes: 0:00:00 Intro 0:02:40 Profit vs revenue 0:06:05 Revenue growth to exit 0:06:35 Conflating profit with personal income 0:07:21The Bezos strategy 0:08:19 Profit first 0:12:35 Classic systems 0:14:00 Superhero profitable 0:15:50 ROI framework 0:21:44 Our 2024 event strategy 0:24:18 Join our team 0:30:05 How to throw a great event 1:05:53 First-timer’s guide to DCBKK Links: Join our team (https://dynamitejobs.com/company/dynamitecircle/remote-job/community-event-coordinator) DC Events (https://dynamitecircle.com/events) DC Black (https://dynamitecircle.com/dc-black) 7 Powers by Hamilton Helmer (https://www.amazon.com/7-Powers-Foundations-Business-Strategy/dp/0998116319) Profit First by Mike Michalowicz (https://mikemichalowicz.com/profit-first/) The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker (https://www.amazon.com/The-Art-of-Gathering-Priya-Parker-audiobook/dp/B07B4HV9K7/ref=sr_1_1?hvadid=580651322835&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9003540&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=8471998563066358848&hvtargid=kwd-425637140099&hydadcr=21934_13324197&keywords=the+art+of+gathering+priya+parker&qid=1691583933&sr=8-1) The 2-Hour Cocktail Party by Nick Gray (https://www.amazon.com/2-Hour-Cocktail-Party-Relationships-Gatherings/dp/B0B679PZ89/ref=sr_1_1?hvadid=631492202808&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9003540&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=5362937297423595432&hvtargid=kwd-1674748472321&hydadcr=7665_13589719&keywords=two+hour+cocktail+party&qid=1691583978&sr=8-1) Past guests on TMBA include Cal Newport, David Heinemeier Hannson, Seth Godin, Ricardo Semler, Noah Kagan, Rob Walling, Jay Clouse, Einar Vollset, Sam Dogan, Gino Wickam, James Clear, Jodie Cook, Mark Webster, Steph Smith, Taylor Pearson, Tommy Griffith, Justin Tan, Matt Gartland, Travis Jamison, Ayman Al-Abdullah, Tynan Additional episodes you might enjoy: TMBA 688: Mailbag: What Can Scorecards Do For You? And Equity Split Dilemmas (https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/how-to-create-employee-scorecards) TMBA 702: Millions for Podcasts and Jay Clouse on Memberships (https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/jay-clouse-on-memberships) TMBA 689: Re-visiting Our Conversation with Seth Godin (https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/seth-godin-akimbo) TMBA 711: “Money is Your Responsibility” + News Updates (https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/money-is-your-responsibility) TMBA 707: Deceptively simple ways to have a better business (https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/simple-ways-to-actually-improve-your-business)
Dan Andrews (https://twitter.com/TropicalMBA) talks to Coachvox.ai founder Jodie Cook (https://twitter.com/jodie_cook) about her methods for building an AI startup from scratch, how to have the most productive and enjoyable month of your life and more. Jodie is full of experience and wisdom, and this was a fun one. Dan & Ian’s Stuff: The Newsletter (https://tropicalmba.com/subscribe) “The DC” (https://dynamitecircle.com/join-dc/) DC Black (https://dynamitecircle.com/dc-black) Global events (https://dynamitecircle.com/events) Hire remote talent (https://remotefirstrecruiting.com/) Find a remote job (https://dynamitejobs.com/) Listen on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHPBISaCA5pVb_U1dq088KA) Follow on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/tropicalmba/) @TropicalMBA (https://twitter.com/TropicalMBA) @AnythingIan (https://twitter.com/AnythingIan) Show Notes: 0:00:00 Intro 0:09:42 The Lifestyle Design Game 0:18:29 Being a Change CEO 0:23:47 Building an AI coach 0:28:19 Client Alignment 0:35:16 Team User Manuals 0:40:25 Work & Wellness Holiday 0:45:36 Polarized Travel Links: Coachvox AI (https://coachvox.ai/) AI business coach (https://www.jodiecook.com/ai/) How to think like a founder (https://www.forbes.com/sites/jodiecook/2023/04/19/how-to-think-like-a-billionaire-founder-7-powerful-mindset-shifts/) How Elon Musk solves problems (https://www.forbes.com/sites/jodiecook/2022/12/01/how-elon-musk-solves-problems-4-key-frameworks/) How to use AI to revolutionise your business (https://www.forbes.com/sites/jodiecook/2023/04/27/how-to-use-ai-to-revolutionize-your-business-4-simple-steps/) The biggest business challenges for ENTJ / INTJ entrepreneurs (https://www.forbes.com/sites/jodiecook/2023/01/09/the-7-biggest-challenges-entj-and-intj-entrepreneurs-face/) Living on a beach resort (https://www.jodiecook.com/beach-resort-lifestyle-experiment/) Ten Year Career (https://www.jodiecook.com/ten-year-career/) Past guests on TMBA include Cal Newport, David Heinemeier Hannson, Seth Godin, Ricardo Semler, Noah Kagan, Rob Walling, Jay Clouse, Einar Vollset, Sam Dogan, Gino Wickam, James Clear, Jodie Cook, Mark Webster, Steph Smith, Taylor Pearson, Tommy Griffith, Justin Tan, Matt Gartland, Travis Jamison, Ayman Al-Abdullah, Tynan Additional episodes you might enjoy: TMBA 627: Building an Agency You Can Exit From (https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/jodie-cook-agency-exit) TMBA 702: Millions for Podcasts and Jay Clouse on Memberships (https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/jay-clouse-on-memberships) TMBA 678: Evolving An Agency, With SaaS Mistakes Along The Way (https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/evolving-an-agency) TMBA 712: Business Partnerships and 6-Figure Launches: A Conversation with Mark Webster (https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/business-partnerships-6-figure-launches) TMBA 707: Deceptively simple ways to have a better business (https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/simple-ways-to-actually-improve-your-business)
Dan Andrews (https://twitter.com/TropicalMBA) talks to Authority Hacker co-founder Mark Webster (https://twitter.com/markwebster1) about successfully transitioning from an agency model to a multimillion-dollar course business. They talk about navigating 50/50 partnerships, why starting a course business isn’t for everyone, and what you can build with a laptop, a dream, and cheap accommodation. Dan & Ian’s Stuff: “The DC” DC Black Global events Hire remote talent Find a remote job Listen on YouTube Follow on Instagram @TropicalMBA @AnythingIan —--- Show Notes: 0:00:00 Intro 0:11:01 The audience is the hard part 0:18:47 The start of authority sites 0:28:52 Becoming business partners 0:35:38 Outgrowing your agency 0:44:59 Getting to 7-figures quickly 0:50:40 50/50 partnership pros & cons 0:56:48 You made it, now what? —-- Links: ● Authority Hacker: https://www.authorityhacker.com/ ● The Ultimate Product Launch Plan: https://videofruit.com/blog/product-launch/ ● American Icon: https://www.amazon.com/American-Icon-Mulally-Fight-Company/dp/0307886069 – Past guests on TMBA include Cal Newport, David Heinemeier Hannson, Seth Godin, Ricardo Semler, Noah Kagan, Rob Walling, Jay Clouse, Einar Vollset, Sam Dogan, Gino Wickam, James Clear, Jodie Cook, Mark Webster, Steph Smith, Taylor Pearson, Tommy Griffith, Justin Tan, Matt Gartland, Travis Jamison, Ayman Al-Abdullah, Tynan – Additional episodes you might enjoy: TMBA 706: 5 Things Founders Often Misunderstand about Exiting Their Business TMBA 702: Millions for Podcasts and Jay Clouse on Memberships TMBA 695: The Money Theory of Location And Why Employee Scorecards Are So Helpful TMBA 678: Evolving An Agency, With SaaS Mistakes Along The Way
Two months ago, Dan & Ian were limited by their lack of visibility into their business finances. They fired their bookkeepers, hired a financial professional, and with their financial house in order, they’re able to agree on top-level strategies and move with speed. Plus, friend of the pod and financial expert Sam Hill (ecomcfo.co), shares what 7-figure agency owners should be paying for financial services and expertise. Pull Quote: “It's your responsibility as the owner, period. It's the management's responsibility for the numbers. And if you're not getting what you want from the person that you've hired, whether it's in-house or outsourced, it's your responsibility to fix it.”
Dan and Ian have had hundreds of conversations with founders in 2023 so far. In today’s episode, they share two major challenges that are coming up for 6 and 7+ figure founders. They’re calling these challenges the Wheel of Despair and the Paradox of Growth. Contrary to what the popular business literature says about overcoming these challenges, Dan and Ian offer some alternative frameworks for how you as the founder can address them. “The secret is: that is not the question you need to answer. It is: where's the next million in revenue coming from? That is the question that needs to be answered. And I think that's where the bravery, the excitement, and the fear come in. You don't always know, and you’ve got to figure it out. That's your job as a founder.”
This week’s guest is a TMBA all-timer. Taylor Pearson is an entrepreneur, writer, and co-founder of Mutify Funds. He joins Dan to catch up on what he’s been up to lately, and shares five frameworks he’s adapting in his business after “messing up” over the last two years. “...like many people, I've sat down and read the business book and thought about the principles of the business and what are important and written them down and had this very nice, you know, Google Doc, with examples of these principles being followed and these principles not being followed. And I have put that Google doc into my nicely organized standard operating folder, and then that Google doc has sat there for months or years without seeing the light of day.”
Today’s guest is one of Dan’s favorite people to talk business with. Justin Tan grew his productized video-editing agency to 7 figures in 2 years and “retired” in 4. Now he helps burnt-out mid-6-figure agency owners become 7-figure passive owners without the 60-hour workweek grind. Join Dan and Justin as they geek out on the pumpkin plan, the trouble with blindspots, and some common mistakes business owners make. Justin just so happened to give Dan and Ian some pro bono consulting last summer in Barcelona, so they’ll chat about how that advice is panning out… Plus, we’re hiring an Events Manager to help us take our global community events to the next level. Head to dynamitejobs.com to apply or refer a friend. “You keep on promoting people you are familiar with because you like that dynamic. You are familiar with that dynamic. I am their boss, I tell you what to do. But at some point, you need to make that mentality switch. And this goes back to the operator owner where I tell them what to do. Instead, it needs to be they tell me what to do or what is needed, and I am the one who enables them to do that.”
In today’s episode, Dan talks with agency owner John Ainsworth about how implementing seemingly small, simple changes allowed him to take most of last year off, while his business still grew 30%. They discuss the modern business philosophies of Traction and Scaling Up and how sometimes those books leave you feeling overwhelmed. Dan’s perspective is that sometimes the biggest ROI comes from the changes that are deceptively simple, maybe even boringly simple. “People think of traction as a mechanical system that all works together and fits together. So, when you get to the end of the book, you think three things. Number one, I have to do it. Number two, I am definitely a visionary, not an integrator. And number three, I'm guilty relative to the percentage of all this that I've implemented. And so my philosophy is really just take one thing and do it, and your business will be better in the morning.”
Some bootstrapped entrepreneurs are fortunate enough to exit their businesses for life-changing money, but that’s not always the case. Today Dan talks to Einar Vollset, about the key mistakes founders often make when exiting their business. Einar is the Founder and Managing Partner of Discretion Capital, a Partner at TinySeed, and YCombinator alumni. In his experience, he says that many bootstrapped and startup founders alike often have blindspots that prevent them from having the best exit possible. “In some cases, bootstrappers end up with basically a stagnating business and one of the main mistakes you can do in terms of m&a is to wait and just let your business stagnate because it really hurts the value of the asset that you have.” Stick around til the end when Einar shares the 5 things founders often get wrong when exiting their business.
Today Dan and Ian analyze different frameworks for developing a good business idea, and reflect on how they didn’t always follow their own advice. They cover 6 idea frameworks: ‘Find a Channel, Not an Idea’, ‘The Classic Entrepreneur’s Venn Diagram’, ‘The Slippery Slope Arbitrage’, “Make it Incredibly Difficult and Pointlessly Complicated’ and ‘Polarize Your Range’. “You only need to answer one question, which is not do I hustle? Or do I chill? Or do I have the spirit or am I creative enough? It is simply, can I reliably and repeatedly get customers?” Stick around until the end of the show for a walk with Dan and Ian down the Boulevard of Broken Dreams, aka their domain registrar account.
As Dan recently reflected in the annual TMBA review, he and the Bossman saw their business almost double its revenue last year. On this week’s show Dan and Ian reflect on some simple principles or strategies that might help them and other business owners achieve the same in 2023.
The post TMBA 688: Mailbag: What Can Scorecards Do For You? And Equity Split Dilemmas appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
As Dan recently reflected in the annual TMBA review, he and the Bossman saw their business almost double its revenue last year. On this week’s show Dan and Ian reflect on some simple principles or strategies that might help them and other business owners achieve the same in 2023.
The post TMBA 687: 5 Strategies To Double Your Business in 2023 appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
As Dan prepares to leave Barcelona after a month-long stay, this week’s show is all about being able to take time away from your business. Because that is, after all, one of the reasons many listeners to this show are creating lifestyle businesses - whether it’s for parental leave, to pursue a sport or hobby, or perhaps some very necessary mental health wellness.
The post TMBA 686: Preparing To Take Time Away From Your Business appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
Agencies: creating them, the opportunities they offer, and some of the issues running them can create has been a long running theme on this show.
The post TMBA 685: From Agency to COO to CEO – A Case Study From SPI appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
Business processes and systems have been an emerging theme on this show recently, and today Dan reflects on why, and where they fit into the entrepreneurial journey. This often starts with personal growth through things like maximizing your health, reading, making connections, and maybe therapy. The second stage of advancing small businesses is frequently through different sorts of coaching. But, at some point, owners tend to hit roadblocks that can only be overcome by deploying systems rather than constantly fighting fires.
The post TMBA 684: Personal Productivity vs. Business Productivity appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
Last year, I wrote a review and a mid-year update and got many quality replies from readers. This year felt busy. Part of the busyness was travel, which for me, returned to pre-pandemic levels – with a trip every month and a few long stays abroad. Our business was equally frantic at times. Growth and… Read More »2022 TMBA Year in Review – Our Top 10 Most Memorable Moments
The post 2022 TMBA Year in Review – Our Top 10 Most Memorable Moments appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
Happy 2023 to all our listeners. The focus of this show has always been freedom, whatever that means to you. This pod is a judgement-free zone. It might be freedom to travel, to spend more time with family and friends, to work in a certain way, or with certain values, to give back to your community, or to support loved ones. Or just not to have a traditional J-O-B.
The post TMBA 683: The Successful Business That Grew Out Of A Family Emergency appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
2022 has been the year that we all got on the road again. Dan and Ian spent the summer in Barcelona, Spain and hundreds of members of the Dynamite Circle met up to forge new friendships and partnerships, socialize, swap stories and strategies, and a whole lot more.
The post TMBA 682: Revisiting Some of Our Favorite Moments from 2022 appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
As 2022 draws to a close Dan and Ian are in a reflective mood. In this week’s show they ponder the ‘lifestyle business take’ on ‘The Parable of the Mexican Fisherman’ and come up with an alternative interpretation involving YouTube.
The post TMBA 681: Our Take On The Parable Of The Mexican Fisherman And Year End Thoughts appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
On this week’s show Dan and Ian respond to some listener comments and questions including non-competes and potential conflicts of interest with your current employer when you’re thinking of starting an entrepreneurial side-hustle.
The post TMBA 680: Mailbag: Permission vs Forgiveness, B2B vs B2C, And ‘The SOP Question’ appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
On a recent show Dan and Ian touched on ‘the lifestyle ladder’, and what different levels of personal wealth can mean in your life. Following that they received an interesting email from today’s guest Matt Paulson who today shares why he’s found that achieving substantial personal wealth raises fundamental questions about how you want to spend that money, especially in relation to assessing investment opportunities, raising a family and contributing to a community you value.
The post TMBA 679: News Updates + “The Number” appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
When Johnathan Solorzano, founder of Solo Media Group, joined us on the podcast just over two years ago his agency focused on broad ‘white label work’, which he aptly described as ‘doing all the work and then someone else passes it off as their own’. Today, through what he learnt from doing that, he’s niched Solo Media to focus entirely on Shopify clients.
The post TMBA 678: Evolving An Agency, With SaaS Mistakes Along The Way appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
Some call it ‘revenge travel’, others just call it ‘getting back to normal’ but people in the location independent community are, for sure, hitting the road again. In this week’s show, Dan and Ian look at what factors feed into creating ‘digital nomad hotspots’, and the possible new emerging cities suggested by listeners of this podcast, and members of the ‘Dynamite Circle’.
The post TMBA 677: Digital Nomad Cities for 2023 and Choosing Between ‘Scaling Up’ And ‘Traction’ appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
Some call it ‘revenge travel’, others just call it ‘getting back to normal’ but people in the location independent community are, for sure, hitting the road again. In this week’s show, Dan and Ian look at what factors feed into creating ‘digital nomad hotspots’, and the possible new emerging cities suggested by listeners of this podcast, and members of the ‘Dynamite Circle’.
The post TMBA 677: Digital Nomad Cities for 2023 and Choosing Between ‘Scaling Up’ And ‘Traction’ appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
It’s been three long years since DC members were able to gather in Bangkok to share great food, experiences and talk business. And DCBKK2022, our ten year anniversary event, with almost 400 attendees, was not only our biggest event but also such a blast.
The post TMBA 676: Let’s Talk About DCBKK2022 appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
There are big changes in the wind at Twitter, with Elon Musk suggesting he might further open the platform to longer form pieces, and also paid content. Might this open up greater opportunities for those with established blogs, or looking to start one?
The post TMBA 675: The Art of Personal Blogging Redux appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
When Jesse Schoberg, Co-founder of DropIn Blog, shared his thoughts about the huge benefits of living in Bangkok with CNBC, as part of their ‘Make It’ series, he had no idea it would go viral - both inside Thailand and abroad.
The post TMBA 674: Going Viral For Saying ‘I Live Better In Thailand Than I Did In The U.S.’ appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
Side-Hustles, which - with a lot of hard work - evolve into full-time businesses are a theme of many entrepreneurial journeys. We’ve covered a fair few on this show.
The post TMBA 673: Side-Hustle to Multi-million Inc500 #98 Business appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
It started as a hobby at college, and was also the way he met his wife but now ‘Dumpster Diving’ has become a major business opportunity for Dave Sheffield, Founder of Buffalo Bottle Craft.
The post TMBA 672: Marketing by Building In Public: From Hobby to Major Business Opportunity appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
This week Dan is speaking to Andy Morgan, creator of RippedBody, a blog and coaching program targeted at committed but frustrated fitness trainees who have hit a stall in their progress. What’s interesting about Andy’s story is the way he’s found a niche not only in the fitness space but also in the market in Japan.
The post TMBA 671: The Rewards Of Finding Your Niche appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
In this week’s show Dan and Ian share their Q4 business updates, including the reasons why they have decided to launch an agency - Remote First Recruiting, which is targeted at startup founders, under the Dynamite Jobs umbrella.
The post TMBA 670: Business Updates: Remote First Recruiting, How Much Is Enough, And a Return To ‘The Europe Question’ appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
Books: seeking out good ones, talking about them, and implementing some of the things we discover in their pages has long been a theme of this show.
The post TMBA 669: Working Backwards And The ‘Write First’ Culture appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
The summer of cycling and tapas in Barcelona, Spain has come to an end. Dan and Ian are back in Austin, Texas inspired by the conversations and feedback they’ve had over the past few weeks as listeners and friends have dropped by one of our favorite European cities.
The post TMBA 668: 5 Small Ways To Go Big appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
Today’s show started, as so many of them do, as an in-person conversation in a dark bar in a cool city. That’s where Dan met Brent Zahradnik, founder of Amazon PPC agency AMZ Pathfinder.
The post TMBA 667: Catching The Right Wave At The Right Moment appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
The ‘Stair Step’ approach to entrepreneurship is a recurring theme on the TMBA. Coined of course by Startups For The Rest Of Us host Rob Walling. Essentially, it describes how you can build up your business chops by for example, starting a freelance business, then parlaying some of those clients into running an agency and then maybe Software as a Service, and so on.
The post TMBA 666: Following The Signs In Your Business appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
What began as a window cleaning service he started at college has now spun into a multi-million business for today’s guest Johnny Robinson. In January 2022 he co-founded Home Services Academy, a 90 day program and ongoing community which coaches others to reach five figures MRR by either starting their own cleaning business, or making an existing one more profitable.
The post TMBA 665: Reaching A $4M Run Rate In Less Than A Year appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
The COVID pandemic saw many online businesses boom, especially those centered on E-commerce. But entrepreneurs running in-person events really took a hit.
The post TMBA 664: Pivoting From ‘In Person’ To A Software Business appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
This show is a ‘drop in’ to the kind of conversations Dan and Ian have been having all summer long in their co-working space in Barcelona, as fellow entrepreneurs have come by the city. And today they’re joined by one of our favorite guests, AppSumo founder Noah Kagan.
The post TMBA 663: Overrated and Underrated Business Concepts with Noah Kagan appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
One growing theme in the TMBA community has been the search for increased options for location independent families to provide education for their children. Traditionally it’s been home schooling, international or local schools, and very little in-between. But increasingly parents are coming together to try to create new solutions like pop-up schools, employing tutors and more.
The post TMBA 662: Expanding Education Options For Nomadic Families appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
‘Rip, pivot and jam’ is a recurring theme on this show. It’s a way of overcoming the pressure of needing ‘the best business idea ever’ by taking a model that’s working elsewhere and applying it in another field. And that’s exactly what today’s guest Justin Tan did when he founded his productised video editing service Video Husky.
The post TMBA 661: The Rewards Of Challenging Assumptions appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
Who doesn’t want to maximize results, and spend less time - or just make better use of it - in their business? On this week’s show Dan and Ian discuss five possible ways to make this happen from their own experience growing Dynamite Jobs.
The post TMBA 660: Five Easy Ways to Work Smarter (Not Harder) appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
The TMBA ‘summer in Barcelona’ continues with a long-standing guest visiting the city, and hanging with Dan and Ian.
His name is Travis Jamison, founder of Smash Digital, and investor in numerous other companies. He’s a badass entrepreneur who exited his previous business AMZ tracker, a SaaS for Amazon sellers, for ‘a life changing’ amount of money, a story we told on this show.
The post TMBA 659: The Power of Diversification and The Welcome End of DeFi Summer appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
We’ve received some great email responses prompted by last week’s episode ‘The Europe Question’. So on today’s show Dan and Ian will be reflecting on some of those comments.
The post TMBA 658: Let’s Talk Fish And Ponds appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
Recently Peer Richelsen tweeted ‘Ok, serious question: what keeps the average American (that can afford it) from moving to Europe?’. By the next morning he’d received hundreds of different responses.
The post TMBA 657: The Europe Question appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
Last time Dustin Overbeck came on the show he talked about why he chose to live in Transylvania, Romania with his family whilst growing an agency and ‘Town Web’ which helps local governments in the US build and re-design their websites.
The post TMBA 656: The Problems Of Being Both An Arsonist And A Firefighter As A Business Owner appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
Today Dan talks to one of our favorite writers Sam Dogan, the man behind ‘Financial Samurai’. And Sam has recently written a book called ‘Buy This, Not That’, laying out the ideas and strategies he learnt not only from his decade long career at Goldman Sachs but also investing personally and interacting with the many millions of visitors to his blog.
The post TMBA 655: Deciding How To ‘Buy This, Not That’ appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
Do you remember when you had to pretend that you had a dental appointment just to be able to attend a job interview? Dan and Ian do. With so many more people working remotely, even within large corporations, those days are gone. And good riddance.
The post TMBA 654: Mailbag: Digital Nomad Dilemmas, DJ Updates, and Memories of Having a J-O-B appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
The ‘post-COVID’ location independent summer is beginning. We’re seeing more and more posts in the DC forum that begin: ‘Who’s in Medellin this month?’, ‘Anyone in Poland or the Balkans’.
The post TMBA 653: Bangkok, Thailand and DCBKK. We’re Excited. appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
The 4-Hour Workweek was, and continues to be, a life changing inspiration to many seeking more freedom in their lives through the path of entreprenuership. But, prompted by listening to a recent podcast featuring a conversation between its author Tim Ferriss and Cal Newport, Dan and Ian reflect on what they see as ‘the elephant in the room’ in the book, in relation to others seeking to emulate the path it lays it:
The post TMBA 652: Mailbag: The Elephant in The Room with the 4HWW, and Can Solopreneurship Ever Make You Rich? appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
On today’s show Sherry talks to Dan about how she tried, in some way, to make sense of what happened by penning a book “Touching Two Worlds: A Guide To Finding Hope In The Aftermath of Loss”
The post TMBA 651: Finding Hope in The Aftermath of Loss appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
Unless you’ve been living in a cave recently (and if you have, hit us up because we’d love to hear about that), you’ll be aware that crypto has been on a wild (at the time of writing mostly downward) rollercoaster. As we’ve mentioned before, it is a volatile investment, especially when viewed short term.
The post TMBA 650: DeFi For The Long Game appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
Just before Christmas of last year, I wrote an annual update about the various aspects of our business. Many of you emailed me positive feedback about it. Some of you emailed me your annual updates. Amazing. I said to myself, “you should do this every quarter!” And so here I am. 43 days after the… Read More »Our Q1 Business Updates – The “OMTM” Edition
The post Our Q1 Business Updates – The “OMTM” Edition appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
On today’s show Dan and Ian are reaching into the mailbag to reflect on some topics that listeners have asked about. These include an update on the incredible response to our upcoming DCBKK, things to consider when thinking about business models, and how to manage your net worth without hurting your brain:
The post TMBA 649: Mailbag: Revenge Traveling, Founder Fit And Managing Net Worth appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
Today’s show challenges bootstrapped entrepreneurs to think about lessons they can draw from high-income private equity funded business, especially about structured forward planning and accountancy. But it also covers what lessons PE funded companies could learn from the other side of the tracks.
The post TMBA 648: What Can Entrepreneurs Learn From PE Businesses, And Vice Versa? appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
Lots of entrepreneurs and listeners to this show are inspired to create ‘The 4-Hour Workweek’ type businesses by founding e-commerce stores and agencies, creating money and value entirely online. Today’s guest, Alex Pantich, has chosen a different path with the business he co-founded. Upshift provides hospitality venues with vetted temporary W-2 hourly workers who are able to post online the days and hours they are available for work.
The post TMBA 647: The Opportunities In Bringing Technology To ‘The Real World’ appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
This week’s show is kinda a de-brief of our recent in-person event in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. Dan chats Jeff Pecaro, who has worked with us for nearly a decade, and continues to do an amazing job helping our speakers deliver the kind of presentations that our attendees tell us they want to hear:
The post TMBA 646: Key Takeaways From Our First Event In Playa Del Carmen appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
Have you ever wanted to get a regular review process going but just never get round to it because it seems so overwhelming? This show is for you.
The post TMBA 645: Getting Started With A Regular Review Process appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
One of the themes of this show has always been ‘learning by doing’, and evolving your businesses based on that. But what about when your circumstances change and, through necessity, that places different pressures on what you need to achieve?
The post TMBA 644: When Your Lifestyle Business Can No Longer Support You appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
On this week’s show, Jeff Fruhwirth talks to Dan about how a failed foray into e-commerce, and a change in personal circumstances, caused him to pivot into real estate investing with little capital or experience. Today he has a portfolio of multi-unit buildings, which he’s expanded by learning about the hidden potential within different sorts of properties.
The post TMBA643: Don’t Build Your Castle On Someone Else’s Land appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.
This week Dan and Ian share updates about progress at ‘Dynamite Jobs’. Drawing on some sage advice from recent guest Ayman Al-Abdullah, they’ve been focussing on the ‘P’s that really matter, namely breaking through plateaus by building strong foundations through ‘product, promotion, and process’. The idea being that will enable them to move on to the next stage in their business, from ‘player to coach’:
The post TMBA 642: Breaking Through Plateaus, And Other Important ‘P’s appeared first on Tropical MBA Podcast.