The Tropical MBA Podcast - Entrepreneurship, Travel, and Lifestyle

We always love receiving thoughtful questions from Tropical MBA listeners around the world. A few weeks ago, a winter storm in Texas forced us to re-run one of our favorite episodes of this show called 7 Things to Consider When Selling Your Business, in which Dan and Ian describe the process of selling their eCommerce business back in 2015. Our decision to revisit that particular story elicited a ton of responses from those of you who had never heard it before, and from those who were listening to it with a fresh perspective nearly five years later. This week we are responding to several listener questions about that story, discussing our feelings on the exit nearly five years later, addressing how long it really takes to "fire yourself" from your business, and a whole lot more.

We've been devoting a lot of time on this podcast recently to SaaS or "Software as a Service" businesses. That's because we love the upside of SaaS, including the potential for generating recurring revenue and creating life-changing exits. But is it possible to create a software business without knowing how to code? Alan VanToai is the founder of CrewFire.com, a brand ambassador and influencer management platform. Alan has very limited technical expertise, but that hasn't stopped him from creating and exiting from multiple software ventures. Alan joins us on today's podcast to discuss how you can start a SaaS business without a technical partner, how to attract a technical partner when the time comes, and some personal feelings about one of our very favorite places in the world: Vietnam.

When it comes to entrepreneurship, failure can often be more important than winning. So many of the greatest success stories start with failure because it's what we learn from those failures that ultimately leads us to the success that we seek. Today's guest describes himself as "an expert at failure". Sean Markey started his career as a special education teacher and spent the better part of a decade bouncing between jobs and going into debt, all the while trying to find a way to earn a living online. Despite several high-profile failures, Sean managed to hone his skills at SEO and started creating and building websites that earn affiliate income. He recently sold one of those websites for what he described as "life-changing money". Sean joins us this week to discuss some of his greatest failures, how he was able to learn the skills that ultimately led to his success, and why failure itself is such an important part of the entrepreneurial journey.

When we received an email from today's guest, we were fascinated by his story and we knew that we had to speak to him. Curtis Boyd is the founder of two incredibly unique businesses. The first one is a bespoke consultancy for high-level service companies and the second one is a software as a service business called Objection.co. Both of these businesses were created with a singular goal in mind: to identify and dispute fake reviews on the internet. Curtis began by disputing a single review for his first client and soon found himself competing in an arms race with fake reviewers in what has become a multi-million dollar industry of deception. Curtis joins us this week to discuss how a chance encounter led to his unique consulting career, why he decided to go back to school to learn about artificial intelligence, tips for identifying fake reviews, and a whole lot more.

After a wild and dramatic week in Austin TX, we are excited to return to our regularly scheduled programming and to highlight an entrepreneur with a unique career trajectory. Casey von Neumann started out as many of us do, by freelancing, teaching music classes to students in Atlanta, G.A. As her client base grew, she began scaling her services into a full-blown music school called Eclectic Music and has since built multiple businesses in the education space. It wasn't long though before Casey discovered that she had trapped herself in the day-to-day operations of her business. She was forced to come to the difficult realization that she was a "bad boss" who needed to make fundamental changes to the way that she interacted with her team. Casey has recently begun sharing what she has learned from that experience by coaching entrepreneurs in an area where so many of us struggle - building, keeping, and managing a team. Casey joins us this week to share her entrepreneurial origin story, what it means to be a "bad boss", and how we as entrepreneurs can take steps at the onset of our business to create a better work environment for ourselves and our employees.

Austin, TX was hit by a very unique winter storm preventing the team from putting out a full episode this week.

This week's episode features a story with a lot of familiar themes.  Today's guest started out as so many of us do, with a weekend side hustle.  Amar Ghose is the CEO of ZenMaid, a niche scheduling software for maid services that he co-founded in 2013. When his first attempt at launching a maid services company failed, Amar was able to use what he learned from that experience to pivot into a software product designed for other businesses in the maid services industry. Amar joins us this week to talk about the origins of ZenMaid, what playing online poker has taught him about running a business, how he has applied digital marketing strategies to a blue-collar industry, and a whole lot more.

Today's podcast is about a topic that near and dear to our hearts and one that we've actually written a book about in the past. Longtime listeners know that roughly six years ago we sold our product business, and in the years since we have spent a considerable amount of time processing that decision and examining what happens not only at the core of successful exits but in the aftermath of them as well. John Warrilow is the author of a trilogy of books about this very subject, including Built to Sell, The Automatic Customer, and his most recent book The Art of Selling Your Business. He has also spoken with hundreds of entrepreneurs on his own podcast (including our very own Bossman) about their experiences exiting from their businesses. John joins us on this episode to discuss what makes a successful exit, how to build a business with the intention of selling, what he has learned from speaking to entrepreneurs about exits over the years, and so much more.

Since the start of the year, we've been focusing heavily on stories about starting new businesses as well as what we believe are the "fundamentals" of being an entrepreneur. When we received a video message from today's guest, who was telling us how excited he was to finally join our private membership group The Dynamite Circle, we knew we had to hear more about his story. In just a few short years, Sam Hill has grown his company E Comm CFO to nearly $300,000 in annual revenue, and he was able to do it by straight-up hustling on the freelancing platform Upwork. This week, we've invited Sam onto the podcast to share the origins of his entrepreneurial story, the nuts and bolts of how he was able to grow a business on Upwork, and some of his guiding principles for entrepreneurship.

We've been spending a lot of time over the past few weeks talking about the "business fundamentals", or the everyday habits that we believe entrepreneurs should be practicing. In keeping with that theme, we've decided to revisit some specific concepts that we've spoken about on this show in the past, and that we have seen at the core of so many successful entrepreneurial stories. On today's podcast, we'll be sharing four frameworks for how to get started with a profitable business idea in 2021. We'll be exploring each of these philosophies, as well as citing some specific examples of how each of these frameworks have been used successfully by the entrepreneurs that we have featured on this podcast in the past.

January is one of our favorite months of the year because it's a time for starting over, setting new goals, and making plans for how to achieve them. It's no surprise then that our inbox starts filling up with messages from excited entrepreneurs who are looking for new ways to push forward with their businesses. This week, we're reaching into the mailbag once again to answer questions submitted by Tropical MBA listeners around the world. We'll be discussing a series of topics specifically related to starting new businesses, finding new revenue streams, and making new moves in your business in 2021.

Every once in a while a book comes around that completely captivates us and leaves us with more questions than answers. When we discovered "The Price of Tomorrow" by Jeff Booth, we knew we needed to hear more from the man who wrote it.  Jeff is a Canadian-based entrepreneur who has built and invested in numerous companies, including BuildDirect, which he helped grow to $220 Million dollars in annual revenue. We were absolutely taken by the ideas he presented in his book, as well as Jeff's perspective on the future of the global economy. Jeff joins us on today's podcast for what turned out to be an incredibly poignant conversation about the global financial system, inflation and deflation, technology, and so much more.

This is the time of year when so many people are making goals and resolutions. These types of things are great, but we've always believed that the best way to is to see real progress is to create healthy habits and practices. Successful athletes do this by continuing to practice their fundamentals, the core skills that are most important to their game. Today we're going to be looking at how we can practice our business fundamentals so we can improve our daily habits and set ourselves up for success in the new year. We'll be sharing some specific ways that you can improve your finances, your time, your relationships, and much more.

To say that the last twelve months were unpredictable would be a massive understatement. For ourselves and so many other entrepreneurs, the COVID outbreak not only threw a wrench into our plans for 2020, it completely changed the way that we did business this year. Many of us were operating in industries that were adversely affected by the pandemic on a profound scale. Others, particularly those in eCommerce, experienced one of the most successful years of their entrepreneurial careers. In today's episode, we are revisiting some of the highs and lows of a wild and unforgettable year. You'll hear our opinions on how the year has played out on a broader scale, some insights into how our own businesses have fared over the year, and some highlights from our favorite moments on the podcast in 2020.

Like so many other entrepreneurs, we are fascinated by cryptocurrencies. We are naturally drawn to the technology because we believe it has the potential to cause some serious disruption in the financial sector. You might recall a few years back that we interviewed Nathaniel Popper about his book Digital Gold, which chronicled the origins of Bitcoin. Today's guest has written what feels to us like the next logical chapter of that story. Jeff Roberts is the author of Kings of Crypto, a book that details how the cryptocurrency startup Coinbase drove crypto out of the shadows of the internet and into the mainstream financial industry. Jeff joins us this week to talk about how the book came to fruition, crypto's evolving place within mainstream finance, the ideological battles happening within the space, and so much more.

Even though 2020 has been a difficult year for some entrepreneurs, it has arguably been an all-time year for many people running eCommerce businesses. Longtime listeners know that we first cut our teeth in the eCommerce space, and we love keeping tabs on how that industry continues to evolve and innovate. It's no surprise then that today's guest made his way onto our radar. Aaron Rubin is a longtime veteran of eCommerce. Aaron's growing annoyance with the shipping costs related to his business drove him to create ShipHero, a remote company that offers outsourced shipping fulfillment services and warehouse management software to other eCommerce businesses. Today, more than 1 in every 200 eCommerce packages delivered in America are shipped through ShipHero. Aaron joins us today to share his story. You'll hear how his first eCommerce business nearly went bankrupt, how a need to "scratch his own itch" led to the creation of ShipHero, and Aaron's somewhat insider take on where the eCommerce industry is headed in the future.

We are reaching back into the mailbag this week to answer questions submitted by Tropical MBA listeners around the world. In this edition, we'll be focusing on three specific questions that we believe get to the core of what it means to be resilient as an entrepreneur. We'll be discussing how much money you should save as a "runway" if you plan on leaving your job, the fundamental differences between hiring freelancers and hiring employees, and how you can navigate questionable business advice on the internet. You'll also hear an update about the new products that we are launching over at Dynamite Jobs, and why we are somewhat optimistic about events returning in 2021.

This week's episode is about something that is incredibly near and dear to our hearts: personal blogging and what it means to write on the internet. To help us tell this story, we've invited two of our favorite writers who both have a long and rich experience in the blogging space. Taylor Pearson has been a frequent guest and contributor on this podcast. He is the author of The End of Jobs, and he runs an excellent blog over at TaylorPearson.me that has been required reading for us for quite some time. Amanda Cook is an author, a podcaster, herbalist, and the founder of a business called Wellpreneur. Over the years, she has published online about a wide variety of projects, but the one consistent thing is that she's always had an excellent blog, which you can find at AmandaCook.me. Join us for this round table discussion about the past and future of blogging on the internet, tips for those starting out with a personal blog, some of our favorite blogs to read today, and so much more.

We've been receiving a ton of requests recently from listeners who want to hear an "old school" episode, so this week Dan and Ian are jumping on the horn to talk about the progress that they've made with their remote jobs business Dynamite Jobs. Since the start of the summer, we've been building a new software platform designed to make the hiring process a whole lot easier for entrepreneurs. Just a few weeks ago, we finally started onboarding users into the platform. So far the results have been remarkable, but the challenges immense. In today's episode, we're sharing four specific things that we've learned from creating a brand new software product. You'll hear updates about some key figures in our business, how running a SaaS business has differed from a lot of our other ventures, and a whole lot more.

For our money, there is nobody quite like Kevin Kelly. Not only is he one of the co-founders of Wired Magazine, but he is also the author of some of our favorite pieces of writing about technology, including What Technology Wants, New Rules for the New Economy, and the brilliant essay 1,000 True Fans, which has been discussed countless times on this show over the years. This week, Kevin is joining us for a conversation about technology and how it informs our lives and businesses. On this podcast, Kevin shares his thoughts about why we have to stretch our imaginations more, what we can learn about technology from the Amish, why you should focus on "Being the only", and so much more.

Today's podcast is all about one listener of this show who took the concept of productizing and applied it incredibly well at a very high velocity. More than that, it's a story about endurance, applying systems intelligently, and the power of community. Ian Horley left a long stint at a successful corporate job in 2014 to create his own web agency, but he ultimately found himself incredibly stressed and unhappy. Today, Ian is the founder of HubSnacks, a productized service which offers unlimited tasks on the HubSpot platform for a fixed monthly fee. In this week's episode, Ian joins us to recall his tale of leaving the corporate world, why he struggled with the day-to-day of running an agency, and how productizing has finally allowed him the freedom to create a business on his own terms.

Longtime listeners know that this is typically the time of year that we host DC BKK, our annual Dynamite Circle event in Bangkok. Each year, hundreds of entrepreneurs flock to the capital city of Thailand for the chance to meet and share ideas with like-minded people from across the globe. This has always been sort of a magical time for so many of us in the community, and to say that we are disappointed that we can't take part in it this year would be a huge understatement. It has become something of a tradition that our good friend Jeff Pecaro sits down with us after the event to crack open a beer and talk shop. Jeff is an incredibly talented copywriter and the founder of MostlyStories.com. He is also the man behind the content at most of our in-person events. This year, Jeff is joining us virtually on the podcast to commiserate and share some of our favorite memories, thoughts, and insights into the history of DCBKK.

It goes without saying that as internet entrepreneurs, we are fascinated by the future of money, and it's hard to talk about the future of money without talking about cryptocurrency. Greg Gerber is our go-to guy when it comes to simplifying the complicated world of crypto. We've invited Greg back on to the show this week to talk about the state of crypto in 2020. As this conversation unfolds, you'll hear about the philosophical differences between Bitcoin and Ethereum, the emerging lending industry in the crypto space, and how Greg hopes to help more people go down the crypto rabbit hole with his newest venture, BitLift. Disclaimer: These are just our opinions, and are presented for informational purposes only. They are not intended to be considered as financial advice.

We've been devoting a lot of time to talking about software businesses in recent weeks. One of the reasons we are so fascinated by them is that despite how difficult it can be to start one, these types of businesses can have tremendous upside. Jordan Gal is the founder of CartHook, a software company that helps Shopify merchants present offers to shoppers at checkout. Jordan first reached out to us back in 2015 with an investment opportunity (and we turned him down!). It really shouldn't come as a surprise then that Carthook has grown exponentially in the years since, with its user base having made more than a billion dollars worth of sales. Jordan joins us on today's podcast to share the story of CartHook.

Today's episode is all about software startups, and there are very few people more capable or qualified to talk about them than today's guest. Simon Payne first joined us on this podcast back in 2016 to talk about his role as the technical co-founder of Leadpages. Since leaving Leadpages in 2016, Simon has gone on to found multiple software companies, including a video tool called Convert Player, and a ticketing tool that we regularly use in our own business called EventsFrame. But, as you will hear on today's podcast, the results of these endeavors have ultimately been a mixed bag.  Simon joins us this week to share the details of his entrepreneurial journey over the last few years, to discuss how the relationships between developers and marketers can make or break a software business, and to explain why he's recently decided to help us build our own software platform at Dynamite Jobs.

Today's episode features a longtime friend and mentor who shared an idea with us many years ago that changed the way that we thought about entrepreneurship. David McKeegan and his wife Carrie are the founders of Greenback Expat Tax Services. David first joined us on the podcast back in 2013, and he is singlehandedly responsible for introducing us to one of our all-time favorite concepts, The 1,000 Day Principle. This idea that it takes 1,000 days of full-time effort to replace the income from your day job has since been dissected on this podcast countless times over the years. David joins us this week to fill us in on the many developments in his business, to share his personal tale of an entrepreneurial identity crisis, and to discuss the lasting legacy of The 1,000 Day Principle.

We talk quite a bit on this podcast about services businesses and the sorts of problems that they seek to solve for their customers.  You may recall that Eagan Heath joined us to share his thoughts about this back in 2018 on an episode titled "The Knowledge Gap vs. The Efficiency Gap Revisited". In that episode, we spoke about whether it is better to serve your customers by filling a "knowledge gap" and teaching them why they need your services or to fill an "efficiency gap" by helping them optimize something that they are already doing. Since then, Eagan and his team have decided to move on from filling "knowledge gaps" for local businesses in Wisconsin and to focus on servicing "efficiency gaps" by providing digital marketing services to eCommerce businesses with his new company Caravan Digital. Eagan joins us this week to share the reasons he's chosen to change his approach to this philosophy and why he feels like the "efficiency gap" strategy has ultimately prevailed.

One of the promises of entrepreneurship is that there are opportunities to make money all around us if we can learn how to recognize them. Laurence Taylor has recognized some of them himself. Laurence and his wife are the founders of HipTen, a SwaS (Software with a Service) consultancy that works exclusively on the Salesforce platform for the insurance industry. Prior to getting into that niche, they were struggling, as many small startups do, to find their place in the market. Laurence joins us today to talk about the pros and cons of SwaS startups, what it's like working with your spouse, how they saw an opportunity work in the insurance industry, and much more.

We love hearing from listeners of this show. We put out the call a few weeks ago for listeners to send us your stories, and you responded to us in abundance. Our mailbox has been positively chock full of listener voicemails about all kinds of topics. In today's episode, we'll be listening to several of those voicemails and weighing in with our own thoughts and observations. The topics range from how much location really matters, why hustle is the ultimate entrepreneurial muscle, the value of being an "intrapreneur", and love in the age of COVID.

One of our favorite things about this podcast is that we get to talk to people who have inspired us and entertained us over the years. Matt Farah is certainly one of those people. Matt is somewhat of a pioneer in the automotive journalism community on the internet. His long-running YouTube channel The Smoking Tire and his podcast of the same name are both incredibly popular, and among our very favorites. Matt was gracious enough to talk to us on this podcast back in 2016 about breaking through on YouTube, and since we last spoke to Matt a lot has changed in his life. Matt joins us today to talk about how his YouTube channel and podcast have grown over the last four years, and why he is choosing to diversify the money that he earned on YouTube into a somewhat unorthodox brick-and-mortar investment.

A few weeks ago on this podcast, we mentioned that we had started writing a new book based around The 1,000 Day Principle, a recurring topic we've talked about many times on this podcast. In doing research for that book, a few common themes have started to become apparent to us. There are several different paths to becoming wealthy, some of which follow traditional social norms, and others exist in the fringes of society that many listeners of this show might find themselves in. On today's podcast, we are discussing three specific strategies for acquiring wealth that we have come across time and again. These are by no means the only ways to become wealthy, but they are three of the most common methods that we have seen people use to get there. Stick around to the end of the episode to hear some thoughtful and funny listener messages we received in response to last week’s call for ‘Coronavirus related stories’, including one listener who shares the very real challenges of working from home with small children.

As the dog days of summer are coming to a close, we've decided to address several interesting topics that have come across our desk throughout the month of August. One such topic came in the form of an article by entrepreneur and author James Altucher, who discussed why he thinks ‘NYC is dead forever’. He argues that COVID-19’s effects on the business and social dynamics of New York are so far-reaching that the city will never recover. But we see it a bit differently - less as a terminal decline and more as an opportunity for reinvention. We'll also be discussing some fundamental issues that we are seeing some remote job seekers face now that so-called ‘digital nomads’ have had their wings clipped. Finally, you'll hear some of our thoughts on the "new normal" and what the future might look like for digital nomads in the wake of COVID-19.

In past episodes, we've talked about "Founder Fit", or the idea that you should be running the type of business that is best suited to your own personality and lifestyle. But what happens if you're not doing that? It turns out that having a bad fit between you and what you're building can potentially lead to a whole lot of pain. Jesse Hanley is all too familiar with this experience. Jesse is the founder of an agency called TalentTree, and he recently made the decision to shift the focus of his agency to a productized service model in order to fund the development and growth of his new software company Bento. Jesse joins us this week to share the emotional toll he experienced running that agency, why he decided to make drastic changes to his business to improve his quality of life, and how he has been able to find a large portion of his clientele on a rather unexpected platform.

Rob Walling is no stranger to many of the listeners of this show. Rob is the host of a brilliant podcast called Startups for the Rest of Us, where he has shared stories of entrepreneurial ingenuity and struggle, and many concepts that we have discussed on this show have origins on that podcast. He is also the co-founder of a conference called MicroConf, which is a community and conference for bootstrap SaaS founders. After a rather impressive exit with his last startup, Drip, Rob has moved on to his newest project, an accelerator designed for early-stage SaaS startups called TinySeed. Rob joins us this week to discuss some high-level concepts like the emotional challenges of entrepreneurship, to finer details like finding the right pricing models, and how they decided on the right deal terms for TinySeed companies.

On today's podcast, we are sharing some personal updates, as well as three specific updates about our core businesses. We are also announcing that for the first time in nearly five years, we are hiring a Community Facilitator for our private membership group The Dynamite Circle. Later on in the episode, we'll be exploring the idea of the moment in a business that Seth Godin refers to as "The Dip". You'll hear why this "middle period" of running a business is so difficult, how it feels to be in that dip, and why so many people just can't get out of it.

Productized services have long been a subject of discussion on this podcast. They are a relatively attractive business model, especially among first-time entrepreneurs, and we've shared many examples over the years of how to create these kinds of businesses and scale them. Meryl Johnston, founder of the online bookkeeping firm Bean Ninjas, recently started a rather lively debate in the members' forum of our online community The Dynamite Circle with a post titled, ‘Are Productized Services Overrated?’ We've invited Meryl on to the show to find out why she decided to raise that question and to hear her thoughts on a business model that she has personally followed for the last five years. Meryl joins us today to discuss what a productized service really is, the strengths and weaknesses of the model, and why she's wondering whether her own company needs to evolve past it.

Christopher Gimmer is the Co-Founder and CEO of Snappa, a SaaS (Software as a Service) business that allows users to create online graphics quickly and easily. Christopher caught our attention recently when he opened up with a post on Twitter about the emotional cost of being an entrepreneur. We invited Christopher onto the podcast this week to discuss his own journey as an entrepreneur, how difficult it can be for entrepreneurs to find and maintain what he calls "a healthy equilibrium", and how he works to achieve his own balance. You'll also hear why Christopher feels that having a business partner has been key to Snappa’s eventual success and what he sees as the pros and cons of SaaS businesses.

It started with an innocuous-looking image of a yellow aeroplane and ended with a number of threatening letters from a law firm on behalf of the travel site Expedia. In today’s episode, we bring you the denouement of the story of why we decided to remove ‘that plane’ from our branding. And, to find out whether we really needed to do it, we’ve invited back our good friend and Intellectual Property (IP) attorney Sarah Kornblet Waldbuesser from Destination Legal. You'll also hear Sarah's thoughts on the best way to protect your brand or logo, how to differentiate between "trademark scams" and what should be taken seriously, and a whole lot more.

On today's podcast, we're excited to finally reveal that our remote jobs platform Dynamite Jobs is officially a ".com business". After three years of running the company with a .co domain, that .com marks a huge symbolic change for our company, but it didn't come cheap. Enter Rob Barbour of DomainSOS.com and DomainVIP.com. Rob has worked in the domain space for over twenty years and he owns a substantial portfolio of his own domains. He also specializes in helping people acquire domains that are difficult to obtain. In this week's podcast, Rob joins us to talk about his history as a domain broker, how the industry has changed over 20 years, and how he helped us secure DynamiteJobs.com for our business.

If we had to pick one word as our greatest motivation, it’s ‘freedom’. Freedom to live life on our terms, where we want, with the people we choose. Ali Marsland is the director of ‘The Effective English Company’. Ali began chasing her own freedom at the age of 18, as she traveled around the world for a year before embarking on a successful career in corporate communications. The corporate world eventually made her feel trapped, and when the opportunity arose to become a freelancer, she decided to chase that freedom once more. Ali joins us on this week's podcast to describe how she ‘stair-stepped’ her way into entrepreneurship by first becoming an on-site freelancer to outsourcing work, and eventually growing her own successful agency.

At the beginning of the year, we recorded a podcast where we outlined some of our business goals and aspirations for 2020. We're now halfway through the year, and it's safe to say these past six months have been a period of disruption for entrepreneurs all over the world. Given the unexpected circumstances that we've all experienced, we thought it would be interesting to revisit those goals that we shared on this podcast back in January. In today's episode, we're looking back at how our business goals have played out thus far in 2020, how our plans have changed since we first recorded that podcast, and what we've learned from the last six months.

In 2009, we published an episode of this podcast called 10 Great Software and Tech Services We Use to Run Our Business. Over 10 years later, we've been challenged by one of our listeners to revisit that list and to talk about the core software and services that we are using to run our company today. In this week's episode, we are sharing ten of the most important tools and services that we are using behind the scenes in our business. You'll hear the specifics of how we are using these tools, and why they have become an everyday part of our business in 2020. 

We've talked about the '1,000 Day Principle' at great length on this podcast. The idea is that it takes around three years of full-time effort for an entrepreneur to replace the income from their day job. But what does that principle look like in practice?  Johnathan Solorzano is the founder of Solo Media Group Inc., a remote agency of web developers that are primarily based in Latin America. Johnathan joins us this week to share the story of his first 1,000 days running an agency, how he has found clients and fostered relationships with them, and where he plans on focusing his energy for the next 1,000 days.

Here at the TropicalMBA podcast we have been inspired and motivated by the stories of resilience and adaptation that you’ve been sending us. One such story that we received recently resonated strongly with us, in part because it was about an industry that we have been working in for years. William Griggs created Virtual Reality Rental just over four years ago. He built a ten-person team that brought VR experiences to conferences, parties, and other corporate events across the United States. Then COVID-19 struck and it all collapsed literally overnight, forcing him to reduce his staff by more than half. William joins us today to share his strategy for waiting out the current uncertainty in the events industry, and how he's challenging his remaining team to grow into the new roles that are necessary for these times.

What do you do when you lose over half your Annual Recurring Revenue and test positive for Coronavirus, all within 48 hours? Jim Huffman described this exact experience in a post on his personal blog titled "The Hardest Day of My Career". Jim is the CEO of GrowthHit and co-creator of FunnelTeardowns, and when we discovered his blog post we knew we had to talk to him. Jim joins us on today's podcast to share his insights on how to create a successful marketing agency that aligns with your lifestyle, the strategies he deployed to save his company after facing such a dramatic event, and his plans for the future in the 'new normal'.

"Dropshipping" is one of the most used and abused terms in Digital Nomad circles. It refers to the practice of selling items without keeping inventory on hand, relying instead on a third-party manufacturer to ship the items directly to the customer. The term recently reached a much broader audience through a widely-shared piece in Wired magazine by Sirin Kale titled “‘It’s bullshit’: Inside the weird, get-rich-quick world of dropshipping”. On today's podcast, Dan and Ian weigh in with some of their own thoughts about the article, whether dropshipping can be used to create long-term success, and the pros and cons of the business model itself.

In our book Before the Exit, we reflected on many 'thought experiments' that we wished we had run before we sold our business in 2015. One of those experiments was called 'The Mediocre CEO Test', which questioned whether it was smarter to hire someone to run your business than it was to sell it. Today's guest did just that. JP Ji is the founder of Pro Teeth Guard, an eCommerce business that manufactures custom dental mouth guards. When JP decided to shift his focus away from Pro Teeth Guard, he chose to hire a General Manager to take over the day-day-day operations of the business. In today's podcast, you'll hear why JP decided to hire a general manager, the challenges of finding the right candidate, and why that relationship ultimately didn't pan out. 

One of the most widely read and recommended books about business management is Gino Wickman’s 'Traction'. When Gino’s team reached out to say that he had a new book coming out that was aimed at helping would-be and early-stage entrepreneurs, we jumped at the opportunity to invite Gino on to the podcast to talk about it. On today's podcast, Ian sits down with Gino to discuss the ideas raised in his new book, ‘Entrepreneurial Leap’. In this wide-ranging conversation, you'll hear Gino's thoughts on the value of going to college, whether you should be following the passion or the money, and why not everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur.

Whether you’re saving a runway for a new business, or you need to cut your expenses to the bone due to the current economic climate, we know a lot of people are being forced to make some difficult financial decisions right now.  On today's podcast, we are revisiting one of our most popular concepts, and something that we've discussed many times over the years as a sure-fire way for an entrepreneur to live a little more frugally. We're talking once again about the "Entrepreneurmobile", or how you can get a reliable car that is generally inexpensive to maintain and fix, and that can save you a lot of money.  In this episode, we take a comprehensive look at what makes a great Entrepreneurmobile, which cars you should avoid, 10 cars that are great deals under $10K, and some luxury vehicles that are extremely affordable as well. 

One of the things we love about our online community of entrepreneurs, the Dynamite Circle, is that the members of that community are not only incredibly globalized but oftentimes deeply ingrained in the cultures and economics of the places they live. Brian Miller is the founder of Easy China Warehouse, a third-party logistics company that helps entrepreneurs who sell online consolidate products in China. Brian was in a rare position where he was able to see the Coronavirus unfolding as he lived and worked in Shenzhen, China. Brian joins us today to talk about his experience in China as the virus began to spread, the trajectory that China has been on since January, and what the future could possibly look like for the rest of the world.

In this week's episode, we've invited one of our favorite bloggers and thinkers to pull up a virtual chair and share some of the burning issues he’s been writing about. Nat Eliason is the founder and CEO of a marketing agency called Growth Machine, as well as the author of a fantastic blog at NatEliason.com. Nat is not only a successful agency owner, but he has some incredibly fascinating theories about entrepreneurship and scaling a multi-million dollar agency that we were just so excited to pick his brain about. Nat joins us this week for a wide-ranging discussion, where he opens up about his aversions to "struggle porn", the distinction between money and wealth, and the true nuts and bolts of running a successful agency.

One of the silver linings to the strange times that we've been living through in the past few weeks, is that we've been able to reach out to some of the brightest minds in our community and get a sense of how they have been responding to the crisis. Travis Jamison is no stranger to longtime listeners of this show. Travis is a bonafide SEO expert and the founder of Smash Digital. He has also successfully exited a business for 8 figures and is a very active investor as well. Travis recently shared something of an essay on Twitter that we felt captured a lot of our feelings about the current situation that we are all facing. We invited Travis on to the show today to explain those thoughts a bit further and to talk about how we might survive the economic downturn that so many of us are bracing for in the coming months.

As we've been practicing social distancing, the majority of our discussions about business and entrepreneurship keep coming back to the COVID-19 outbreak. In this week's podcast, we've invited one of the most prescient minds about this topic on to the show. Taylor Pearson is a long time friend of the show and has been sounding alarms about the coronavirus for much longer than most. Like us, Taylor is a huge fan of the writings of Nassim Taleb and joins us today to talk about why Taleb's writing has been so relevant in thinking about the ongoing crisis, the global economic impact of events like this, and what the future might hold for us in a post-outbreak world.

The topic of today's podcast is unavoidable. We simply have to address one of the biggest stories of our lifetime, the global shutdown brought about by Coronavirus, or Covid-19. The impact that this pandemic has had on businesses around the globe, including our own, has been enormous. In today's podcast, Dan and Ian are talking about their decision to cancel DC Austin, which would have brought 150 entrepreneurs from around the globe to the city of Austin, Texas in just a few short weeks. You'll also hear our thoughts on the economic implications of the virus, as well as the challenges and opportunities that such a radical event presents for entrepreneurs everywhere.

In today's episode, we are reaching into the TMBA mailbag yet again and responding to some interesting questions and comments we've received from our listeners. There is a word that gets tossed around in the entrepreneurial community, and it's actually something that is worn as a sort of badge of honor. We see it on t-shirts and social media, and it's usually represented by entrepreneurs who have rejected working for an employer at a job where they held no equity. But is it really a good thing to be "Unemployable?" You'll hear our thoughts about that on today's episode, as well as some insight for people who have become frustrated by meet-ups and networking events that aren't providing enough value.

One of the biggest challenges of running a remote team is communication. After all, "watercooler conversations" rarely happen when your team is scattered across the globe. Joe Magnotti is the co-founder of Empire Flippers, a marketplace for buying and selling online businesses. Together with his partner Justin Cooke, they have built a team of over 70 people who are entirely location independent and are located all over the world. Joe joins us on today's podcast to talk about his experience managing a remote team, and how holding twice-annual team retreats has been paramount to the success of Empire Flippers.

We've recently been revisiting some of our favorite business books on this podcast as part of a series we like to call "The Re-Readables". What makes this week's installment of that series so special is that we have been joined by the author of the book himself. M.J. DeMarco wrote The Millionaire Fastlane in 2010, and since then, the book has continued to grow in popularity. The basic premise of the book is that the most successful people have found ways to step off of the "slow lane" or the "sidewalk" to join the "fast lane", usually through entrepreneurial endeavors. M.J. joins us today to talk about the legacy of The Millionaire Fastlane, why it is still as relevant today as it was when it was released, his thoughts on the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) movement, and much more.

Will Roman is a veteran entrepreneur who has worked in a number of different fields including eCommerce, physical products, software, and even cryptocurrency. At the end of last year, Will made the decision to leave his crypto exchange business to start Chisos, a product company that manufactures and sells designer cowboy boots. Will joins us on the podcast this week to talk about his stressful exit from that company, why he decided to start Chisos, what he has learned from his first year of manufacturing boots, and a whole lot more. 

We often talk about the "1,000 Day Principle" or the idea that it will take about 1,000 days to get a new business off the ground before it replaces the income from your 9-to-5. But what happens after those 1,000 Days? Chris Cage's 1,000 Day Journey has been well-documented on previous episodes of this podcast. Chris is the founder of Greenbelly, a company that manufactures high-quality meal bars for hikers. Greenbelly is now over 5 years old, and Chris is facing a whole new set of challenges. Chris joins us this week to talk about how he has handled the "Middle Game" of entrepreneurship. You'll hear about his first full-time hire, how he has created a repeatable process for getting clients, why he is taking time away from the business, and much more.

One of our favorite things to do on this podcast is follow up on some of the entrepreneurial stories that we've covered in the past. This time last year, we recorded a podcast with Tommy Joiner. In that episode, Tommy spoke about the genesis of his productized content generation service ContentPros. Fast forward a year and Tommy has made some massive changes in his life. Not only has he sold ContentPros, but he also chose to part ways with his business partner. In today's episode, Tommy returns to explain why he decided to move on from ContentPros and to share some insights into the exit process as well.

Entrepreneurship is something of a gamble, and perhaps very few people understand that better than today's guest. Mike Jackness is a widely respected figure among the eCommerce community and is the host of a brilliant podcast called ECommCrew. Mike has owned and exited several successful businesses, the most popular of which being ColorIt, which manufactured and sold coloring books aimed at adults. On today's podcast, Mike joins us to talk about the highs and lows of his entrepreneurial career. You'll hear how an obsession with poker turned into Mike's first major foray into entrepreneurship, how he founded and eventually sold ColorIt, and some of the biggest pitfalls that entrepreneurs face in the eCommerce space today.

We here at the Tropical MBA are always fascinated with people who raise questions that challenge the social narratives that most people follow. It's no wonder then that Christoper Ryan caught our attention. Christopher is a New York Times bestselling author, the host of a brilliant podcast called Tangentially Speaking, and is perhaps best known for his 2010 book Sex at Dawn. Christopher recently published a new book called Civilized to Death, which argues that so-called "progress" has actually adversely affected the way we live. He joins us today to talk about his unconventional path to becoming a published author, and why civilization might not represent progress.

Last week, we spoke to Mark Brenwall about why he left his job in San Francisco to move to Asia and start WOD Nation, an Amazon FBA business that sells CrossFit products. Today's podcast is the conclusion of that interview and in it, we speak specifically about Mark's entrepreneurial "code". In this conversation, Mark shares some of his unorthodox business philosophies, as well as some specific insights into the Amazon FBA platform, and why he almost decided to sell his business last year.

Mark Brenwall is the founder of WOD Nation, an Amazon FBA business that sells CrossFit products. A few years ago, Mark joined us for one of our favorite conversations we've had on this podcast in an episode called "The Power of Under Optimization". That episode was all about Mark's unconventional business approach, which prioritizes lifestyle and happiness over aggressive growth. Today's episode is the first in a two-part series where we revisit Mark's story. In this first part, we explore some of the personal and professional circumstances that led Mark to leave a seemingly great life in the United States for the unknown.

A year ago, we kicked off 2019 with a somewhat self-indulgent podcast full of updates on our ongoing projects as well as some of our business goals for the year. As the decade draws to a close, we’re taking stock of the year and asking ourselves “did we meet those expectations”? In today's episode, we are revisiting what we accomplished (and failed to accomplish) in 2019, as well as showcasing some of our business highlights from the year. Stick around to the end of the episode to hear five specific plans and goals that we have in store for our projects in 2020.

As we prepare to celebrate the holiday season, we thought it would be fun to revisit some of our most memorable moments from the podcast in 2019. In this week's episode, you'll hear highlights from some of our favorite interviews, as well as our thoughts on five specific entrepreneurial themes that continue to resonate with us as the year comes to a close. Make sure to stick around until the end to hear some outtakes from recording the podcast in 2019.

Some entrepreneurs have a secret. Adopting a pseudonym, or a "pen name", is a common practice on the internet. Even one of the hosts of this show, Dan Andrews, has been using a pseudonym for many years. Some people do it because their name is difficult to pronounce, others are worried about being stalked, or because they want to improve their Google rankings. We've also spoken to people who regret having taken a "fake identity", and believe it has started to adversely affect their lives. In today's episode, you will hear from several entrepreneurs who have adopted pseudonyms as they share the reasons why they chose to do it, the pros and cons of taking on a pseudonym, and much more.

For the first time in a decade, Dan and Ian are recording a podcast from one of their favorite places in the world, the Philippines. The Philippines has been an integral part of their business for many years, and it continues to have a strong influence on the lives of so many entrepreneurs in the location-independent community. On today's podcast, they'll be discussing their history in the Philippines, what the country has meant to their business, and whether it still makes sense for entrepreneurs to build teams in the Philippines in 2019.

We've seen a lot of conversations recently in the location independent lifestyle space about something we like to call "The Digital Nomad Lie". The general concept is that being location independent is not everything that it's cracked up to be, and that the idea that you can have it all while sipping coconuts on the beach is simply a myth. It's not surprising then that we've seen a rise in blogs and think pieces by digital nomads that are exhausted from travel and yearning to settle down. But why are people feeling this way? At the heart of it, there may be many misconceptions and mistakes that we can make in the way that we think about travel. We've invited our good friend and esteemed author Kyla Gardner on to the show this week to share some of her experiences living a location independent lifestyle, her biggest travel mistakes, and whether the promise of the digital nomad lifestyle is fact or fiction.

So many people listening to this podcast are looking for the kind of freedom that allows them to travel the world. It's no wonder then that Recreational Vehicles or "RVs" have become increasingly popular in the entrepreneurial space in recent years. If you recall, last year we spoke to Ian's friend and mentor Corey Reueth on this podcast about his experiences buying and selling cars and recreational vehicles. In today's episode, Corey and Ian are having an in-depth discussion about the RV lifestyle. You'll hear about the different types of RVs on the market, the benefits and drawbacks to each of them, how much it costs to purchase an RV, and what RV living actually looks like.

Today's podcast is another installment of our ongoing series called "The Re-Readables", where we revisit some of our favorite business books to see if they stand the test of time. This week, we've invited author and online entrepreneur Kyla Gardner back on to the show to talk about the classic marketing book Purple Cow by Seth Godin. Kyla joins us this week to discuss which ideas from Purple Cow have aged the best, which ideas have aged the worst, and how we have utilized some of the "Purple Cow" strategies in our own entrepreneurial careers. 

We first spoke to Kevin Graham on this podcast two years ago in what ended up becoming a somewhat controversial episode about building generational wealth on Amazon. Since then, it has become a sort of annual tradition for Kevin to return to the show and update us about his entrepreneurial journey. Last year, he shared his thoughts on "The Helsinki Bus Theory" and his decision to start a web hosting business, which has since become SiteArrow. Since we last spoke, Kevin had adopted a bold strategy of rapid growth, acquiring 9 different businesses in less than a year. That plan ended up being more than he bargained for, though, and he found himself working long hours, getting into unhealthy habits, and ultimately feeling extremely burned out. Kevin joins us today to talk about the perils of chasing growth, the steps that he's taken to course-correct, and the three principles that he has adopted to avoid getting burned out in the future.

A few weeks ago, we hosted hundreds of listeners of this podcast in Bangkok for our eighth annual DC BKK event. Every year we learn more about the entrepreneurs that join us in Thailand. We get to have conversations with some extraordinary people, hear about their successes and their struggles, and get an inside look at the way that internet businesses are being run. On this week's episode, we are sharing five specific insights that we took away from our experience in Bangkok this year, and discussing what those insights mean about the entrepreneurial community at large in 2019.

A few weeks ago, we shared a conversation about "Sweaty Startups", and how we can use internet business skills to compete and win in traditional, physical services industries. This topic really struck a chord, and we've received a ton of feedback from listeners who want to hear more about these kinds of opportunities. Enter Eric Gilbert Williams, an entrepreneur who grew his Canadian-based roofing company to 6 million dollars in annual revenue before he sold it last year. In his teenage years, Eric dropped out of high school and got arrested for selling drugs before eventually turning to entrepreneurship as a source of redemption. Eric joins us on today's podcast to share his remarkable story.

In last week's episode, we took a look at the early days of Dan and Ian's relationship and the circumstances that led to their business partnership. Today's podcast is the second part of that series, and it's all about the next chapter. In this episode, you'll hear how Dan and Ian bought their business partner out of their product company, the origins of this podcast, how they started their membership community The Dynamite Circle, and much more.

In the ten years that Dan and Ian have been recording this podcast, the number one thing that they hear from listeners is that they want to know more about their story. Today's episode is the first part of a two-part documentary series where Dan and Ian open up about their own personal history. In this episode, you will hear why they each decided to move to San Diego, California, the circumstances that led to their meeting, how they became friends, and ultimately how they decided to become business partners.

One of Dan and Ian's favorite things to do is to reach into the mailbag to answer questions from listeners of this show and today they are doing just that. On this week's podcast, you'll hear answers to listener-submitted questions on a variety of topics including how to think about cash flow in your business, what makes a good entrepreneurmobile in 2019, and more. Stick around until the end of the episode for an in-depth update on Dynamite Deals.

A few weeks ago, Dan and Ian invited Nick Huber on to the show to talk about his storage business Storage Squad. During that conversation, Nick shared the story of how he built a successful "old school" business by applying his technical knowledge to a less competitive market. After we stopped recording, that conversation took an interesting turn when Nick started opening up to us about his philosophy for building labor-intensive businesses that he likes to call "Sweaty Startups". On today's podcast, we've invited Nick back to share some of those philosophies, with a focus on the types of business models that he is attracted to, as well as the ones that he isn't particularly fond of.

Dan and Ian opened up on this podcast recently about a cease and desist letter that they received. Today's guest heard that episode and was compelled to share his own story about a similar legal battle. Dylan Smith is the co-founder of Keg Smiths (https://www.kegsmiths.com/), a company that manufactures and sells mini beer kegs, and he has received his fair share of cease and desist letters in his entrepreneurial career. Dylan joins us this week to share a riveting story about how a cease and desist letter led to his products being removed from Amazon, the ramifications of that experience, and how he was able to ultimately win out and get his products back on Amazon. Make sure to stick around until the end of the podcast to hear this week's Dynamite Deal (https://dynamitedeals.co/), which includes a deep discount for legal services for entrepreneurs. 

Today's episode features an in-depth look into one particular entrepreneurial journey that Dan and Ian have been following for a decade. Longtime listeners will certainly be familiar with Travis Jamison. Travis has joined us on this show many times in the past, and you've likely heard ads for his newest company Smash Digital on the show in recent weeks. Travis has been on a pretty epic journey since we first met, not just living and working in many countries, but he has become a hugely successful entrepreneur as well. We invited Travis back on to the show this week to share his unbelievable story. You'll hear how he started a supplement company and scaled it almost entirely through SEO, how he transitioned to SEO services, how he then shifted into SEO for Amazon sellers with AMZ Tracker, and how he made some judicious exits from those companies, which has allowed him to take equity stakes in a dozen or more start-ups with the investment arm of his new company.

One of Dan and Ian's favorite things to talk about on this show is the role that technology plays in our lives. They are particularly curious about the ways that new technology and social media can affect our ability to be productive and successful entrepreneurs. Today's guest is a bonafide expert when it comes to technological addiction and how to fight it. Nir Eyal is an accomplished and thoughtful writer on the topic of behavioral design. Nir gained notoriety for writing the book Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products and he is also the author of an excellent blog at NirAndFar.com. We have invited him on to the podcast today to talk about his new book Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life. Indistractable is all about making sure technology takes an appropriate place in your life, and how we can find more space in our own lives to be present and productive. Stick around to the end of the show to hear a brand new feature on this podcast, which includes a very exclusive offer for listeners of this show.

A listener of this podcast recently reached out to Dan and Ian to let them know what he was up to. They were so inspired by his story of "old-school" entrepreneurship that they knew they needed to invite him on to the show to share it. Nick Huber is one of the founders of Storage Squad, a storage company that he started with his business partner Dan in 2011 and has grown to nearly 3 million dollars in sales. Recently, they have begun diversifying into self-storage as well. Nick joins us this week to share the story of Storage Squad, how he and Dan got it off the ground while they were still in college, how they have expanded it to other colleges throughout the United States, and the advantages of running a location-dependent business remotely.

Dan and Ian are well aware that the entrepreneurial journey isn't made up entirely of success stories. Many entrepreneurs listening to this podcast are struggling right now. They might be on the fence about becoming an entrepreneur or reconsidering their decision to become one in the first place. We've talked many times on this podcast about the "1,000 Day Rule"; this idea that it takes roughly 1,000 days of serious hard work to replace the money that you make from your job. Anders Ronnau recently posted in our private community The Dynamite Circle about his own twist on this idea, which he calls "The 4,000 Day Rule". He proposes that after 4,000 days, or roughly ten years, if you haven't had meaningful success building a business for yourself, then you probably need to get a job. We've invited Anders on to the show this week to talk about that rule and to share his own story about how running a business isolated him, and why he ultimately decided he needed to stop being an entrepreneur.

Today's episode is all about something that Dan and Ian still find magical about entrepreneurship. That is, if you find the right thing to write about, the internet will still allow you to make a great living off of it. This week's guest was able to do exactly that with essentially one blog post. Ryan Robinson is the host of a podcast called The Side Hustle Project and he runs a fantastic blog over at RyRob.com. He recently wrote a piece on his that blog about how to start a blog and make money from it, and that post went on to become the most successful piece of content he has created. On today's show, Ryan joins us to share some great insights about that post, as well as some strategies for creating content that makes money, and some actionable tips for getting started today.

Dan and Ian recently came across a question in their private forum, The Dynamite Circle. "How important has your network been to your success?" The power of having the right connections is absolutely fundamental to growing a business, especially a location independent one. On today's episode, we are sharing some of our own personal approaches to networking. These are useful whether you're going to a conference, picking up a phone, or talking to people in your industry. We're also going to discuss some specific networking archetypes we've seen, and how you might develop your own personal strategy for networking.

A few weeks ago on this podcast, Dan and Ian were talking about some of their biggest pet peeves. In that episode, Ian lamented that the quality of flip flops available for purchase had drastically declined. What happened next should come as no surprise. A few listeners of this show reached out to us to let us know that they had started their own product business manufacturing flip flops. Jeremy Stewart is the co-founder of Hari Mari, which he started with his wife Leila. Hari Mari manufactures and sells premium flip flops across the globe. On today's episode, Jeremy joins us to talk about how their company was founded, how his experience as a political consultant helped Hari Mari grow, and how they were able to go from ground zero to having their products sold in big box retail stores.

Dan and Ian love hearing from listeners of this show. So many times, people reach out to us with thoughtful questions, and one of our favorite things to do is to answer them on this podcast. On today's episode, we are reaching into the mailbag to answer a variety of questions that you submitted to us via email or voicemail. We'll be discussing a broad range of topics including how long it really takes to get your business off the ground, leveraging locations at the various stages of your entrepreneurial journey, the dilemmas of sustainability, and a whole lot more.

Dan and Ian have seen it time and time again where entrepreneurs can sort of hit a brick wall with their business. But what if the problem doesn't lie with you, but with the type of business you're running? Sometimes people can possess all of the right skills to be successful, but they haven't put themselves in the right situation to succeed. Today's episode is all about "Founder Fit", or the idea that the business you are working on should be the right kind of project that suits your skillset. We'll be discussing four different founder archetypes that we've seen, what their secret weapons are, and which sorts of businesses we believe are best suited for each of these entrepreneurs. We'll also be sharing some of our favorite resources for each type of entrepreneur.

A few months ago, Dan and Ian asked the listeners of this show to respond to a survey about The Tropical MBA Podcast. We wanted to gain a richer understanding of the types of people who are listening to this podcast, so we can continue to create content that is relevant to their interests. We were surprised and delighted not only by the number of people that filled it out but by the types of responses that we received as well. We read every single response that we received from the survey and on today's podcast, we are going to be sharing our thoughts about those survey responses. We'll be discussing your insights, your criticisms, your positive feedback and the data that we learned about the listeners of this show. Stick around to the end to hear a little bit more about how we plan to implement what we learned from that survey in the future of this podcast.

Today's episode is unlike anything else Dan and Ian have ever recorded on this podcast. It all started with a cease and desist letter that we received via email at the beginning of the year. That letter was from an in-house counsel at a very large company and it alleged that The Tropical MBA Podcast was potentially infringing on their intellectual property. We decided to reach out to our friend Eric Misterovich from Revision Legal. Revision Legal is a law firm that specializes in working with businesses that make money online. Eric joins us on today's podcast to talk a little bit about intellectual property law, as well as the cease and desist letter that we received. Make sure to stay tuned until the end of this episode to hear more about the ongoing nature of this situation.

Dan and Ian are excited because they get to spend today's podcast doing one of their favorite things: complaining. This isn't just their everyday grinding of axes, though. On this week's episode, we are taking our own stab at a fun an unique concept popularized by the BBC in a classic television series called "Room 101". The term "Room 101" comes from George Orwell's 1984. In Orwell's fictional world, it was a sort of torture chamber that thought criminals are banished to. In this episode, Dan and Ian will each present three things that they want to complain about, and at the end of the episode, they are going to vote on which terrible things deserve to be banished to Room 101.

Hosting this podcast has allowed Dan and Ian to meet thousands of entrepreneurs over the last several years. Many of those entrepreneurs have gone on to become very wealthy people, and throughout our conversations with those people, we have found some common threads to the ways that wealthy people behave. One constant we've discovered is that you have to have a strategy for becoming wealthy and that there are several common strategies that people use to varying degrees of success. On today's show, we are going to be talking about five of the most common strategies to get rich that we have seen, which of those strategies resonate with us, and a whole lot more.

Dan and Ian love stories where creative people find success through entrepreneurship. Truthfully, it's not something we have had a chance to talk about much on this podcast, but art and entrepreneurship don't have to be mutually exclusive. In fact, the skillsets can actually be complementary. Today's guest has figured that out herself, as she went from working a 9-to-5 while living with her parents to traveling the world on her own terms. Cat Coquilette is an artist and illustrator who has made a career licensing her artwork and designs through companies like Target, Urban Outfitters, and Bed Bath & Beyond. On today's podcast, Cat joins us to share how she navigated the journey from her childhood bedroom to successful solopreneurship, without sacrificing her creative fulfillment along the way.

On this week's show, Dan and Ian are talking about getting real with yourself about what you need to do to succeed. Very few people are more qualified to talk about that than John Ainsworth. John is the CEO and founder of Data Driven Marketing, which builds, fixes, and optimizes automated sales funnels. Those sales funnels are the mechanisms that many online businesses use to communicate with customers and entice them to buy their products. As such, John has seen how a lot of businesses get it wrong, in particular, when it comes to knowing what their customer's problems are and figuring out how to solve them. On today's episode, we're talking about how to get in better touch with your customers, how to sell them what they want, and how to avoid getting distracted by shiny objects. As a bonus, John will also be nerding out about sales funnel information after the credits, so make sure to stick around for that.

Dan and Ian have been spending much of their time thinking about remote work these days. Ever since they started their new business Dynamite Jobs, they have been seeking more information about the remote work ecosystem than ever before. One of the things that they've realized is that remote work isn't necessarily for everybody. Just like the traditional office setting, it can come with its own set of challenges. Since they haven't worked in an office in many years, they thought it would be fun to spend a day in the office together and see how it compared to their typical remote workday. On today's podcast, you'll hear some on-location recordings from that work day, as well as an in-depth discussion about five of the most pressing questions that businesses should be asking about remote work in 2019.

On today's podcast, Dan and Ian are following up with the subject of one of the most popular episodes in recent years. Tommy Griffith is the founder of ClickMinded, an online SEO training course that he started while he was working at Paypal. Tommy joined us two and a half years ago to talk about how he started that business as a Saturday Morning Side Hustle. When we last spoke with Tommy in 2017, he was about to quit one of the best jobs in the world as the head of SEO at AirBNB to travel the world and focus on Clickminded full-time. It didn't go quite as planned, as you'll find out on this week's episode. Tommy returns to the podcast today to talk about what went wrong, and why he decided almost eight years into growing his business that it was time to take on a co-founder.

Dan and Ian have heard many variations of the same question over the years: "I want to be an entrepreneur, but how do I get started?" Today's guest has some really practical insight into what it means to take the leap into starting your own business. Dom Wells started out, as many do, building affiliate marketing sites. He's gone on to establish several successful spin-off businesses from what was effectively a side hustle, all while he was still working a full-time job teaching English in Taipei. This week, Dom joins us to share tips for getting started on the long journey of entrepreneurship, how to build a skillset and a network, and the mistakes that he made along the way.

Today's show is sort of like eavesdropping on a conversation that Dan and Ian often have when the microphones are off. Namely, that there are some things that people just don't tell you about entrepreneurship. Maybe it's because people in the entrepreneurial world don't like to come across as naysayers or know-it-alls, but the reality of what it's like to be an entrepreneur can often be hard to come by. Whether it's the fact that entrepreneurs undersell the amount of planning and work that goes into running a business or flat out ignore some of the cold realities of the entrepreneurial struggle, there are a lot of truths floating below the surface that would-be entrepreneurs aren't always aware of. On this week's episode, we're talking about those truths. Today's podcast is all about the stuff that people don't tell you about being an entrepreneur.

Recently, Dan and Ian have been revisiting some of their favorite books on this podcast in a recurring series that we like to call "The Re-Readables." This week, we are digging into a classic entrepreneurial book that was suggested to us by our friend, author, and frequent guest on this podcast, Kyla Gardner of KylaGardner.com. That book is Robert Kiyosaki's Rich Dad Poor Dad. In that book, Kiyosaki basically suggests that if you want to be rich and successful, you've got to ditch the middle-class mindset. Kyla joins us this week to discuss some of the controversial opinions in this book, which ideas in that book have aged the best and which have aged the worst, and much, much more.

Dan and Ian have shared a lot of business success stories on this podcast over the years. We love sharing those stories on this show, but sometimes the tough experiences that entrepreneurs have endured are the ones that we learn from the most. Freddy Lansky is the co-founder of iChess, which sells chess videos, courses and DVDs online. Recently, Freddy decided to leave that business, choosing to dissolve an eight-year business partnership with one of his closest friends. On today's episode, Freddy joins us to speak about the origins of iChess, what it felt like to be trapped in a business that was no longer fulfilling to him, and how he and his partner navigated their breakup.

A few weeks ago, Dan and Ian hosted their annual Dynamite Circle event in Austin, Texas. They met many listeners of this show who traveled from all around the world to attend that event. Those entrepreneurs shared some incredible stories, insights, advice, and feedback with us, and we can't wait to talk about them. On today's podcast, we're discussing some of our biggest takeaways from DC Austin 2019, including one of the most common recurring themes that we've heard from entrepreneurs there that we like to refer to as "The Six-Figure Slump". Stick around after the credits to hear some bonus reflections from our friend Shayna Oliveira, who spoke about the event on her own podcast, Entrepreneurs in Motion.

Dan and Ian are fresh off of hosting their fourth Dynamite Circle event in Austin, Texas last week. This year, they decided to do something different, by bringing together their entire remote team from all around the world for a two-day team retreat in Austin following the event. For anyone with their own remote team who is considering something similar, this episode is for you. On this week's podcast, they are sharing their reflections from that experience. You'll hear what they learned from that team retreat, the pros and cons of hosting a retreat for your remote team, and much more. Stick around after the credits for a bonus glimpse into Ian's personal man cave and podcast recording studio.

A few weeks ago, Dan and Ian introduced a new series on this podcast called "The Re-Readables". In that series, we are taking a look back at some of our favorite books with a fresh perspective. This week's book is all about the "Muse", creativity, productivity, and how to get your best work out into the world. The War of Art by Steven Pressfield was published in 2002. Since then, it has inspired countless entrepreneurs, artists, writers, and creatives around the world. On today's show, we are revisiting The War of Art, talking about why it was so influential, and asking whether or not the ideas in that book have withstood the test of time.

Dan and Ian speak with a lot of entrepreneurs on this show about the difficult decisions that they have to make. Today's guest is currently facing one of the biggest challenges in his business. You may remember Chris Cage from his previous appearances on this podcast. Chris is the founder of Greenbelly Meals, which manufactures high calorie, stoveless backpacking meals for athletes and hikers. Chris reached out to us about the recent troubles he's had hiring people. We thought it might be a good idea to record that conversation and share it with our listeners. This week's episode is all about hiring. You'll hear all about what goes into the decision to hire, the hiring process itself, and how to successfully interview and eventually hire the best people for your jobs.

One of our favorite podcasts to listen to lately is The Re-Watchables, a series presented by The Ringer, where the hosts look back on legendary films. They discuss why these movies had such an impact, what parts have aged the best and worst, and other categories which they use to assess what has made these films stand the test of time. We thought it would be fun to talk about some of our favorite books in a similar light. This week, we are looking back at the single most important book we read in our business. Getting Things Done by David Allen represented a paradigm shift in the early 2000s, and it was the first book that was truly written for information and knowledge workers. On today's podcast, we are revisiting Getting Things Done, talking about why that book was so influential, and whether the ideas in that book are still as relevant as they were at the time it was released.

Dan and Ian have talked a lot about business strategy on this show, but there are some business techniques that are so powerful, you have to learn them from a true master. Jason Cohen, the founder of WP Engine, recently wrote a piece on his blog ASmartBear.com titled Kung Fu. In that blog, Jason proposes that all entrepreneurs are essentially fighters. We are fighting to make a living, fighting to survive, and fighting to change marketplaces. Any good fighter needs to have a plan, and in that blog post, Jason shared his own "secret moves" for running a business. On today's episode, we are talking about some of Jason's secret business moves, and sharing a few of our own as well.

A lot of our listeners have been reaching out to us lately to ask about Dan and Ian's newest business venture, Dynamite Jobs. They have been running the business for the past six months, and it is still very much in the early stages. As the business has grown and changed over that time, they've learned a lot of things that they didn't expect. On today's podcast, we're sharing five things that we have learned in the last six months of running a new productized services business. Later on in the episode, we'll be discussing some specific numbers, goals, and takeaways from the first six months of Dynamite Jobs. You'll also hear three reasons why we think the remote hiring process isn't working for a lot of entrepreneurs.

Longtime listeners of this show know that Dan and Ian spent the early part of their entrepreneurial career building product businesses online. What you might not know is that Search Engine Optimization, commonly referred to as SEO, was one of the first skillsets that they learned when building those businesses. A lot has changed in the last decade when it comes to SEO, and this week's guest seems to be at the forefront of that progress. Tim Soulo is the Chief Marketing Officer and Product Adviser for Ahrefs. Ahrefs is a Software-as-a-Service company that provides a suite of incredibly useful SEO research tools. Their website is also host to one of the best SEO blogs on the internet. On this week's episode, Tim shares some keen insight on the evolution of SEO and how you can make SEO work for your business. We'll also be exploring some of the darker sides of SEO and content marketing.

Dan and Ian have shared many stories on this podcast of people who have escaped from the cubicle in search of location-independence. This week's episode is a little different, as today's guest left his 9-to-5 job in pursuit of entrepreneurial freedom, only to find that it wasn't what it was cracked up to be. Coran Woodmass left his job in Australia and moved to Chiang Mai, Thailand. He started building, buying and selling small web properties, but ultimately realized that it didn't make him happy. These days, Coran has moved into a field he is incredibly passionate about, advising and brokering quality deals for Amazon FBA owners through his new business, TheFBABroker.com. This conversation is about buying and selling Amazon businesses, but it's about a lot more than that too, specifically, what makes you feel satisfied and fulfilled.

On this week's episode, we are continuing one of Dan and Ian's favorite traditions on the podcast. Today we are talking about books, and in particular our favorite books that we have read in the past year. Last year, we invited our good friend and talented author Kyla Gardner to the show to talk about books with us. We had so much fun with that episode that we asked her to return this week. On today's podcast, Dan and Kyla are sharing their five favorite reads of 2019. This conversation also details how some of our reading habits have changed since last year, why Kyla has started writing fiction, and much more.

A few weeks ago, Dan and Ian had a conversation on this podcast where they shared some of their feelings about venture capital. This is an important topic to a lot of entrepreneurs, and it's one that we plan to cover a lot more throughout 2019. Some of the opinions we shared in that episode were rather controversial. Several of our listeners actually called us out on being a little bit vague about our thoughts, and we thought it was a good chance to revisit the topic. One of the people that reached out to us about that episode was Rob Walling. Rob is someone who should be very familiar to the listeners of this show. He hosts one of our favorite podcasts, Startups for the Rest of Us, organizes his own annual conference called MicroConf, and has previously owned and sold several startups, including a Software-as-a-Service company called Drip. Rob has also recently started his own startup accelerator fund called TinySeed, which is specifically designed to help bootstrappers grow their businesses. On today's show, Rob has joined us to share his thoughts about venture capital, bootstrapping, and what he hopes to accomplish with TinySeed.

On today's episode, Dan and Ian are delighted to welcome one of their favorite authors back to the show. Cal Newport is a Computer Science professor, who has spent his career writing about the intersection of technology and culture in the contemporary digital age. Cal joins us this week to talk about his new book, Digital Minimalism, which is all about the dangers and distractions of social media. This interview covers a broad range of topics, including the psychology behind the "Walled Gardens" of social media, why Cal invited 1,600 people to go on a month-long "Digital Declutter", how we can develop a philosophy to improve the way that we interact with technology in our lives, and much, much more.

"Success" isn't always what it's cracked up to be. Dan and Ian know this feeling all too well, as they have dealt with some of their own internal struggles after selling their product business. On today's episode, we are talking about five specific downsides to success. These aren't necessarily strategic elements, as much as they are about the mindset of success. You'll hear about some of the common traps that successful entrepreneurs often find themselves in, and how success itself can actually become a competitive disadvantage.

One of Dan and Ian's goals heading into 2019 was to feature more stories about China on the podcast this year. China is the primary location where many of the products that entrepreneurs sell are traditionally manufactured, and it has become a fulcrum for a lot of the stuff that online product-based businesses do. On today's show, we are excited to bring you some insights from someone who has been living and working on the ground in China for the better part of a decade. Brian Miller lives in Shenzhen, China, where he operates a third-party logistics company called EasyChinaWarehouse.com. He also runs a mid-six-figure Amazon FBA business, as well as a small China sourcing agency, so he is pretty diversified in the sourcing and fulfillment model that we have discussed so often on this podcast. What makes Brian's story unusual is that he actually started his working life within a Chinese state-owned enterprise or SOE, which is something that very few westerners have done. This isn't just a conversation about manufacturing in China, though. Brian also shares his experience living in the country, what it's like to interact with the Chinese people, and much, much more.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/plansfor2019/ Dan and Ian have decided to be a little bit self-indulgent with this week's podcast. On today's show, they are talking about their goals for 2019. In particular, they wanted to talk about what they have planned for their newest venture, Dynamite Jobs. On this episode, they will be sharing the single goal that they are working towards for Dynamite Jobs this year. You'll also hear what went into the decision to choose that goal, as well as some of our biggest business takeaways heading into the new year.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/brentbeshore2/ One of the things that Dan and Ian love about creating this podcast is that they not only get to talk to some pretty interesting people, but they also get to follow their stories as they build and scale their businesses. About two years ago, we spoke with Brent Beshore, the Founder and CEO of Adventur.es. Since we last talked, Brent's team has more or less doubled. They've made a decision to raise capital, bought a headquarters in Columbia, Missouri and Brent has written a book about buying businesses called "The Messy Marketplace". On today's episode, we are revisiting Brent's story and hearing how Adventur.es has grown since we last spoke. We'll also hear how things have changed since they have raised over 50 million dollars in investment capital, and why he decided to share the story of his business in his new book. 

http://www.tropicalmba.com/tommyjoiner/ Dan and Ian are back to kick off 2019, and looking forward to another 52 podcasts about how to grow better, more profitable lifestyle businesses. What better way to start the year than by addressing a topic that so many listeners are constantly reaching out to us about? On this week's episode, we are speaking with Tommy Joiner. Tommy is the co-founder of ContentPros, which is a productized business that offers high-level content generation services. Tommy joins us today to talk about how to create a successful productized business, rather than getting stuck in a freelancer, consultant, or agency model. This is something that we know a lot of entrepreneurs are struggling with, and Tommy shares some valuable insight into how he was able to make this transition, as well as his top 4 tips for starting a successful productized service.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/reflections2018/ Last week, Dan and Ian shared some of their favorite moments from the interviews that they've conducted on this podcast in 2018. This week, we wanted to get a little more abstract. On today's podcast, we are looking back on some of our favorite conceptual ideas that we've covered in 2018. These are the business and lifestyle themes that have been echoing throughout the Tropical MBA airwaves this year. We'll be revisiting some of our most talked about episodes of the year, and you will hear our current thoughts on some of those topics including investment, remote work, and the long journey of entrepreneurship.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/surprisesanddelights/ As we approach the end of 2018, Dan and Ian have been reflecting on some of their favorite conversations of the year, many of which happened on this podcast. They both feel incredibly fortunate to be able to speak to so many people that they admire and respect on this show. This year has been a landmark one for us here at the Tropical MBA, and on today's episode, we are revisiting some of our favorite moments from our very favorite episodes of 2018. We aren't just revisiting the highlights, though. Stick around after the credits to hear our 2018 blooper reel.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/helsinkibustheory/ Dan and Ian have spent a lot of time in Chiang Mai. One of the traditions that Dan has every time he visits is to touch base with Kevin Graham. You may remember Kevin from a previous episode we released in early 2017. In that episode, Kevin joined us to talk about the first major business that he co-founded, which was a suite of Amazon Associates affiliate sites. These days, he has been focusing on a different project; a web hosting business called Bulk Buy Hosting. In particular, he has decided to take a different turn with that business and we invited him on the show to talk about it. Today you'll hear about Kevin's experience with Bulk Buy Hosting, and why he decided to move into a completely new direction with it. Kevin also shares why he believes a bus station in Helsinki is has a strong connection to a topic that we've talked about a lot on this show - The 1,000 Day Principle.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/chinaredux/ Today's episode is about a place that has played a very special part in Dan and Ian's entrepreneurial journey. China has become one of the most important countries in the world for entrepreneurs. Chinese supply chains and manufacturing are the lifeblood of many online businesses around the world. Things have changed over the last several years in China, though, and arguably no one understands that better than today's guest. Matt Kowalak of China Ecom Boost not only works with manufacturers in China, but with major product companies and celebrities as well, helping them break in and market themselves into this enormous country. In this episode, we talk about culture, commerce, and Matt's trajectory, including why he has had a major re-evaluation about the kind of business he wants to be doing in the future, focused on the vast potential opportunities that he sees in China.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/keangraham/ Dan and Ian have said for years on this podcast that the most important thing your business should be doing is solving people's problems. Today's guest has taken that philosophy and ran with it. Kean Graham is the founder of Monetize More, a monetization agency that helps online brands optimize their ad revenue. Monetize More is 100 people strong, and it's safe to say that they lean into location independence. In fact, they consider it a key value in their company. On today's episode, we are going to explore the inside story of how Monetize More got started. You'll also hear the strategies Kean has used to grow that business, some of which could be considered pretty controversial.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/sambrowne/ Dan and Ian have encountered many entrepreneurs in their travels, from all walks of life. They first met today's guest back in April at our annual Dynamite Circle event in Austin, Texas. Sam Browne was the beneficiary of one of the scholarship tickets to that event. These scholarships have been donated by some of the more established entrepreneurs in the community as a sort of way to pay it forward. Sam is the founder of Find A Band, a New Zealand-based online booking agency for bands and musicians. He is also a talented musician himself, and you will hear some of his original music on today's show. Six months after attending our event, Sam wrote us to let us know that his experience at DC Austin had inspired him to dream bigger. His email was so exciting, that we just had to invite him on to this week's podcast to share his story.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/empireflippers/ Dan and Ian have been wanting to share the story of this week's episode for quite some time. Justin Cooke is one of the co-founders of Empire Flippers. Empire Flippers is an online marketplace where businesses are bought and sold.  Since their inception, they have grown their team to over 60 remote employees, and they have helped people buy and sell over $50 million worth of online businesses. It wasn't always like that, though. On today's podcast, Justin is joining us to share the story of Empire Flippers. On this podcast, you'll hear about Justin's background in the mortgage industry, how he joined forces with his business partner, how the market crash in 2008 left them with almost no money, and how they were eventually able to create one the largest marketplaces in the world for buying and selling online businesses.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/hiringapprentices/ It's no secret that Dan and Ian love hearing from the listeners of this show. This week, we received a question from Ben McAdam. Some of you might remember Ben from his earlier appearances on this podcast. Ben reached out to us to ask about our recent decision to hire a new apprentice. For those of you who are not aware, we brought someone new onto our team recently and we'd like to talk about it here today. On this week's episode, you'll hear all about why we decided to find a new apprentice, and what that process was like. We'll also be sharing a comprehensive list of "Dos and Don'ts" when it comes to hiring your own apprentice, as well as some quick tips on how you can find the apprenticeship of your dreams.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/themesfor2019/ Dan and Ian are still resting up after hosting 350 entrepreneurs at their annual DC BKK event in Bangkok last week. While they were at that event, they had the opportunity to speak to so many entrepreneurs about their business struggles and successes throughout 2018. In light of those conversations, we've decided to address some of the common topics we've heard throughout that conference on today's episode. This week, we are discussing the five trends that internet businesses need to consider for the upcoming year. We'll be talking location freedom, hiring practices, conference strategies, and much, much more. 

http://www.tropicalmba.com/presentations/ We are fresh off the heels of DC BKK 2018, our annual conference that we host in Bangkok. It's safe to say that in the many years of running that conference, as well as attending other conferences around the globe, Dan and Ian have seen quite a few amazing presentations from speakers. Not every presentation can be a home run, though, and we have seen our fair share of bad ones too. This week, Dan is talking about the science behind a great presentation, and specifically the five reasons your presentation might suck. The ability to give a great presentation is an important skill set for entrepreneurs. Even if you aren't planning on giving a presentation any time soon, learning these principles can help make you a better communicator in your business.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/hustleredux/ A few years ago, Dan and Ian published an episode of this podcast called The Tao of the Hustle. In the years since we still receive frequent questions and comments about our opinions on hustle and entrepreneurship that we shared in that episode. One of those questions recently came from a listener named Rob Sanchez. Rob loves creating products, but over the course of his career, he has failed to establish proper distribution channels as he's built those products. His insecurities about hustling have frequently led to less than stellar results when his products launch. On today's episode, we are addressing Rob's troubles, and revisiting The Tao of the Hustle. We'll be sharing six new elements to the Tao of the Hustle, as well as exploring the ways that our philosophies about hustle have evolved in 2018.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/michaellombardi/ Dan and Ian are always looking for new ways to gain insight into entrepreneurship, and sometimes that insight can come from some unexpected places. Michael Lombardi is an American Football executive and analyst. He also served as an assistant to the coaching staff of the New England Patriots, one of the most successful franchises in the history of the National Football League. While Dan was reading Michael's new book "Gridiron Genius", he realized it wasn't just a book about sports. In many ways, Dan found "Gridiron Genius" to be as much a business book as a football one. On today's episode, we are talking with Michael about the similarities between American Football and entrepreneurship, and some leadership strategies in sports that entrepreneurs everywhere can learn from.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/40percentrule/ If you've been listening to this podcast for a while, you would know that one of the major motivations for Dan and Ian in life is creating the freedom to live life on your own terms. That freedom can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people. On recent episodes, we have spoken about how entrepreneurship shares a lot in common with the FIRE (Financially Independent, Retire Early) community. One of the tenents of FIRE philosophy is The 4% Rule, which is the practice of saving and investing enough money that it will allow you to withdraw 4% of that income every year to live off of.  In order for that rule to work, though, you would need to save 1 million dollars to live on a modest income of $40,000 annually. That can be a tall order for people who are on a small salary. Enter Jase Rodley. Jase recently wrote a piece called The 40% Rule, which addresses this idea head-on. The 40% Rule is an investment strategy that allows people to concentrate on returns from modest investments, while still allowing themselves to "stay in the game". On today's episode, Jase discusses The 40% Rule, the business that he is currently building, and how his experience with that business has informed his investment strategies.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/costofbootstrapping/ Today we are examining a discussion that Dan and Ian have been having behind the scenes of this podcast for years. These conversations revolve around a question that everyone who is considering an entrepreneurial lifestyle needs to hear: What are the real costs of bootstrapping a business? The truth is that it is often much more expensive and complicated than writers and "thought leaders" let on. It can steal so much of our time, our opportunities for relationships, and sometimes our own well being. Justin Jackson knows this better than most. Justin is a well-known podcaster with a track record of shows like Product People, Build Your SaaS, and MegaMaker. He has also recently launched an integrated podcast service called Transistor.fm. Justin has been addressing some of these more "taboo" entrepreneurial concepts on his blog. A recent piece called The Bootstrapper's Paradox addresses some of the hidden costs of bootstrapping. On today's episode, Justin shares his thoughts on those hidden costs. He also challenges some of the narratives that legendary figures in the movement have built around themselves and opens up about his own struggles with mental health as an entrepreneur.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/stateofbitcoin/ Dan and Ian have spoken about cryptocurrencies before, and they have certainly been a divisive topic among the listeners of this show. The fact is that cryptocurrencies aren't going away. If you're interested in your financial future and really want to understand the nature of these markets and how to manipulate them, this episode is for you. We've invited our friend Taylor Pearson back to the show this week to talk about a recent article he wrote called The State of Bitcoin. On today's podcast, Taylor shares his thoughts on how cryptocurrencies essentially differ from other forms of investment, how to distinguish hype from opportunity, and why the "Bitcoin backlash" is happening.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/fivereasons/ Dan and Ian have been around the block a few times, and in that time they have seen many entrepreneurs come and go. What many don't understand is that the majority of entrepreneurial success stories don't happen overnight. Nearly every sustainable path to wealth and freedom is a journey that can take years, and often decades to achieve This week's episode is a list of the five common reasons that entrepreneurs will give up on their journey. If you identify with any of the reasons we mention on today's podcast, fear not. You can use the knowledge and information we share on this show to help you get over your obstacles and further sustain your journey as an entrepreneur.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/tomsawyer/ A few weeks ago, Dan and Ian published an episode of this podcast about The Peter Principle, which is the idea that everyone will more or less rise to the level of their own incompetence. Today, we are talking about a different principle. This one comes from a great 19th century book, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. This episode begins with an excerpt from the book, where Tom is forced to paint a fence and convinces others to help him, eventually tricking them into painting the fence themselves. On today's show, we're sharing our thoughts on how entrepreneurs can use this same philosophy to lead a great team without working in their business day-to-day. We'll also be talking about the progress we've made with our new business venture - Dynamite Jobs, and why many entrepreneurs spend so much time focusing on top-line revenue rather than profits.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/businessideasredux/ One of Dan and Ian 's favorite topics to discuss on this show is business ideas. In particular, they love brainstorming new business ideas with the listeners of this podcast. Coming up with a great business idea doesn't come naturally for all of us, though we believe it really is a skill that you can learn and get better at. Today, we are talking about the science behind a great business idea. In particular, we are sharing five techniques that you can use to develop your own business idea. We'll also be revisiting some of the business ideas that we came up with on an earlier episode of this show from 2015.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/riseaudiobooks/ Every week, for over 450 episodes, Dan and Ian talk on this podcast about business, entrepreneurship, and location independence. They do so because they love creating and consuming audio content. It's no wonder then that when Dan finally wrote his first book, Before the Exit, he was naturally very passionate about creating a narrated audiobook version. On today's podcast, we are talking about audiobooks. In particular, we'll be talking about how we recorded our first audiobook, as well as sharing some of the most popular highlighted passages in that book. You'll also hear how audiobooks have made an impression on us, and why we think audiobooks are becoming so popular in 2018.  As a special bonus, listen in to find out how you could be the recipient of a very unique gift. 

http://www.tropicalmba.com/citywhisper/ Dan and Ian have spent many hours on this show talking about location and in particular the cities that location-independent entrepreneurs choose to live in. A little while ago, Dan read an article called Cities and Ambition by Paul Graham which theorizes that the cities we visit actually send signals to us in a variety of unspoken ways. Afterward, he felt compelled to write a blog post about the ways that certain cities "whisper" to us. On today's episode, you will hear that blog post, as well as some thoughts and reflections on some of our favorite cities. We'll be sharing what we love about those cities, why we can't stop visiting them, and what each of those cities has been "whispering" to us.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/millennialrevolution/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/millennialrevolution/ Podcast 56:28 | Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment This week, Dan and Ian are talking about the very first step to creating a lifestyle business. Contrary to popular belief, that is not quitting your job or coming up with a business idea. It begins with your personal finances. We’re talking about treating your bank account,...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/mastermindthoughts/ On today's podcast, Dan and Ian are talking about one of the most critical elements to their own success in business: masterminds. We've talked about the importance of masterminds before on this podcast, but we believe it is an issue worth addressing again because we have seen the benefits that entrepreneurs can achieve from them firsthand. When taken advantage of correctly, the value of a great mastermind cannot be understated, and masterminds have played a vital role in the business journey of this week's guest. Ryan Heneise is the founder of Booster Stage, an agency that does web app development for startups. Ryan was a guest at our recent event in Austin, Texas and took part in his first official mastermind. On this week's episode, you'll hear from Ryan about how that event unfolded, and the benefits that he has seen from attending that mastermind. You'll also hear tips on how to get the most out of a mastermind, and how to create a successful mastermind yourself.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/analysisparalysis/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/analysisparalysis/ Podcast 33:44 | Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment Dan and Ian struggled (as many entrepreneurs do) getting on their feet and creating the kind of success that would afford them the freedom in their lives that they were seeking. None of that would have been possible if they had succumbed to the subject of today’s...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/remotelocalbusinesses/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/remotelocalbusinesses/ Podcast 33:26 | Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment Dan and Ian love sharing entrepreneurial origins stories on this show. Today, we are bringing you one from someone who has chosen an unusual entrepreneurial path. Neel Parekh is the founder of a cleaning services company called MaidThis, which operates all over Southern California. What makes Neel’s...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/peterprinciple/ On this week's episode, Dan and Ian are going to explore one of the philosophical concepts that they have been talking about increasingly on this show. The Peter Principle was originally published by Laurence J. Peter in 1969. The basic premise is that every employee or member of an organizational hierarchy will tend to rise to their own "level of incompetence". On today's podcast, we are talking about what this concept means for entrepreneurs, how it applies to us, how it applies to our businesses, and what we can learn from it. We'll also share some strategies for what to do if you believe that you've reached your own capacity for growth.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/retirementcult/ Dan and Ian share stories of financial freedom every week on this podcast. On this week's episode, they wanted to explore what that freedom actually means. To some, living a life of frugality can allow yourself to retire early, but does it really bring you freedom? One year ago, Dan wrote an article called The Cult of Early Retirement Meets (Or Strangely, Doesn't Meet) The Cult of Entrepreneurship. This article turned out to be fairly controversial, with many readers of our blog sharing their thoughts on early retirement, financial freedom, and more. Today, we are going to present an audio version of that article, followed by some opinions and reflections on the discussions that arose from it. You'll also hear our thoughts on why the writings of early retirement bloggers don't entirely click with entrepreneurs, why we believe our time is more valuable than money, and a whole lot more.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/spyguy/ Dan and Ian return this week with another unique entrepreneurial origin story. In fact, today's guest has built a business in the last four years that has revenues in the low seven figures and he now employs five employees. Part of the reason we like to share these origin stories on the show is that there's a moment for every one of us when we really truly did not believe that we could achieve this sort of thing. Allen Walton knows that feeling all too well. Allen is the founder of SpyGuy.com, an eCommerce business which sells covert surveillance technology. Allen grew up in the suburbs of Dallas, Texas, and he still lives there today. On today's podcast, you'll hear Allen share the story of how he grew SpyGuy.com to a seven-figure business, what happened when he cold-emailed Mark Cuban, and a whole lot more.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/tomhannon/ As many of you know, Dan and Ian love hearing from the listeners of this show. A listener named Tom Hannon recently wrote in with a question that we really hadn't addressed on this show before. We've talked a lot about selling businesses on this podcast lately, but what happens when you don't have a choice? What happens when you are forced to sell? As we started talking with Tom, we discovered that he has actually sold twelve businesses of his own, and the circumstances of each of those sales were entirely unique. We invited Tom onto today's podcast to share the stories of those exits, as well as the lessons that he has learned along the way.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/maitie/ Today's show is all about seizing opportunities. Last year, Dan and Ian invited Greg Gerber, who is a member of our community The Dynamite Circle, on to the show to talk about how he gifted an up-and-coming entrepreneur an all-expenses-paid trip to our annual event in Barcelona. This idea of "paying it forward" has really taken off in the community since then. At our recent event in Austin, TX, Meryl Johnston offered two free tickets on behalf of her company, Bean Ninjas. Dan and Ian contributed a few free tickets of their own, with others offering free airfare, coaching, and more. On today's podcast, you'll hear from one of the recipients of that gift. Jen Anderson is the founder of Mai-Tie, a company that makes unique, fashionable bowties out of vintage Hawaiian shirts. While her business is still in its infancy, she has a huge amount of experience in the startup world, and some interesting insights into that as well. This is the story of what it takes to find your people.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/hiringhelp/ Dan and Ian are back this week to respond to another listener-submitted question. Chris Cage from GreenbellyBar.com recently reached out to us with a problem that many listeners of this show have been struggling with: when is it the right time to hire somebody? This is a moment in the entrepreneurial journey that every entrepreneur will eventually reach, and it isn't always easy to make the right decision. Hiring can be expensive, from both a financial perspective and an emotional one. Fortunately, Dan and Ian have a rich history of hiring experiences, both good and bad. On today's show, they will be opening up about the mistakes that they have made, as well as the successes they have had when bringing people on to their team.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/knowedgeversusefficiencyrevisited/ A few weeks ago , Dan and Ian published an episode called The Knowledge Gap vs. The Efficiency Gap. In that episode, they tried to make a distinction between businesses that solve "Knowledge Gaps" for their customers and businesses that solve "Efficiency Gaps". "Knowledge Gap" businesses focus on educating their customers on how their business can solve new problems, whereas the businesses that solve "Efficiency gaps" for their customers are intent on providing more efficient solutions to their preexisting needs. A few of our listeners wrote in with some comments about that show. Nate Smith is the founder of AdmitScout, which specialized in paid traffic lead generation for addiction treatment facilities. Eagan Heath is the founder of a digital marketing agency called Get Found Madison, which is mostly aimed at businesses in Madison, Wisconsin. In this week's podcast, we've invited both Nate and Eagan on to the show to share their responses to that episode and to talk about how Knowledge Gaps and Efficiency Gaps have played a role in their own businesses.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/businessrelationships/ Dan and Ian love receiving messages and questions from listeners of this show. A few weeks back, one listener reached out to them about what the ownership structure of a business partnership should look like. This is a critically important issue for many entrepreneurs, and it's an incredibly complicated one to boot. Dan and Ian are business partners themselves, but they have seen many other partnerships evolve and dissolve over the years. On today's show, we are talking about five partnership styles that we've personally witnessed over the years, how those types of partnerships can affect your business, and how you can find the right business partner.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/entrepreneurialscript/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/entrepreneurialscript/ Podcast 34:19| Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment One of Dan and Ian‘s favorite parts about creating this podcast is being able to find real entrepreneurial stories that can inspire and inform others. It’s easy to forget sometimes that these real entrepreneurial stories, or “scripts” as we sometimes call them, are rare to come by. These...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/lifestyleladder/ Dan and Ian know that today's episode is about a rather sensitive subject. Not many people in American society feel comfortable talking about money. It's quite taboo in some social circles to share how much money you are making or to open up about your financial position. It's part of the reason so many entrepreneurs don't open up about selling their businesses. They think that nobody wants to hear them complain about how they made a lot of money. We've found that the types of people that are able to speak freely about these topics are often the ones who are the most successful with their money. In this week's podcast, we aren't holding back. Dan and Ian are sharing how they feel about money, how much money they want, and what actual financial freedom looks like.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/austintakeaways/ On today's show, Dan and Ian are going to be sharing some of their thoughts about the event that they recently hosted in Austin, Texas. Approximately 100 internet entrepreneurs got together in Austin last week to attend DC Austin. There, they took part in workshops and mastermind groups with other entrepreneurs and ultimately made the effort to take the next steps forward in their entrepreneurial journey. On this week's episode, Dan and Ian are going to talk about what they learned from that event, what the current entrepreneurial climate looks like, what is changing about it, and what kinds of opportunities exist for listeners of this show.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/knowledgevsefficiency/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/knowledgevsefficiency/ Podcast 34:08| Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment On this week’s show, Dan and Ian are revisiting a subject that they haven’t spoken about in four years. Truthfully, it’s the number one recurring topic that listeners of this podcast bring up with them in conversation, so we thought it was high time to take another look...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/twotomatoes/ Dan and Ian are all too familiar with the difficulties of completing projects. A few weeks ago, they spoke at length about how "resistance" can get in the way of achieving success in your entrepreneurial endeavors. Imagine if the solution to your productivity and creative woes could come in the form of two juicy, red pieces of fruit. On today's episode, we are going to be talking about the "Two Tomatoes Strategy" for getting the projects done that are going to make a difference in your career. For those who are just getting started on their entrepreneurial journey, those who are starting a new project, or anyone who is at war with the resistance in their own lives, this strategy is a great way to overcome your distractions and ultimately move forward in a successful and productive way in both your business and your life.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/sherrywalling/ Today Dan and Ian are going to talk about something that every entrepreneur has to deal with. That "something" is the anxiety that comes along with the entrepreneurial way of life and the overall challenge to our mental well-being. Owning and operating a business means responsibility, and those responsibilities can create all kinds of stress and mental fatigue. Very few people are as experienced in this topic as Dr. Sherry Walling. Sherry is a clinical psychologist and the host of the ZenFounder podcast. She also recently released a fantastic book on the topic called "The Entrepreneur's Guide to Keeping Your Shit Together". Sherry believes that the success of our businesses is intimately tied to our mental health. She has joined us on today's podcast to talk about why many of us aren't taking enough time to care for ourselves, and what we can do to solve that.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/resistance/ Dan and Ian know that one of the most difficult things about running a business is having the right mindset, especially in the early stages. One of the most powerful concepts about how to improve your creative mindset was presented by author Steven Pressfield in his book The War of Art. Steven poses that there is a force in the universe, which he calls 'resistance', that is manifesting itself in our lives and getting in the way of our forward progress. On today's episode, we will be talking about five ways in which this 'resistance' can appear in our day-to-day lives. Make no mistake, even the most seasoned entrepreneurs experience it. Learning how to identify 'resistance', and to eventually overcome it, is one of the most critical skills that you can learn on your entrepreneurial journey.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/dynamitejobs/ For many years, Dan and Ian have spoken about jobs on this podcast. After all, the TropicalMBA originally started as a job listing on this website. Jobs are an important facet of entrepreneurial life. Remote jobs and distributed teams have been a huge part of the successes that people have found in our community. A remote job can also offer a springboard to a long and prosperous career as an entrepreneur. On this week's episode, Dan and Ian thought it would be fun to talk about their own personal history of remote jobs. This podcast chronicles that history, from the first remote employee that they've hired, all the way to their latest venture, a remote job board that they have recently launched called Dynamite Jobs.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/sethgodin/ Today's guest has been massively influential on Dan and Ian from the very start of their journey. Seth Godin is something of a legend in entrepreneurial circles, and he hardly needs an introduction. His books about marketing, creativity, building companies, and personal development include Purple Cow, Meatball Sundae, The Dip, and Linchpin. These books are frequent recommendations on this podcast and have long been shared among our listeners. In addition to his books, Seth has founded an intensive four-week alternative online MBA called altMBA.  He has also created several podcasts including the popular Startup School. Seth's newest project is a brand new podcast called Akimbo. Today's show features a wide-ranging interview, which touches on a variety of topics including Seth's history as a writer and podcaster, what the business world can offer society, and much more. 

http://www.tropicalmba.com/finishbig/ Dan and Ian announced on last week's podcast that they are publishing a new book about the things they wished they had considered before they sold their business. In researching the topic, they were shocked to find that there were so few people writing stories about selling businesses and that the majority of those books were simply focused on trying to get a fair price for your business. Today's guest is Bo Burlingham. Bo is the author of several books, including a book called Finish Big, which Dan and Ian both wish they could have read before selling their own business. Bo is also a journalist, with over 30 years of experience as a writer and editor at Inc. Magazine. On today's episode, Bo shares his stories about interviewing entrepreneurs who have exited their businesses and explains why he believes that there is much more to the process of selling a business than a simple monetary transaction.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/book/ Dan and Ian have some very exciting news to share on today's podcast. Longtime listeners know that the two of them spent several years growing a business that they eventually sold. They have also spent countless hours on this show speaking to other entrepreneurs who have changed their lives by growing and selling their own businesses. Because of this, they have decided to share their unique personal experience on this topic in the form of a new book, which Dan has recently completed writing. They didn't choose to write this book as a business venture, though. They were driven by the idea that any entrepreneur can make these kinds of life-changing business deals if they are equipped with the right knowledge. On today's episode, you will hear all about their decision to write this book, what that experience was like, and how you can be one of the first people to read it.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/cryptocurrency/ A few weeks back, Dan and Ian shared an in-depth conversation about cryptocurrency. That podcast featured Greg Gerber, who spoke about the basic things that you need to know about Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other digital currencies. The response to that podcast was fantastic, and we thought we would follow up on the topic by inviting our longtime friend, and cryptocurrency enthusiast, Taylor Pearson back on to the show. Taylor's recent article "Why Is Bitcoin Valuable" was recently featured on the front page of Hacker News. On today's show, Taylor joins us to talk about that article, and to share his insights on the philosophy behind this new technological movement. This episode isn't all philosophical, though. Taylor also shares some great tips about how you can dip your toes into the crypto space if you are so inclined.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/marketingmethods/ Dan and Ian know better than anyone how important lead generation is to a business. After all, they used to end every episode of this podcast with the phrase "Go make a cold call." Every business needs to make sales to survive, and to make those sales, they need to have leads. Today we are going to speak to two people who specialize in generating leads and making sales. Dan Englander is the founder of SalesSchema, a consulting company that helps larger ad agencies win more business. Dana Lindahl is the CEO and Founder of Legendary LeadGen, a company that helps marketing agencies get in touch with their ideal prospects. We've asked Dan and Dana to join us this week to engage in a bit of a spirited debate about the two dominant methods of lead generation. On one side of the debate, there are people who believe that creating an amazing business that relies on word-of-mouth marketing will ultimately bring in more qualified leads. On the other side, there is the idea that cold email outreach is ultimately the superior way to get new customers and clients. Regardless of what you believe, we hope this episode will inspire you to go out there and take the necessary steps to grow your business.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/4hourworkweekcritique/ A recent episode of Tim Ferriss' podcast caught the attention of Dan and Ian. The title of that episode was "The 4-Hour Workweek Revisited". For those who are unfamiliar, Tim is the author of The 4-Hour-Workweek, which is easily the most influential book in our community of location-independent entrepreneurs. The book is ten years old, and perhaps because of its prominence, it has received quite a few criticisms, many of which Tim addressed in his podcast. In this episode, Dan and Ian discuss their thoughts on Tim's podcast, the themes presented in his book, and why The 4-Hour Workweek is still such an important part of the entrepreneurial zeitgeist a decade after it was released.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/consultingcorner1/ Dan and Ian receive a lot of emails from listeners of this show. They don't always have time to respond to them, but one recent email caught their attention. The message was from a listener named Jay Clouse. Jay wrote that he was struggling with some of the common issues that early-stage entrepreneurs face. Jay recently left his position at a tech startup and has started a new business facilitating mastermind groups. Rather than email him back, Dan and Ian decided it might be helpful to call Jay and talk about these problems. This episode is a great resource for those who are just starting a business. For those of us who are more experienced entrepreneurs, we hope that you will stick around and share your own advice for Jay and the people like him in the comments section of this episode.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/2018-news/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/2018-news/ Podcast 25:00| Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment Occasionally we’ll be putting out a ‘Tuesday podcast’ with some news and ways you can get involved beyond the main TMBA show. I’ll make some notes below but, if you’re interested in our new ‘finding your dream job’, attending one of our events, or hearing what’s...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/booksandwriting/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/booksandwriting/ Podcast 40:57| Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment It is no secret that Dan and Ian have an affinity for great books, and they know that the listeners of this show appreciate them too. Indeed, many entrepreneurs have built their businesses from the wisdom and insights that they have gained from the written page. Kyla Gardner...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/artofthedeal/ A few months back, Dan and Ian shared a conversation on this show about a failed negotiation that Ian was involved in for a used car. The response we received about that episode was pretty overwhelming, and the results were unanimous: people want to hear more about these types of dealmaking situations. In pursuit of that information, we decided to invite a very special guest on to the show. Corey Reuth is Ian's mentor in the world of wheeling and dealing. Over the past few years, Corey has greatly influenced the deals that Ian has made, and he has helped save Ian thousands of dollars. On this week's episode, Corey shares his stories, tips, and strategies about what it takes to make killer deals. These tips don't just apply to car sales, either. We believe that anyone that's listening to this episode can learn something that can help them make a deal and that learning these techniques can help you make great strides along your entrepreneurial journey. 

http://www.tropicalmba.com/threescripts/ Dan and Ian have decided to use today's podcast to talk about a particularly difficult, but common issue in our community.  One of the biggest challenges that entrepreneurs face is adhering to the "life scripts" that society has written for us to follow. The cold, hard truth is that people's lives often don't go the way that they think they are going to, and the social scripts that lead us into the corporate rat race can frequently leave us wanting more out of life. Today's guest is someone that Dan and Ian have known for over 8 years. We hired David Hehenberger as a TMBA intern back in 2010. Using the skills he learned during his apprenticeship, he left to become an SEO consultant and ultimately started his own successful productized business called FatCat Apps. David joins us on this week's show to talk about three specific life scripts that are uniquely tailored for entrepreneurs. These scripts will help us to create the kind of financial independence that will ultimately allow us to live the kind of lives that we want, on our own terms.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/parenting1/ Today's podcast is a very special episode. Dan and Ian are taking some time this week to celebrate the birth of Ian's new son. On this episode, you'll hear all about how Ian is transitioning to his new role as a parent. Ian isn't alone in this adventure, though. Many of our listeners and members of our entrepreneurial community are parents as well. Balancing parenting with entrepreneurship can be quite the challenge, and today's guest understands it as well as anyone. Martijn Reintjes is the CEO of a company called Team Croco, which provides done-for-you split testing services. Martijn and his wife Ryanne have a two-year-old son named Milo, who they have brought along with them to several of our events. Martijn shares a great deal of advice with Ian on today's podcast about what it means to be a parent and an entrepreneur.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/crypto/ Happy New Year and welcome back to all of our listeners. We hope that we can help make 2018 your best year in business ever. To kick things off strong, Dan and Ian are going to talk about one of the most popular and controversial topics in the entrepreneurial community today. Of course, we are talking about Cryptocurrency. Digital currencies like Bitcoin and Etherieum have made many members of our audience very wealthy, and have left the rest of us wondering what we are missing out on. Greg Gerber is an internet entrepreneur and cryptocurrency enthusiast. He owns a marketing company that has been accepting Bitcoin as payment since 2013. On this episode, Greg joins us to talk about the world of digital currency, the advantages to accepting these currencies as payment, and the future of money.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/7stages/ Dan and Ian are in a reflective mood this week. 2017 has been a hallmark year for the TropicalMBA, and we thought it would be fun to revisit some of our favorite episodes of the year. We'll be sharing some of our most memorable moments from the show this year, as well as re-examining those conversations in a discussion we like to call the "7 Stages of Entrepreneurship". These 7 stages are bridges that every entrepreneur will eventually cross on their journey. Stick around after the credits for a very special collection of TropicalMBA outtakes and bloopers from 2017. To all of our listeners: We wish you a very happy holiday and a fantastic new year.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/greenbelly2/ In the past, Dan and Ian have spoken on this podcast about specific "epiphanies" that entrepreneurs have had on their journey. You're not going to hear about a lightbulb business idea or an overnight success story on today's show, though. The reality is that even if these epiphanies happen, the day-to-day life of being an entrepreneur has nothing to do with a single moment of insight. In fact, quite often the opposite is true. Entrepreneurs frequently feel like they have no idea what they are doing or what they are supposed to do. Chris Cage first joined us on the TropicalMBA in 2015 to talk to about his company, Greenbelly Meals. Greenbelly manufactures and sells mega-calorie, high-nutrient meal bars for people that participate in activities that require a huge calorie load. When Chris last spoke on this podcast, there were many question marks about his path forward. On this week's episode, Chris talks about what has happened in his journey since we last spoke, what inspired his first book, how it felt to appear on The Joe Rogan Experience, and much, much more.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/nateginsburg/ Dan and Ian have spent many years on this show discussing the importance of surrounding yourself with supportive people who share your vision. Today's guest can attest to that philosophy. Nate Ginsburg has built a successful Amazon business over the last two years, which he recently sold for just under a million dollars. He didn't do it alone, though. On this week's show, you'll hear how a chance encounter in the rolling hills of Northern Thailand led Nate down an unbelievable entrepreneurial journey. 

http://www.tropicalmba.com/theservicesproblem/ Last week, Dan and Ian spoke to Greg Gerber on this podcast. During that conversation, Greg mentioned that he had recently interacted with many listeners of this show, and that a large portion of them owned services businesses. He also spoke about how he believed that those entrepreneurs were struggling to take the next step in their business. This insight into the audience of the show got our hosts thinking. What if they could help those entrepreneurs take that next step? On this week's episode, Dan and Ian will be talking at great length about what "The Services Problem" is, as well as sharing three strategies that entrepreneurs with these types of businesses can employ in order to solve it.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/gregsgift/ Dan and Ian have shared many stories on this show about luck, serendipity, and being in the right place at the right time. But what if that luck isn't totally random? Today's episode is about entrepreneurs (and specifically listeners of this show) connecting to help each other out on their entrepreneurial journey. It begins with Greg Gerber, who made a post in our private membership forum The Dynamite Circle offering to give one lucky entrepreneur an all-expenses paid trip to our annual conference in Bangkok, DC BKK. The recipient of that gift was Madeleine Lambert. Madeleine started a content marketing business called Content Refined last year. She and Greg have joined us today to share the story of Greg's gift and how Madeline's business has grown to $50,000 in monthly recurring revenue since she received it.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/vincent/ The theme of today's show is navigating the social pressures that so many of us feel from friends, family, and colleagues. Dan and Ian are certainly familiar with these feelings, and today's guest is no stranger to them either. Vincent Nguyen is the founder of Growth Ninja, a performance-based Facebook ads company. You may remember Vincent from an episode we published a few years ago about apprenticeships. Vincent has definitely paid his dues in the world of entrepreneurship, having apprenticed with Empire Flippers before starting Growth Ninja in 2015, all the while hiding the fact that he dropped out of college from his immediate family. This episode is a conversation about the tough decisions that many entrepreneurs are forced to make, what it means to sacrifice relationships, and what it really takes to get started in the world of entrepreneurship.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/amazon2/ This week's episode represents one of the most promising and immediate opportunities for starting a business on the internet. Dan and Ian have spoken at length about Amazon on this show in the past. Time after time, they have heard stories of success from other entrepreneurs. A year ago, they explored some of these same ideas on an episode that was one of the most popular and controversial episodes we've ever done. Kevin Graham joined us for that episode. He runs a portfolio of almost 60 Amazon product review websites, and is the founder of Bulk Buy Hosting. Kevin agreed to speak with us again today, along with Coran Woodmass, whose company TheFBABroker.com brokers Amazon based eCommerce businesses. On today's show, Kevin and Coran speak at great length about the types of successes that people are having on Amazon, the criticisms of Amazon based businesses, and what kind of opportunities exist in this marketplace for entrepreneurs of all types. 

http://www.tropicalmba.com/dcbkk2017/ Today Dan and Ian are going to be talking about their biggest weekend of the year. They are fresh off the heels of DCBKK, the annual event that they host in Bangkok for members of The Dynamite Circle. Hundreds of entrepreneurs, many of whom are listeners of this show, migrate to Southeast Asia each year to attend. They do so with the intention of focusing their time and energy on improving their businesses. On this week's episode, our hosts will be sharing their five biggest takeaways from this year's conference. You'll also hear them talk about what makes a profitable event and how they are planning on ramping up their events for 2018.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/municibid/ Dan and Ian have talked to many business owners on this podcast about what it takes to create a highly successful business, but what are we supposed to do once our businesses become successful? Today's guest is Greg Berry. Greg has been a very big contributor to our online community The Dynamite Circle, and has spoken at many of our events. Greg joins us this week to share the story of Municibid, a marketplace company that Greg founded when he was 26 years old. Since then, Municibid has grown to become a completely location-independent seven figure business. On this week's episode, we seek to answer a very high quality problem that many entrepreneurs end up facing: what happens after you actually build the business of your dreams?

http://www.tropicalmba.com/neversplitthedifference/ A few weeks ago on this podcast, Dan and Ian spoke about a failed negotiation that Ian went through when trying to purchase a car. Ian has said many times that believed he could have closed that deal if he just used the right tactics. Today's guest has spent a lifetime working on negotiating tactics, but he has primarily done so in matters of life or death. Chris Voss is a former FBI hostage negotiator and the author of "Never Split the Difference". Since leaving the FBI, Chris has devoted his time to a new business called Black Swan Ltd., which teaches people how to use the skills that he learned during his time as an FBI agent to improve their negotiation skills in business situations. On this week's episode, you'll hear Chris go into great detail about emotional intelligence, how to choose the right language to use while negotiating, and why you should never split the difference. 

http://www.tropicalmba.com/tencommandmentsrevisited/ Over the years, Dan and Ian have spent a lot of time on this show talking about travel. One particular episode of this show called The 10 Travel Commandments, has resonated quite a bit with our listeners. We thought it would be fun to revisit some of the concepts from that episode and talk about how their travel philosophies have changed in the five years since that episode was published. You'll also hear tips, tricks, and essential strategies on how to make any trip a successful one. 

http://www.tropicalmba.com/linjer/ Dan and Ian love physical product companies. After all, they started their own entrepreneurial journey by selling physical products. On this week's show, they have chosen to showcase the story of a mid-market luxury brand that has found massive success. Jennifer Chong and Roman Khan are the founders of Linjer. Linjer manufactures and sells beautiful leather handbags and watches, which retail between $200 and $500 USD. On today's episode, Jennifer and Roman speak to us about a wide variety of topics, including researching marketplaces, building teams, and making deals with factory owners. This is not just an episode about people who are passionate about selling great products, though. It's also a unique case study on how to use savvy marketing techniques to grow your business.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/amazingseller/ This week, Dan and Ian are going to be talking about one of the most successful platforms for building an online business, and one that has historically been under-represented on this show. That platform is Amazon.com, and the reason that you haven't heard much about it is because Amazon sellers have been pretty secretive about the ways that they have been using it to make money.  Today's guest has no problem sharing his knowledge, especially with those who are just getting started on Amazon. Scott Voelker is the host of an established podcast about Amazon called The Amazing Seller, where he offers insight and tips from his experience using the platform.  On this episode, Scott talks about how people can start making some side money on Amazon, and eventually grow to earn a full-time income. If you are interested in making money on Amazon, but you're not sure where to begin, this is the episode for you. 

http://www.tropicalmba.com/greenbacktaxservices/ For the past several weeks, Dan and Ian have been speaking about what it means to build a culture for your company. One of the most important parts to fostering that culture is managing a team, and almost no one does it better than this week's guest. Enter Carrie McKeegan. In 2008, Carrie and her husband Dave founded Greenback Tax Services. Since then, their business has exploded and they have expanded to include a 55 person fully distributed team. On this episode, you will hear about the challenges of starting a business with your spouse, why Carrie believes her corporate experience prepared her for entrepreneurship, and some essential insights into running a remote team. If you are looking to grow a meaningful business that isn't just going to pay the rent, but pay for retirement, then this is an episode you're going to want to stick around for.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/gfny/ Dan and Ian often use this show as a platform to talk about the things that they are most passionate about. This week, we are taking a look at two of Dan's favorite topics: cycling and event-based businesses. Uli Fluhme is the co-founder of GFNY, a cycling event in New York city that was the first of its kind in America, modeled after the traditional Italian Gran Fondos. On this episode, you'll hear Uli's story about the logistical challenges of creating an event like this, how he set out to achieve the ambitious task of shutting down the George Washington bridge for a cycling race, and how GFNY has managed to expand into a global brand. Even if you aren't into cycling, today's episode offers some unique insight into building successful events, and building a strong brand that you can license out to others or build a franchise around.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/seekingapprentice/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/seekingapprentice/ Podcast 20:26| Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment Dan and Ian are currently seeking a Business Development Apprentice to help grow The Dynamite Circle, as well as this very podcast. Over the years, they have hired many people who were listeners to this podcast, or who were referred by listeners of this show. They decided that there...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/showerthoughts/ Dan and Ian have often subscribed to the notion that some of their best ideas come from their most personal moments, and what moment is more personal than taking a shower? This week's episode is a collection of "shower thoughts" that the hosts of this podcast have been ruminating on for quite some time. You'll hear insights on what it takes to achieve life goals, why debt can be the #1 thing stopping you from reaching your potential, how to avoid the noise of information, and a whole lot more.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/noahkagan/ Dan and Ian are very fortunate to speak to one of their favorite entrepreneurs this week, and someone whose reputation certainly precedes him. This week's guest is Noah Kagan. Noah is the founder of AppSumo.com, and the host of Noah Kagan Presents. App Sumo is an extremely successful online business which offers daily deals for digitally distributed products and services. Noah's blog OkDork has also been a longtime favorite of the hosts of this show..  On this episode, you'll learn how Noah defines success. You'll also hear about his unique approach to hiring and team building, his investment strategy, and much more.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/dreamline/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/dreamline/ Podcast 36:53| Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment On this week’s episode, Dan and Ian unearth some important documents from 2009. Yes, we are talking about their original, old-school Dreamlines, written back when Dan and Ian first met. For those unfamiliar with the term, a Dreamline is a document that asks you to write down what you want to...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/convertkit/ On today's show, Dan and Ian are going to talk to an entrepreneur whose business is absolutely on fire right now. Nathan Barry is the founder and CEO of ConvertKit, an email marketing program for bloggers. ConvertKit currently has 28 employees, and is turning over 9 million dollars in annual recurring income. Nathan has built a long and storied reputation of being unafraid to confront and analyze the challenges of entrepreneurship through his blog at NathanBarry.com. On this week's episode, Nathan talks about a challenge that he is facing right now that many entrepreneurs would love to have. How do you create a company culture when your team is growing at a remarkable pace? It turns out the answer is brutal honesty. 

http://www.tropicalmba.com/jasoncohen/ Today's guest is one of the smartest business minds that Dan and Ian have encountered in their travels. Jason Cohen is the founder of WP Engine, a very successful company that provides managed Wordpress hosting. He is also the author of Dan and Ian's all-time favorite blogs, A Smart Bear. A few years ago, Jason made the difficult decision to step down from his CEO role at WP Engine, at a time when the company was more successful than ever. Jason recently spoke about this decision at our recent Dynamite Circle event in Austin, and we invited him on the show this week to expand on that talk.  On today's episode, you'll hear Jason share his insights about the struggles of growing at the pace of your company, the angst you can feel after you sell a business, and how he has been able to harness his "superpowers".

http://www.tropicalmba.com/nameyourbusiness/ This week's episode is about a question that Dan and Ian are struggling to answer right now: What is the best way to go about naming a new business or product? A lot of times you only get one chance to get people's attention. Choosing the right name could unlock the door to great success, and branding your business incorrectly could prove disastrous. Today's guest knows this challenge better than anyone. Alexandra Watkins is the founder of a company called Eat My Words, which specializes in naming brands and products. She is also the author of a book on the subject called "Hello, My Name is Awesome". This interview originally started out as a discussion about Alexandra's book, but it ended up taking a serious turn about halfway through, when Alexandra went to great lengths to help Dan and Ian find a new name for this podcast.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/400thshow/ Dan and Ian have spent a substantial amount of their life making this show, nearly 8 years to be exact. What better way to celebrate the 400th episode of this podcast than to return to one of their favorite episode formats: the good, old-fashioned Q&A. This week, Dan and Ian are answering more listener questions, and riffing on topics like "Comfy Bed Syndrome" and "The Golden Handcuffs". You'll also hear some retrospective thoughts on 8 years of talking about entrepreneurship.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/curiosity/ Today's show is the product of a dream that Dan and Ian both had, which inspired them to follow up with an old friend. The topic is a rather simple one. What if you could take your curiosity and energy about a topic and turn it into a serious business? In pursuing the answer, they both decided it was a good time to check in with their former business partner Jesse Lawler, who hosts a fantastic podcast called Smart Drug Smarts. Jesse didn't start the podcast with a PhD in medicine, or anything relevant to the medicinal field except a genuine desire to explore these issues, and he has had a tremendous amount of success in doing it. On this show, Jesse shares how was able to turn something that he was passionate about into a full-time business that generates real revenue. We hope this episode will inspire those of you who are passionate and curious to find a way to tell your own story.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/adbadger/ Dan and Ian often speak on this podcast about how businesses and entrepreneurs evolve. Today's guest, Michael Erikson, has certainly done that since the last time he spoke on this show. Michael's journey started, as many of ours do, staring at a blank Google search screen and typing in the words "How do I make money online?" Several years later, Michael has spoken at several of the Dynamite Circle events. He was on this podcast last December, sharing his journey of building a 6 figure services business called Search Scientists. Michael has recently started a new company called AdBadger, which is in essence a software version of his previous services company. On this week's show, you'll hear Michael share insight on how to do something that most services entrepreneurs dream of doing: selling a product.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/questions1/ On today's show, Dan and Ian are once again reaching into the mailbag to answer some questions from the listeners of this show. You'll hear practical answers about a whole slew of topics, including purchasing an"entrepreneurmobile", The 1,000 Day Principle, and what it means to be useful. You'll also hear advice on how you can go to conferences for free, tips for traveling to Southeast Asia with your family and much, much more.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/tmba2017/ As many of our listeners know, Dan and Ian hosted an event in Austin, TX last week that brought together entrepreneurs from all over the world to talk about their businesses. Today's episode features five of the most important takeaways from that event, focusing primarily on the cold, hard realities of what it means to be an entrepreneur in 2017. These subjects range from hiring A players to harnessing your "superpowers" and much, much more. You'll also hear a lot of news about the podcast, including an opportunity for one talented listener to win a $1500 cash prize.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/quittingentrepreneurship/ One of the dichotomies that Dan and Ian often address on this show is the difference between being an entrepreneur and having a job. Today's podcast is going to cover a rather taboo subject in some entrepreneurial circles, which is the decision to stop being an entrepreneur and go back to the daily grind of a 9-to-5. Anna Wickham is a former TropicalMBA intern, who traveled the world for nearly ten years and eventually started her own marketing agency called Charm House. Anna had been feeling pressure to remain an entrepreneur, even though she wasn't sure that it was the best fit for her. In this episode, Anna opens up to share her fears and hesitations about the entrepreneurial life, and why she ultimately decided that it wasn't healthy for her to keep pursuing it.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/richardjalichandra/ One of the things that Dan and Ian are most passionate about is finding great blogs and podcasts. These days, the internet seems to be getting smaller and smaller. You really need to dig deep to find unique content, and a lot of it is being made in the most remote corners of the internet. Once upon a time, though, there was a search engine that highlighted blogs themselves. Richard Jalichandra is the former CEO of Technorati.com, which at one time was considered by many to be the gateway into the blogosphere. During their quest for great blogs, Dan and Ian became curious as to why this company disappeared. On this week's episode, Richard shares the story of Technorati, as well as the details of his long and storied career in the early days of the world wide web.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/howtopitch/ It's safe to say that Dan and Ian get a lot of pitches in their inbox. These pitches come in a variety of forms, but the people that send these pitches often follow a lot of the same archetypes. In general, there is a whole lot of asking going on. On today's episode, Dan and Ian will be following up on their recent sales episode, and providing some useful, actionable information on how you can pitch people successfully through cold emails. First, they will be sharing some successful pitches they have received, as well as the types of pitches they dread seeing in their inbox. They will also be sharing a three-step formula to creating winning pitches that won't end up being archived or deleted.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/liveinthailand/ This week's episode is another chapter in a long-running series on this podcast, where Dan and Ian have been exploring the locations around the globe that entrepreneurs are moving to. Today, you will hear from two entrepreneurs who have made Thailand, and more specifically the northern capital of Chiang Mai, their home bases for the portion of a year. Philippe Bordeau is the founder of HammockUniverse.com. He shares his story, including the details of a Visa that he has acquired that allows him to be a resident of Thailand for up to 6 years at a time. Leanne Woodmass, along with her husband, runs an Amazon Fulfillment Brokerage. She has been living in Thailand for the past few years. You'll hear how a community of expats and entrepreneurs enticed them both to stay in Chiang Mai.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/productized5/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/productized5/ Podcast 43:29 | Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment Just over a year ago, Dan and Ian profiled a productized bookkeeping business called the Bean Ninjas. A lot has happened since that episode aired. In particular, the founders of that company, Ben McAdam and Meryl Johnson, have decided to part ways. This episode is...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/salestechniques/ One of the topics that Dan and Ian have repeatedly been asked to talk about on this show is sales. The reality for the majority of the entrepreneurs who listen to this show is that their businesses live or die by their sales funnel. It's also one of the number one things that entrepreneurs struggle to get good at. When Dan and Ian decided to do this episode, they knew there was only one person that they could call to talk about how to really get better at sales. John Logar is an extremely talented and successful salesperson, and he has always been very generous about sharing his advice on sales. On this week's show, John shares some of those insights, including a 4 step daily process that John guarantees will bring you more sales. This isn't going to be a drive by, top ten list type of an episode. This is a deep dive into the type of skills and habits that will help you build a better, more profitable sales funnel for your business.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/getstartedqanda/ One of the requests that Dan and Ian have received a lot on this show is to do more of an old school episode; the kind of one-on-one conversation that permeated the early days of this podcast. On this week's episode, they are doing just that. Dan and Ian are reaching back into the TropicalMBA mailbag and answering questions that listeners have submitted through the mailing list on a variety of topics, including advice for entrepreneurs who don't know where to begin, why being an entrepreneur means that you might lose a lot of friends, and what the two of them have been up to lately.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/strongtowns/ Dan and Ian are always looking for new ways to increase their productivity. In a lot of ways, Dan and Ian have often used this show as a means to explore places, though they have never explored those places in the ways that today's guest has. Chuck Marohn is the president of a nonprofit organization called Strong Towns. Through his work with Strong Towns, Chuck has helped to create a framework for how our cities and towns can become financially stronger and more prosperous. Today's podcast is an inspiring, and perhaps controversial, conversation about what kinds of towns and cities we want to live in, and what those places will look like in the future.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/stressfreeproductivity/ Dan and Ian are always looking for new ways to increase their productivity. Quite often, there is a mental cost that comes with any kind of productivity boost. Generally speaking, the harder a person works, the more stress is added to their life. But what if there were a few easy steps to increase productivity without these kinds of costs? Dan has recently traveled to New York City, and whenever he makes his way to the city, he always makes it a point to catch up with Taylor Pearson. Taylor is the author of The End of Jobs, and a very frequent guest on this show. On this week's episode, Taylor shares four productivity strategies that he has tested himself and teaches his students. He believes these strategies are the path to becoming more capable and productive without adding any stress to our lives.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/andorraandpanama/ One of the things that Dan and Ian discuss pretty frequently on this show are the places in the world that location independent people tend to gravitate toward. In this community a lot of people move around for lifestyle and social reasons, but traditionally business owners have moved to places that are offer low tax situations, or otherwise business friendly environments. On today's show, two of our listeners are going to share their experiences of living in a few of these countries; Panama and Andorra. Jase Rodley is a digital marketer for boutique hotels who visited Andorra with his wife Jess about 18 months ago and fell in love with it. Matt Landau owns his own boutique hotel in Panama, and he used his experience in that industry to create his own online business targeted towards vacation rental owners. You'll hear the two of them share their stories about why they chose to live these countries, and what makes them so appealing to digital nomads who are looking for a place to settle down.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/knotel/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/knotel/ Podcast 32:35 | Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment Generally speaking, Dan and Ian aren’t exactly fans of having a physical office. This is due, in large part, to the complications and difficulties that come with renting these kinds of spaces. Today’s guest is going to attempt to change their opinion. Amol Sarva is the...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/imposter/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/imposter/ Podcast 36:06 | Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment A recent thread in the Dynamite Circle forum really caught Dan and Ian‘s attention, and seemed to resonate with a great number of people in the community. One of the members introduced the idea of “Imposter Syndrome”, and asked the rest of the community if they...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/brentbeshore/ The toughest nut for Dan and Ian to crack over the last few years has been how to make money with your money. How do you successfully invest in small businesses without having to run them on a day-to-day basis? Today's guest has cracked that code. Brent Beshore is the founder and CEO of Adventur.es. Brent has managed to do something that our hosts have dreamed of doing for a long time. He owns a portfolio of different businesses, and he does little to no work in operating them. On this episode, Brent will share how he has built this portfolio and what things he looks for when deciding to purchase a business.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/romania/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/romania/ Podcast 29:02 | Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment Today, Dan and Ian are continuing their miniseries in which they look at the many different locations that people in this community have chosen to call ‘home’. In this episode, you’ll hear from someone who hasn’t just settled on a place but is also considering applying...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/calnewport/ If you are anything like Dan and Ian, then you have likely spent years geeking out on the writings of this week's guest. Cal Newport is a computer science professor, and he has been operating a blog on his website since 2007. He has also been writing books since he was in college, and his most recent book is called Deep Work, which is about the benefits and practical steps to getting more done in the internet age. This interview covers a wide range of subjects, including distributed algorithms at the extremes, why Cal uses walking to enhance his productivity, and why creativity is more workmanlike than most people realize.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/uglymail/ Dan and Ian have talked many times on this podcast about how the best ideas often come from scratching your own itch, or finding problems for solutions that you have experienced. Lately, Dan has had a very specific itch. Email tracking software has really been getting on Dan's nerves these days, so much so that he has even written a recent blog post about how much the industry is upsetting him. Enter Sonny Tulyaganov. Sonny was feeling some of the very same frustrations with email tracking software that Dan has been experiencing, but Sonny decided to do something about it. He developed a browser plugin called UglyMail, which allows you to see who is tracking your email. On this week's show, you'll hear the history of how Sonny developed this plugin, and the startling revelations about just how much of the information in your inbox is at risk.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/jordanharbinger/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/jordanharbinger/ Podcast 47:06 | Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment It’s no secret that Dan and Ian are radio enthusiasts. It’s the reason that they started making this podcast in the first place. They are also interested in learning how others have grown successful businesses through putting their voices on the air and by developing podcasts....

http://www.tropicalmba.com/splitly/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/splitly/ Podcast 39:10 | Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment On today’s show, Dan and Ian have decided to focus on something that has never been done on this podcast. They have interviewed many entrepreneurs over the years, but they have always wanted to document the story of a business. This episode follows the creation of...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/howdoesyourbusinessfeel/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/howdoesyourbusinessfeel/ Podcast 32:36 | Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment A short while back, Dan and Ian invited Rob Dix and Rob Bence on to the show to share their knowledge about property investment. During that conversation, the Robs spoke to Ian about a lot more than just investing in property. They have managed to build...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/hungaryandgeorgia/ A few weeks ago, Dan and Ian published their first episode of a new series on this podcast, where they decided to seek out the answer to a question that every location-independent entrepreneur has struggled with at one point in time: If I can live anywhere in the world, where should that be? On this week's episode, they will be focusing on two nations in Eastern Europe: Hungary and Georgia. Clayton Cornell runs his own lead-generation business online, as well as one of Dan and Ian's longtime favorite blogs called Spartan Traveler. On this podcast, Clayton shares his story about what led him to the capitol of Hungary, Budapest. You'll also hear from Dana Lindahl. Dana has chosen the nation of Georgia as his home base, as his wife has recently started a business there. You'll hear about what that process was like, as well as the entrepreneurial climate in this former Soviet country.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/makemoneywithamazon/ In the past, Dan and Ian have explored what they like to call the "Amazon Gold Rush" on this podcast. Today's show is inspired by someone that Dan recently spent some time with who is knee deep in that movement. Kevin Graham is the founder of Bulk Buy Hosting, but he has also made a considerable amount of money through his own Amazon affiliate business. The Amazon ecosystem is a huge opportunity, and is creating generational wealth for many crafty, young entrepreneurs. Kevin has had this kind of success, and on this episode, we will walk you through every step of how to create one of these businesses and get them ranking in search engines. This is one of the most business-focused episodes we have ever done on this podcast. If you are considering this path in your online business ventures, this is the episode for you.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/entrepreneurialpeople/ A few weeks ago, Dan and Ian sent out an email to the listeners of this podcast, in an attempt to get to know the audience a little better. They were excited to find out that many of the listeners of this podcast consider themselves to be entrepreneurial, but they don't have their own business yet. They were also excited to meet some young, entrepreneurial minds at a recent Dynamite Circle Junto, and they decided to start exploring what it means to be an entrepreneurial person. This week's episode is for those people. If you haven't started a business yet, but you are ready to find a way to turn your dreams into aspirations, this is the episode for you.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/spainandportugal/ This episode is the first in a series in which Dan and Ian attempt to answer one of the fundamental questions that all location-independent entrepreneurs eventually ask themselves: If I can live anywhere, where should I live? On this week's show, they will be focusing on two countries in Southern Europe: Spain and Portugal. To learn a bit more about Portugal, Dan reached out to Dr. Shannon Weeks, a Natropathic Doctor and Applied Kinesiologist, to share his experience about establishing residency in Portugal and his home city of Lisbon. You'll also hear Ian speak to Dan about a little bit of his own personal story, as both he and his girlfriend have established residency in Spain. Listen in as Shannon and Dan share their perspectives on visas, taxes, culture and more.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/waitbutwhy/ Today's guest is easily one of Dan and Ian's favorite writers online. Tim Urban is the man behind Wait But Why. He writes long-form, stick figure illustrated blog posts on a variety of topics. Better yet, he has turned his own procrastination into success. As you'll find out during this episode, Tim is more than just a blogger. He is a business owner, and all-around creative persona. His blog has even attracted people like Elon Musk, who enjoyed Tim's blog so much that he reached out to him directly to ask him to write about some of his projects. This week, Tim shares the story behind the creation of his blog, his business partnership, and what the future holds in store for him.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/hiremymom/ Dan and Ian know that all entrepreneurs struggle with hiring, and specifically hiring remote workers. One thing that they have learned over the years, through listeners of this podcast and members of the Dynamite Circle, is that stay-at-home moms tend to make model team members. On this week's episode, you'll hear the stories of three women. Kiri Masters is the founder of Bobsled Marketing. She shares some of her experiences finding great team members, and why that strategy revolves around stay-at-home parents. Louise Gray is one one of Kiri's remote employees. She had a very successful corporate career at Sony, before having a baby and reconsidering how she approaches work. Lesley Pyle is the founder of HireMyMom, a well-established agency that places stay-at-home parents at companies around the world.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/clickminded/ Dan and Ian have always been fascinated by people who can create ways to generate income quickly. Today's guest not only works for one of the most successful startups in San Francisco, but at the same time he has built a successful online side hustle in the form of an SEO training course. Tommy Griffith is the founder of ClickMinded. On this week's episode, you'll hear how he was able to create a successful side business by setting aside his Saturday mornings. Tommy also shares his thoughts about what you need to give up to be an entrepreneur, and why he thinks there could be opportunities for entrepreneurs in the educational space.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/tmba369-tropical-mbas-2016-year-in-review/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/tmba369-tropical-mbas-2016-year-in-review/ Podcast 29:28 | Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment It’s that time of year again. Our businesses slow down for the holidays, and we naturally get a little reflective about the past 12 months. This week, Dan and Ian have decided to revisit some of their favorite episodes of the Tropical MBA podcast in 2016. You’ll...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/christmas/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/christmas/ Podcast 19:28 | Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment On this very festive edition of the TropicalMBA Podcast, Dan and Ian have decided to put their own spin on one of their all-time favorite holiday songs, The 12 Days of Christmas. Their rendition is all about the 12 things that every entrepreneur is wishing for...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/businessideas3/ A few weeks ago, Dan and Ian mentioned that they would be inviting their friend Dan Norris back onto the program. Dan Norris is the author of The 7 Day Startup, and for lack of a better term, he is a business idea generating machine. There have been success stories on this show that came from many of Dan's business ideas. In this conversation, Dan donates a ton of business ideas, as well as sharing how he has been able to create a six-figure side hustle through self-publishing books. If you are looking for your next entrepreneurial adventure, this could be the episode for you.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/ricardosemler/ On today's show, Dan and Ian are going to be speaking with someone who has inspired them both for a very long time. In fact, he is the author of one of the most cited books on this podcast. Maverick is Ricardo Semler's account of how he was able to transform his family's traditional manufacturing business into an experiment that introduced the world to his innovative business practices. Even though the book is over 20 years old, today's entrepreneurs are still looking to it for inspiration. Ricardo opens up about what his life has looked like since the book was published, and how he has began to spread those innovations to other aspects of society. Transcript

http://www.tropicalmba.com/estonia/ On today's show, Dan and Ian are taking a look at one specific country. Estonia is a nation that, until this point, our hosts had very little knowledge of. They are a country that has started behaving like a startup, and has even started offering services specifically designed for location-independent entrepreneurs. In particular, they have developed a solution for our travel woes in the form of something called an "E-Residency". On this episode, you will hear from Estonian E-Resident, Joel Runyon. Joel is the man behind the fitness and mindset blog, The Blog of Impossible Things. You'll also hear from Estonia's Chief Information Officer, Taavi Kotka. The two of them will share their insights on how E-Residency could pave the path to the future of how nations, citizens, and digital nomads interact.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/sarahk/ Back in 2012, Dan and Ian hosted a two week seminar that was attended by 44 listeners of this show, and Sarah Kornblet was one of those people. Since attending that seminar, Sarah has become a very successful attorney for online entrepreneurs. This week's episode is really the story of what has happened in Sarah's life since that seminar. It is also the story of an idea, because every business starts with an idea. Sometimes we aren't ready for those ideas, or those ideas aren't ready for us.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/apprentice2/ On this show, Dan and Ian talk a lot about apprenticeships. In doing research about apprenticeships, Ian recently discovered that in many developed countries all over the world, there is a very robust apprenticeship culture that does not exist in the United States. On this week's episode, we are going to bring you the story of one such apprenticeship told from both sides. Jacob Puhl brought Corey Ames on as an apprentice at a company he founded called Firegang Dental Marketing. You'll hear how their relationship started and how it evolved to where it is today, as Corey is preparing to take over the reigns as CEO.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/businessideas2/ On last week's show, Dan and Ian spoke about how many entrepreneurs are finding success with productized service business. One of the reasons for that success is that these businesses can be started quickly and with little to no capital. On today's episode, they have asked their friend and expert idea generator Tristan King of Blackbelt Commerce to return to the show. The last time Tristan was on this program, listeners of this show took the ideas that were donated and turned them into successful businesses. Listen in to hear even more of Dan and Tristan's ideas for productized service businesses that could be started up this weekend.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/eventfive/ Dan and Ian are both recovering from their DC BKK event that they host every year in Bangkok. This year marked the fifth anniversary of that event, which has been a topic of conversation on this show every year since its inception. In this weeks show, they are going to talk about some of the themes of this year's DC BKK, what that they learned from this year's event, and the intimate connection that TropicalMBA listeners have formed with DC BKK over the years.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/claycollins/ Several weeks ago, Dan and Ian spoke with Simon Payne about his experiences as the technical co-founder of LeadPages, the number one landing page software on the web, and his decision to leave that company to pursue a new venture called ConvertPlayer. A few days after that episode aired, we were contacted by one of the other founders of that company, Clay Collins, who wanted to come onto the show and talk about one of his favorite things in life: marketing technology. We jumped at the chance to talk to Clay about his company's growth, why they decided to seek venture capital, and a whole lot more.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/greatbooks/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/greatbooks/ Podcast 37:39 | Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, when Dan and Ian decided to start a business together, their first serious spending was on books. They knew that, in order to run a successful business, they would first have to read up on...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/propertypodcast/ Recently, Dan and Ian have been exploring the subject of investing in properties, and the many reasons and motivations that different investors have. It has been a few months since Ian purchased his home in Austin, Texas, and he is still trying to wrap his head around what it means to be a homeowner. This week, he decided to reach out to Rob Dix and Rob Bence, who have both been investing in properties in the UK for almost a decade. They also run a business finding and managing properties for others, as well as hosting a podcast about property investments called The Property Podcast. On this episode, the "Robs" share with Ian why people might want to invest in property, some of the archetypes of people who do invest in property, and their general feelings on the future of housing market.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/buffett/ Recently, Dan and Ian have decided to research someone who is a legend in the world of business. For a very long time, Warren Buffett was the richest person in the world. Dan and Ian both recently read Alice Schroeder's fantastic biography of Warren Buffett titled "The Snowball". They decided they wanted to dedicate an episode to that story of Mr. Buffett's life, and the unique business choices that he has made throughout his career.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/languagelearning/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/languagelearning/ Podcast 35:24 | Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment Hola! Like many of us, Dan and Ian spend a lot of time in foreign countries. As regular listeners know, Dan has recently moved to Barcelona and he’s starting to get more than a little embarrassed by his limited range lack of Spanish. But he...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/basketball/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/basketball/ Podcast 45:54 | Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment This week’s episode is the final instalment of our three-part series about people who have turned their passions (which just happen to be some of Dan and Ian‘s personal obsessions) into successful businesses. Today’s guest is the podcaster that Dan has listened to the most...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/rcr/ In the second part of our three-part series, Dan and Ian are talking to people that have turned their own personal obsessions into successful businesses. This week, you'll be hearing from someone that Ian has admired and wanted to talk to for quite some time. Mr. Regular is one of the hosts of Regular Car Reviews, a very successful YouTube channel that combines car reviews with pop culture references, social commentary, and much more. The results are both hilarious and impressive. You don't need to be a car person to enjoy this show. Mr. Regular shares his insight on what it was like to get started publishing content on YouTube four years ago and what the journey has been like since then.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/cycling/ In the first part of a new three part series, Dan and Ian are going to be talking about some of their personal obsessions and the people who have turned those obsessions into businesses. This week, you'll hear about one particular obsession that Ian introduced into Dan's life: cycling. Patrick Brady of Red Kite Prayer has become one of Dan's favorite bloggers and podcast hosts. Patrick has been able to make a living writing and speaking about cycling. This episode is about more than just riding a bike, though. Patrick shares his attitudes about generating revenue with his blog, writers he is inspired by, and much more. Those of you who are cycling enthusiasts should stay tuned for some bonus content after the credits as well, where Patrick and Dan geek out over some hardcore cycling stuff.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/dccommunity/ Starting a business can be extremely emotionally difficult. Dan and Ian are very familiar with the personal toll that the process can take on an aspiring entrepreneur. A lot of times starting a business means that you are broke, or relying on your friends, family or significant other to support you. For some, that can lead to stress and even depression. Christopher Sutton knows these feelings all too well. A few years ago, Christopher wrote a blog post about what it was like to experience the emotional roller coaster of starting his own business, Easy Ear Training. On this week's episode, you will hear Christopher talk about what that experience was like, as well has how he found support through this podcast and our community of listeners in the Dynamite Circle.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/soldfollowup/ A year ago, Dan and Ian published one of the most-listened to episodes of this podcast, titled 7 Things to Consider When Selling Your Business. In that episode, they detailed all of the ups and downs of the sale process, as well as some anonymous profiles of the people who were putting in offers and kicking tires. On this week's episode, you will hear directly from Tino Sage, the "CEO Sally" who purchased their manufacturing and import business. She'll explain what she was looking for in a business, what the process of buying our business was like, and how things have been since she took over the reins.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/thesubtleart/ Today's guest is one of Dan and Ian's all time favorite writers, Mark Manson. Many of you may know him from his blog at MarkManson.net, where he has written about a wide range of subjects including digital nomadism, living with anxiety, and toxic relationships. Recently, Mark made the decision to sign with Harper Collins and publish his first book, titled The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck. Mark is going to be sharing a few excerpts from that book on this show, as well as talking about how he got into blogging, his values as a writer, what he thinks the state of the blogosphere is today, and much more.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/convertplayer/ Like all entrepreneurs, Dan and Ian have fantasized about putting their ideas out on the internet and making millions of dollars. Today's guest has actually done that. Simon Payne is the co-founder of Leadpages, the industry standard software in creating landing pages for websites. Dan and Ian originally met Simon in the Philippines, around the time that they were forming the Dynamite Circle. In this episode, you'll hear how that original meetup influenced Simon, as well as the true story of how Leadpages was formed, and what the future has in store for Simon.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/emailstrategies/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/emailstrategies/ Podcast 19:35 | Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment Email has been an all pervading part of entrepreneurial life for the last few decades. These days, Dan and Ian have mixed feelings about email in general. In exploring how to step up some of their strategies for dealing with it, they decided to talk to someone...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/podcastprocess/ About a year ago, Dan and Ian were working on their annual DC BKK event in Bangkok, and they were finding themselves strapped for time. They weren't putting the kind of resources or time into this show that the would have liked to, and they realized that the enjoyment that they were getting out of this podcast had started to wane. It was around that time that they decided they needed to drastically step up the production level of the show. They put out a call for a new producer, which was answered by a former BBC producer named Jane Beresford. This week's episode is the story of what has been going on behind the scenes of the Tropical MBA podcast since then. You'll hear about what led to the decision to increase production, and a step by step instruction on how they were able to take this show to the next level.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/bitcoin/ Dan and Ian have been talking a lot on the TropicalMBA lately about investments, and those conversations have led them down a lot of interesting paths. Most notably, that curiosity has led them to explore the future of cryptocurrency, and in particular, Bitcoin. What really compelled us to talk about the Bitcoin story on this show is the strange and incredible cast of characters involved. No one knows that story or those characters better than Nathaniel Popper, a New York Times business reporter and the author of Digital Gold. On this week's episode, you'll hear Nathaniel share the fascinating details of the history of Bitcoin, and the process of shaping a book based on so many of those crazy stories.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/estherjacobs/ One of the recurring themes on this show is freedom. The freedom to make personal choices. The freedom to travel. The freedom to create a business that allows you to live the lifestyle you choose to live. Dan and Ian have spoken to many people about what that freedom means, but perhaps Esther Jacobs has the most profound story about freedom that has ever been shared on this show. Esther is one of the youngest people in the Netherlands ever to be honored with the distinction of knighthood. Despite that event, Esther has a very unique story to share about how she was disowned by the very same country that named her a knight. Esther has an unbelievable story, and it could carry serious implications for digital nomads all around the world.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/notsell/ It's been almost a year to the date since Dan and Ian sold their business. They don't regret the decision, but in the time since then, the two of them have explored a lot of "what ifs" in their head. A lot of listeners have approached them recently who are considering selling their business as well. On this week's episode, you'll hear some of the questions that listeners approached them with, as well as five reasons why selling your business might not be the right idea for you.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/boutiquejapan/ Last week Dan and Ian talked about how they hosted a couple hundred entrepreneurs in Barcelona for the DCBCN conference. A lot of those entrepreneurs shared their stories on stage, which is an intimidating task. Andres Zuleta of Boutique Japan was one of those people. Andres started a business that sells boutique travel packages to people who want to visit Japan. He called in to this podcast and left a voicemail not too long ago and today Boutique Japan is on target to make $1.3 million in revenue. We invited him on to the show this week to talk about how telling his story has helped him make sense of the ride that he has been on.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/bcnconference/ Dan and Ian are hot off the heels of the DCBCN conference they hosted this week, where over 200 entrepreneurs gathered in Barcelona to participate in a series of dinners, workshops, parties and even bike rides. On this week's episode, they'll be talking about some of the trends that they are seeing in the lifestyle business space, as well as five things that they took away from the overall DCBCN experience.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/gimlet2/ Last week we teased a very special guest for this week's episode. Today, Dan and Ian are very pleased to reveal that guest to be Alex Blumberg, the CEO of Gimlet Media and the host of one of our very favorite podcasts, Startup. As entrepreneurs, many of us have grown up listening to Alex's work on shows like This American Life and Planet Money. His recent foray into the realm of podcasting has had a huge impact on how podcasts are being produced today, and you'll hear him talk all about that journey on this week's episode.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/meh/ Being an entrepreneur isn't all wine and roses. Frankly, a lot of it can be described in one word: 'meh'. On this week's episode, Dan and Ian are going to be sharing five of the most tedious and monotonous things to expect when running a business. These are five things that most entrepreneurs dread dealing with, and the day-to-day experiences that aspiring entrepreneurs can look forward to when starting their own business.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/property/ On today's episode, Dan and Ian are going to speaking with Paula Pant. Back when Dan was experimenting with renting a place on AirBNB, he stumbled upon Paula's blog at AffordAnything.com. She is incredibly transparent in her business model, demonstrating how she created a real estate portfolio that provides her with cash flow every month. You'll hear Paula share her story about how she started from scratch to build a successful collection of rental properties.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/diet/ This show has always been about finding success in your business and your lifestyle. We've talked about lifestyle in a lot of different ways, but one portion of our lifestyle that is so important, that we have rarely touched upon on this show is our health. On this week's episode, Dan and Ian are diving into a topic of health discussion that is as contentious as it is important: what we should be eating. Dan is fascinated by diets, and he has experimented with a plethora of them. He recently decided to go on a search for the greatest diet in the world. On that search, he discovered the work of Dr. Michael Greger M.D., the founder of NutritionFacts.org. Dr. Greger's unique and inspired approach to nutrition is something that we believe every lifestyle designer needs to hear.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/pickle/ One of the fastest ways to gain freedom from a location or a 9-to-5 job is to sell your skill set and your time as a freelancer. When you do that, you can create problems that might not rear their head for years. On this week's episode, Dan and Ian are speaking to Russ Perry from Design Pickle. He began his entrepreneurial career doing just that, and when we first heard from him in 2014, he was in the process of dissolving his first business and starting from square one. In less than two years, Design Pickle now has 20 full-time employees and just last month, they billed 90k in recurring revenue. On this show, you'll hear all about that journey, as well as a pretty in-depth discussion about our collective affinity for delicious pickles.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/mattfarah/ On today's podcast, Dan and Ian have decided to dig into a topic that isn't usually covered on this show. We are going to be talking about one of Ian's favorite things in the world: cars. If you don't consider yourself a vehicular aficionado, have no fear. This episode is about the journey of Matt Farah, a successful automotive journalist who rose to fame through his YouTube channel, The Smoking Tire. You're going to be hearing a pretty compelling story about how Matt bootstrapped himself into the position that he's in today. And yes, there is a little bit of car talk in there too. Stay tuned until the very end of the episode to hear a bonus lightning round of automotive questions.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/longview/ Dan and Ian have been speaking about the lifestyle of the Location-Independent entrepreneur on this podcast for over six years. During that time, they've found that people all over the internet tend to glorify this movement, and why wouldn't they? It's exciting to be a part of. On the other hand, there are very few people online who are talking about the challenges of being a digital nomad. Mark Manson and Stacey Herbert have both traveled the world as location independent entrepreneurs and have recently decided to put down roots for the first time in years. On this episode, you'll hear them share their thoughts and experiences on what some of the biggest downsides to the nomadic lifestyle are.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/investmentsfollowup/ On one of our recent episodes, Dan and Ian spoke with Joe Wirbick about some of their options for managing their money since they have sold their business. That episode elicited a very passionate response from our listeners. We got a ton of feedback from some really smart people about that episode, so we decided to do a follow up show. On this week's episode, you'll hear some specific feedback from our friend Laura Roeder, as well as Dan and Ian's feelings on managing their own money now that they have heard so many opinions on the subject.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/shayna/ If you have been listening to our show for a while, you will recognize this week's guest from an episode we did about a year and a half ago called "Is It Getting Harder to Grow a Successful Business Selling Info Products?". That episode ended up being one of the most popular episodes of this show, so Dan and Ian decided to invite Shayna of Espresso English back onto the program to follow up with her story. Shayna will be talking about a range of new topics, including pricing, positioning and marketing info products in today's entrepreneurial landscape.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/mmm/ On this week's show, Dan and Ian had the opportunity to interview one of their all-time favorite bloggers, "Mr. Money Mustache" Peter Adeney. Peter was recently the subject of a profile in The New Yorker, and you'll hear him share his opinions about that piece. You'll also hear how he was able to retire at the age of thirty, why he believes we should be optimizing for our own happiness, as well as his thoughts on achieving freedom through frugality. Stick around after the credits for a little bit of a bonus conversation with Mr. Money Mustache about how the Mustachian community holds events.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/productized4/ Longtime listeners know that one of our favorite things to do on the show is to ask our guests to donate business ideas to our audience. For the fourth part of our Productized series, Dan and Ian put out a call for anyone that has used one of those ideas to come on the show. On this week's episode, you'll be hearing from Ben McAdam and Meryl Johnston, otherwise known as the Bean Ninjas. They will be sharing how they took an idea that was donated on this very podcast and turned it into their own Productized Service business.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/youtube/ On this week's episode, Dan and Ian are speaking with Gabby Wallace. Gabby is extremely qualified at teaching English as a second language, and has spent many years doing so in Japan. She got fed up with the traditional ways of teaching language abroad, and she decided to start her own business called Go Natural English. Gabby's business has been built almost entirely through her YouTube channel, where she has over 150,000 subscribers. YouTube can be an incredibly powerful platform for location independent entrepreneurs and on this episode, Gabby is sharing all of her best tips and strategies for using YouTube to your advantage.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/theexit/ Jeff Giesea recently penned an article for the Harvard Business Review titled "Dealing With the Emotional Fallout of Selling Your Business". Needless to say, this article caught the eye of Dan and Ian, who have recently sold the largest business they have ever created. There are a lot of weird and conflicting thoughts that go through your mind when you go through this process. Dan and Ian invited Jeff on to the show this week to speak about his experience selling his businesses, and the trials and tribulations that entrepreneurs face when they make the exit.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/investments/ As many longtime listeners know, Dan and Ian have recently sold their business. This has put them in a rather unique and advantageuous situation, and forces them to ask the question: what do you do with your money once you have made it? Managing your money requires a completely different skill set from building a business, and even savvy entrepreneurs often have to seek the advice of a professional. On this week's episode, you'll hear from Joe Wirbick, the president and co-founder of Sequinox. Joe is sharing some of his best tips on how to evaluate financial professionals and how to identify whether or not they can help you.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/dhh2/ Today's episode is the second of a two part series in which Dan and Ian are speaking with the co-founder of Basecamp and creator of Ruby on Rails: David Heinemeier Hannson. This episode is all about business relationships. You'll hear about the origins of David's relationship with his business partner Jason Fried, as well as David's many interesting thoughts on business partnerships and how they can evolve over time.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/dhh/ Today's episode is the first of a two part series where Dan and Ian are speaking with David Heinemeier Hannson. David is the co-founder of Basecamp and the creator of Ruby on Rails. Truth be told, DHH has been a huge influence on the Tropical MBA podcast. In this episode, we're going to be talking about a subject that some see as a blueprint to getting rich, and others see as a dirty word: Venture Capital. Later on in the show, you'll hear from Zapier co-founder Wade Foster on his thoughts and experiences on seeking venture capital funding for his own company.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/ribbonfarm/ On this week's episode, Dan is speaking with Venkatesh Rao, Venkat is the author of RibbonFarm, a philosophy blog about technology and entrepreneurship. He recently launched an essay series called Breaking Smart, that explores the relationship between humanity and technology. Today's conversation covers a whole plethora of philosophical heuristics, including blind spots in the digital nomad community, the difference between passion and work ethic, what it means to be power-literate and so much more.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/amazongold/ Throughout the history of the internet, there have been many different entrepreneurial opportunities. People who got in on these opportunities early have historically found an incredible amount of success. What we've seen in 2016 is that the people who have gotten into the Amazon ecosystem early on are starting to see the fruits of that decision. This week, Dan and Ian have put together a unique round table discussion with a few of those people; Greg Mercer of Jungle Scout, Brad DeGraw of Amazon Sherpa and Kiri Masters of Bobsled Marketing. They will be sharing their tips, tricks and tools on how to make the Amazon platform work for you.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/nooffice/ There is a movement in the internet business world where some companies have decided to start getting rid of offices altogether. It might seem easy for small businesses to pull this off, but lately businesses have started to do this at scale. This week, Dan and Ian are going to be speaking to a few entrepreneurs who are growing real teams for their businesses without offices; Wade Foster, the co-founder of Zapier, and Michael Erickson of Search Scientists. Some of the issues that they will touch on in this episode include how to create a culture remotely, how to keep on top of what everyone is doing and how to make your employees feel like they are part of a team.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/oneforthewriters/ This week's episode is one for the writers, bloggers and creators. Dan and Ian have invited Jodi Ettenberg on to the show this week. Jodi is the author of a blog called LegalNomads.com, and she makes a full time living as a writer. She recently gave the closing address at the TBEX conference, where she talked about what it takes to make a living writing full time. You're going to hear why Jodi feels that strong narratives are so important, along with her views on the balance between making money, keeping your integrity and making great art. You'll also hear her thoughts on how travel writing might develop over the next few years.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/productized3/ Several weeks ago, we put out a call for someone who would be willing to start a productized service business on the show. Jeff Pecaro was the man that answered that call. This week, Dan and Jeff will be speaking with Brian Casel. Brian is an expert in productized services. He has not only found success with his own productized services businesses, but he has also helped other entrepreneurs launch successful productized services businesses as well. Brian will be sharing his expertise about productized services, freelancing, and how his new business has benefited from his experience running his first one.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/enough/ Being location independent means that you don't have a boss or a corporation telling you what to do, but it also means that you have to make your own decisions on how to spend your time. You have to decide how to make your money, and you have to decide when enough is enough. On today's episode, Dan and Ian are speaking with two entrepreneurs who have put a lot of thought into this idea. Daryl Mander and Nathan Berry have both proactively made the call to scale back their workload in order to improve their quality of life. They will be sharing their experiences, and their thoughts on when and how to say "enough is enough".

http://www.tropicalmba.com/michaele/ On this week's show Dan and Ian were originally going to be talking about the three different stages of entrepreneurship, but once Dan started speaking with Michael Erickson, he knew that this conversation was worth devoting an entire episode to. Michael trained hard and loved the career path that he was on initially, but a sudden change in his life-script drove him to become an entrepreneur. Michael's story is ultimately about how difficult circumstances can prompt you to change your life, and how transforming your mindset is the first hurdle to achieving entrepreneurial success.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/mentor/ On today's episode Dan and Ian are going to explore the most powerful, and potentially toxic relationship in entrepreneurship; the relationship between a mentor and a mentee. We're doing so by speaking with Tim Conley, a Dynamite Circle member who has quite a bit of experience in these types of relationships. We'll be talking about how to seek out a mentor, what makes a successful mentor, and how these relationships evolve over time,

http://www.tropicalmba.com/priorities/ This week we are chatting with Peter Griffin, a member of the Dynamite Circle who relocated to Austin, TX about two years ago. Peter is a prototypical digital nomad. Starting his own business has afforded him the ability to travel the world, but now that he's getting older, he is starting to figure out what is really important to him. We'll be talking with Peter about why he decided to move to Austin, and what happens to digital nomads when their priorities start to change.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/meetings/ In this episode Dan and Ian offer thoughts, suggestions and ideas on the best way to handle meetings as your business – and number of employees - grows. You’ll also get the chance to ‘listen in’ on a Tropical MBA/Dynamic Circle team meeting involving Dan, Ian, Jessica and Alex – and hear about Dan and Ian’s very different styles of management.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/smartdrugs/ Many entrepreneurs have dabbled with "smart drugs", also known as "cognitive enhancers" or "nootropics" but few have studied them as closely as Jesse Lawler. In his weekly podcast Smart Drugs Smarts, Jesse talks to range of specialists and academics about different aspects of brain chemistry, including the effects of smart drugs. In this week’s TMBA episode, Jesse shares what he’s learned about the effects of Smart Drugs, things to consider when using them, and their appeal for all ages.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/3dprinting/ In this week’s episode Dan and Ian invite you to share in one of Bossman’s many interests: 3D printing. This technology has been around for a while - mostly used by designers and engineers to conceptualize and test prototypes. But, as 3D printers become cheaper and more sophisticated, might it begin to revolutionize not only the world of retail but also DIY? What are the opportunities and potential pitfalls for entrepreneurs? Lawyers like Alan Rothenbuecher are already advising firms on how to handle the growing number of IP issues that crop up in relation to 3D printing. TMBA also talks to one of the co-founders of The Pirate Bay, Tobias Andersson, about why he thinks 3D printing is going to have the same impact on design as file-sharing sites have had on the music business.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/cutbait2/ Starting out as an entrepreneur can be scary – but it’s exhilarating and rewarding too. In the first part of series of episodes about the ‘different stages of the entrepreneurial journey’, Dan and Ian revisit some advice they gave Kiri Masters who, in 2013, was still in her day job as a highly successful corporate player whilst struggling to set up a business that would give her the lifestyle and kind of satisfaction that she felt she was missing. What advice did Dan and Ian give Kiri? Did she follow it? What's happening with her business today?

http://www.tropicalmba.com/tax/ One of the major issues that location independent entrepreneurs, who spend time outside their home country, grapple with is tax. Let’s be honest: we’re all looking for ways to pay less of that! Phil Hodgen is a leading lawyer in this field, advising his clients on the relative advantages of foreign earned income exclusion, acquiring overseas residency or even, in some cases, expatriation. In this week’s show we bring you advice that could save you thousands of dollars. And yes, we’re talking dollars. This guidance is mostly applicable to U.S. citizens but Phil also talks about general principles that other nationalities will find useful too.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/productized2/ A few weeks ago we spoke with Jeff Pecaro. Jeff is starting a productized service business and he offered to let us follow along with his journey on the show. This week we are catching up with him to find out how his business has progressed and he has managed to weather the storm of some tough criticism.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/writingabook/ Is it possible to go from being successful blogger to writing a book that tops the Internet charts within the space of a year? In this week’s episode Dan talks to Taylor Pearson, an author who has done exactly that. Tune in and find out how.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/laura/ Laura Roeder was one of our keynote speakers at DCBKK a few weeks ago and she really wowed the audience with her talk. Dan and Ian got a chance to sit down with her after the conference to talk about how she has been able to start Edgar, an extremely successful social media tool, with little to no experience in tech.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/speaking-at-a-conference/ Don't panic. We've got it covered with Dan and Ian's handy guide. It includes: how to handle nerves (yep), slide design, the pros and cons of bullet points and what to do if your Q+A session is greeted by a stunned silence (yep).

http://www.tropicalmba.com/productized/ Today we are going to be doing something really special. A new business is actually starting on this week's show. We've been having a lot of trouble with email marketing lately. We're on a very basic email marketing platform and we have kind of outgrown it. There are more robust email platforms out there, but a lot of them are really expensive and hard to operate. Eventually we discovered that Drip was the perfect platform for us, but we didn't want to commit the man hours to learning to use it. I reached out on Twitter to ask if anyone was interested in starting a SWaS business around the Drip platform. Jeff Pecaro was the man who answered the call. We invited Jeff on to the show this week to give our listeners an inside look on what it's really like to launch a Productized Service business.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/mailbagz/ A lot of our Podcast listeners write into us with questions. We've decided on this week's episode to play a round of TMBA Mailbag. Ian and I are going to take some time to answer a slew of questions from our listeners including whether we are planning on taking a break after selling our business, how selling your business can affect a marriage-model business partnership, plus a few more thoughts on what it takes to attract A Players to your business.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/aplayer/ This week we are talking about hiring. If you have a business that has less than 15 employees, every single employee has to be an A Player. You can't afford to have B and C level players working for you. This is specifically aimed at everyone out there who should be hiring, or has hired employees. This episode is full of 301 and 401 level material, and you absolutely need to pass this class if you are going to have a successful business. We'll be talking all about how to hire A players and how to purge B and C players from your business.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/underoptimization/ A few years ago, I was at a mastermind in the Philippines and the people that were involved were a pretty intense group. At that event one entrepreneur stood out that was a little bit different than the rest of us. For must of us, we are always in the hustle mindset and we will do anything that it takes to grow our business. Mark Brenwall is almost the polar opposite. Lifestyle is very important to Mark and he abides by a strong set of personal rules about what he will and won't do for his business. In the two and a half years since Mark has become an entrepreneur, he has built a business called Wod Nation that currently nets him $20,000 a month in profit, and he did it all without compromising his beliefs. I invited Mark onto the show this week to share both his inspiring story and his unique approach to business.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/sold/ This is an exciting episode for us. Bossman and I are pleased to announce that we have sold our product business. The sale process was over a year and a half long, and we are going to be telling some pretty interesting stories about what happened along the way. We'll also be talking about what we have learned from exiting a business that has been such a big part of our life since 2007. On this episode, we'll be sharing seven things we wish we would have known, that we hope other people will consider when selling their business.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/productlaunchlessons/ Today I posted our first ever public ticket offering to DCBKK. We've launched so many of these events now, and we've learned from a lot of our mistakes over the years. I wanted to take an episode to sort of walk through some of the lessons that we've learned in doing our product launches, and specifically doing event launches. I've invited Damian Thompson from SalesAbility.co on to the show to talk about the evolution of our DCBKK event. We are also going to be taking quite a bit of time to talk about what goes on at DCBKK, the types of people who come to the event, and what sets DCBKK apart from other conferences.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/packing/ Ian is on vacation this week in Greece, and I am getting ready to fly back to the United States. I was in the process of packing my bags, when I received a call from a listener named Josh who was curious about what kind of stuff we have been traveling with recently. I have written about my travel kit many times on the blog, so if you don't want to hear me talk about what I keep in my backpack, this might not be the episode for you. I do know that there are some of us out there who spend a lot of time thinking about this stuff. If you're like me and you want to know more, I'm gonna walk you through some of the things I'm packing tonight and why they are part of my travel kit.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/culture/ A lot of people have been saying that our recent episodes have been targeted towards beginners. This is because we're fascinated by how people use a business model to go from scratch to building revenue. We thought it would be appropriate to do a 300 level course for our 300th episode. Today we're going to talk about how to create a culture that allows you to manage a multi-million dollar business while you travel. Ian has managed to do this over the last year with just six hours of phone calls a week, and our business is still growing. We're going to be talking about how to build the kind of culture that holds everyone together, and keeps everyone productive, while you are living your rock and roll lifestyle.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/bcn/ One of the things that I've always loved about the Tropical MBA is that our listeners have found so many different ways to interact with our show. Today we're going to be talking about how to get out from behind your computer and connect with people in real life. I've invited Chris Reynolds and Alex McQuade on to the show this week to talk about just that. Alex is the Director of Operations for the Dynamite Circle, and was an integral part of our Barcelona event. Chris is the founder of The One Effect and has recently started kind of an entrepreneurial revolution in Barcelona. There are 22 entrepreneurs who have moved to Barcelona to live in apartments that Chris has set up. We'll be talking about some of the unique ways we have been able to interact with our listeners in the real world, sharing strategies for digital nomads who want to connect with people in real life, and listening to some firsthand testimonials from people who have been living in the DC Barcelona House.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/10trueclients/ A common misconception in business today is that you have to build an audience of hundreds or thousands of people in order to sell something successfully. The fact is, when you're getting started, you won't have an audience like that. We have talked over and over again about why we believe in starting with ten true clients. One of our longtime podcast listeners, Sophia Bera, has found great success doing just that. Sophia is the founder of GenYPlanning.com, where she provides affordable financial planning services for people in their 20's and 30's. This week we're talking with Sophia about how she has managed to replace her income in just over two years, why she didn't agree with some of the practices in the financial planning industry and how she was able to turn that into an opportunity.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/endofjobs/ This week longtime friend of the show Taylor Pearson drops by to talk about his new book, The End of Jobs. We don't typically invite guests on to the show to promote their books, but Taylor has had such a huge part in the growth of our product business. His new book also stemmed in part from some discussions that the two of us had after the Dynamite Circle Conference in Bangkok last October. On this week's episode, we're gonna talk all about why Taylor decided to write this book, the books that are defining this exciting location-independent movement, and why the jobs that were once considered the safest are now being called into question.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/greenbelly/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/greenbelly/ Podcast 31:36| Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment After taking a brief sabbatical, we return to the show this week with a very unique guest. Chris Cage (Chris@GreenBellyBar.com) is an avid hiker, biker and outdoor enthusiast. Chris started Greenbelly in 2014 and has been creating high-calorie meal replacement bars ever since. He recently crowdfunded $20,000 on...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/tokyo/ This week on the show, I'm talking to Chris Kirkland from the Hobo CEO podcast. His show explores the philosophical side of the digital nomad movement. Chris is a veteran of the location independent scene, having founded his first location-independent business Artweb in 2005. One of Chris' more recent ventures is TokyoCheapo.com, a content-based business dedicated to educating travelers and expatriates on how to live in Japan on the cheap. We'll be discussing some of the common misconceptions about living in Japan and the benefits and challenges of managing a content-based business model.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/apprentice/ One of the most frustrating parts of the entrepreneurial life script is that when you first hear about it and understand the benefits, you probably aren't ready to start a business. You know the answer is starting a business, but you aren't quite sure how to get there yet. We have long been advocates for seeking out an apprenticeship, but it's not always that easy. How do you get an apprenticeship, where do you go when you find one and what happens after you get one? Over the last couple of years, Vincent Nguyen from GrowthNinja.com has gone through all of these stages himself. I've invited him on to the show to talk about his experiences as an apprentice at Empire Flippers and how he has managed to transition from being a successful apprentice into owning his own business.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/swas/ I recently came across an article on TechCrunch that caught my attention, all about the rise of "Do-It-For-Me" businesses. Big businesses have been doing "Do-It-For-Me" for decades, but small businesses remain a relatively unconquered frontier. This is essentially about selling time to entrepreneurs, and I don't know anyone who does that better than Mat Newton from The Web Agency Podcast. He recently started what he calls a SWaS, or "Software With a Service" business called Tourism Tiger. Mat is joining us this week to talk about what the SWaS business model is and how it has changed the way that he does business.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/art/ Is it possible to build a business and monetize your art? This is a question we get asked a lot. One of our listeners got in touch with us this week and challenged us to speak about how we would apply some of our entrepreneurial principles to a career in art or music. If you are an artist of any kind, this is the episode for you. We'll be talk about what we believe it means to be an artist, how to support your art through a job or business, and how you can leverage 1,000 true fans to build a career doing what you love.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/studentloandebt/ Last week I was on vacation in Southeast Asia with my family, and we are all huge Penn State fans. I spent some of my most formative years around State College in Pennsylvania. I was thrilled when one of who listeners named Brian, who teaches at Penn State, reached out to us and asked us to answer some questions for his students at the university. In this episode Ian and I lay out a three-part plan to become a location independent out of college, talk about how why you should be looking for an apprenticeship instead of a job, and finally answer one of the questions we get asked the most: why cat furniture?

http://www.tropicalmba.com/dropshippinglife/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/dropshippinglife/ Podcast 29:33 | Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment This week Dan is on vacation in Asia with his family, so I’ve invited Andrew Youderian of eCommerceFuel onto the show to talk about what it means to be a bootstrapper and the differences between a bootstrap business and funded business. We also share our thoughts about the...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/workwithus/ Today we are gonna do a Tropical MBA first, as we've decided to record a podcast about a new job listing. If you're interested in coming to work for our team, we encourage you to listen to this episode. We're also taking this opportunity to talk about team building and the back story of the Tropical MBA. The first blog post that we ever published on this website was a job offering. We're gonna talk about what inspired that and the position that we were in when we made that decision. We're also gonna debate the value of having team members in-person versus a location-independent team and whether or not it's a good idea to support your employee's side projects.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/bizquestions/ We've received a ton of great feedback from last week's Q&A session on relationships and lifestyle. This week we've decided to reach out to our listeners for questions pertaining to business. Ian and I are gonna be talking about everything from productized services to offshore business, management philosophies and our own personal outlooks on the future of our business.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/behindthescenes/ This episode is a pretty unique one. In this week's newsletter we reached out to our listeners and encouraged them to ask us just about anything that was on their minds. It turns out an overwhelming number of people wanted to know more about our lifestyles and what goes into the creation of the show. Ian and I are going to take you Behind the Scenes on this week's episode. We'll talk about the difficulties of having relationships on the road, what it's like to live as an expatriate, and we'll even answer a few gossip questions about what we do with our time.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/gimlet/ Ian, Taylor Pearson and myself can't stop listening to Alex Blumberg's new podcast called Startup. If you haven't heard it yet, stop reading this and go listen to it. If you listen to a lot of podcasts or radio at all, you've probably heard Alex's work on shows like This American Life and Planet Money. We decided we wanted to create an episode that would serve as a companion piece to this fantastic series. The three of us are talking about how the show inspired us, what we see as the ironies in the venture capital world, the distinctions between being and artist and an entrepreneur, and what this series represents in the podcasting world.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/meaning/ In a nice bit of serendipity, I was in Singapore last week and I ran into my friend John McIntyre. John is The Autoresponder Guy, but today he didn't want to talk about email marketing or autoresponders. We got to talking about what you do when you've gotten through those first few years of running a business and you've reached a certain level of comfort. How do you choose to live once you own your own time? We'll also talk about John's experience scaling in year three of a productized service business, and what you can get out of living in Chaing Mai.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/spain/ Not all of us came out of the womb wanting to start a business. Some of us were attracted to the personal agency and the freedom of being an entrepreneur. This week's guests all have a few things in common. They all had this similar dream of the freedom that comes from quitting their jobs and starting their own businesses, and all three of them have chosen Spain as their home for that journey this summer. Barcelona has recently become kind of a hotbed for the entrepreneurial community. I reached out to Chris Reynolds, Cristina Ansbjerg and Robert Brandl to get some insider info about what it's like to live in the city and why they have all fallen in love with it.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/wealthy/ This weekend Ian and I shared the room with 30 high-net worth individuals. We held our first ever wealth event for some of the most successful listeners of this podcast. It's not very often that you get to hang out with so many interesting and successful people in one weekend, so we've decided share some of the lessons that we learned from that event on this week's show. We'll be talking about how we got the idea for this event, why this is my favorite event I have ever attended, and the nine things that surprised us the most coming out of this conference.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/shopifyninjas/ A few weeks ago we did a show called "An Episode For Those Who Need a Business Idea". We got so much great feedback from that episode, and looking back at it, we realized it has become part of a series that we have developed about productized services. This episode is the natural progression of that series. The first person that I thought of when I wanted to continue that discussion was Tristan King from ShopifyNinjas.com. Tristan has a lot of thoughts on how you can build productized marketing services and scale them. He will also be sharing his view and advice for getting started from somebody in their third year of a productized services business, and a few of his business ideas that he believes could be winners for the TropicalMBA listeners looking to start a business.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/books/ I love books. I love to read and I know that many of you do too. This week we're going to have a simple, fun episode where we talk about our favorite books. I will be sharing five books that I think people might enjoy reading for inspiration or pleasure and our good friend Taylor Pearson will be sharing five timeless business books that he believes are worth reading more than once. If you are looking for new stuff to read, this is the episode for you.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/valetup/ In April 2013, Ian and I cut a deal with Jesse Lawler to found ValetUp.com. Nearly two years later we find ourselves on the other side of the looking glass wondering what went wrong. In today's episode, we're going to talk about what we learned from that experience, how we failed, and what we are going to do about it in the future. We're also going to hear from Jesse about his new project, PodcastPop, and how it is going to benefit podcasters who are looking to build a more organic connection with their audience.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/nofail/ Today's episode is all about facilitating high level masterminds, and nobody does it better than Taylor Pearson. It can be hard to figure out what it takes to succeed. Masterminds put you in a position to surround yourself with people who have common goals and will not allow you to fail. This is old school block-and-tackle business strategy. We're talking about what is important to consider when structuring a mastermind, success stories from the groups that Taylor has spearheaded and some of the most useful tools for organizing an effective mastermind group.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/businessideas/ Back when Ian and I were working a 9-to-5, we were dreaming up all kinds of ideas to start a business. Over the years, we've discovered what we like to call the Business Idea Paradox; When you need these ideas the most, they are the hardest to come by. Ian and I have decided to donate some of our business ideas that we don't have the time or resources to pursue. We've also reached out to our listeners who have donated some of their own business ideas for this episode and shared their thoughts about what kinds of businesses they would really like to see.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/family/ I'm in the beautiful South Philippines today and in this very location last year, I met today's guests: Paul and Becky Kortman. The Kortmans are a big family with a unique story. Paul runs his own digital marketing agency called Connex Social. Last year they sold their house and 90% of their belongings and decided to hit the road. They ended up taking 25 flights and visiting over 30 different locations. We're gonna talk about how location independence effects family, how it effects relationships and how it effects business. We'll also discuss how they rebounded from losing 90% of their revenue, and what the experience was like traveling with a six person family around the world.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/7daystartup/ Do you think it is possible to launch a scale-able start-up in just one week's time with no money invested? That might sound too good to be true, but Dan Norris has not only articulated an approach to this in his book, "The 7 Day Startup", he has also used it to grow his own business, WPcurve to close to $25K in monthly recurring revenue it his first year, and nearly 50K in monthly recurring revenue now. On this week's episode, I've invited him on to the show to share his unique insight about being an author, running a services business and how the story of his seven day startup has managed to become so successful.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/investing/ Bossman and I have taken the last few weeks off to recharge and prepare for our upcoming Singapore Event. We're back from our short break and ringing in the new year by discussing a question that Marc Cuban asked recently: What should the average investor do with $50,000? We'll dissect some of the ideas he proposed about financial investments, talk about how the location-independent entrepreneur can put them to good use, and explain exactly what makes our upcoming gathering of entrepreneurs such a unique sharing environment.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/builtajob/ With the help of our friend Taylor Pearson from TaylorPearson.me, we are continuing our 5 part series. The first episode was about making that first $1,000 of income. This episode is all about the next phase of a business, where you are starting to make a living, but you're trying to figure out how to scale that and turn it into a real asset. We'll talk about how we got out of our jobs and built a business, how long we were living broke for and the fundamental difference between building yourself a job and a business.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/remoteceo/ We are talking about what it means to be a remote CEO. This episode is essentially going to be story time with Ian. We discuss what it is like to leave the office for extended periods of time, and some essential mindset stuff that goes into being a successful remote CEO. We also talk about how our portable business has been able to grow five times year over year with Bossman and I living away from the office, and the dissect the steps that it takes to step away from your business and let it work for you.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/espressoenglish/ This week I've invited Shayna from EspressoEnglish.net to share how she was able to build a successful info product business that allows her to live anywhere in the world with just a laptop and $1,500 in capital. We're gonna talk about how Shayna drives hundreds of thousands of visitors to her site every month, how she turns those visitors into leads and customers, how she produces her info products and how she values them. We'll also talk quite a bit about lifestyle and her thoughts on the future of the digital nomad movement.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/patrick/ Patrick McKenzie from Kalzumeus.com has been one of my favorite bloggers for over half of a decade. Patrick has a storied history of writing long-form pieces about the experiences of starting bootstrap software businesses, and is an expert at optimizing for non-cash currencies. In this week's episode we dig deep into Patrick's business philosophy, including how he has been able to build a powerhouse blog that is followed by some of the most influential people in the industry. We also talk about his expertise around conversion optimization and email marketing, how not to suck at giving conference speeches, and Patrick's experience as a long-term expat in Japan.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/returntoapprentice/ Our old friend and former team member Taylor Pearson from TaylorPearson.me has come by this week to help us have a broad, round-table conversation about team building. We talk about the ways that Ian and I have done it, and Taylor shares some insider insight from having been on our team. We also answer a question from a young listener about whether he should be learning a skill set like SEO or diving headfirst into his own business.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/focus/ TropicalMBA is a podcast dedicated to the growing movement of location independent entrepreneurs. Every week, location independent entrepreneurs all over the world will leave us questions and comments in our voicemail. This week, we are answering a whole bunch of those voicemails, including questions about why you should be starting or joining a mastermind group, some of the best things about being an expatriate and why branding is really about building relationships with your clients.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/dcbkk2014/ Bossman and I are in Tokyo this week following our annual DC BKK Conference in Thailand. We are gonna be recapping how the event went, and reminiscing about some of our favorite speakers. We're also going to be talking about what we've learned about throwing events, what we are planning to do in the future and sharing our advice for people that are looking to get the most out of all these upcoming conferences.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/hustle/ In the aftermath of DC BKK, The Bossman hopped a plane this week on his way to Tokyo, so we've decided to re-visit one of our favorite episodes of all time. I was a little hesitant about this episode when we first published it three years ago, but since that time, we have received a lot of feedback about how important this episode has been to our listeners. This episode came at a time when we had our first $100,000 month, and we still stand behind these 6 key principles that make up our Tao of the Hustle.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/scale/ Bossman and I are in Bangkok, gearing up for DC BKK, and we are chatting with our friend Jacob Puhl this week. Jacob is one of our speakers here for the event, and he has built a really unique and successful productized service business, geared primarily toward the dental industry. He really has a lot of valuable knowledge on how to scale a business. We're gonna be talking about how to overcome the complications of investing in and expanding a service business and the five ways to turn your services business into a salable asset.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/canton/ The Canton Fair is taking place this October, so I was really happy to run into my old friend Matt Kowolak from HighCappin.com. Matt has been living as an entrepreneur in China for ten years, and he is the person I go to whenever I have a question about the country. We chat it up about the history of the fair, what it feels like to attend such a historic trade show and what kind of opportunities exist there. He also shares a broad overview of what living in China as an expatriate is like and how to take advantage of their entrepreneurial culture.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/semiprocycling/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/semiprocycling/ Podcast 35:04 | Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment This week, we’re going to talk all about how to find your unique voice in the marketplace, and how to build an entertaining and informative show that can help you generate a location-independent income. Damien Ruse from SemiProCycling.com is doing just that. He is a...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/fatcat/ I'm in Bangkok this week, getting set up for DC BKK and I was very excited to run into our good friend David Hehenberger from WPCast.fm and FatCatApps.com. His products help marketers drive conversions from their Wordpress sites. This is really a full-circle moment for us, as David used to edit the show in the early days of our Podcast. David has since downshifted to focus on building a software company that he felt would be sustainable and generate income on his own terms. We're gonna be talking with David about how he got his company off the ground, how difficult it really is to develop a software product, and the challenges of working within the Wordpress ecosystem.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/1konline/ With over 260 episodes, some of our listeners have been asking us which episodes of our show are the best to share with people who want to learn more about the location independent lifestyle. We thought this posed a pretty interesting challenge, and we've decided to create a five part series that people can download to get an overall sense of what the location independent startup community is all about. On this first episode in the series, we are going to be going over five key points on how to make your first $1000 online.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/gettingtraction/ On last week's episode, our good friend Taylor Pearson mentioned that one of the most universally fundamental traits that all successful entrepreneurs have is sales skills. We're gonna be talking about how to build that skill set so you can get your first 100 customers. We are also answering a bunch of listener questions about fighting the Amazon beast, how to get the most out of events, and our thoughts on visiting the U.S. after an extended time abroad.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/portablebar/ We put Taylor Pearson in charge of our Portable Bar company in its infancy, and he helped us grow our business 527% in the first 18 months, to the point where we are consistently having healthy mid 5-figure months. This week, Bossman is back and we are chatting with Taylor about what it's like to evolve from a small business that is just keeping the lights on to a real significant source of wealth. We're talking about the old-school tactics we used to grow our business, and how we have used the advice that we give in this show in real life situations.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/duckduckgo/ As entrepreneurs, Google has really become a huge part of a lot of our everyday lives. The privacy concerns that have come to light over the last few years are legitimate, and way we think about our internet use is changing. Gabriel Weinberg is the Founder of DuckDuckGo, a search engine that is steadily gaining market share by offering real privacy. He is also an angel investor, and has taken investments from some of the most successful venture capitalists in the world. This week, Gabriel and are going to be talking about what privacy means today and what Google knows about us, along with some really unique strategies for startups.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/travelfish/ This week I was lucky enough to catch up with Stuart McDonald, the founder of Travelfish, which one of the most respected sites on the web for South East Asia travel information. If you peak over the shoulder of a random backpacker in Bangkok cafes, expect to see a "TravelFish" URL along with Facebook blue.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/affiliate/ Bossman is back this week and we are talking about affiliate relationships. How do you get others to promote your products? We'll talk about how to "write the religion" and give potential content publishers a reason to tap into your narrative. We also field several listener questions, including what to look for when hiring your first employee, and the ins and outs of establishing business credit.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/mileage/ Bossman is on vacation this week, so I've invited my friend Erik Paquet from Abroaders.com on to the show to talk all about mileage, point redemption, how to fly business class as often as possible and much more. In the Dynamite Circle, Erik is widely regarded as the go-to guy for travel hacking. We are also going to be discussing how he has been able to use his unique set of skills to launch a productized service business.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/fail/ Will you succeed or fail as a digital nomad? Becoming a successful location-independent entrepreneur isn't guaranteed. Some of the skills it takes to become a successful digital nomad take years to develop. This week, we are talking about the four major differences we have seen between successful digital nomads and those who have failed.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/mastermind/ Having a mastermind group, and perpetuating a mastermind group, is a great way to handle some of the emotional struggles of having your own business. They are just as fun as a poker party, but they can change your life. Masterminds are the reason we started this podcast. We've done a lot of in-person masterminds, and they are a great way to grow a community and connect with your audience. This week, we're talking about the power, the pitfalls, and the process of in-person masterminds.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/ip/ We're talking about protecting our intellectual property and business through copyright, trademarks and patents. This stuff can be expensive for entrepreneurs, but it is incredibly important. There are so many reasons a bootstrapping attitude might differ from a more corporate or startup philosophy regarding these issues. We'll also chat about our upcoming event in Austin, T.X. and why we have decided to sell our cat furniture business.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/freetime/ We're getting into some advanced level stuff this week. As entrepreneurs, many of us have achieved what we've built by putting in insane amounts of hours on the phone or behind the laptop. How can we re-train ourselves to step back and enjoy what we have been working for? This week, we're outlining 5 different ways to go after some meaning with that time that you've been creating.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/quest/ This week, we're talking about the four elements of the "Hero's Quest" that every entrepreneur embarks on. This episode is all about looking back and understanding the first six months of taking off on a new project or a new business, the struggle that it is, and how valuable that can end up being on the narrative of your life. We also answer some listener questions, including one about cold calling a huge corporation to make a sale.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/bedphones/ Bossman and I are celebrating our 250th episode this week. We're also talking to our good friend Eric Dubs, the creator of Bedphones. Eric has found success in the consumer electronics market, despite facing competition from some huge brands. Eric has been able to build a genuine Four Hour Work Week product business through automation. We'll talk about what went into the creation of Eric's product, how he was able to get it featured on platforms like Dr. Oz and Good Morning America, and how his business has evolved to the point where he can operate it remotely.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/churn/ We're talking about Churn rate, and everything we can learn from it. Bossman and I are by no means experts on the topic, but we've dug up a plethora of information to share on Churn rate analysis. We'll discuss how to use this information to provide more value to your clients and keep them around for longer. We also answer some listener questions about the FBAR deadline and how we approach the frequency at which we create podcast content.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/lifestylebusiness/ This week, we're talking about John Reineck's "Steak Dinner Problem", and how we interact with our clients. We had a great discussion with Taylor Pearson about it in the comments of our recent article about The Coconut Cash Conundrum. We're gonna be sharing some advanced level strategies on how to handle this complex situation that entrepreneurs face when their business starts to dictate the orders. We'll also talk about how to identify one thing that benefits your business and maximize your efforts during your most productive hours.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/hire/ We're back this week, answering a bunch of listener questions about when it's the right time to expand your business and hire some new employees. We'll talk about why there's no magic bullet for getting through the hiring process. It's different for everyone, but there are ways to know when it's time to step up and start bringing in some help.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/blogging/ This week, we're digging into the archives and replaying one of our most popular, and controversial episodes. We're going to be talking about the perils of personal blogging and entrepreneurial journey blogging. A lot of people have interpreted this episode as a warning, but we consider it a challenge to bloggers to step up their game.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/sales/ This week, it’s all about making the sale. Bossman and I are exploring twenty random thoughts that we’ve had about sales. We talk about everything from salesmanship, to what that process looks like, what some of the key tactics that we use are, and how you can evolve by using these strategies.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/monies/ This week, we're talking about money. We've had quite a few listeners asking us about what to do when your business starts generating enough money for you to live comfortably. Bossman and I are not financial experts by any means, but we have experienced a lot as entrepreneurs, and we have our own opinions on what to do after you've started making money. Hope you enjoy and happy Thursday!

http://www.tropicalmba.com/knowledge/ Last week, we put out a challenge for listeners to email us there "1000 True Fans" business plan-- what they are going to be doing for their clients, how they are doing it differently than other providers, what they are delivering, and the prices that they are planning to charge. We got a ton of responses! Some were great, and some were problematic in our view. Among those, we tried to determine the most common mistakes being made. Bossman also predicts the collapse of our business somewhere in there! Hope you enjoy and happy Thursday!

http://www.tropicalmba.com/examples/ We got a lot of great feedback from last week's episode, but a lot of people were confused about how the 1,000 True Fans model works in the real world. On this week's episode, we are answering some listener questions about how to build your business to create "passive income" and what the equivalent of the 1,000 True Fans model is in the context of an information product.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/businessmodels/ This week we are going to replay one of our favorite episodes of all time, with a little bit extra thrown in for good measure. This episode has had a great impact on a lot of our listeners. Of all of the episodes we have recorded, this one has probably helped people improve their businesses the most.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/popular/ This week bossman and I discuss being unpopular in the face of pressure from friends, family, team members, and employees. Bossman references his new "entrepreneurmobile" gratuitously and we ponder the distinctions being 'know-how' and 'know-what' knowledge.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/deals/ We've seen a lot of really smart people making dumb deals. It's okay, every entrepreneur has been there. We're not afraid to admit that we've been guilty of some of these mistakes ourselves. On this week's episode we'll be talking about ten ways that you can avoid making a really terrible deal.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/saas/ People have been asking us to open up a little bit more about some of our specific business ventures so this week we’re going to be talking about our new software-as-a-service product, ValetUp.com. We’re 9 months into the company, and we’ve already faced some significant challenges. On this week’s episode we’ll be discussing the 5 things that we’d do differently if we were starting up a SaaS business today.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/locationindependent/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/locationindependent/ This week one of our listeners challenged us to explain the detailed costs of the location independent lifestyle. We’ll talk about how to set up your business so you can become location independent and some general principles we’ve learned over the years about the ‘live and work’ anywhere mindset. Listen to this week’s show...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/chinasourcing/ This week, one of our listeners challenged us to go more in-depth about Chinese manufacturing and how to get your first product manufactured. We're gonna dive right in and talk about where and how you can learn about outsourcing your product to China, and everything that it entails.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/updates/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/updates/ This week, Bossman is back on the scene, and we are going over a host of specific updates about our businesses. In particular, we really get into what kinds of challenges we’ve faced manufacturing our own product, how we’ve been handling our relationships with our Chinese suppliers, some ways that you can save money...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/heyladies/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/heyladies/ This week, Elisa Doucette joins me to talk about women in the location independent entrepreneurship game. Elisa runs the Dynamite Circle business operations. If you’re a lady sitting in your cubicle in the United States, listen closely. We have a fantastic network of women with similar stories that we hope will inspire you to explore these...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/flashbar/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/flashbar/ This week, Ian catches up with us from Mexico to talk about the struggles and successes we’ve experienced with our portable bar company over the last nine months. We’ll talk about our experience displaying our new flash bar at a recent trade show and the pros and cons of drop shipping as a business...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/college/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/college/ In this week’s episode, I’m answering some listener submitted questions. I’ve invited Jimmy Hayes and Josh Weinstein back on the show to add their two cents as well, as we discuss whether or not a college degree is necessary for someone who wants to become a location-independent entrepreneur, among other topics. Listen to this...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/roundtable/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/roundtable/ *** Are you interested in attending our high level mastermind in April or May? If you can fill out this brief survey, we’ll send you more details shortly. *** In this week’s episode, we’re decided to do things a little bit differently. I’ve invited several of my friends from the Dynamite Circle on to...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/fundamentals/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/fundamentals/ *** Are you interested in attending our high level mastermind in April or May? If you can fill out this brief survey, we’ll send you more details shortly. *** In this week’s episode, I’ve been reflecting about how far things have come since I began dreaming about working remotely. Staying true to that, we are...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/why/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/why/ Damian Thompson is back after the last episode with him absolutely blew up! Erik Emsley challenged us to help him explain to his family what this lifestyle choice is all about. Listen to this week’s show and learn: The fundamental belief system behind the entrepreneurial lifestyle. How much we value our time above all...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/table/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/table/ Ian is back on the Tropical MBA Podcast this week to talk about our next big idea, as well as answering some listener questions (thank you to all who’ve called our voicemail: 888-554-8428). Listen to this week’s show and learn: Why having the same amount of “skin the game” can be critical when networking....

http://www.tropicalmba.com/services/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/services/ Damian Thompson from Linchpin is back on the show this week (his first appearance here) talking with me about one of the biggest movements we see in the location independent scene. We talk about what Damian has learned during his first 1,000 days of being a business owner, and how listeners can utilize the lessons...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/cutbait/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/cutbait/ The boss man is back this week after a far too long hiatus and his timing is perfect for a topic we absolutely love. Kiri called in with some concerns about whether it’s time to cut her losses with her current business, or if there’s anything she can do to turn it around. Her...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/asia/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/asia/ Happy New Year! Ian is off celebrating the holidays with his family this week, and Kaiser Soze was here hanging out when a discussion came up that we thought would be good for the show. This show is mostly about lifestyle,  but in case you’re looking for the good old fashioned business talk, below...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/1k/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/1k/ Since an angry fish seemed to have cut the internet wire in the ocean, Ian and I are cut off from one another. In his stead, Jesse “The Dominator” Lawler has stepped up to bring value to the masses. The listener questions continue to get better and better, so The Dominator and I are...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/ecommercemistakes/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/ecommercemistakes/ We’ve been looking back a lot to the beginning of The Valet Spot now that we’ve released the info to the public and realized that although we did a lot right, we screwed up a lot too. We figured with some of the big changes and our growth trajectory coming up, it would be...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/valetparking/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/valetparking/ For a variety of reasons, Ian and I have never spoken openly about the first successful B2B business we ever started– TheValetSpot.com. This week we are going to change all that and go into the details of how that business got started, how we won market share, and what we are doing to grow...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/remote/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/remote/ I’ve got Joe “Hot Money” Magnotti on as my co-host this week in the wake of Ian’s much needed romp in Europe. Today, we’re passing the ball back and forth about the direction things are going regarding remote working and team building. We’ve been noticing that the old norms are shifting (some have been...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/email/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/email/ In the process of launching and iterating on Valet Up, our new SaaS app developed for valet companies, Ian and I have been working on refining our email marketing strategies and how we can snag some extra customers and improve our closing average. On top of this, an email came in from Mark from...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/thoughtexperiments/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/thoughtexperiments/ Ian and I are both in the “on the road” mindset this week– we’re both mentally preparing to head out traveling or a little while. In that casual spirit we’ve both been dreaming a bit about what the future might hold. We asked some team members and listeners to help us out with some...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/consulting/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/consulting/ We’ve gotten a few phone calls recently that set us off on a path to the discussion we had this week on the Tropical MBA Podcast. Making location independent income quickly is very doable, especially going the route of the consultant. There are a few keys to making it work the right way and...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/boat/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/boat/ Cam Collins runs a business that helps marinas manage their boat inventory. He recently sold the assets of the company in a strategic merger, and we’re pumped that Cam came by the podcast to share the lessons he learned during the process. Listen to this week’s show and learn: The difference between a strategic...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/carnegie/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/carnegie/ “Look out for the boy who has to plunge into work direct from the common school and who begins by sweeping out the office. He is the probable dark horse that you had better watch.” – Andrew Carnegie Ever dream of changing your life and getting ahead in the world? Andrew Carnegie gave a speech...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/conference/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/conference/ After this weekend’s incredible DCBKK event, Dan and Ian sift through the mountain of helpful information, solid business advice and entrepreneurial savvy to bring you the highlights of the event. This episode’s cup is overflowing with takeaways that the fellas gleaned from each speaker’s presentation.  You might want to grab a notepad for this...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/predictions/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/predictions/ As we approach DCBKK, we wanted to have a little chat about our predictions for the future of business as we know it. There’s a shift that’s slowly happening as we progress and we’re starting to see a massive rise in the growth of location independent, professionally run businesses. Kaiser Soze himself is hanging...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/prague/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/prague/ The fellas are switching things up and coming to you from Europe this week.  Having just finished speaking at the MicroConf event in Prague, they’ve got insights coming out of their ears and just couldn’t wait to share them with you. You’ll hear about some of the spotlight speakers from the event and the...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/distributed/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/distributed/ Hollywood filmmaker (with an imdb profile!), software programmer, podcaster, and most importantly, The Dominator of all things, Jesse Lawler is on the show this week to discuss a few of my favorite things. Jesse was working in L.A. as a filmmaker when the economy took a nose dive and no one would even think...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/crowdsourcing/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/crowdsourcing/ So many people struggle to get a great idea off the ground because they didn’t validate and ask the market to vote with their wallets. Jimmy and Doug from Minaal have completely turned this on its back. Not only were they meticulously calculated about the launch of their killer travel bag designed for location...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/rich/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/rich/ It’s not hard to see why Michael Covel (here’s my interview on his show) is a mega popular podcaster– he’s a scrappy entrepreneur who made good and isn’t scared to share his opinions. I’ve learned a lot from him through our conversations– about finance, world politics, and trading– but in this episode I really wanted...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/adwords/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/adwords/ Today Ian and I sit down with the one and only Dave Huss to talk about generating paid traffic to your site.  With so many recent changes in advertising platforms and capabilities to come, this episode is full of marketing avenues you should be using in your business. On the show this week: Why...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/readingmaterial/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/readingmaterial/ Ian and I have been wanting to bring an updated reading list to move your journey forward. On this episode, we wax a little philosophical about a variety of the best stuff we’ve been reading. On the show this week: How to choose your way forward like Calvin And Hobbes. The key difference between...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/productivity/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/productivity/ Back in the day, becoming productive– for me– meant locking myself in the house and putting the coffee maker on overdrive. We’ve learned since then a lot about the frameworks that empower exceptionally productive entrepreneurs, and in this episode we’ll share which ones we use, which ones we’ve discarded, and of course, which ones...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/passion/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/passion/ This week on the Tropical MBA Podcast we decided to give Mark Manson a call to dig further into his idea that “passion is practical.” Mark walked away from big income to focus on a project he was passionate about, and it ended up working out better in the end. Was it just a fluke? Did he get...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/dreamlines/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/dreamlines/ On Thursday mornings at 8AM EST, we publish the Tropical MBA Podcast (iTunes link). After recording this episode it occurred to me that the moment I became an entrepreneur had nothing to do with sales, product development, or legal structures. I became an entrepreneur the day I sat down and defined precisely what it...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/does-good-website-design-matter/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/does-good-website-design-matter/ On Thursday mornings at 8AM EST, we publish the Tropical MBA Podcast (iTunes link). You might have noticed that as we’ve been combining our two websites into one (we are gradually moving “Lifestyle Business Podcast” content over to this domain), we have been changing some of the design elements of this site. During this process,...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/welcome-lbp-listeners/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/welcome-lbp-listeners/ Every Thursday morning, 8AM EST, we’ll be aiming to publish one podcast at this domain, instead of the LBP and (sometimes) TTR at two. Starting next week we’ll have a little re-design of the podcasts as the Lifestyle Business Podcast and Tropical Talk Radio come together and are reborn into an even more focused,...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/last-traditional-episode/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/last-traditional-episode/ Just to be clear– we aren’t stopping doing a weekly Thursday morning podcast, we are just going to start (primarily) publishing it at TropicalMBA.com (our main domain). You can discuss this post and subscribe to our primary iTunes feed at these links (the old LBP feed will continue to work for some time):  ...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/focused-marketing-business-opportunities/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/focused-marketing-business-opportunities/ –>Click here to subscribe to Tropical Talk Radio in iTunes. –>Leave me a message, question, or comment for the show. It’s time for another Tropical Talk Radio podcast, which gets published Friday afternoons (Hong Kong time). Here’s the link to subscribe in iTunes if you haven’t already done so. This week Dan chats with...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/building-strong-communities/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/building-strong-communities/ Ian is back in the US of A hanging out in California, while Dan’s living the high life in Hong Kong. The guys are looking forward to joining up in Vietnam next week, but for now, it’s time for the LBP. This week’s topic came in from Trevor Pirtle from Real Life English who asked...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/concepts-help-build-wealth/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/concepts-help-build-wealth/ This week, Dan and Ian are talking about some chessmaster stuff. This is an episode all about making strategic moves in your business that you can implement right away and start building wealth. You’ll hear the five concepts that Dan and Ian have used to grow their business and steal their piece of the...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/creating-profitable-events/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/creating-profitable-events/ –>Click here to subscribe to Tropical Talk Radio in iTunes. –>Leave me a message, question, or comment for the show. It’s time for another Tropical Talk Radio podcast, which gets published Friday afternoons (Hong Kong time). Here’s the link to subscribe in iTunes if you haven’t already done so. This week Dan sits down...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/bootstrappers-guide-business-partnerships/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/bootstrappers-guide-business-partnerships/ Dan and Ian are coming at you today with some insight into what could be the most costly decision you’ll make in your business careers.  Many don’t think about it in terms of cost, but in this episode, Dan and Ian will make it abundantly clear why you should, and how to look at...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/21-century-financial-script/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/21-century-financial-script/ After spending some time back in the States, both Dan and Ian have been experiencing some different viewpoints on personal finance.  Many of which are based on 20th century circumstances and have survived the turn of the century in our society and our mindsets. This episode is dedicated to showing you some base level...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/sold-a-business-lessons-learned/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/sold-a-business-lessons-learned/ Dan and Ian’s dreamy voices are drifting into your earbuds this week to bring you some insight on a real life experience they’ve just been through… selling a business.  You’ll get to hear the fellas 7 points on what they did, and what they will do differently next time they sell a business to...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/a-fireside-chat/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/a-fireside-chat/ Dan and Ian sit down from opposite sides of the USA to bring you a nice, relaxing fireside chat and answer six personal business philosophy questions.  This episode is inspired by Joe Magnotti and Justin Cooke from the Empire Flippers and their 50th podcast episode, where they answer the same questions. You’ll get to...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/seo-sabotage-penguin-updates/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/seo-sabotage-penguin-updates/ –>Click here to subscribe to Tropical Talk Radio in iTunes. –>Leave me a message, question, or comment for the show. It’s time for another Tropical Talk Radio podcast, which gets published Friday afternoons (Hong Kong time). Here’s the link to subscribe in iTunes if you haven’t already done so. This week Dan and Ian...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/philosophical-conversation-get-paid-bank/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/philosophical-conversation-get-paid-bank/ Dan and Ian are joined on the show today by good friend and incredibly gifted entrepreneur Jon Myers.  Jon is a customer experience and user interface designer with an impressive client roster including some of the organizations to which you may pay taxes. The fellas dive into the concept of simply running a comfortable...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/tmba-34-a-roadmap-case-study-for-replacing-your-salary-in-less-than-half-a-year/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/tmba-34-a-roadmap-case-study-for-replacing-your-salary-in-less-than-half-a-year/ –>Click here to subscribe to Tropical Talk Radio in iTunes. –>Leave me a message, question, or comment for the show. It’s time for another Tropical Talk Radio podcast, which gets published  Friday afternoons (Hong Kong time). Here’s the link to subscribe in iTunes if you haven’t already done so. This week Dan talks to...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/1000-true-fans-100-true-customers-or-10-true-clients/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/1000-true-fans-100-true-customers-or-10-true-clients/ Dan and Ian dig into some of the most talked about and effective online business models for the bootstrapping entrepreneur.  They discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each but it also comes with a healthy dose of why you might not want to use particular business models. This episode is all about getting your...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/how-to-monetize-a-blog-or-podcast/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/how-to-monetize-a-blog-or-podcast/ Dan and Ian dive into a question that has been asked by millions ever since the advent of blogging and more recently podcasting.  They also address one of the core issues behind the basic question that separates those looking for a quick buck, and those looking to build a cashflow business. Click play above...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/episode-156george-washington-guide-to-being-boss/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/episode-156george-washington-guide-to-being-boss/ Dan and Ian switch things up a bit this week to present the life principles of an American icon and “The greatest and best of men”, George Washington.  The fellas talk you through his principled and altruistic standards and how they can directly apply to both your personal and professional life. Not only did...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/the-power-of-negative-action-optionality-convexity-antifragility/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/the-power-of-negative-action-optionality-convexity-antifragility/ Dan and Ian are coming at you this week after some intense reflection and mindset shifts.  This episode is all about the power of negative action and leveraging the inevitable changes in the world as a small business entrepreneur. Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s book, Anti-Fragile inspires the content for today’s show and the fellas mold...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/profitable-niche-selection-rip-pivot-jam-redux/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/profitable-niche-selection-rip-pivot-jam-redux/ This week Dan and Ian are back in Saigon and are pumped to bring you this episode that’s chalked full of actionable methods and business frameworks.  The Rip, Pivot and Jam is one of the fellas’ favorite business concepts so this episode is dedicated to helping you get the most from it. Running a...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/potent-quotables-dc-ber-speakers/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/potent-quotables-dc-ber-speakers/ Dan and Ian come at you this week from Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, Vietnam with the highlights from the DC Berlin Meetup last week.  There were some absolute rockstar speakers at the event and the energy and excitement were electric. With topics ranging from smart drugs and focus optimization to SEO and...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/episode-152-10-travel-commandments/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/episode-152-10-travel-commandments/ Dan and Ian are drifting into your earbuds this week from Berlin where the DC BER meetup is in full swing.  With all the talk of people traveling in for the event, and some recent European adventures between Dan, Ian and both their parents there have been travel tips flying all over the place....

http://www.tropicalmba.com/tmba33-what-is-the-best-place-for-location-independent-families/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/tmba33-what-is-the-best-place-for-location-independent-families/ –>Click here to subscribe to Tropical Talk Radio in iTunes. –>Leave me a message, question, or comment for the show. It’s time for another Tropical Talk Radio podcast, which gets published every Friday afternoon (Hong Kong time). Here’s the link to subscribe in iTunes if you haven’t already done so. This week Dan reels...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/episode-151-social-feedback-strategy-adwords-landing-pages/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/episode-151-social-feedback-strategy-adwords-landing-pages/ Dan and Ian are coming at you from Italy this week with inspiration from the stately statues designed in Ian’s likeness.  The fellas have chiseled out their incredibly effective strategy for testing and launching physical products and will lay out the simple system for you in this episode.  Their method is an upgrade on...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/150-imperfection-getting-on-with-it/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/150-imperfection-getting-on-with-it/ Dan and Ian are back this week after an ill advised April fool’s joke earlier this week.  Don’t panic though, according to the fellas, the podcast is the best part of their business so they’re not going anywhere… except Paris where they’re hanging out this week. Rather fitting for this episode, Dan and Ian...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/5-tips-managing-software-development-project/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/5-tips-managing-software-development-project/ The LBP has changed hands as Dan and Ian have decided to “go in another direction” with their businesses and focus on the big picture in life.  Taking over are Rob Walling and Mike Taber from the podcast Start Ups for the Rest of Us.  This week they’ll take you behind the scenes of...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/subtle-social-media-tactics-change-how-you-generate-leads/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/subtle-social-media-tactics-change-how-you-generate-leads/ –>Click here to subscribe to Tropical Talk Radio in iTunes. –>Leave me a message, question, or comment for the show. It’s time for another Tropical Talk Radio podcast, which gets published every Friday afternoon (Hong Kong time). Here’s the link to subscribe in iTunes if you haven’t already done so. This week follows up...

Dan and Ian go deep during this week’s podcast and start talking long term strategy and revitalizing your entrepreneurial drive with a focus on the philosophy that motivates your actions. This isn’t an episode for passive listening so strap on your thinking caps. The fellas discuss the difference between their current drives and motives and what spurred them forward when they were first starting out in entrepreneurship. This combined with talk of narrowing your focus and thinking more strategically about your project involvement makes for a juicy episode. Pop in your earbuds and listen in for an eye opening adventure.

It’s time for another Tropical Talk Radio podcast, which gets published every Friday afternoon (Hong Kong time). Here’s the link to subscribe in iTunes if you haven’t already done so. In this week’s episode Dan sits down with James Clark, the digital nomad behind Nomadic Notes. James is rocking the solopreneur lifestyle with no employees and an affiliate marketing business that supports continuous travel.

Dan and Ian hook up from opposite sides of the world this week to bring you some down to earth advice in a cloud based time. Dan is hammering away in Ho Chi Minh City while Ian is getting things done on the ground in Las Vegas. Though we’re not sure what Ian spent his time doing after the show, the day hours were spent representing their portable bar products and doing a little industry research at the trade show. In this week’s episode, Dan interviews Ian on the old fashioned, hittin’ the bricks style of marketing he used at the trade show and why these industry shows can be incredibly profitable ventures for you as an internet entrepreneur.

It’s time for another Tropical Talk Radio podcast, which gets published every Friday afternoon (Hong Kong time). Here’s the link to subscribe in iTunes if you haven’t already done so. In this week’s episode Dan runs down David Hehenberger from Shopping Cart Labs in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam. The guys talk pros and cons for Ho Chi Minh City as a hotspot for location independent entrepreneurs.

Dan and Ian do a little bit of contemplating this week on their entrepreneurial habits. As humans, we’re all creatures of habit whether that’s hitting the neon lights at 5:01 every day or getting up a little early for some yoga. The fellas talk about the habits they have worked into their current lifestyles which have had the biggest effect on their businesses.

It’s time for another Tropical Talk Radio podcast, which gets published every Friday afternoon (Hong Kong time). In this week’s episode Dan rounds up some of the crew from Davao and discusses content marketing in depth to help you rev up your content engine. Join Dan Andrews, Justin Cooke, Joe Magnotti and Damian Thompson in going through this ten point checklist that will give your content marketing a boost.

Dan and Ian are breaking out of the usual format to bring you some first hand knowledge on expatriate and lifestyle business taxes. Yep, it’s that time of year again when Uncle Sam starts checking his ledger to make sure you don’t owe. Even if you’re not a US citizen, there are some golden nuggets in this week’s episode. On the show today, the fellas are joined by David McKeegan from Greenback Tax Services. He’s going to lay down the top five tax tips to help you save money on your taxes while abroad. Preserve your bottom line and get straight with Uncle Sam by utilizing some of these lesser known tips.

It’s time for another Tropical Talk Radio podcast, which gets published every Friday afternoon (Hong Kong time). Here’s the link to subscribe in iTunes if you haven’t already done so. In this week’s episode Dan has a sit down chat with Joe Magnotti from Adsense Flippers and Outsourcing For Start Ups to talk about taking control of your future with outsourcing

Dan and Ian break out the microphone from Bali this week to run you through their 10 point business diagnostic test. Consider this episode like an oil change and engine check to make sure your business is on the right path and won’t break down along the way. The discussion will give you that quick gut-check we all need every once in a while to ensure our heads are in the right place. Definitely an episode to be taking notes on, these 10 points will help you get back in the fast lane and make significant progress in your business growth.

It’s time for another Tropical Talk Radio podcast, which gets published every Friday afternoon (Hong Kong time). Here’s the link to subscribe in iTunes if you haven’t already done so. In this week’s episode Dan has a sit down chat with Joe Magnotti from Adsense Flippers about turning your marketing budget into an asset for you, and testing whether or not your product has legs.

Dan and Ian are excited to come to you this week with a discussion on the number one sticking point for entrepreneurs at all stages of the game. From a rainy Bali villa, the fellas are bringing the heat in this episode to pack it full of actionable content for you and your start up. This discussion is a poster child for lifestyle business entrepreneurs everywhere and helps bring to surface the biggest issues and shortcomings of most entrepreneurs in the space. Everybody is working towards independence of some kind and this episode is a perfect example of what is possible if you keep your nose to the grind stone. Stick around for some hard-knocks advice from Dan and Ian in their version of the DEALs system and how you can take your business to the next level.

It’s time for another Tropical Talk Radio podcast, which gets published every Friday afternoon (Hong Kong time). Here’s the link to subscribe in Itunes if you haven’t already done so. In this week’s episode Dan has a sit down chat with Joe Magnotti from Adsense Flippers about offshore incorporations and when you as a startup entrepreneur need to start bringing on bookkeepers, tax consultants and everything else.

Happy Valentines Day from the fellas at The Lifestyle Business Podcast. Everybody’s back together this week to bring you some love. Ian has determined Tokyo to be his favorite Asian city and Dan has returned from some business (and pleasure) in the Philippines. Dan and Ian discuss hiring, when to use interns vs. VA’s vs. professionals and how this can have a profound impact on your business’ growth. They have also been getting an incredible amount of emails, reviews and feedback from everybody so the fellas take some time to answer your most pressing questions, concerns and confessions.

It’s time for another Tropical Talk Radio podcast, which gets published every Friday afternoon (Hong Kong time). Here’s the link to subscribe in Itunes if you haven’t already done so. In this week’s episode Dan catches up with Sean Cooney, a resort owner with an impressive Youtube presence and some interesting projects on the horizon. Tune in.

Dan and Ian are coming together again this week from across the seas. Ian graces us with his presence while still on his Tokyo trip with Dan getting his hands dirty down in Davao, Philippines. The fellas pull together this episode as the next chapter in the breakdown of the 1,000 Day Principle using the Rockefeller Process. This week’s discussion focuses on the next and perhaps most difficult step of growing your business through hiring employees. You’ll hear why the race to hire your first full time employee is often a crucial step in building a business instead of a job. Dan and Ian will open your eyes to the growth possibilities through hiring talent instead of ‘doing your own thing’. Grab a pad of paper or pull up your preferred note taking device because this episode is chalked full of actionable concepts.

Dan and Ian are dividing and conquering for the next few weeks but don’t shed a tear, the separation is only temporary. Ian’s off to Tokyo for sushi while Dan’s swinging through the Philippines to check up on some business and meet up with entrepreneurs. This shows the beauty of operating location independent businesses which is the main topic of this week’s episode. They boys delve into an interesting conversation on the location independent movement and why it’s not just a fad. You’ll hear some pretty powerful stuff this week from getting inspired by strangeness to cities losing their value in the modern world. Plug in, sit back and grab yourself a cup of coffee since this week will no doubt leave you reflecting on the merits of location independence.

Entrepreneurial integrity and the true drive of a hustler shine through in this week’s episode of the Lifestyle Business Podcast. With a dose of that familiar Dan and Ian banter and a sprinkle of delightful puns, they break it down in a longer than usual episode to bring you the valuable marketing mojo you’re looking for. They pick apart the rip, pivot and jam formula to make sure you’re honing in on the proper pivot and jam methods while telling you why many people get a little off track at this point. You’ll also get Dan and Ian’s riverside hut metaphor to guide you in your quest of setting up shop and getting your first customers.

During this week’s installment of the Lifestyle Business Podcast, Dan and Ian hook up from Jakarta and Bali to provide the weekly dose you crave. When discussions range from medical examinations in South East Asia to announcements for the DC Berlin meetup, you know there’s a little something for everybody in here. The boys share some of the lowest points of their 1,000 day business journey, how they ‘stumbled’ across some of their most profitable products and why the products themselves are only half of the battle. While fielding listener questions, you’ll hear again and again about the top method of building a skillset and launching a business to solve problems in the market. Listen in to hear what this concept of success is and how you can tap into it.

It’s Dan and Ian coming to you from Bali once again this week. They’ve been working on some hot projects coming down the pipeline and getting everything ramped up for the DC Berlin meetup. If you think that’s exciting, wait until you hear what they’ve got in store for you during this week’s episode. Dan and Ian go kamikaze this week with six marketing stunts designed to get you and you’re product or service some eyeballs. They share their first hand accounts of how these tactics have worked for them, and how you can rip, pivot and jam your way to a bump in website traffic.

While spending a ruckus New Years in Bali with Brendan Tully and Tommy Schultz, Dan and Ian are ringing in the new year with a few beers, yoga and bike rides; though not all at once. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not all fun and games. They’ve also been working on putting together some Tropical MBA resources for the community, polishing off a book and simply taking care of business. This week’s discussion is centered around moving you forward in your business and social settings. Dan and Ian share their number one method to getting ahead, and show how they’re still using this process to further not only their businesses, but their friendships as well. You’ll also hear their approach to handling nay-sayers when a listener shares his experience of unsupportive parents.

Dan and Ian are now back in Bali just in time for the New Year’s festivities. Between celebrations, they’ll be putting together their game plan for 2013 and setting some lofty goals for 2013. The turn of the new year marks Dan and Ian’s fifth year in business which sparks a discussion on goal setting and identifying keystone habits. These help form their New Year’s resolutions where they’ll push past just talking revenue and business growth. You’ll hear about Dan’s professional aspirations, Ian’s plan to step up his business relationships and the pairs’ health focus that will inspire you to set some New Year’s resolutions of your own.

Almost back in Bali! Ian’s heading to join Dan in Bali in just a few days for the end of the year. They’re going to take a look back at their businesses in 2012 and look forward at how to grow their businesses in 2013. They’ve realized that in order to continue to scale, they need to get even more focused on creating documentation and standards of procedure. They took a look at the literature and brought their experience from their e-commerce company together to bring you a step-by-step guide to start creating SOPs that let you save your profits right out of the gate.

Dan and Ian are making plans to rendevous in Bali again. Dan is still there working on his book, while Ian is in Orlando avoiding the M3 service industry guys and spending time with his family. Ian’s recent trip to a race prompted a discussion between the guys about deferred life plans. There’s a built in assumption that retirement is worth 30 years of investment, but is that true?

It’s time for another Tropical Talk Radio podcast, which gets published every Friday afternoon (Hong Kong time). In this week’s episode Dan hands off the mic to a recording of David Foster Wallace’s commencement speech given in 2005 to Kenyon College in Ohio. It’s inspiring and thought-provoking. Give it a listen.

Dan’s set a Sunday deadline for finishing his first book and getting it to a group of Beta readers. Ian and Dan have laid out the upcoming meetups for DCers with definite meetups in April (Europe) and October (Bangkok – #DCBKK) and a potential get together in the Phillipines in March. In today’s episode Dan and Ian make some predictions for 2013 and beyond. Turns out, they think Seth Godin is a pretty smart guy.

It’s time for another Tropical Talk Radio podcast, which gets published every Friday afternoon (Hong Kong time). Here’s the link to subscribe in Itunes if you haven’t already done so. In this week’s episode I respond to a few reader emails I received this week.

It’s getting late in the year and we all know what that means: Buck season. While Ian is stalking the big bucks back in San Diego, Dan’s writing binge in Bali continues. Content Marketing is a hot topic in the internet marketing world right now, but what does content marketing really mean? Dan and Ian define what great content really is and show how you can use the Rule of 6 to spring load your content marketing efforts.

It’s time for another Tropical Talk Radio podcast, which gets published every Friday afternoon (Hong Kong time). In this week’s episode I respond to a few reader emails I received this week.

Dan has adopted the Tim Ferriss book writing method and isolated himself from everything except Evernote. Ian on the other hand is tearing it up in San Diego and prepping for a motorcycle race. In this week’s episode, Dan and Ian explore the benefits of being a “sociopath” (it’s not what it sounds like). Inspired by a Ribbonfarm post from Venkat, they discuss the relationship between sociopaths, the clueless, and the losers.

It’s time for another Tropical Talk Radio podcast, which gets published every Friday afternoon (Asia time). Here’s the link to subscribe in Itunes if you haven’t already done so. In this week’s episode I respond to a few reader emails I received this week.

Dan’s bean bag sitting in Bali, intermittently nuking himself off the internet to make sure he gets his book taken care of on time while Ian’s in San Diego taking care of business like a boss. After getting some inspiration from the Adsense Flippers, Dan and Ian decided to go for a knock down drag out four-rounder this week. They asked Taylor, the new guy on the team, to put together 4 unique business premises. Dan and Ian come up with unique solutions to each premise and it’s up to you guys to decide who came out on top.

This week I totally geek out on one of my favorite topics: how do various locations in Southeast Asia stack up to each other for internet entrepreneurs? During the conversation I share a lot of anecdotes from my last 5 months on the road, along with a few new pieces of information I’ve picked up along the way. Hope you enjoy and curious to hear your thoughts as always.

Dan’s still in Bali grinding out his first book while Ian’s back in San Diego working on taking the product business to the next level. Inspired by a talk Cal Newport gave, Dan and Ian reveal that the script to success, however you define it. While success is something each person decides on, there is a script that everyone can follow to get themselves there. With all the talk in the blogosphere about “passion,” the true story about achieving success and happiness seems to be a little more complex.

I’m back in Bali hoping to take advantage of the inspiring scenery and lifestyle to get a ton of work done. I was excited to hop on the mic solo-style this week and address those of you who plan to spend the weekend hustling away. In this week’s show I talk about some digital nomad hot spots as well as 10 business red flags that prevent you and your business from achieving maximum velocity.

Dan and Ian are homeward bound. Ian just got back San Diego and Dan’s headed to Bali for November to write his first book. Both still coming down from the high and energy of DCBKK, they wanted to tackle a tough question on the real meaning of wealth and entrepreneurship. Everyone knows that society has certain scripts and most people blindly assume the numbers support those. Dan and Ian sit down to look at the facts of a 20 year trajectory for a professional job vs. an entrepreneur and then look at how they and their network got there.

We had a blast at the DCBKK conference over the weekend, but we’ve got more big plans lined up. The CEO-yeah is heading back to the good ole’ U.S. of A. and I’m heading up to Chiang Mai to do a little scouting and see if it could be worthy of being the next TMBA compound. Starting this week, I’m holding my feet to the fire and saying that all you weekend warriors will be getting a brand new episode of Tropical Talk Radio in your earbuds every Friday to keep you jammin’ on your business all weekend long. In this weeks episode, we get called out on our Modern Cat Furniture business by listener Shayna and invoke the “do as we say, not as we do” maxim. We reveal our 3 step process on how to know when it’s time to hire and the differences between what we do, small businesses, and startups.

After the first annual Dynamite Circle DCBKK Conference in Bangkok, Dan and Ian blew it out Bangkok-style. But first, they sat down with SEO guru Travis Jamisonfrom Supremacy SEO to discuss some of the latest Google algorithm updates and how Travis is adjusting. Lots of site owners have been left scrambling after the Google Penguin updates and refereshes over the past months, not to mention the Exact Match Domain update that rolled out a few weeks ago. While the rest of the world screams “SEO is Dead,” Travis reveals how he’s still crushing it with top rankings

After two weeks in Puerto Galera with the October TMBA session, Dan and Ian celebrated Dan’s birthday in style at the classic Filippino restaurant TGIFriday’s and then curled up under a staircase in the Mall of Asia to bring this episode to you. Having done three sessions with various TMBA participants and being asked weekly similar questions from folks starting their own businesses, they’ve come to notice some consistent things that happen with every new business owner. The good news is that these are generally fixable, you just need to know how to adjust your mirrors.

Coming to you live from Badladz Resort in the Philippines, complete with patented LBP cafe noise and janky wi-fi upload speeds. This week Dan jumped on the phone with the man, the myth, the Aussie legend in content marketing and helping customers online, James Schramko of Super Fast Business and one of Dan’s new favorite podcasts Freedom Ocean. A super-sized episode that caused Dan to spend the past week to say to Ian “Did I tell you what Schramko told me? Have I told you about my interview with Schramko? James has this baller way of dealing with that.” Needless to say Dan and Ian’s mancrushes run high – after listening to the interview you’ll develop a mind-crush too.

Do you know where you were and what you were doing five years ago this week? Five years ago (October 2nd, 2007 to be exact) Dan and Ian were sitting at brunch when Dan got a notification on his original iPhone that they had gotten paid for their first product sale. Sure, there were some problems. Like the fact that they didn’t actually have a manufactured product to ship out at the time of the sale. But that email was the confirmation they needed. Starting that day they set their sights on a business trajectory that has taken them five years, multiple product lines, 10+ employees, world-wide travel destinations, a publishing venture, private mastermind community, and top iTunes podcast into the future.

This week Dan is the one hard at work and Ian is asleep on the job. Stranger things have happened…ever seen a tabloid alien story? Dan took the opportunity to chat up Prateek Dayal, founder of startups like Muziboo and recently SupportBee. Dan and Ian met Prateek as they traveled across Vietnam this summer meeting up with folks from the Dynamite Circle and LBP listeners. Having started companies from India, Santiago Chile, and now Saigon Vietnam, they knew they had to have him on the show to learn more about his travel adventures and success as a location-free entrepreneur, including: How Solving Your Own Problems Can Inspire Your New Business The Net Different in Lifestyle and Business: Chile vs. Vietnam Cafes, Laptops, and the Sexy Saigon Wi-Fi Scene Using Known Quantities in Blogging To Get Hacker News Quality Traffic

Dan and Ian are both in the States and working on their next big thing – the Dynamite Circle Conference in Bangkok in October. Planning conferences is a lot of work that you never even thought of until the hotel was asking what kind of breakfast menus you would prefer during your third break on the second day. Who has a breakfast menu during their third break?! They decided to call in a pro and chat it up with Rob Walling, the founder of MicroConf (The Conference For Self-Funded Startups.) With two successful events under his belt, he had a ton of great information on How To Profit From In Person Events, including:  How To Pitch Your Audience  Getting Speakers and Sponsors – Who Is In and Who Is Out?  Keynotes, Breakouts, Speaker Sessions, Workshops – What Is The Best Schedule of Events  and How To Get Your Event On Hacker News

Dan and Ian got so many great questions from last week’s carefully orchestrated listener request that they decided to keep a few for future episodes that needed more than a quick answer. In this episode they tackle this frustrating issue that plagues many an information product or intangible service provider Head down and pencils up – this episode is full of pricing insights and strategies you need to have a successful online business, including:  When To Offer Your Customers Credit  Why The Guy Who Asks For Bro Pricing Isn’t Really Your Bro  How To Compete With Custom Pricing – The Bundled Pricing Trick That Works Everytime  What Price Anchoring Is  And The Most Important Pricing Model In Online Business

Dan and Ian spent the past week working diligently to poll the LBP audience and find the deepest darkest unasked listener questions. Or they sent a Tweet before the show started. We leave it up to you to decide what really happened. Either way, they ended up with some great questions and requests for advice from the LBP community, many of which were from listeners they’d never heard from before. Which made Dan grin, cause he loves you silent majority folks.

Dan and Ian spent a fair amount of time (ok…they spent a session) learning Crossfit from Joe Bauer in the Philippines during the recent Tropical MBA session. After they managed to drag themselves back to the microphone, they realized there was some techniques to work out on the LBP. The thing with starting a biznass is that it isn’t all rainbows and puppies. There’s some heavy lifting that you have to do to get that baby off the ground, and we’re not talking reps with a tropical umbrella drink. Sure, everyone wants the 4-Hour Work Week, but you gotta put in the work to make that happen.

It’s a special podcast here at the LBP. Dan and Ian are joined for a bonus-length episode as they host the Summer Marketing Mashup guys (Pat Flynn from Smart Passive Income, Jason Van Orden & Jeremy Frandsen from Internet Business Mastery, and Tim Conley from Foolish Adventure) to talk shop on niche selection. So sit back, grab your beverage of choice and a notebook (or Evernote), and check out the final installment in the Summer Marketing Mashup series.

Dan and Ian and the folks in the August TMBA session have made it through 40 days and nights of rain and wind in Puerto Galera. Ok, it’s more like 7 days, but 40 sounds way more intense. With all these businesses working on taking their businesses to the next level, marketing is a key piece of the conversation. Yet there’s so many options when you are setting up your marketing strategy. Some are quick and dirty, some are putting in for some long ball. How do you choose? Dan and Ian went back to their notebooks and online archives (thank you GMail!) and sorted through to find the most profitable marketing strategy they had ever implemented. Only problem? It’s also their most expensive. But when you’re a serious lifestyle business baller, you realize that sometimes you’ve gotta make the investment of resources to get the explosion of customers.

How does a lazy blogger increase their email subscription rate by 257% and in the process get an automatic sales machine working for them and generating sales in their sleep? Well– you could hire John McIntyre— but for those of you who have teams or willing to do it yourself, we invited John on the show to get the details on how he did it. It’s also time for us to offer another Tropical MBA internship here at Badladz resort in Puerto Galera, Mindoro (sorry, so much for the “no more interns” thing), so it’s good timing to ask John about his experience here in the Philippines plus the business and skills he’s been building over the past year.

Happy Friday everyone! Today Ian and I are joining you from Puerto Galera, Philippines. We found a few minutes away from the events here at the Tropical MBA to discuss a topic that’s been on our minds lately: How do we frame up this new style of multi-national small business entrepreneurship, and what are some related business opportunities? A lot of people have been talking about this trend lately, we dug up this article to serve as the basic structure for this episode. We believe the opportunities to create services and products for people just like us– global-thinking lifestyle entrepreneurs– is massive. We also take a few minutes to discuss some of the feedback we received on our last episode

It’s been a really rough week for Dan and Ian. This is mostly due to the fact that they arrived in the Philippines to meet with 14 bright eyed participants of our August TMBA Session and it was a bit of a challenge. Not because of the participants. Instead they encountered a slight typhoon wreaking havoc on Manila, Batangas City & Pier, Mindoro, Puerto Galera, and Badladz Resort. In other words, they were surrounded by the storm. What should have been a fun 3-hour tour of the Philippines to get to the resort turned in to an adventure of epic proportions. But everyone arrived safe and sound, amped up on the adrenaline of their adventure, with huge grins on their faces and dates with their beds. Which is to say, in true internet meme fashion, sometimes owning a business isn’t all double rainbows and Tiger Blood. Sometimes, you are killin’ it and sometimes you are struggling to get it all done, through some pretty adverse situations and circumstances.

Happy Friday afternoon! We are back with our weekend podcast with the hopes of giving you a little fuel for your projects over the next few days. Today I discuss with the CEOh-yeah and issue we’ve brought up a few times before. One of the biggest questions we get asked is: should I start a personal blog for networking purposes? I don’t think these are benign decisions and I take this question very seriously. When you are just getting started and need to find strategic levers to get as much energy channeled into your business as possible, and your decision on when and how to blog or otherwise put content onto the interwebs can have a big impact on your future.

We know that Dan and Ian are consumate consumers of information and business theory. So it was a bit of a somber moment earlier this week when we learned that Dr. Stephen Covey, the author of 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People, had passed away. Covey’s book “has been a top-seller for the simple reason that it ignores trends and pop psychology for proven principles of fairness, integrity, honesty, and human dignity” per the description on his website. Couldn’t agree more.

Hey there weekend warriors! This week’s happy hour drink sponsor is Orangina, a beverage with a special place in the heart of @AnythingIan. Today we are going to talk about high level content strategy. First, it’s worth taking a look at Karol’s notes from reading Turning Pro. Many of you know I’m a huge War of Art fan, and I just got started with Turning Pro today based on Karol’s suggestion. “The amateur allows his worth and identity to be defined by others. The amateur craves third-party validation.” Ouch that’s harsh! In this episode we’ll explore strategies content marketers can employ to avoid the amateur trap.

Dan is all about the public peer pressure on Ian. Getting him to sign up for email lists. Getting him to go to NYC with him in September. Getting him to divulge his espionage trade secrets in a future episode. What else is this podcast gonna get Ian into?! This week the guys are slowly making their way to meeting up with each other in Saigon for a couple weeks before the next Tropical MBA session in the Philippines in August. As they work on getting back in the same space, they discuss the various niches and products they have pursued over the years (they edited out the 30 minutes of feisty heated discussion in circles) and how they decided to pursue them.

Hey there weekend warriors! I’m happy to announce that Tropical Talk Radio (iTunes link) will now be a weekly show for entrepreneurs seeking some weekend inspiration. That means I’ll try to get you new episodes by happy hour on Friday evening. This week I’m joining you from from Vietnam’s capital city of Hanoi. Tiger beer (via nearby Singapore) is my unofficial sponsor. If a brand manager is reading this post, why not send me a tank top or something?! QUICK NEWS: Most of you know we opened up our October Tropical MBA event 24 hours ago to the readers of this blog. We currently have 4 spaces open for the event. If you’d like to join us, I’m hoping you are able to make a decision fast. I’d like to sell these spots so I can get down to business with the crew! If there is anything I can do to help you make a decision, drop me a line Dan at TropicalMBA.com.

Dan and Ian have been busy hopscotching across SE Asia the past couple weeks (Bali, Philippines, China, Vietnam) and have plans to continue the journey later in July with a motorbike excursion in Cambodia. All this travel got the guys thinking about the places they go and the things they love/hate about each place. More importantly, how a location independent entrepreneur can live and work from these locations and still be straight hustlin’.

Dan and Ian are jet-setting around Asia for the next month between Tropical MBA sessions, currently doing some money biznass in Hong Kong. After the first Tropical MBA was so much fun and so successful, not only did they decide to host yet another session in October 2012, but the effectiveness of the program caused them to stop and re-evaluate their online priorities. All good businesses grow and change, and Tropical MBA is doing that as well.

This week Dan and Ian were reminded of a great project that you have all helped us to grow in the Lifestyle Business Podcast community. To date you guys have raised over $5000 on Kiva micro-funding businesses and entrepreneurs in developing countries. That’s pretty baller. Check out our Kiva page to pay it forward cause that’s what entrepreneurs do. What else do entrepreneurs do? Well, what an entrepreneur does depends a lot on what type of entrepreneur they are.

Want to be the first to hear the details of our October Tropical MBA? You can check out the information here, and we’ll email you the final details on Friday. I managed to sneak away from the start-ups here at the first Tropical MBA in Puerto Galera Philippines for a few minutes in order to share some of the lessons we’ve been learning together. Today we ask the question: what mindsets are critical to developing to ensuring your business success? You might be surprised by some of the answers we’ve developed.

We’re a few days in to the first Tropical MBA Startup Session here in Puerto Galera and the entire team is buzzing with excitement and motivation working with these guys. Basically Dan and Ian just wander around with huge grins on their faces helping the guys with their startups. If you walked in to the think tank on Monday night of 11 entrepreneurs with their noses buried in laptops hustlin’ their little fingers off on keyboards. Most past midnight. They were up by 8-9 AM the next morning and back at it. Entrepreneurs hustle hard. Which means they need to party hard too. And last night the folks at Badladz Resort did it up right and threw a party, complete with amazing live band and Filipino delicacies like balut & fried chicken heads. Which left some folks a little fuzzy headed this morning. This Tropical MBA thing seems to work. The participants are working, learning, growing, building, and spending some time escaping all that with people who are going through the exact same thing. Talk about a cure for entrepreneurial loneliness! Does this make you a little misty that you weren’t able to sign up for our summer sessions? Well. There’s good news for you. We’re going to be hosting another session in October of this year. Drop your email in the form below to sign up for early notification and get the details privately by email before we announce them to the public.

Dan and Ian are together again at the infamous Badladz Resort in Puerto Galera, Philippines. This week they are joined by special guest Tim Conley from Foolish Adventure who will be working with the first group of folks here for the TMBA Start-up Summer project. Stay tuned in the next couple weeks for updates about these guys, their projects, and our Start-up Summer. This week they got a question from Shayna at EspressoEnglish.net: I run a website that teaches English as a Second Language, and I feel like I’m competing with the zillions of pages all over the internet. I’m having trouble pricing my products for a global audience and trying to compete with all the free sites out there. The most important thing about competing with free products when you’ve got something quality to offer is that you will always be fighting downhill when you do that. No one wants to fight downhill…you usually fall. Instead fight uphill and you’ll find it much easier

It is a sad day in the LBP world. After a year of pool parties, long nights of discussion and brainstorming on the deck, and countless DCers and LBP listeners visiting and crashing on our couches, the time has come to say good-bye to our Bali House (aka TMBA HQ). It’s been good times on the good old Jl Drupadi in Seminyak. We’re not giving up the compound dream, though. In fact, it’s getting bigger. And Dan & Ian are on the lookout for a resort or 10+ private room compound to turn into TMBA HQ 2.0 for the upcoming year. If you have any leads let us know! This week, after yet another 5-Star iTunes review showers the LBP with love, Dan & Ian decided it was high time to start sharing some of the secrets that has enabled them to become six-figure full-time income bloggers (much to Ian’s mixed elation and dismay). None of this is new stuff – but it will help you to be more effective with content. What’s the most important private label secret? It’s about Social Media and SEO.

This week Dan and Ian are dreaming of Ferraris. A slight departure from their regular dreams of Porsches and BMW’s. Ian might even by considering taking up a bartending job to bootstrap his new ride. Maybe he can get a gig working a portable bar somewhere? Mostly they are planning the shenanigans set to transpire when they are both on the same continent (in the same place even!) later this month at Badladz Resort in the Philippines. In this episode Dan & Ian once again get such a humdinger of a question that it’s a full serving of meat & potatoes to chat about! Dave (who is dreaming big in Japan asks: I’ve toyed with “make money online” stuff for a while, but now I realise that I haven’t been serious. I want to get serious. So: given resources of basically zero dollars, and 25 hours a week to spare, what ideas would you suggest to start earning $500-1000 a month asap and go from there. I’m not looking for a blueprint or a sure thing, but some lateral thinking or just your perspective. Well Dave, better than a blueprint we’ll give you and our listeners a full checklist for lateral thinking.

This week Dan and Ian are acting like expatriot snitches, unleashing an Offshoring 101 course onto the listeners of the LBP community. Blasting through conversation ranging from why you should and shouldn’t incorporate your business in the US to Earned Income Exclusions & FBAR’s and all the juicy details in between, including some important things they’ve learned along the way, the guys are getting into some serious business discussion. This episode is definitely one to pull out the pen & paper/Evernote for!

Dan goes back to his roots tearing up Vietnam while Ian gets multi-cultural by voice-overing one of the funniest Italian accents in iTunes podcasting history. This week the guys got an email from an eager and ambitious listener, Skyler: I’m extremely passionate about entrepreneurship, however, I’ve found that it can be hard to find the right opportunities. So while I have the passion, I don’t think I have the necessary skills or experience at this point. One of my goals is to work for you guys at some point, so I just wanted to find out if there’s any one skill that I should try to develop over the next year or two? The guys chewed on the question for a couple days. What are they looking for in employees and contractors? What skill is any entrepreneur looking for in employees and contractors? At the end of all that thinking (and a bit of a Vietnamese food coma) they found 5 skillsets that will be vital to anyone looking to hustle their way to a life of freedom and opportunity.

Yeah Buddy! Another week and another chance to talk biznass is always a good combo. Once again Ian and Dan are talking marriage in business, discussing partnerships and what matters and what doesn’t in the listener questions. Thankfully Dan doesn’t nag Ian on his greasy oil change habits. Much. With all the questions coming in and advice going out here at LBP, Ian and Dan realized that may of the questions fall into 4 general categories.

Coming off the euphoric high of 100th Episode bliss, Dan and Ian settled in this week to get back to business making money…for others. That’s right, they’re kicking around some angel investment ideas that would end with a qualified start-up getting some runway to make their lifestyle business dream a reality. Is an angel investment accelerator worth the time, resource, and money effort or should they just stop pansying around and make some real investments? In the Meat & Potatoes, Dan takes to the interview seat to chat with Matt Paulson, who has saved the LBP from a fate worse than death – Site Server Error. When Matt isn’t swooping in like a boss to save Dan and Ian, he’s running a web content company that focuses on various consumer and financial websites and newsletters. Matt has managed to build a devoted following that constantly increases with new readers and customers by NOT focusing on his SERP and SEO strategies. Instead, he thinks Outside the Index and uses unorthodox content oriented strategies to continue to build and grow. Some of his best Outside the Index strategies include:  YouTube and Google image content  Content Writers vs. Scraping Content  Content Generating Sites like Bing and Yahoo Finance  News Search Engines (Not Your Average SERP)

Seems like only yesterday Dan was calling Ian from a noisy cafe in the Philippines to do up another episode of the Lifestyle Business Podcast. Oh wait. That was yesterday! If sports teams have throwback uniforms, consider this special 100th Episode of the Lifestyle Business Podcast a throwback episode, complete with some of our favorite music, quotes, and outtakes from the past 1000 Days of broadcasting this podcast. In this episode, Dan and Ian get a little nostalgic. Remembering the times they’ve had here at LBP, remembering the times that they were away. Most importantly they are digging deep to share the things that worked for them, the things they’ve screwed up, and their hopes for the future of the biznass and LBP. So what are the Bunches of Stuff Dan & Ian Have Screwed Up In The Past 1000 Days? In no particular order…  Perspective on What It Really Takes To Get Momentum  One Thing: Shit Takes Forever  Location is EVERYTHING and Location is Nothing (Same Goes For Money)  You Don’t Need A VA (Gasp?! From the Original Outsourcing To The Philippines Guy?!)  They Would Have Paid Themselves More  Invest In A Good Tax and Money Guy Not to get too sentimental…but the LBP wouldn’t be hitting 100 Episodes without the balla support of our listeners. You guys make it fun to show up every week and talk freedom and opportunity for 20-30 minutes. Thanks for being so awesome! What are the plans for the upcoming 1000 Days/100 Episodes?  Found a Disruptive Business  Help 1000 Entrepreneurs Make A Switch To Running Their Own Business  Help our Dynamite Circle Members Create an Extra $10K in Annual Income  LEARN. IMPROVE. PLATFORM.

This week I decided to get back to my roots, fire up my dorky headset, and do another Tropical Talk Radio (iTunes link). Today we ask the question: do you think it’s likely that you’ll have $1,000,000 in your personal bank account in 5 years? You might be surprised by the way some young entrepreneurs answer the question. I was first introduced to my guests Tim and Nick by my friend Sean Ogle, and since that time I’ve enjoyed following what they are up to in China (I’m also proud to call them DCers!). These guys talk about doing business in China, and accelerating your entrepreneurial career by making the jump to Asia. I like the metaphor Tim and Nick use: “lose the [corporate] ladder, take the elevator.” One of the most useful pieces of small business advice I’ve ever heard is: “9 out of 10 small businesses track with market.” I believe the same principle can apply to your life and career. A rising tide lifts all boats

Less than 72 hours after we launched The Tropical MBA program exclusively to members of Dynamite Circle and then our pre-sale listeners, we have already SOLD OUT these first two sessions. Thanks so much – blown away, humbled, and excited as hell barely begin to scrape the surface of how we feel about that! This week Dan & Ian get a little Starsky & Hutch, bringing 70’s yacht rock back in style with Bad Company’s “Shooting Star” as they look at what makes a person or business so successful you watch them burst across the sky like a shooting star, lighting up the night.

All this thinking has led to a higher-than-average consumption of wine and Bintang, a lot of power naps, Ian taking up hot yoga, and some epic brainstorming. Why are some ridiculous people successful? Why do otherwise brilliant ideas fail? Can you really source an entire business set-up buying gigs on Fiverr? The key, as outlined by Steven Pressfield in The Art of War, is resistance. Resistance is rarely obvious in it’s inception and even harder to identify once you are fully entrenched. That’s why it’s so important to keep an eye out for these 8 Lesser Recognized Forms Of The Resistance: 1. Anything that prevents you from having the best product 2. Being smart 3. Rationalizing your job 4. Doing SEO, tech, specialization that you aren’t specialized in 5. Having people sign NDA’s 6. Going to conferences to learn critical information 7. Getting your friends to partner up 8. Hiring interns, VA’s, and other employees without knowing what’s what?

Who knew portable bars could be such a successful pursuit? Dan and Ian did, of course. And that’s where their time has been lately. Freestyling their content a bit this week, they take to their inboxes to answer some listener questions and discuss business strategy. Dishing out the free content for all the hustlers out there, ’cause it ain’t where you’ve been but where you’re about to go. Like a boss.

Things are exciting in the TMBA / LBP world as Ian and Dan work to put together a unique experience for 10 aspiring entrepreneurs. Start-Up August isn’t just some make money quick conference – if they wanted to do that there’d be a lot more hugging and Dan would bring his guitar to strum out some Kum-Ba-Yah ditties. Instead, this will be an intense three month mastermind process culminating in a two-week all expense paid experience at a resort in the Philippines. You know, that place that Dan and Ian have been gallivanting around for the past month playing in mud-carts and sipping wine on the deck overlooking the ocean. (They’re so classy…) Start-Up August will hit on 4 Key Points To Getting Your Biz Off The Ground:  Don’t Unnecessarily Spend Money (Philippines is one of the top baselining spots in the world)  Have an Amazing Support Network. (DC, in-person, 10 start-ups take on the world)  Clear Action Plan (Something you can excel at– we can help you, hold your feet to the fire)  Work Your Ass Off (The 2-week experience offers a controlled environment, teamwork, healthy food, exercise, etc) Still in the planning stages, the guys are looking for input and feedback on the program.

With Ian back stateside and Dan back in Bali, the guys have said goodbye (for now) to their time in the Philippines and are back to biznass. This week, they are chatting about the re-launch of their lifestyle business site, Tropical Work Force. During their time chatting up colleagues and friends in the Philippines, they learned that many entrepreneurs were interested in hiring “interns” of their own to grow their businesses and share their knowledge with. Having been through this process ten times now, Dan & Ian have quite a bit of experience helping people become location independent while working to grow their companies. Some of the experience is great and some…well…let’s just say they learned a lot. Overall, they came up with 5 Tips To A Successful Internship 1. Paid Vs. Unpaid – Put your money where your intern is 2. Get a commitment – Make the gig full-time 3. Give them space – Create opportunities for them to network and meet your peers (Apartment, Join you in your house, Dynamite Circle forums) 4. Ride ’em hard – These folks aren’t your average employee, challenge them and believe you have something to offer 5. Touch base – No one likes to be micromanaged, but you need to have open communication with your interns

Even though Dan & Ian’s travel adventures in the Philippines are winding down for now, they’ll be back. The folks they’ve been able to hang out with the past few weeks are straight ballin’, entrepreneurs and business owners with at least six figures kicking around in an account or five. Whether they’re hobnobbing with the Vice President of the Philippines or dirt biking through the jungle, they’ve been absorbing all the advice these guys have to offer. It isn’t all yachts and big payout investments though. In this episode learn the 6 Financial Secrets that Dan & Ian have gathered from their conversations and observations. Things like:  How To Handle Your Mindset Like a Poker Player  Avoiding Itchy Feet and “I Finally Have Money” Euphoria  Having a Solid Fall Back Position  Supply, Demand, and Running Out of Stock  What Should You Borrow Against?  Dinari, Florida Swampland, and Other “No-Fail” Investments

What good is a location independent lifestyle business if you can’t enjoy it? Dan & Ian join us from the beach at Badladz Resort in Puerto Galera where they have been adventuring around the shooting range, playing with go-carts on the back roads, cutting deals and hustlin’ connections like a boss, and relaxing/karaokeing with friends in various cities across the Philippines. Taking a break from pounding the pavement, this week they’re talking about the most important entrepreneurial skillset one can possess. It isn’t a degree or marketing plan or venture capitalist in your back pocket. It’s all in your head. We’re talking mindset. Set against the lull of ocean waves and sea breeze, Dan & Ian break the entrepreneurial mindset down into 4 Basic Points: 1. Don’t work with assholes 2. How to handle “free work” 3. Success time frames 4. Johnny vs. Jeffie – A tale of two approaches to entrepreneurship and advice

Like the ballers that they are, Dan and Ian recorded this week’s podcast from the ballroom of the hotel they are staying at in Cebu City as they travel around SE Asia visiting with LBP listeners and members of the Dynamite Circle. With the popularity of their recent podcast which answered listener questions (and their overflowing in-boxes asking more questions) they decided to hunker down and discuss some answers. This was all after they nommed a killer gourmet cheese plate in the business lounge at the airport!

Ian landed in Bali last Saturday and it’s been all-biznass-all-the-time as we make the most out of his time here. No one should be surprised that they were able to do all their prep at Starbucks before. Good Chai, Ian? ;) This week Dan and Ian discuss two of the most misunderstood words in business:Hustler and Entrepreneur Listen to this episode and learn about: 1. Entrepreneurs Writing Scripts, Hustlers Executing Scripts. 2. Self Confidence vs.Product Confidence. 3. Ego / Money Focus vs. Product / Customer Focus. 4. Self Employed vs. Building Something Bigger. 5. Short Term vs. Long Term Thinking. Some of Dan & Ian’s upcoming Dreamlines?  Pay for personal assistants– sports massage therapist, business coach, nutritionist, personal assistnat. doctors and dentists.  Get a book contract.  Summit about hyper-internationalization and micro-multinationals with some of the world’s premier location independent entrepreneurs.  Lead investments in disruptive platform style companies in our industries. 150+ spare, IE angel investor.  Concretely help 100 people make the lifestyle transition and a significant portion of the DC make 10K.  Business class on every flight. (how can we hack this???)

Ian managed to pick himself up from a nasty spin-out on the racetrack this week to join Dan as they reveal their most recent product launch and discuss the strategy that they used to find the niche and then dominate it. Additionally, with listener questions pouring in they take the time to chat about some real problems people have experienced and how they might be able to get back on track. Listen to this episode and learn about:  Picking up some contract work to bankroll savings and pay down debt – is it a good path to entrepreneurship?  Avoiding self-sabotage, inaction, and disbelief while building your lifestyle business.  How to use online email marketing services and which are best for some slightly shady deals Also in this episode, Dan and Ian disclose for the FIRST time on Lifestyle Business Podcast one of their product businesses: Portable Bar Company. Using the Rip, Pivot, and Jam method they were able to find a niche, apply known business practices, and rock out a successful product line.  Rip – Identify if others in the niche are making money from it  Pivot – Bring it to a new market / new approach  Jam – Crash the boards with 100% energy This is also how they have built the private blog network that will be available for a limited number of subscribers starting next week (email Dan for more information and pricing)

Dan and Ian invited the guys from AdSense Flippers on the show to chat entrepreneur to entrepreneur (to entrepreneur to entrepreneur!) about what it’s like to start a podcast, hire employees, and provide constructive criticism or feedback. Then they get into it and talk about the realities of business partnerships and what it’s like to build a life together. Listen to this episode and learn about: The high caliber of aspiring location independent interns and freelancers Why a business partnership can be so similar to a marriage Planning out your financial and life goals when you have someone else to consider Letting certain ships sail and still maintaining fundamental respect The critical junctures when your workflow should and should not overlap Why it is important to imagine the eventual successes as well as evaluating the day-to-day of your operation Have fun. Leave a comment. Give us a ring. 888-554-8428. Go make it happen! :)

Taking to the masses, Dan and Ian take a few questions from listeners on a broad range of topics vital to anyone looking to start, grow or expand their business. Listen to this episode and learn about: A closer look at micro-publishing and blogging with some convo about standing desks (Question from Justin Treptow of CubeSapien.com) The dirty little truth behind the 4-Hour Workweek and start-ups Whether to incorporate and some of the possible implications (Question from Jim Johnson of AccentHelp.com) How to get referrals and then act on them (Question from Ryan of SanAntonioSEO.com) Graduating college with a boatload of student loan debt and making career decisions with that in mind Have fun. Leave a comment. Give us a ring. 888-554-8428. Go make it happen! :)

After waxing a little philosophic about education and career prospects, Dan and Ian dig into the things that no one ever taught them in any business class or course. Listen to this episode and learn about: Real risks involved in cash profit and how it flows like water The Art of Entrepreneurship and how not to go crazy in your niche A simple mathematic formula for getting the most out of your networking efforts The value you add to your business and your role in that value Universal truths about public opinion Make sure to listen thru to the end for the one GMail hack that changed Dan’s life Have fun. Leave a comment. Give us a ring. 888-554-8428. Go make it happen! :)

After taking a Christmas break, Dan and Ian got together to discuss 4 online business trends that you shouldn’t miss in 2012. Listen to this episode and learn about: How small businesses can benefit from tax saving strategies that have been reserved to the big players until recently. Amazing opportunities to grow your business by hiring in 2012. The secret weapon that revolutionized Dan and Ian’s business. Why you should get onto the micropublishing bandwagon. Have fun. Leave a comment. Give us a ring. 888-554-8428. Go make it happen! :)

This week, Dan, Ian and special guest Matt Kowalak talk about how you can get started sourcing products from China. Matt has been living in China for almost a decade and specializes on sourcing. Listen to this podcast and learn: Why so many people are getting into selling physical products (instead of information) How to get started with sourcing products from China How to avoid getting ripped off Where to find manufacturers … and much more. Tip: Make sure to scroll down further to read some more advice from Matt after listening to the podcast. Have fun. Leave a comment. Give us a ring. 888-554-8428. Go make it happen! :)

This week, Dan and Ian talk about how you can get started living the “Four Hour Workweek”-dream and make money from anywhere in the world. Listen to this podcast and learn: How to get started with your “Four Hour Workweek”-business How millionaires deal with their personal finances Why you should quit your job … and much more. Have fun. Leave a comment. Give us a ring. 888-554-8428. Go make it happen! :)

DISCLAIMER: We do not have appropriate qualifications to be handing out medical advice. Consult with your doctor before you take any supplements or drugs. Please don’t take our advice as anything more than a random person’s opinion. It is intended for your entertainment purposes only. Hopefully this sort of content will inspire you to explore ways to improve your health. Today Ian and I sat down with the SEO expert and body hacker Travis Jamison of SupremacySEO to discuss smart drugs and supplement stacks for brain and body optimization. Travis owns a supplement company and has experimented extensively with a broad range of vitamins, minerals, and other drugs. We’ve long been interested in smart drugs and dietary supplements, but have found that taking the first steps to be extraordinarily confusing. In this episode, Ian and I try to get the best “first steps” for people interested in body and brain optimization through the use of supplements, nootropics, and drugs.

This week, Dan and Ian talk about some news items and replay one of their most popular classic episodes. Listen to this weeks episode to learn of: A new project that Dan and Ian launched this week. An amazing TropicalMBA-style internship opportunity. One of Dan and Ian’s biggest business failures (it ended them costing $6k and Ian wasted one month in China because of it). Have fun. Leave a comment. Give us a ring. 888-554-8428. Go make it happen! :)

So Ian (the CEOh-yeah!) and I sat down tonight to talk about a bunch of stuff, but ended up instead telling the story of the Tropical MBA internships and how we plan to scale it through our new [UPDATE (1/2015): now retired] job site, TropicalWorkForce.com. The purpose of the TWF is to connect location independent entrepreneurs with freelancers providing services or aspiring digital nomades. Right now there are a lot of services posted on there– all services are pre-qualified by yours truly. I know these people, so we aren’t dealing with complete strangers here. Our hope is to inspire our fellow location independent entrepreneurs to post about 1 internship opportunity a week– that would be about 50 next year. If we can’t meet that goal, I think Ian and I can help pad that stats by offering our own internship opportunities! We’ll also be posting our internships at TWF going forward. If you have any questions about the site, or suggestions as to how we can make it better, I’d love to hear your thoughts! Speaking of awesome– Tropical Talk Radio has been featured on iTunes and has already received 10 5-star reviews. I really appreciate you taking the time to review the show and help us grow our listenership! Ian and I love doing the show, and getting great reviews from you guys (plus critical suggestions via email!) keeps us motivated and pumped up to do the show.

This week, Dan and Ian interview Tim Conley from the Foolish Adventure Podcast. Tim has been an internet entrepreneur for many years and focuses on information publishing and consulting. Listen to this episode and learn: How Tim got 7000 unique visitors on the day that he launched Foolish Adventure. Why more product launches fail than you think Why blogging and podcasting are still good businesses to get into, even though there are millions of competitors. Have fun. Leave a comment. Give us a ring. 888-554-8428. Go make it happen! :)

Today I pulled Simon and Travis together to talk about some mindset issues. We were having an conversation for a few hours about our businesses, backstories, and relationships and… man I wish I would have had the tape running for that… anyway, I finally pulled out the mic and asked the guys to try and bring out some of key advice and concrete tips they have for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Another episode where we let it all hang out. Underdeveloped theories about sex and marriage? Check. F-bomb ladened rants about software start-ups? Check. Talking shit about people we shouldn’t be talking shit about? Check. Join us @ the TMBA compound for our Saturday night sit down where we talk about cash runway and a HUGE problem we see with tons of entrepreneurs who are creating web-based start-ups.

This week, Dan and Ian interview SEO expert Travis Jamison from SupremacySEO.com. Travis isn’t your typical SEO consultant. He developed a product in a highly competitive niche (health) and had to figure out how to rank #1 for his keywords. Travis accomplished his goal and outranked health companies and government websites using grey hat SEO tactics. Listen to this episode and learn: Why you won’t read about the best SEO tactics out there on blogs like SEOMoz. How to use a grey hat blog network to increase your rankings. The most important part in ranking #1 in the post Google Panda world. Travis also shares his favorite SEO tools in the quick tips section. Have fun. Leave a comment. Give us a ring. 888-554-8428. Go make it happen! :)

Today I sat down with TMBA #6 Aamir Chishtie to discuss his affiliate marketing success story. Without a doubt, affiliate marketing is one of the best ways to make a living while you travel the world. Problem? 99% of people fail. Aamir is one of the few who have cracked the code. In this episode, I do my best to pull out the absolute best, no-bullshit resources on how to generate online affiliate income. Listen in and let us know your thoughts!

Today Ian and I braved some of Indonesia’s craziest roads to find ourselves a treat from home– American coffee! We fired up our new Blue Yetti mic to share some war stories from a million dollar year in our business, waxed philosophic about the magic of being an expat, and shared some critical strategies for our business in 2012.

This week’s episode features Rob Walling from Software by Rob and Startups for the Rest of Us. Rob runs several online niche businesses (mostly software). Dan and Ian are huge fans of Rob and are super excited about having Rob on the show. Listen to this episode and learn: How you can speed-up your (entrepreneurial) learning by years Rob’s favorite books An exciting new SEO tool for bloggers and e-commerce store owners – get more traffic with little effort In the quick-tips you’ll learn of a Mac software tip, Ian’s favorite headphones, the best mic for audio recording and a plane-travel hack. Have fun. Leave a comment. Give us a ring. 888-554-8428. Go make it happen! :)

***Please note this episode is extremely explicit and potentially offensive. The F-bomb is prominently featured. If you don’t like ignorant dudes shooting from the hip, I say man, don’t bother. In this episode of TTR we also get a little negative, which is something we wouldn’t do on the Lifestyle Business Podcast. The LBP is focused on being useful for entrepreneurs. Tropical Talk Radio is more about being fun, and being real. Hopefully we can entertain and inspire for a certain subset of twisted entrepreneurial brethren.

Last night I sat down with Ian, Travis, and Simon before we went out on the town to discuss some cutting edge SEO techniques that are working for some highly competitive key terms (all a bit naughty, of course!). We also got an inside look on how Simon created his ecommerce store from scratch in less than a year, and how he is out-maneuvering the big guys with some clever tactics

This episode is primarily focused on tax strategies for Americans. My friends David and Carrie McKeegan were kind enough to host a pool party the other day, so I decided to bring along my mic to learn a little bit more about expat tax tricks. They run a very successful expat tax consultancy called GreenbackTaxServices.com. It’s a fantastic example of a scalable “micro-multiational” lifestyle business. It’s enabled David and Carrie to travel as the please and live in some amazing places. David said something that caught my attention the other day. He said if you are an American traveler or an expat, the single most profound financial decision you can make is to qualify for the earned income exclusion. His caveat was “if you make under 500,000K annually in personal income.” That’s, ahem, most of us…

Dan and Ian got together to talk about some grey hat SEO, internet marketing and business tricks. Topics discussed include How to get media/magazine mentions for your products. How to make Search Engines believe that your sites are being updated regularly (this is important for rankings). How to get more people to open e-mail blasts you send them. How (manufactured) drama can create a buzz around your product. And much more. In the quick-tips you’ll learn of a tool that makes you a better writer and how to make your audio sound better. This Sunday the price of DynamiteCircle, our community for entrepreneurs will go up forever. Join today and get locked in at the low price-level for life. Have fun. Leave a comment. Give us a ring. 888-554-8428. Go make it happen! :)

It’s no secret that Ian and I love podcasting. Our heros are people like Howard Stern and Adam Carolla. Their shows (and many other radio programs) helped keep us company while we worked long hours at crappy jobs, and they continue to keep us laughing while we take long plane flights or just a walk around the block. Over the past few years, our podcast has attracted an audience of high calibre entrepreneurs and professionals. Each episode is downloaded by thousands of individuals (or iTunes clients). So far we’ve created 79 episodes, and received an insane 87 5-star reviews on iTunes. YEAH BUDDY!!! Tropical Talk Radio Should Be in iTunes This Week So why create a new podcast? For a long time now, Ian and I have wanted to produce more shows. We have a lot more to share than 10 to 20 minutes of talk a week. Building businesses is our whole life. This isn’t just a hobby! We thought about putting out more informal shows at the LBP feed, but were hesitant to mess with the integrity of that show. It’s got a solid format, loyal fans, and a strong focus on highly actionable, useful business information. With Tropical Talk Radio we’d like to explore a format that allows us to share some more personal thoughts about life, travel, business, and anything else that is on our mind. We’d also like to share more of our experiences as they happen on the ground. We have interesting conversations with amazing people everyday. Why not start turning on the recorder? Our goal here is to create a show that focuses a more on entertainment, inspiration, and narrative. It’ll be more about having a good time. Basically, we don’t want to have to live up to the standards we’ve set for ourselves! I’d also like to warn you, this new podcast will contain very explicit language and content, and will likely reveal facets of our personalties that aren’t as universally palatable. I’m sure we come off as total d-bags to plenty of people– that’s fine, we aren’t going to edit ourselves on this show. Please listen at your own discretion.

This week’s episode features a very special guest: Sebastian Marshall. Dan, Ian and Sebastian talk about how to hack performance and get more shit done. Topics discussed include Time tracking and how it works. Diet optimisation. Neural enhancer supplements. Putting a dolar value on your time. The equal odds theory (or: why Einstein was more successful than the average scientist) In the quick-tips section, Dan and Ian talk about caffeine and an excellent productivity blog. Do you want to take your business to the next level? Learn from other successful entrepreneurs and check out DynamiteCircle, our community for entrepreneurs. Have fun. Leave a comment. Give us a ring. 888-554-8428. Go make it happen! :)

This week, Dan and Ian talk about what they would do if they were to start from scratch in 2011. The answer might surprise you. Dan and Ian also ask a bunch of listener questions, including How to increase your chances of success when applying for a job (or the Tropical MBA)? How to be persistent? What should I do if I have no time and ressources to start a business? In the quick-tips section, Dan and Ian talk about the latest iOS version and their favorite iPhone apps. Do you want to take your business to the next level? Learn from other successful entrepreneurs and check out DynamiteCircle, our community for entrepreneurs. Have fun. Leave a comment. Give us a ring. 888-554-8428. Go make it happen! :)

This week, Dan sat down with DCers Joe and Justin from AdsenseFlippers (one of Dan’s favorite blogs) to talk BIZNASS. These guys have a ton of hard-won business experience, an incredible story, and a scalable, repeatable business model that you can quickly draw lessons and inspiration from. WE LOVE THIS BLOG. These guys are 100% legit, quality business guys with a great lifestyle biz. Go subscribe now, you won’t be disappointed. Do you want to take your business to the next level? Learn from other successful entrepreneurs and check out DynamiteCircle, our community for entrepreneurs. Have fun. Leave a comment. Give us a ring. 888-554-8428. Go make it happen! :)

This week, Dan and Ian are joined by a special guest: Brendan Tully from the Search Engine Shop (Dynamite Circle member, SEO, e-commerce and conversion optimization specialist). Brendan, Dan and Ian discuss the concept of Critical Non-Essentials (CNEs). CNEs are small changes that you can make to your business that bring huge results. The results that CNEs bring are super effective – changing a couple of small things could account for 99% of your improvements (thus 99/1 principle – forget the 80/20 principle). This Episode is features 8 useful CNEs that you can implement immediately, no matter if you run a consulting, e-commerce, software or more traditional business. Do you want to take your business to the next level? Learn from other successful entrepreneurs and check out DynamiteCircle, our community for entrepreneurs. Have fun. Leave a comment. Give us a ring. 888-554-8428. Go make it happen! :)

Are you interested in content businesses? Dan and Ian certainly are and plan to focus more heavily on web properties like blogs and niche communities in the future. In this episode Dan and Ian talk about 4 ways to monetize an existing content site starting today. If you don’t already have a site, you’ll get inspiration and information on what kind of projects you should tackle next. They don’t just talk theory, Dan and Ian also announce their latest content site (which is not related to lifestyle/business) to the world. Other topics discussed are the new Tropical MBA internship #9, Bali and an iPhone game that Ian is addicted to. Do you want to take your business to the next level? Check out DynamiteCircle, our community for entrepreneurs. Have fun. Leave a comment. Give us a ring. 888-554-8428. Go make it happen! :)

In this week’s episode, Dan and Ian talk about common small business myths. Learning about big, successful companies can be inspiring, but many entrepreneurs make the mistake of trying to copy their ways of doing business. The fact is that a company like Apple or Nike approaches marketing (and all other parts of running a business) entirely different than you should run your business. Listen to this episode to learn of the three most harmful myths. In the quick tips section radio DJ Dan Lyons gives podcasting advice. Furthermore, Ian recommends a podcast interview with “4 hour”-guru Tim Ferriss. Do you want to take your business to the next level? Check out DynamiteCircle, our community for entrepreneurs. Have fun. Leave a comment. Give us a ring. 888-554-8428. Go make it happen! :)

This week, Dan and Ian answer a bunch of listener questions. Topics include An in depth discussion on hiring (including: how to delegate, how to find cheap talent, …) Trade show hacks that Dan and Ian use (hustling involved) How Dan and Ian first got started when they founded their business 4 years ago The quick tips section features Rob Walling’s (from Startups For the Rest of Us) top 3 sticky apps of 2011. We just launched DynamiteCircle, our community for entrepreneurs. Check it out. Have fun. Leave a comment. Give us a ring. 888-554-8428. Go make it happen! :)

In this episode, Dan and Ian unveil their private community for entrepreneurs, DynamiteCircle. The “meat and potatoes” section features an interview with Sean Ogle who is launching his product Location Rebel. Check out Location Rebel if you want to quit your job and make the leap into location independence. Sean and Dan discuss 5 mindsets that will break or make your entrepreneurial ventures. They also discuss how Sean ended up becoming one of the top lifestyle design bloggers. In the quick tips section you’ll learn how Dan got 200 new subscribers to his RSS-feed overnight. We just launched DynamiteCircle, our forum for entrepreneurs. Check it out. Have fun. Leave a comment. Give us a ring. 888-554-8428. Go make it happen! :)

In this episode, Dan and Ian talk about 9 tough truths about running or starting your business that bloggers won’t tell you about. Starting a business requires a lot of sweat, tears and sacrifices. You’ll feel lost or depressed every once in a while. You’ll have to stay at home while your friends go out and have expensive cocktails. Friends and family won’t understand or support what you’re doing. This episode is dedicated to these less glamourous parts of entrepreneurship. Dan and Ian also share their top 3 tips for people who are getting started with their business. In the quick tips section Dan and Ian talk about some of their favorite software and a really funny video. If you want to support the show, check out our first 50 episodes on sale. Have fun. Leave a comment. Give us a ring. 888-554-8428. Go make it happen! :)

After the successful sale of OutsourceToThePhilippines.com (and making more than $200 per post), Dan an Ian discuss content/blogging strategies. While they often make fun of blogging, providing high quality content to the right niche can be very lucrative. In this episode, you’ll learn how to identify a profitable niche how to come up with content one content strategy that caters loyal readers and long-tail search terms alike and a lot more In the quick tips section Dan and Ian recommend one of their favorite business books. There’s also a heads up for US citizens about an important upcoming IRS deadline. If you want to support the show, check out our first 50 episodes on sale. Have fun. Leave a comment. Give us a ring. 888-554-8428. Go make it happen! :)

This week, Dan and Ian answer a reader question about Hong Kong incorporation. You’ll learn What Dan and Ian’s HK incorporation experience was like. How much incorporating costs. Why internet business owners should set up a corporation in Hong Kong. Hong Kong vs. Singapore Hong Kong vs. the Philippines The quick tips will introduce you to a tool that makes your Mac even faster, a tool that makes using your computer at night easier on the eyes and some great podcasting advice from Dan Lyons. If you want to support the show, check out our first 50 episodes on sale. Have fun. Leave a comment. Give us a ring. 888-554-8428. Go make it happen! :)

In this Episode, Dan and Ian announce how the sale of their blog, OutsourceToThePhilippines.com, went. You will learn why they decided that it was time to sell this property and that Chris Ducker is the new owner. Chris is the only guy in the outsourcing industry whose products Dan and Ian have backed in the past (e.g. Virtual Staff Finder) so he’s the perfect buyer. This week’s meat & potatoes section consists of an interview with Chris Ducker. Dan and Chris talk about Chris’ future plans with OutsourceToThePhilippines. Outsourcing tips. How much you can expect to pay your home-based VA. What inspires Chris to keep working hard everyday in an environment (Philippines) where many other expats don’t have a similar drive. In the quick tips section you will learn of a piece of software that finally makes running and building membership sites both easy for the owner and usable for the customers. If you want to support the show, check out our first 50 episodes on sale. Have fun. Leave a comment. Give us a ring. 888-554-8428. Go make it happen! :)

In this week’s episode, Dan and Ian talk about hustling. Most people are better at talking about hustling than actually getting it done. Tweeting that you are hustling doesn’t mean you’re hustlin’. :) Just sitting in front of your laptop for 60 hours/week is not enough. If you listen to this episode, “The Tao of the Hustle”, you’ll learn the character traits that make an authentic hustler. In the quick tips section you’ll learn of a tool that makes working at night less eye-straining. If you are a Reddit-fan you will also appreciate the Reddit enhancer that helps you waste even more time on Reddit. If you want to support the show, check out our first 50 episodes on sale. Have fun. Leave a comment. Give us a ring. 888-554-8428. Go make it happen! :)

This week, Dan is speaking to you from Bali while Ian is back in San Diego after a trip to Washington, DC. In order to stick to the promised weekly schedule, this is a re-publish of Episode #28 (Dan and Ian recorded a brand new 4-minute intro.) This episode is all about visualizing. Dan and Ian visualized their target revenue to be $100,000 a year ago. As of this month, this goal is reached. You will learn how to grow your business by having a clear vision. Dan and Ian also address the difference between wishful thinking and reaching your goals. Have fun. Leave a comment. Give us a ring. 888-554-8428. Go make it happen! :)

Dan and Ian talk about 6 tips that both help you get a date and make more sales. Sales and seduction techniques are strikingly similar in many ways, studying one will also improve your success in the other area. If you want to support the show, check out our first 50 episodes on sale. Have fun. Leave a comment. Give us a ring. 888-554-8428. Go make it happen! :)

Dan and Ian just finalized their Hong Kong incorporation and announce a new publishing schedule for the Lifestyle Business Podcast. There has been an incredible explosion of new listeners to the podcast over the last few months. Therefore, Dan and Ian re-introduce themselves and their business beliefs in this episode. They talk about: How much money Dan and Ian are they making from this podcast Why there are too many solopreneurs out there Why you should avoid taking loans Why niche sites suck Why having real skills, not following a bullet-proof formula is going to make you successful How the technological revolution of the last decade created an incredible amount of opportunities for entrepreneurs In the quick tip section, Dan and Ian talk about the best e-commerce platform out there if you don’t wanna deal with technical hurdles and developers. Dan also provides a tip on dental health. If you want to support the show, check out our first 50 episodes on sale. Have fun. Leave a comment. Give us a ring. 888-554-8428. Go make it happen! :)

Dan and Ian travelled 5 different countries over the last few weeks. Each of these places comes with many reasons to do business or live. In this episode, you’ll find out why Dan and Ian travel, live and do business in the following locations: USA China Bali/Indonesia Philippines Hong Kong Besides that, we have a quick tip that will increase your email productivity and give you updates on what we’ve been up to (had a party in the Philippines, rented a house in Bali, ran a new internship.) You’ll also learn why Hong Kong is the best place to incorporate if you’re doing online business. If you want to support the show, check out our first 50 episodes on sale. Have fun. Leave a comment. Give us a ring. 888-554-8428. Go make it happen! :)

Did you read the Four Hour Work Week and are struggling to get your business off the ground? In this podcast episode, Dan and Ian discuss 7 common mistakes that aspiring entrepreneurs make. Building a business isn’t an easy undertaking. Listen to this podcast if you want to build a 4 Hour Work Week business, you may be making some of these deadly mistakes. If you want to support the show, check out our first 50 episodes on sale. Have fun. Leave a comment. Give us a ring. 888-554-8428. Go make it happen! :) Pimpin an affiliate offer. Yeah Buddy! If you are involved in any kind of Search Engine Optimization activities (you should – search traffic means money), make sure to check out Market Samurai. Our in house SEO team uses Market Samurai and makes us five figures a month because of it. Try it for free.

Dan and Ian talk about common traps and mistakes that people make when building an information marketing business. They also reveal the architecture of their upcoming membership sites. In the quick-tips, you’ll learn of a potentially life-changing read. Enjoy!

In this episode, Dan and Ian talk about rule breaking and rule making. As an entrepreneur, you can’t always wait for somebody else to give you permission. You have to make your own rules. In the quick tips, a few useful iPhone apps are discussed. Enjoy! If you want to support the show, check out our first 50 episodes on sale. Have fun. Leave a comment. Give us a ring. 888-554-8428. Go make it happen! :)

In this episode, Dan and Ian talk about character traits and principles that self-made millionaires have in common. Dan is currently hanging out with some multi millionaire friends in Subic Bay. These successful entrepreneurs think and act very different than the average working class person. You’ll learn of 9 millionaire principles that you can start implementing today. If you want to support the show, check out our first 50 episodes on sale. Have fun. Leave a comment. Give us a ring. 888-554-8428. Go make it happen! :)

Today, Dan and Ian compare going solo to hiring people and building a team. Almost everybody in the “lifestyle business” niche thinks that not having a team is the road to more freedom, less hassle, location independence or a “4 hour work week”. Dan and Ian’s case is the exact opposite: having a team and hiring people gives you more freedom (and also increases your chances of success) than flying solo. If you want to support the show, check out our first 50 episodes on sale. Have fun. Leave a comment. Give us a ring. 888-554-8428. Go make it happen! :)

Today, Dan and Ian discuss how to get started sourcing physical products from China. Furthermore, they discuss some of their own business failures. Have fun. Leave a comment. Give us a ring. 888-554-8428. Go make it happen! :) This episode is sponsored by wordpress designers and developers, Gut Shot Studios.

Today, Dan and Ian talk about 10 tactics that shady businessmen use. Dan and Ian DO NOT use or encourage any of these tactics, this episode is entirely hypothetical. Have fun. Leave a comment. Give us a ring. 888-554-8428. Go make it happen! :) This episode is sponsored by wordpress designers and developers, Gut Shot Studios.

Today, Dan and Ian talk about 7 ways how you (and your business) can profit from going location independent. Thanks to the Internet, globalization and tools that weren’t available a couple of years ago (e.g. Skype), it’s easier than ever before to go location independent. Not only is it fun to be location independent, it also has the potential to make you a bunch of cash. Have fun. Leave a comment. Give us a ring. 888-554-8428. Go make it happen! :)

Dan and Ian talk about 5 common myths about internet businesses. Other topics include using video to enhance your online presence, freight forwarders, how to never miss an international conference call again and a new invention that will revolutionize the world.

In this episode, Dan and Ian have a special guest: @SeanOgle. Sean is a successful online entrepreneur who works with Dan and Ian. Together, they discuss a fail proof method for success (hint: it has to do with networking). Furthermore, they talk about new findings from the SEO trenches. Have fun. Leave a comment. Give us a ring. 888-554-8428. Go make it happen! :)

In this episode, Dan and Ian talk about 5 signs why you might be a loser. These are 5 common issues that hinder entrepreneurial progress. The right mindset is one of the most important components if you want to crush it. In the quick tips section, Dan and Ian talk about how they lost 20 pounds in 8 week without exercise and how to never forget anything ever again. Our live podcast on Ustream last week was a big success. Thanks to everybody who tuned in. We’ll have a live podcast once a month from now on. Have fun. Leave a comment. Give us a ring. 888-554-8428. Go make it happen! :)

Today, Dan and Ian continue their discussion on how to finally get started with your business for $300 or less (part 1 here). After deciding on your product, you will learn how to line out your product in more detail, come up with a unique selling proposition and test your product without actually producing it. Dan & Ian also reveal a few naughty tricks that some of their friends used. Depending on your local laws, these tricks might be illegal. It’s your responsibility to check your laws. We do not encourage illegal activities. This is the 50th anniversary episode of the Lifestyle Business Podcast. Expect a lot more to come in 2011.

A lot of people have been asking for more content focused on getting started with your online business. This is fun content for us to produce because I feel like we are always starting something new! We’ve got a lot of people around us doing the same so in this episode we start to talk about one slightly naughty approach you can take to getting started online. This is a long conversation so we’ll chunk it up into multiple episodes. Yeah buddy. We’re going to ramp up podcast production a bit and have live episodes. From now on, we will be live on Ustream.tv every Sunday from 8-9pm PST (11pm EST). Go to Ustream and search for “Lifestyle Business Podcast”. The first 30 minutes will be content. After that (at 8:30), we open for any questions from the audience. Check out our first live broadcast: Sunday, Jan 16, 8pm PST. Have fun. Leave a comment. Give us a ring. 888-554-8428. Go make it happen! :)

Hey podcast listeners, we are back in a big way in 2011. We are going to see some incredible changes in 2011, most notably, Ian and I bought a company! In this episode we discuss 4 mistakes that we made in 2010 that cost us big time, and how we are aiming to solve those issues in 2011. Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season.

To be honest, the days I’ve had to fire employees have been some of the most difficult in my entire life. Moving on these tough decisions is critical for growing your business. I’ve seen businesses struggle big time because of the inability of entrepreneurs’ to make tough personel decisions. In this episode Ian and I talk about the dirty business of firing people for the benefit of your business.

One of the most common questions I’m asked is about how to get a web application developed. Many people have great ideas for new web technologies and with Elance just a few clicks away the temptation is huge to throw some money at your idea and get it live to the world. I’m sure this can work for some people, but I’ve screwed it up royally a few times, and I can off the top of my head list 5 friends who have done the same. Hope my story can prevent you from making the same errors! :)

We’ve got so many cool things coming up here on the podcast including my made in India software screw up mid next week, our internet marketing summit in Thailand, and our auto trading product launch (we’ll be sharing all the details!). That’s just the start! This episode is about a topic that has been destroying my inbox in the past 2 weeks. So many smart people are getting hung up on analysis paralysis, and trust me people, I feel ya. Here’s our best tips. We’ve beat it before and we’ll beat it again. Have fun. Leave a comment. Give us a ring. 888-554-8428. Go make it happen! :)

an and I have both been manufacturing products in China for over 5 years. In this episode we talk in detail about our plan to be a distributor of sport bike replacement fairings and why the whole thing fell apart. This episode is sponsored by wordpress designers and developers, Gut Shot Studios.

Hey party people, I just stepped foot back in Manila and I’m catching up on mounds of email. This episode was recorded about a week ago. We have had tons more going on and a few more KILLER iTunes reviews since that time, thanks to everyone who takes the time to say nice things about the show there. Looking forward to recording another show this week! :)

YO! How are you? I’ve been back in the old USA for over one week now and I’m having tons of thoughts about it (its been over a year!) I hope to write a few blog posts about it. In this episode Ian and I discuss concepts that regular listeners of the show are probably pretty used to hearing from us. We currently have a lot of overhead in our business and we are exploring ways to efficiently deploy our staff to stuff that makes us money. Last month we had a nice little revenue hit from a new product we developed using what we call PIVOT: Position, Iterate, Volley, Outsource, and Time. If that sounds like a big fat put-on, it kind of is, but we had fun using it as a structure to talk about the way we got this done. Also there are lots of random little tidbits in this episode plus an impassioned rant during the quick tip section. Interested to hear your thoughts! I’ll be in NYC all next week doin’ some biznass and meeting old friends, if you are around LET ME KNOW HOMIES!

Hello from the good old USA, I believe this is our first 100% USA ‘cast in over a year. Yeowwwza! This is a big long episode where we talk about a wide variety of topics. In particular, we talk about why I believe Virtual Staff Finder is currently the best way to get started hiring virtual assistants in the Philippines. Check out Virtual Staff Finder today and get a free copy of my 44,000 word book The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Outsourcing to the Philippines. It’s Friday night, I’m too tired to type more! Hope you all have a great weekend :)

Hello from Bali! I really like it here. So far Bali is proving to be charming, sophisticated, and beautiful. Certainly a nice break from the Philippines which be a bit rough around the edges. It was great to record a podcast in the same room as @AnythingIan ! We’ve been getting a lot of work done this week, both on our core business and on a brand new information product we are cooking up. We are going to walk our listeners through the process of starting an internet based business from the ground up. We are hoping you find it entertaining and perhaps even useful. We are also newbies at a lot of this stuff, so we are hoping to get some help from you guys as well!

Hello from Malaysia! Well everybody I’m almost ready to hop on to a plane to meet up with @anythingian in BALI of all places. We are both long overdue to un-plug from the daily duties of our current lifestyle business, and focus on launching a brand new site that has some really cool implications for our lifestyle and current business. We are looking forward to sharing all of that with you on the podcast, and I’m sure that if we can be more transparent with our stuff on this show the listeners would be a HUGE asset to making sure we do things right. Ahem, here’s a hint: In this episode we get a great follow up from @DallasCarter about his 808FIT.NET weight loss website. If you haven’t yet seen Dallas’ incredible story clicksie this link baby and check out how a guy drops 190 and turns into a sexy beast. Issaac Dudek (@isaacdudek) also called in to ask two questions about the mindset of outsourced employees (we focused on the Philippines exclusviely) and the kinds of technology is prevalent in the Philippines. For the meat and potatoes we discuss 4 tips for deciding if a market is worth attacking, these tips are once we recently implemented as we have in the past week chosen two new hot markets to attack (very excited about that!), in terms of execution we’ll be following similar steps we took to create a $6,000 site in 6 months (that site was the last niche we selected). For the quick tips we talk about screen capturing, webex, and how to create great ebook covers in under 10 minutes.

Yeah buddy welcome back to another episode of the Lifestyle Business Podcast, got a little hung up there on timing we’ve been doing a lot of traveling and have been VERY busy with visitors, investments, and having a little fun too! In this episode Ian and I break one of our social standards– in general we are very AGAINST unsolicited critical feedback (UCF!) but we had a nice discussion talking about Dallas Carter’s great website. None of this applies to Dallas necessarily because there are plenty of business reasons why he might be doing what he’s doing or he could just be busy like the rest of us, but we thought it was fun to discuss a website on air so we broke the rule. We love to receive UCF so if you wanna send us some lovin’ feel free to drop some bombs in the comments. We talk about tons of other stuff in this episode and plow through as many listener questions as we could and still get out under the 30 minute mark. If you want to ask us a question or have us take a peak at your website, don’t be shy we’ll probably get back to you! Good times:)

I’ve been spending so much time responding to emails it finally dawned on me that I could respond with a podcast. WOW. Sometimes I am slow. That’s the new policy. In most cases we’ll answer questions that can benefit the whole community. Not only is this more valuable to everyone listening to the show, but I’m sure it will work out well for the person asking the question as well. I have opinions, but I’m absolutely certain that our collective audience knows way more about these issues than me alone. I just proofed parts of this episode and there are even things in there I could phrase a totally different way or see from a different angle– I’m sure there are some things in there we are just flat WRONG about… that’s gonna happen a lot. I’m cool with being wrong– its way better than not publishing a podcast. Enjoy the show ! We’ve made a lot of broad sweeping generalizations about entire countries in this episode. I’m interested to hear your opinions about some of these questions….

Hey you guys are good for a lot of things but nobody stepped up to tell me getting an office was one big fat stupid idea! JOKE! Kidding…No, I think as entrepreneurs growing a new kind of business, there aren’t any hard and fast rules so we end up testing out a lot of new ideas to see if they stick. One of this year’s big experiements was starting a brick and mortar office here in the Philippines. I learned a TON from doing this but it wasn’t really creating the explosive growth we thought it had the potential to do. We’ve also decided that scaling into more “lifestyle” focused internships is a much more effective way to grow our business in the short term than radically increasing our overhead and support stuff (um… duh?) So its not that the office was outright BAD, its just that everyone made big sacrifices to make it happen, and most of them hit home where it hurt most. We were having less FUN and spending more time on stuff like commutes and pushing ourselves to work outside of our natural rhythms. The key thing here is going to bat. We change our minds about what is working in our business very often, and to me thats a sign that we are pushing in as many ways as possible to look for ways to grow our business and have more fun.

Heya everyone– I gotta say I feel I am SUPER qualified to talk about stuff that you shouldn’t do in your business. I’ve made a million mistakes, and some of the stuff we bring up in this episode is so damn tricky for me I still can’t get it right. I had a great time in Palawan this weekend– WOW what a place to visit, so quiet, so much to see and do and although there isn’t much of a tourism industry, its still very easy to make your way around. More on that on the next episode!

Part of the reason Ian and I love Gary Vee so much is that he talks about some basic business fundamentals that don’t get brought up by many online business gurus. The two biggest things that have made us money? Hustle, and getting on the damn phone. <—- watch this awesome Gary Vee cold call video. This episode is about the dirty side of building a lifestyle business– we bring up 5 more “alternative” principles that have helped us to get our business off the ground that you aren’t going to hear from the gurus. I briefly touch on an issue I want to flesh out a bit more in future episodes– “cost free travel.” I hate when my peanut brain tries to drag me in to an office in order to be productive or make some money. I want to be on planes, boats, and buses to exotic locations to meet with awesome people AND be making money while I’m doing it. I had an experience this weekend that makes me believe I’m getting there, more on that soon…. After that, we dedicate a full 7 minutes plus to Ian’s first run at a used car guide. For many entrepreneurs, transport makes up WAY TO MUCH of your yearly budget, and Ian is an absolute ninja at keeping those costs in line. If you are a car owner, we are hoping his guide to budget used car buying can be of some use. Enjoy! Get in touch if you have any questions on comments for the next Episode!

Dan and Ian discuss a post by Jason L. Baptiste of Cloudomatic made on Hacker News on how to be a millionaire in three years (or a really short time). They talk extensively about six out of the thirty seven tips from Jason’s post, such as leveraging skills you already know. In this new format, they also answer two reader questions: choosing a niche that makes money, and how to go about purchasing a laptop. (Dan’s Tip: Buy a Mac).

Dan and Ian talk about how they built a site that generates $6000 in revenue in five months and some great tips on niche selection. They also discuss why it’s important to have a phone number on your site, a great service to sell products, and a rant on the limitations of Quickbooks.

Dan and Ian discuss why you should become an expert in your industry, and ways you can become one. They also talk the importance of networking, and how being a part of a mastermind group will give you that social network, but also a support system. A critical part of an entrepreneurship. They also mention a couple of clever Gmail hacks, two SEO tips, and one file sharing software that has made their business easier.

Dan and Ian talk about how they manage their finances, the challenges of an LLC and how to hypothetically minimize your tax burden. Dan also briefly discusses three software tips while waxing on his new MacBook, while Ian reveals one program that could potentially change their business.

Dan and Sean talk about the importance of getting to know your team, old school marketing tips that will really get you to hustle, as well as Sean’s experience on the Tropical MBA and his first impression of the Philippines.

Dan and Tyrone Shum discuss how to build a membership site, how to execute a successful pre-launch, and how to cultivate online relationships with other entrepreneurs.

A housekeeping episode where Ian and I talk about the future of this show and how our business is evolving around it. Its a good one for you folks who have been around a while!

The audio quality of this podcast starts off pretty rough and then improves around the 2:00 mark. Chris Ducker and I got together in Manila last week to talk about a broad range of sweeeet business goings ons, we turned on the tape recorder for some of it. Here I’ve published the parts pertaining to the lifestyle elements of running his business.

Sean is the recipient of the first paid internship for aspiring digital nomads, The Tropical MBA. As you can tell from the interview, Sean is a super sharp guy and doesn’t need the Tropical MBA to achieve success. Ian and I are really fortunate to be able to work with him for the first semester of the program. Sean brings up tons of awesome principles in the interview. You can find Sean at Location180.com.

This episode is in interview style. Ian thought it would be cool to dredge up the whole narrative of how we got inspired to start outsourcing and all the mistakes we made along the way.

Heya everyone, this is the first episode where we get in to deal-making. We’ve been really busy as I’m sure you can tell if you listen to the episode! We are excited to touch base with everyone who is listening. It’s been so great to hear from everyone who’s contacted us. I really like this kind of content and I’m hoping we can do more high-level deal making stuff in the future. We also talk a lot about outsourcing opportunities in the Philippines.

This episode was recorded in the same room(!) in Phuket, Thailand, on one of our quarterly global meet-up brainstorming extravaganzas. Hope you’ll enjoy some ideas we are cooking up. You can connect with us on twitter, if you are in to that kind of thing.

Hiya podcast listeners, thanks for dropping by our site. Ian and I are currently on a goal-setting retreat in Krabi province, Thailand. On Saturday we are going to the famous (infamous?) Koh Phi Phi to have a blast, but for now we are busy setting goals and working on some big projects for 2010. Here on the podcast we’ve committed to producing at least 1 new episode every week. We’ll focus a lot more on content and try to step up our level of professionalism and usefulness. On your end, we hope our rapidly growing community will continue to weight in to the conversation by sharing with us your tips, your sticking points, and letting us know the specific ways we can help you grow your businesses (or get them off the ground!). We’d love to get to the 1,000 listener point sometime within the next 8-12 weeks, we hope you’ll continue to share the show with your like-minded friends. In this episode we are sharing 8 business principles we wish we would have known before we got our business off the ground. As we pulled the list together, we realized these principles are all things we need to constantly be reminding ourselves as well, so we hope it can be helpful no matter what stage you are at in the entrepreneurial journey.

I gave a ring to my SEO expert and good friend Tom to give us that crash course in article marketing I promised in earlier. If you enjoy Tom’s advice, I’m sure I can hook him into more regular appearances, just let us know your SEO questions! As I said, this guy has 1000’s of dollars locked up in his head! We are not sending out emails for every episode, that means you need to pull our itunes feed or RSS feed (both links on sidebar and header) in order to get immediate updates. Twitter doesn’t hurt either! @TropicalMBA

Listen to this episode before our lawyer makes us take it down!

I’m pullin’ in quick excerpt from Gary Vee about baselining. We’ll discuss creative start up scenarios in Asia, ask how hungry are you, introduce the concept of resort hopping, and the future of Asian lifestyle destinations as marquee locations for new online based entrepreneurs and start-ups.

We’ve also determined that there are two types of people in the world: those who are crushing it, and those who are not. Look around the room right now– see anybody who is crushing it? We know you are crushing it!

We read the 4 Hour Work Week, wrote down some goals, and started a company. Over 2 years later, we’re here to tell you about it. Plus some other stuff. Enjoy!

Hey everybody, we are back with a list of 10 inexpensive online software services (and some other tools!) we use to help us run our businesses and stay productive. All of these services are either very inexpensive or free, and can be implemented in your business immediately. Hope you enjoy!

This is the first episode recorded from two corners of the globe (the Philippines, and San Diego California). Today we take an insider’s look at outsourcing in the Philippines. We cover topics like: The best websites to hire outsourced professionals to help your business grow. Why the Philippines could be a HUGE opportunity for your business. The salary ranges you can expect for copywriters, web developers, and web marketers. We briefly mention a paid internship we’ll be launching later this week. It’s good to be back! Hope you enjoy the episode.

In this episode we explore one major myth about entrepreneurship, how to program your brain, and why home owners give bad advice. We also give a parting shot with a definition of what lifestyle business is really all about. In other news, I am currently on a world class tropical island with very few tourists and great WIFI. I’m doing it for LESS than it costs me to live in California. Shortly I’ll be pulling together the economics of how living in paradise can actually save you money. I’ll be sending that information out to those on the mailing list… if you are interested just put your name into the opt-in form at the top of the page. If you have any topic requests, please shoot an email to Dan@lifestylebusinesspodcast.com.

I was really inspired by Frank Kern’s recent videos with Tony Robbins on how to overcome fear– I pulled out a fear-beating technique I’ve used on many occasions to take on difficult but valuable tasks.

Lifestyle designers need passive income, or at least sources of income that aren’t tied to time or location. Let’s call it “results based mobile income.” I’ve seen so many interesting ways to creative an incredible lifestyle, and in this episode I’ll share a few– each method of creating a passive income is inspired by actual people I’ve met along my travels. I am doing some tweeting at @Danspodcast, but the best way to reach me is via email, Dan@lifestylebusinesspodcast.com

Thanks to everyone who wrote us great questions on the last podcast. This episode is about the single most important thing we think you can do to grow your business today. We hope you enjoy it. You can send your questions to Dan@Lifestyle-Business-Podcast.com or follow me on twitter @DansPodcast.

In this episode Ian and I finish up our discussion about 10 key differences between business flashpackers and more traditional backpackers. You can follow my updates on twitter @Danspodcast. See you next episode!

In this episode, we get started with our 2 part conversation about a select group of entrepreneurs who have decided to create businesses while they travel the world. They fall into a new group of travelers called flashpackers, and we discuss how this new group of mobile entrepreneurs travel differently than their backpacker brethren.

In this episode of the Lifestyle Business Podcast, my friend Ian drops by to discuss 10 unexpected benefits of quitting your job to start your own businesses. At the end of the episode, Ian shares a website he uses to get professional logos at bargain prices. If you’d like to ask some business or lifestyle related questions for inclusion in next week’s episode, please direct them to Dan@lifestylebusinesspodcast.com.

First, thanks to everyone who signed up on the mailing list last week, and to those of you who have submitted questions for this week. You can ask your own questions by dropping an email to Dan@Lifestyle-Business-Podcast.com In this episode I’ll give you 10 signs you are a lifestyle entrepreneur or lifestyle designer, and answer a question from a listener about how to find a great mastermind group or mentor to jump start your progress. PS, you can follow me on twitter @DansPodcast

Fresh out of the oven, here is the first episode of the Lifestyle Business Podcast, I’m really excited to get things kicked off, and I’ve jumped right in to one of the techniques I use to help identify a new product. If you have any questions you’d like to ask for a future episode, you can drop a line @ Dan@lifestylebusinesspodcast.com.