The $100 MBA Show

Does being nice, funny, or likable even matter?Lots of jerks are successful in business, right? But is there any tangible evidence that likeability and profitability go together? The impact of your personal brand on your business brand is hard to measure. But it’s pretty impossible to argue that a well-liked personality who puts smiles on people’s faces doesn’t have a positive effect on sales. Can we be aware of this? Can we incorporate it into our marketing strategy? Omar has some opinions on the issue.Today, we discuss the relationship between you, the way you act, the way you’re perceived, and the success of your business. Can an unlikeable person create and sell an incredible product? Would people buy it anyway? Can a sub-par product sell, if the right face is on the ads and content?Join us as we explore the relationship between branding and personal branding. Click Play!SUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How big could your business grow?The decisions you make now can put a ceiling on your growth potential, or make the sky the limit. It all depends on whether you build for scalability and innovation.Today, we have a lesson from a special guest teacher on how to do exactly that.Whether you’re just starting your business, or you want to unleash its fullest potential, this episode can help. Patrick Bryant is a serial entrepreneur and cofounder of Code + Trust. In this lesson, Patrick explains how to think about growth in a limitless way, and make key decisions that create more room for your business to grow. Thinking bigger and longer term is often difficult for independent entrepreneurs and small business founders. But while we’re doing the day-to-day work, we can’t forget to make sure the door is open for great things. Hear Patrick’s strategies, and ask yourself what’s really possible. Click Play!Harbor Entrepreneur CenterSUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Entrepreneurs exploring the idea of writing a book should assess their motives carefully as it can impact their brand and business significantly. The podcast emphasizes the importance of creating a book that truly benefits readers and adds value to their lives. Successful authors focus on producing quality content and having a clear purpose behind their book to ensure its success. Marketing strategies involve continuously releasing new books to attract more readers and leveraging various tactics to maximize impact and grow their business.

Starting a business while holding down a 9-to-5? It’s one of the smartest ways to get started. That said, it’s not the easiest. To actually make progress, you’ll need to give up significant amounts of free time. How significant? Well, that’s what this episode is all about.It’s one thing to “start a business.” It’s quite another to start and grow a business until it reaches true escape velocity (that’s the part where you can quit your day job). Until then, it’s not just about how much time you put in, but how frequently and efficiently you use that time.Today, we share how many hours you’ll have to set aside, how often, and how to make that time count for all it’s worth. Omar would know — he side-hustled for years while working full-time as a teacher. Get your battle plan for taking a serious run at entrepreneurship. Click Play!SUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ready to find your crowd on Twitter? Take it slow.Too many new entrepreneurs put too much focus on social media. And of course, that’s exactly how social media platforms like it. But that doesn’t mean you can’t use Facebook, Insta, Twitter, and the rest to your advantage.Today, we explore how.It’s Q&A Wednesday, and one of our listeners is an experienced entrepreneur who’s never played the social game. However, they’ve decided it’s time to finally dive and start building a following. The platform of choice? Good ol’ Twitter.So how long does it take until a Twitter feed becomes a true marketing asset?Today, we discuss the (realistic) benefits of Twitter, and all the ways it can truly help your business. But at the same time, this episode is all about managing expectations, and putting quality over quantity when it comes to your following. Get a handle on how Twitter can help, and how it can’t. Click Play!To submit your questions, visit 100mba.net/q.SUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Luck doesn’t happen by accident.No, this episode is not about witchcraft or “manifesting” success. It’s a simple lesson on how the things you can control put you in a better position re: things you can’t control.Fate can’t be controlled, but odds can be raised or lowered. Today, we share a few key things that — no matter what kind of business you’re in — help expand the zone of what’s within your control, and make better outcomes more likely. It’s all about creating the right conditions for “good luck” to find you!From conceiving of your business to managing your team, these key principles can’t give you control over major market downturns, pandemics, or natural disasters. But they can minimize risk, open the door to opportunities, and essentially make your business bad-luck-proof. Hear how we improve our luck, and how you can too — no rabbits’ feet required. Click Play!SUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What do you really need to start and grow a business?Today’s marketplace has lowered the barrier to entry for entrepreneurship. Given the tools available, the average person can start a profitable, scalable business with way less capital — and less experience — than ever before.Today’s Must-Read explains how.The Minimalist Entrepreneur is a roadmap for creating low-stress, low-investment businesses that put your profitability (and your sanity) first. The author, Sahil Lavingia, was employee #2 at Pinterest, and is the founder of Gumroad, which helps people start businesses with almost nothing.Learn how to start a business without going into debt. Start a business that works for you, rather than indenturing you to it. Hear out takeaways, and why this book resonates so strongly with us. Click Play!The Minimalist Entrepreneur by Sahil LavingiaDiscover all our must-read book reviews at https://100mba.net/bookreviews.SUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The “freemium” model is everywhere now. And it makes sense! Consumers are picky, more wary than ever, and in need of more proof before opening their wallets.But what if freemium isn’t feasible for you?Giving away your product or service is pretty costly, after all (we know — our software platform offers a free plan). If you’re not yet at a point where you can absorb the cost of even a basic version of what you’re selling, there’s another way. It’s called the faux free plan.What is it? Well, it’s basically an almost free plan. It still lowers the barrier to entry, makes signing up a no-brainer for your leads, and gets people using your product. But it doesn’t strain your company’s resources the way a truly free plan does.Today, we explain the faux free model in detail, share why it works (with real-world examples), and help you decide if it’s the right move for your business. Click Play!SUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We can all agree that networking is vital to getting anywhere in business. But you might be surprised to learn that networking is something you can outsource.Wait, what?How can you outsource building relationships with people? With a little ingenuity, that’s how. From helpful tech to helpful employees, you can develop systems to initiate and maintain connections with the right people.Tune in, and hear how Omar takes significant amounts of the work of networking off his plate — without sacrificing relationships or detracting from their mutual beneficialness. In fact, by systematizing and optimizing your approach to networking, you can become an even more reliable, considerate colleague and friend to the people in your circle.Hear Omar’s hacks, and see if they can work for you. As Porter Gale said, your network is your net worth! Click Play!SUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You have an awesome idea for an app. You’re sure it would address a real need in the marketplace. You’re ready to do the work of marketing and selling it.…but you couldn’t code your way out of a wet paper bag.It’s Q&A Wednesday, and we’ve got a listener with a fairly common question: to engineer or not to engineer? Theoretically, anyone can learn to develop software. That said, theoretically anyone can learn how to fix their own car; that doesn’t mean it’s the right move.Fortunately, Omar definitely has some experience in this arena, having initially developed the software for our SaaS product. Spoiler alert, though: eventually we hired a real-deal software engineer because…well, because they’re really good at that kind of thing.Today, we discuss the factors to consider when you’re deciding between a pro and a DIY approach. Is the time and effort required to learn an entire new skill set worth it? That all depends — Click Play!To submit your questions, visit 100mba.net/q.SUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.