Tropical MBA – Location Independent Entrepreneurship

Podcast 39:35 | Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment A few weeks ago, Dan and Ian introduced a new strand on this podcast called “The Re-Readables”. In this ongoing series, we are taking a look back at some of our favorite books with a fresh perspective. This week’s choice is all about the “Muse”, creativity, productivity, and...

Podcast 46:52 | Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment 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. It’s one that we all face, or will eventually face, at som point on...

Dan and Ian are excited to start a new series on this week's show.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 today's podcast, 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.

Podcast 55:44 | Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment 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...

Podcast 53:36 | Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment 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...

"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 unique is that he actually started his working life within a Chinese state-owned enterprise, 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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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, your...

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.

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 podcast....

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 business...

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.

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.

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.