Shows
Tropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder Lifestyle#815 Zero-Profit Events, CFO Swaps, and LATAM Talent: 2025 Halftime ReportWe’re halfway through 2025! This episode is a raw look at what’s working, what’s not, and the experiments we’re doubling down on.
From running premium events at zero profit to building lean teams with talent from Latin America, we share the trade-offs and results behind every decision. Dan and Ian open the books on DC BLACK and DC Accelerator, plus they uncover how Remote First Recruiting quietly had one of its best quarters yet.
LINKS:
Dan’s Four Bricks presentation
Meet the world’s most generous global entrepreneurs inside Dynamite Circle
C...2025-07-1028 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder Lifestyle#814 Growth vs. Optimization — 90% of Growth Comes from 10% of Activities?What happens when you’ve optimized everything… and growth still stalls? In this episode, Dan and Ian break down a powerful distinction most founders miss: the difference between optimization (making your business run smoother) and growth (finding and testing new paths to scale). They unpack insights from Growth Levers by Matt Lerner, a framework that helped PayPal and other startups unlock massive growth and why it still applies to bootstrappers today.
You’ll also get a behind-the-scenes look at how Dan and Ian run operations in under 5 hours per week using the “Four Bricks”: financials, a measured plan, indi...2025-07-0339 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder Lifestyle#811 The Brutal Truth About Business Exits with Rob WallingThinking of selling your business one day? Or never planning to? Either way, this conversation could change how you build.
Rob Walling has seen it all. He’s exited his own SaaS company and helped thousands of founders grow and sell through TinySeed, MicroConf, and his podcast “Startups for the Rest of Us.”
In this episode, he sits down with Dan to talk about what founders get wrong about selling, why most exits are emotionally brutal, and how to actually create a business that gives you freedom: whether or not you ever sell it.
CHAP...2025-06-1249 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder Lifestyle#790 The 2024 Recap: Business Updates, Financial Insights & Family MattersDan and Ian reflect on their personal and business highlights from 2024, discussing parenting, travel, finance, making hard decisions in business and gaining clarity. They also dive into the systems and frameworks that have driven meaningful progress for them and their coaching clients over the past year.
Learn more at [dynamitecircle.com](dynamitecircle.com)
Chapters
(00:00:27) New Year Reflections and Personal Updates
(00:02:54) Exploring Relationships and Parenting Dynamics
(00:08:00) Travel Goals: Family and Wifi
(00:10:16) Year of Changing Views on Finance
(00:15:01) What people who are making progress have in common
(00:22:10) What those who...2025-01-1747 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder Lifestyle#763 10 ideas for businesses seeking $1 Mil in RevenueIn this week's conversation, Dan and Ian discuss 10 ideas that provide valuable insights and strategies for entrepreneurs looking to grow their revenue to $1 Million and beyond.
From years of experience and countless coaching calls, Dan and Ian cover topics such as finding a product with a tailwind, getting out of delivery, hiring a key badass, understanding your business model, optimizing your marketing funnel, and much more…
These strategies can provide a roadmap for entrepreneurs to focus on the most impactful areas of their business and make informed decisions to drive growth.
Dan & Ian’s St...2024-07-1146 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder Lifestyle#750 What is the Most Simple OS for <$5M?The hard part shouldn’t be how to implement an OS in your organization. The hard part is answering the question: Are the right people in the right roles at your company?
In this episode, Dan and Ian share their own OS that’s extremely simple. It’s called GPS. They’ll explain how GPS helps you put a plan in place to meet your goals, and deliver on that plan. That’s it.
Also, hiring for specific tasks, the impact of remote work on hiring, and more.
Dan & Ian’s Stuff:
Our book: Be...2024-04-1130 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder Lifestyle#738 Under the Hood of an 8-Figure Business + Million Dollar Weekend with Noah Kagan“Noah’s new book Million Dollar Weekend has so many nuggets for aspiring and mature entrepreneurs alike. Specifically, if you’re launching a new product, starting a new business, or you want to keep things simple for your team, you’ll find tangible guidance in this book.” - Dan
In this episode, TMBA host Dan Andrews sits down with Noah Kagan to talk about operating an 8-figure company at scale, something Noah does every day as the CEO of AppSumo.
Noah dives into specific processes around leadership, managing team members, setting achievable goals, making room for creati...2024-01-1835 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder Lifestyle#736 How to Have Your Best Year $$$Wise EverThis week, Dan reveals a strategic approach to decision-making intervals for achieving top-line revenue and personal income goals. Join him as he explores how this decision-making cadence serves as a compass in navigating the challenging 'messy middle' of entrepreneurship.
What’s the messy middle? You’ve found some type of product-market fit, customers are buying, and you've set revenue and profit goals. Yet, you lack an exit strategy, millions in your bank account, and an executive team running your company.
In this episode, Dan invites you into his end-of-year meeting with co-founder Ian Schoen, unveiling the...2024-01-0433 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder Lifestyle#729 What is the Michael Jordan of Business Models?All we can say is that it’s extremely powerful and extremely profitable. Dan and Ian nerd out on what might be the GOAT business model of all time.
They analyze some of the best examples of said business model, and talk about ways that you can rip, pivot, and jam these ideas for your own business.
Plus, two books you should pick up that Dan simply couldn’t put down.
Dan & Ian’s Stuff:
The Newsletter
“The DC”
DC Black
Global events
Hire remote talent
Find a remote j...2023-11-2344 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder Lifestyle#714 Profit vs. Revenue and the Inside Scoop on Events for FoundersDan and Ian give the inside scoop about their upcoming events strategy and the realization that prompted them to relaunch their hiring search not for an events planner but a business-minded community organizer.
In light of resetting the event strategy for 2024, Dan also chats with the DCx London hosts Seonaid Beckwith, Noel Andrews, and John Ainsworth about how they pulled off one of the best all-time DC events in London last month.
They also give their thoughts in response to a listener's email: should you optimize for revenue growth, profit growth, or both? Dan and...2023-08-101h 14Tropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder Lifestyle#713 How to Build an AI Startup with Jodie CookDan Andrews (https://twitter.com/TropicalMBA) talks to Coachvox.ai founder Jodie Cook (https://twitter.com/jodie_cook) about her methods for building an AI startup from scratch, how to have the most productive and enjoyable month of your life and more. Jodie is full of experience and wisdom, and this was a fun one.
Dan & Ian’s Stuff:
The Newsletter
“The DC”
DC Black
Global events
Hire remote talent
Find a remote job
Listen on YouTube
Follow on Instagram
@TropicalMBA
@AnythingIan
Show Notes:
...2023-08-0348 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder Lifestyle#712 Business Partnerships and 6-Figure Launches: A Conversation with Mark WebsterDan Andrews (https://twitter.com/TropicalMBA) talks to Authority Hacker co-founder Mark Webster (https://twitter.com/markwebster1) about successfully transitioning from an agency model to a multimillion-dollar course business. They talk about navigating 50/50 partnerships, why starting a course business isn’t for everyone, and what you can build with a laptop, a dream, and cheap accommodation.
Dan & Ian’s Stuff:
The Newsletter
“The DC”
DC Black
Global events
Hire remote talent
Find a remote job
Listen on YouTube
Follow on Instagram
@TropicalMBA
@AnythingIan
Show Notes:2023-07-271h 00Tropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder Lifestyle#702 Millions for Podcasts and Jay Clouse on MembershipsDan Andrews (@TropicalMBA) talks with Jay Clouse (@jayclouse) about his $400K membership site, becoming a professional creator, and winning CEX Content Entrepreneur of the year.
Jay Clouse, founder of Creator Science, long-time listener, and former guest of the pod is back. In early 2018, Jay joined Dan and Ian on the show to talk about some of the challenges he was facing as an early-stage entrepreneur just eight months into his journey.
Fast forward to today. Five years later. Jay is back to update us on how he went from barely scraping by in 2018 to building...2023-05-181h 00Tropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleTMBA516: Dan and Ian: The Full Backstory. Part 2In 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.2019-10-2454 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleTMBA515: Dan and Ian: The Full Backstory. Part 1In 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. 2019-10-171h 02Tropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleTMBA500: An Entrepreneur's Trip to 'Room 101'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...2019-07-0440 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 445: TMBA445: Finding Your Tribehttp://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 fr...2018-06-1429 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 444: TMBA444: When Should I Hire?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 ric...2018-06-0755 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 442: TMBA442: ‘Til Death Do Us Part? Business Relationshipshttp://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 ye...2018-05-2433 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 440: TMBA440: What’s Your Lifestyle Ladder?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 ab...2018-05-1036 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 439: TMBA439: Five Takeaways From Our Event In Austinhttp://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, wh...2018-05-0339 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 434: TMBA434: The Lure of Remote Workhttp://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 pe...2018-03-2924 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 432: TMBA432: Finish Big – A Conversation with Bo Burlinghamhttp://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 bo...2018-03-1558 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 428: TMBA428: A Critique of Tim Ferriss’ 4-Hour Workweekhttp://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 Ti...2018-02-1534 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 428: TMBA427: Dan and Ian’s Consulting Cornerhttp://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 ca...2018-02-0841 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 425: TMBA425: Meet The Deal Masterhttp://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 gr...2018-01-251h 12Tropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 424: TMBA424: Three Scripts for Entrepreneurshiphttp://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 tha...2018-01-1834 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 423: TMBA423: It’s a Boy!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...2018-01-1140 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 418: TMBA418: The Services Problemhttp://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...2017-12-0728 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 412: TMBA412: ‘Never Split The Difference’: A Conversation with Chris Vosshttp://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 FB...2017-10-2650 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 404: TMBA404: Dreamlines Revisitedhttp://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...2017-08-3136 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 402: TMBA402: What’s Your Superpower?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 Cir...2017-08-1750 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 401: TMBA401: What’s In A Name?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...2017-08-1049 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 400: TMBA400: Back To Our Rootshttp://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.2017-08-0328 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 394: TMBA394: What Happened to Technorati?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...2017-06-2235 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 393: TMBA393: How to Pitchhttp://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...2017-06-1541 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 390: TMBA390: How to Get Better at Saleshttp://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.
...2017-05-251h 05Tropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 389: TMBA389: TMBA Mailbag: How Can I Get Started on My Own 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...2017-05-1844 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 388: TMBA388: Why We Need Strong Townshttp://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...2017-05-1147 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 380: TMBA380: Who Is Tracking You?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...2017-03-1628 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 376: TMBA376: Should You Base Yourself in Eastern Europe?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...2017-02-1644 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 373: TMBA373: Should You Base Yourself in Southern Europe?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.
2017-01-2636 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 367: TMBA367: The Business Idea Bonanza with Dan Norrishttp://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...2016-12-1544 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 358: TMBA358: Is All Property an Investment Opportunity?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...2016-10-1343 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 357: TMBA357: A Review of Snowball, a Biography Of Warren Buffetthttp://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.2016-10-0622 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 353: TMBA353: On the Bike with Patrick Bradyhttp://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...2016-09-081h 01Tropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 349: TMBA349: The Technical Origin Story of Leadpageshttp://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...2016-08-1136 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 334: TMBA334: Here’s How We Plan to ‘Manage’ Our Moneyhttp://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...2016-04-2832 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 329: TMBA329: The Exithttp://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...2016-03-2434 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 316: TMBA316: How Much Should I Be Meeting With My Team?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.2015-12-2432 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 313: TMBA313: Should I Cut Bait On This 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...2015-12-0327 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 199: TMBA 199 (LBP164) – 5 Concepts (That Don’t Cost Much To Implement) That Can Help You Build Wealthhttp://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...2013-07-1123 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 197: TMBA 197 (LBP163) – The Bootstrapper’s Guide to Business Partnershipshttp://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...2013-07-0429 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 184: TMBA 184 (LBP152) – The 10 Travel Commandmentshttp://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....2013-04-1824 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 181: TMBA 181 (LBP150) – Imperfection and Getting on With Ithttp://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...2013-04-0419 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 176: TMBA 176 (LBP147) – Trade Shows and Low BlowsDan 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 market...2013-03-2120 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 168: TMBA 168 (LBP143) – The Art of the Deal and the Science of Ordering the Grey Matter of the UniverseDan 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...2013-02-2121 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 166: TMBA 166 (LBP142) – The Hiring Golden TriangleHappy 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 co...2013-02-1424 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 164: TMBA 164 (LBP141) – Rocking the Rockefeller Processes : “H” is for HireDan 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 inst...2013-02-0730 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 163: TMBA 163 (LBP140) – The Location Independence ImperativeDan 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...2013-01-3128 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 162: TMBA 162 (LBP139) – “P” is for ProductEntrepreneurial 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...2013-01-2427 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 160: TMBA 160 (LBP137) – The Kamikaze Sample and 5 Other Online Marketing StuntsIt’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...2013-01-1024 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 159: TMBA 159 (LBP136) – A is for ApprenticeWhile 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...2013-01-0324 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 158: TMBA 158 (LBP135) – 8 New Year’s ResolutionsDan 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 fo...2012-12-2724 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 156: TMBA 156 (LBP133) – Deferred Life Plans and the Action Jackson StrategyDan 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?2012-12-1326 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 154: TMBA 154 (LBP132) – “The Imagination Economy” and Other Predictions for 2013Dan’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.2012-12-0631 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 152: TMBA 152 (LBP131) – The Rule of 6 – And the 10 Commandments of Content MarketingIt’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.2012-11-2931 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 150: TMBA 150 (LBP130) – How to Be a Happy SociopathDan 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.2012-11-2229 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 148: TMBA 148 (LBP129) – ROUND 1 – Business Idea Smackdown – Dan “Coconut Crusher” Andrews vs. Ian “Benjamins by Birth” SchoenDan’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 o...2012-11-1537 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 146: TMBA 146 (LBP128) – Manipulating the Success ScriptDan’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.2012-11-0824 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 144: TMBA 144 (LBP127) – Generating Wealth and Re-Considering Retirement for EntrepreneursDan 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 th...2012-11-0132 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 141: TMBA 141 (LBP125) – How to Avoid your Entrepreneurial Blindspots – Dan’s Stick-On Mirror TheoryAfter 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 m...2012-10-1822 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 140: TMBA 140 (LBP124) – How Marketing Beats Sales and Why Capacity Is A Number With James SchramkoComing 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...2012-10-1244 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 138: TMBA 138 (LBP121) – How Solving Problems For 500,000 Users Inspired the Idea for SupportBeeThis 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 su...2012-09-2026 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 132: TMBA 132 (LBP115) – The Most Expensive (But Profitable) Marketing Strategy In Your ArsenalDan 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 note...2012-08-0924 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 116: TMBA 116 (LBP105) – The Entrepreneur’s DNA ChecklistThis 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...2012-05-3135 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 112: TMBA 112 (LBP101) – The Insider’s Guide To Thinking Outside The IndexComing 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 fr...2012-05-0327 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 111: TMBA 111 (LBP100) – A Bunch Of Stuff We’ve Screwed Up In The Past 1000 DaysSeems 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 ar...2012-04-2634 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 106: TMBA 106 (LBP96) – A Proposition : Start-Up AugustThings 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 playin...2012-03-2937 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 101: TMBA 101 (LBP91) – Are You a Hustler or an Entrepreneur?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:
Entrepreneurs Writing Scripts, Hustlers Executing Scripts.
Self Confidence vs.Product Confidence.
Ego / Money Focus vs. Product / Customer Focus.
Self Employed vs. Building Something Bigger.
Short Term vs. Long Term Thinking.
Some of...2012-02-1634 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 100: TMBA 100 (LBP90) – Rip, Pivot, and Jam: The Strategy That Launched Our Newest Product LineIan 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 entr...2012-02-0933 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 96: TMBA 96 (LBP86) – 4 Online Business Trends That You Shouldn’t Miss in 2012After 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! :)2012-01-1228 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 92: TMBA 092 (LBP83) – A Business Failure Story (Our GoDaddy Account is the Boulevard of Broken Dreams)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! :)2011-12-0136 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleTMBA 078 (LBP78) – 5 Radical Strategies to Achieve Optimum Performance LevelsThis 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 ot...2011-10-2725 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 77: TMBA 077 (LBP77) – If We Were to Start from Scratch, How We’d Do ItThis 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...2011-10-2023 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 75: TMBA 075 (LBP75) – Forget 80/20, Aim for 99/1 With Critical Non-EssentialsThis 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 cons...2011-10-0623 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 74: TMBA 074 (LBP74) – 4 Content Business Blueprints for Fast MonetizationAre 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 discus...2011-09-2922 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 73: TMBA 073 (LBP73) – 3 Harmful Business Myths Learned from Big BizIn 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...2011-09-2222 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 72: TMBA 072 (LBP 72) – 4 Things You Don’t Know About HiringThis 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...2011-09-1526 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 70: TMBA 070 (LBP70) – 9 Tough Truths About Running a Business and Changing Your LifeIn 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 wi...2011-09-0129 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 69: TMBA 069 (LBP69) – 6 Unorthodox Blog Content StrategiesAfter 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 he...2011-08-2527 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 67: TMBA 067 (LBP67) – Why Internet Business Owners Should Set Up in Hong KongThis 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 s...2011-08-1126 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 68: TMBA 068 (LBP68) – How We Sold A Blog For 5 Figures + Interview With Chris DuckerIn 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 mu...2011-08-0834 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 65: TMBA 065 (LBP65) – The Technique That Gets Us $100K Months and How And How You Can Use it In Your BusinessThis 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...2011-07-2826 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 63: TMBA 063 (LBP63) – What We Believe, Plus a RE-INTRODUCTION to the Lifestyle Business PodcastDan 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...2011-07-1433 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 62: TMBA 062 (LBP62) – 5 Countries, 3 Companies, 1 Hell of a Party and Why Your Internet Business Should Be Based in Hong KongDan 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’...2011-07-0835 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 57: TMBA 057 (LBP57) – The Case Against Flying SoloToday, 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...2011-03-0822 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 55: TMBA 055 (LBP55) – 10 More Shady Business Tactics We Would Never Advocate or Tell Our Mom AboutToday, 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.2011-02-2318 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 52: TMBA 052 (LBP52) – A Fail Proof Method For SuccessIn 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! :)2011-02-0230 minTropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder LifestyleEpisode 51: TMBA 051 (LBP51) – 5 Signs You Might be a LoserIn 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...2011-01-2621 min