Tropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder Lifestyle

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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