Tropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder Lifestyle

http://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 personal history of remote jobs. This podcast chronicles that history, from the first remote employee that they've hired, all the way to their latest venture, a remote job board that they have recently launched called Dynamite Jobs.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/sethgodin/ Today's guest has been massively influential on Dan and Ian from the very start of their journey. Seth Godin is something of a legend in entrepreneurial circles, and he hardly needs an introduction. His books about marketing, creativity, building companies, and personal development include Purple Cow, Meatball Sundae, The Dip, and Linchpin. These books are frequent recommendations on this podcast and have long been shared among our listeners. In addition to his books, Seth has founded an intensive four-week alternative online MBA called altMBA.  He has also created several podcasts including the popular Startup School. Seth's newest project is a brand new podcast called Akimbo. Today's show features a wide-ranging interview, which touches on a variety of topics including Seth's history as a writer and podcaster, what the business world can offer society, and much more. 

http://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 both wish they could have read before selling their own business. Bo is also a journalist, with over 30 years of experience as a writer and editor at Inc. Magazine. On today's episode, Bo shares his stories about interviewing entrepreneurs who have exited their businesses and explains why he believes that there is much more to the process of selling a business than a simple monetary transaction.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/book/ Dan and Ian have some very exciting news to share on today's podcast. Longtime listeners know that the two of them spent several years growing a business that they eventually sold. They have also spent countless hours on this show speaking to other entrepreneurs who have changed their lives by growing and selling their own businesses. Because of this, they have decided to share their unique personal experience on this topic in the form of a new book, which Dan has recently completed writing. They didn't choose to write this book as a business venture, though. They were driven by the idea that any entrepreneur can make these kinds of life-changing business deals if they are equipped with the right knowledge. On today's episode, you will hear all about their decision to write this book, what that experience was like, and how you can be one of the first people to read it.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/cryptocurrency/ A few weeks back, Dan and Ian shared an in-depth conversation about cryptocurrency. That podcast featured Greg Gerber, who spoke about the basic things that you need to know about Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other digital currencies. The response to that podcast was fantastic, and we thought we would follow up on the topic by inviting our longtime friend, and cryptocurrency enthusiast, Taylor Pearson back on to the show. Taylor's recent article "Why Is Bitcoin Valuable" was recently featured on the front page of Hacker News. On today's show, Taylor joins us to talk about that article, and to share his insights on the philosophy behind this new technological movement. This episode isn't all philosophical, though. Taylor also shares some great tips about how you can dip your toes into the crypto space if you are so inclined.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/marketingmethods/ Dan and Ian know better than anyone how important lead generation is to a business. After all, they used to end every episode of this podcast with the phrase "Go make a cold call." Every business needs to make sales to survive, and to make those sales, they need to have leads. Today we are going to speak to two people who specialize in generating leads and making sales. Dan Englander is the founder of SalesSchema, a consulting company that helps larger ad agencies win more business. Dana Lindahl is the CEO and Founder of Legendary LeadGen, a company that helps marketing agencies get in touch with their ideal prospects. We've asked Dan and Dana to join us this week to engage in a bit of a spirited debate about the two dominant methods of lead generation. On one side of the debate, there are people who believe that creating an amazing business that relies on word-of-mouth marketing will ultimately bring in more qualified leads. On the other side, there is the idea that cold email outreach is ultimately the superior way to get new customers and clients. Regardless of what you believe, we hope this episode will inspire you to go out there and take the necessary steps to grow your business.

http://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 Tim's podcast, the themes presented in his book, and why The 4-Hour Workweek is still such an important part of the entrepreneurial zeitgeist a decade after it was released.

http://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 call Jay and talk about these problems. This episode is a great resource for those who are just starting a business. For those of us who are more experienced entrepreneurs, we hope that you will stick around and share your own advice for Jay and the people like him in the comments section of this episode.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/2018-news/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/2018-news/ Podcast 25:00| Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment Occasionally we’ll be putting out a ‘Tuesday podcast’ with some news and ways you can get involved beyond the main TMBA show. I’ll make some notes below but, if you’re interested in our new ‘finding your dream job’, attending one of our events, or hearing what’s...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/booksandwriting/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/booksandwriting/ Podcast 40:57| Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment It is no secret that Dan and Ian have an affinity for great books, and they know that the listeners of this show appreciate them too. Indeed, many entrepreneurs have built their businesses from the wisdom and insights that they have gained from the written page. Kyla Gardner...