Tropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder Lifestyle

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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