The Adventurepreneur Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Tyler Tringas (Part 1) on Bootstrapping a Business, Learning Something New, Traveling, and a Good Job for Climbers Nov 29, 2018

Show notes

On today's show I have Tyler Tringas. Hmmm… what to say about Tyler. Well - He's got to be one of the most well-rounded and intellectually curious dudes I've ever met. Tyler has done a bunch of different work in his relatively short career.

After undergrad, Tyler worked as a consultant for a clean energy startup and pretty quickly realized he had an entrepreneurial itch. Shortly thereafter he started a solar energy company called SolarList, and after fighting the good fight for a few years - had to walk away from that startup after racking up $50,000 in credit card debt.

On the side, he was doing some freelance coding work, and uncovered a popular need amongst his clients, which led to his second business - Storemapper. This time, Tyler grew his small business into a fairly sizable company, all while traveling the world as a digital nomad, and 5 years later ended up selling the company with a nice little exit to live off of.

Now Some people would take the money and go fuck around for a few years or forever for that matter, but instead Tyler asked himself - what work would really matter to me if money wasn't an object? That question landed him at a company called Maptia, who's mission is to foster empathy through storytelling - and do yourself a favor and go get lost in the Maptia website for a while. That position actually led him to work with some of the biggest National Geographic photographers in the world, where he became the Chief Operating Officer at an ocean conservation content creation company called Sea Legacy.

As if that wasn't quite enough, this summer Tyler left Sea Legacy to pursue perhaps his most ambitious and exciting project yet. Tyler's always been obsessed with the problem early stage entrepreneurs have securing financing. To address this problem, A couple months ago, Tyler launched a platform for early stage bootstrappers called Earnest Capital, and the buzz it's already created in entrepreneur and lifestyle hacking circles is pretty awesome.

Anyway, enough of me blabbing - let's get to the interview. Oh and by the way, this conversation got a little long because it was so damn interesting, so I'm splitting it into two episodes, part 1 and part 2. Part 1 will cover how he taught himself to code… advice on learning to code, Solar List, Storemapper, building a lifestyle business, the digital nomad lifestyle, rock climbing, and clean tech and in part 2 we dive into knowledge sharing and Transparency, Maptia, Sea Legacy, changing hats and stretching your limits in the name or learning and growth, doing stuff you don't know how to do, risk tolerance (or lack thereof), and Earnest Capital.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

New Energy Finance (clean energy startup acquired by Bloomberg)

Ruby on Rails (Coding language)

Upwork (Freelancer marketplace)

David Heinemeier Hansson or DHH (Creator of Ruby on Rails and CoFounder of BaseCamp)

It doesn't have to be crazy at work by DHH and Jason Fried

Rework by DHH and Jason Fried

Chris Parkes, Travis Bluemling, and Ross Jennings on Traveling the World While Making a Living Nov 16, 2018

Show notes

Today on the show I have Travis Bluemling, Chris Parks, and Ross Jennings - collectively they make up the content creation company Three Wheels Co. You may remember Ross from episode #9 when we talked about his journey to travel to every single country in the world playing bag pipes.

I really enjoyed this episode, and here's why. A) because Ross, Chris and Travis are hilarious and we shared a lot of laughs and B) There are a lot of great nuggets - really tangible lessons that are useful for when you're just starting out building an alternative income stream, or when you've been around the block a few times and maybe have a business already.

One of the lessons I thought was important is that you never know who you might end up working with. If you run across someone that captivates you, either online or in real life, think about how you might be able to add value to what they are doing and reach out to them. That's exactly what Travis, Chris and Ross did. Ross decided it was smarter to pool resources as a collective group of travelers and content creators than to do it on his own.

Another interesting aspect, and one that at first glance might seem like a failure or a major set back - is that sometimes shit doesn't work out. The four of us actually recorded this episode a few months ago, and since then Chris, Travis and Ross actually decided Three Wheels Co wasn't working out. They were brave and realistic enough to say - okay there's a few things not working here, I think we should re-stragize and do what's best for each of us. This is really important, and something I can speak to from personal experience. Business relationships are like romantic relationships - sometimes it can be hard to break up. But be honest with yourself and listen to your gut, and usually that's the best course to follow. I have no doubt whatever these guys do, they'll be successful because they have the right perspective.

Enjoy!

Chris Parkes Website and Instagram

Travis Bluemling Website and Instagram

Ross Jennings Website and Instagram

A Story from the Community and the Nugget of the Week: Flow Oct 18, 2018

Show notes

So on today's show, I'm going to try something new. Today, I have a mini episode for you. You may remember from last time in my conversation with Brody Leven that I highlighted a member of the APP community (btw guys, the name of my show is mouthful, so you'll start to hear me refer to the Adventurepreneur Playbook Podcast in shorthand as APP) - anyway I talked about the story of Take Me Out There, a new adventure business launched in part using some of the resources from this show. I'm going to take that concept a step further and now make mini episodes out of these community stories, and the plan is to rotate them bi-weekly between the more long-form full length interview episodes I do. In these new mini episodes, I'm also going to throw in a little nugget - a quick commentary on either a concept from the chat with the community member or something useful and important I'm been thinking about that week. Obviously, I hope this is of value to you guys - but it is a prototype, so if you hate it - let me know and we'll iterate - if you love it, sweet we'll keep it going but I need to hear from you. Don't forget you all, I'm big on co-creation - meaning using you the community to create a show for you the community. Okay, so today's community story is about Zach Kenney. I'll let Zach tell his own story, but basically he found a creative way to take things into his own hands and build a life he is totally amped about - one centered around adventure and spending time doing the things he enjoys, instead of the things he dreads. Listen in to hear his story. For the nugget of the week, I'm talking about one of the concepts I've been really obsessed with and digging into: Flow. Listen in to hear more.

Show Resources:

Community Story Spotlight: Zach Kenney

Stealing Fire - Steven Kotler and Jamie Wheal

Flow Genome Project

Frank Scotti - Nomad Inc.

Brody Leven on Climate Activism, Ego, and an Entrepreneurial Mindset Oct 04, 2018

Show notes

In this episode, I'm chatting with Brody Leven - a professional adventurer, activist, and skier. Brody is a unique breed of professional athlete, namely because you won't necessarily find him hucking backflips off of gnarly cornices in Alaska in the latest TGR ski movie. Instead you'll find him undertaking a journey to Uganda to ski the last remaining glacier on the African continent, or creating a documentary about an intense first ascent of a remote couloir in Georgia's (the country that is) Caucusus mountains.

Brody is also an avid outdoor advocate, dedicating about half of his time volunteering for ogranizations like Protect Our Winters, Heal Utah, Winter Wildlands Alliance - among others.

We talked at length about the latest challenges facing activism how people can get involved and make a meaningful difference with very little effort.

One of the most interesting parts of this episode for me, was a discussion around ego, which is something Brody is very thoughtful about. For him, it's not about the look at me, look what I just did factor. It's much more about taking on challenges and building a life around things that makes him feel alive. I think this is a really important distinction to make, one that in my opinion is the difference between short-term vain and glamour and more long-term fulfillment and happiness.

Show resources:

Brody's website

Brody's Instagram

Semi Rad (Brandon Leonard)

The Adventure Journal

Alex Honnold on Human Potential, Food Tech, Free Soloing, and much more... Sep 20, 2018

Show notes

In the last half a dozen years or so, Alex Honnold has gone from one of the biggest names in rock climbing to a bonafide household name, and for good reason. On top of an already incredibly impressive climbing resume, including historic free solo ascents of big walls like the Moonlight Buttress in Zion National Park and Half Dome in Yosemite National Park, on June 3, 2017 Alex completed perhaps his crowning achievement, a mind-bending free solo climb of the infamous El Capitan, a 3,200 foot granite monolith in Yosemite.

For any listeners out there that aren't familiar with climbing, free solo means climbing without a rope, a partner, or any protective gear at all. In short, the stakes couldn't be higher: if you fall you die. While I was preparing for this episode I stumbled across a YouTube video of Alex on the Jimmy Kimmel show, and as I scrolled down through the comments a bit I saw one comment from a fellow climber I thought put things in perspective and summed up this climb pretty nicely. The climber says, "A message to the un-initiated who may stumble upon this video:Free soloing El Cap is perhaps the single most incredible feat of skill, strength, mental toughness and endurance ever accomplished by a human being... in the history of human beings." It turns out, many agree with this sentiment, including the New York Times who says the climb "should be celebrated as one of the greatest athletic feats of any kind, ever." How's that for some gravitas.

Alex's climbing has garnered a lot of other international media attention, landing him on the cover of National Geographic and on a feature story on the CBS news show "60 minutes." - just to name a few. The cherry atop that list of ubiquity in pop culture also happens to be the latest development. Alex and his historic El Cap climb are the subject of a new documentary called FREE SOLO. The film is directed by National Geographic photographer and fellow North Face athlete Jimmy Chin and his wife Chai Vasarhelyi (like gas). The world premiere of FREE SOLO took place earlier this month at the Telluride Film Festival, where they had to add more screenings because the film was so popular, and as recent as earlier this week, the film won the audience choice award at the coveted Toronto Film Festival, which is a pretty big deal. FREE SOLO will be released to mainstream theaters all over the United States and Canada on September 28 - oh my god get psyched!

I caught up with Alex in Boulder, Colorado in late July just as he was getting ready to go on tour for the film. In a lot of ways it was really good timing. He was on the back end of some much needed down time, which I think gave us the opportunity for a blank slate of sorts to explore a broad range of conversation topics, which will become apparent in our chat. On top of that, the film madness hadn't started yet and talking about the film was still ultra fresh. I really enjoyed hearing about the behind the scenes of the movie and all that went into it's production. More than that though, my favorite part of the interview was just having a really engaging discussion and hearing Alex's view on a smorgasbord of issues. I found Alex to be very intelligent, well-spoken, and insightful. We talked about AI, the latest solar energy harnessing technologies, food tech, ultimate human performance, and his foundation. Oh yeah, and a little climbing too.

As a little bonus to this conversation with Alex, I also talked with Sanni McCandless - Alex's longtime girlfriend. Sanni is awesome, and over the last year I've had the pleasure of getting to know her pretty well, but I had never heard her side of the story around El Cap. I was curious, as I'm sure many of you are, about what she felt and what her perspective was on the whole thing. Sanni also plays a major part in the movie, so we discussed what it's like to be on tour and having her relationship on display for the whole world to see. Anyway, be sure to stay tuned in to hear that as well.

Alex's Website

Alex's Instagram

The Honnold Foundation

FREE SOLO the movie trailer

Picture of Jimmy Chin and Alex on top of El Cap that I mentioned in the episode

Alex on TED

Alex's Book, Alone on the Wall

Jimmy Kimmel clip featuring Alex I mentioned on the episode

Season 1 Greatest Hits (Lessons Learned)! Sep 13, 2018

Show notes

Today I have a different kind of episode for you. Before I officially kick off Season 2 with a totally unique conversation with Alex Honnold, I'm taking a look back. I had so many great interviews last season, full of insights, tips, and takeaways - that I wanted to summarize them for you into sort of a greatest hits or cliffs notes.

So, as I started thinking back on the things that impacted me in Season 1, and re-listened to many of the episodes - and noticed a lot of common threads. Similar themes, habits, and mindsets, that all played an integral role for my guests in building their own reality. As it turns out, there's actually a formula for being a bad ass. In other words, there's a few key components that make up our ability to design our lives just the way we want.

So in this episode, I'm going to dissect the bas ass formula. I'm also going to give you some tips on how to take immediate action, based on real examples from the guests. Lastly, I'm going to tell you a bit of my story and how once I started implementing the formula - my life completely changed.

Here's the formula:

Adopt a growth mindset + Crush limiting beliefs + Take massive action = The life you want

If you start to do these 3 things, I promise you'll be on the path to where you want to be in no time!

Until next time and enjoy!

Randall Jacobs and Alice Liu on the Problem with the Bike Industry, the Entrepreneurial Journey, and the Future of Biking Jul 13, 2018

Show notes

Today on the show I have Randall Jacobs and Alice Liu, founders of Thesis Bike, who are doing something truly innovative in the biking industry, and are creating "The one bike for every road - no compromises." Randall probably knows more about bikes than anyone I've ever met, and he's been in about every role you can think of within the industry.

Randall has been a pro mtb bike racer, bike mechanic, designer at specialized, a consultant and advisor to many large name-brand bike companies, and serial entrepreneur (he previously founded a bike tech company called Open Bike).

Alice has worked for National Geographic TV on a series called Bridge the Gap, as a marketing director for a homelessness non profit, as Chief of Staff for a social innovation startup, and founded a 3,000 member meet up group in San Francisco called Green Drinks.

Together, they have built Thesis into a critically acclaimed, exciting new startup - on a mission to change the way we buy and how much we pay for high-end bikes. Their flagship model, the OB1 is now available for presale via waitlist at thesis.bike.

One quick disclaimer, this conversation gets a little nuanced. If you consider yourself a bike nerd, you'll be in hog heaven, if not - hopefully you'll at least find it interesting like I did. Whatever your bike nerd quotient, you will definitely walk away with some solid advice and legit inspiration from from innovative adventurepreneurs. Enjoy!

Show Resources:

Frank Scotti on Building an Adventure Travel Company, Living the Mountain Life, and Building Your Dream Life Now Not Later Jun 28, 2018

Show notes

I don't know about the rest of you, but the idea of having an adventure travel company has always enticed me. I mean, what's not to like about building amazing trips and taking paying clients to do cool shit all over the world?! Today on the show, I've got Frank Scotti, Founder and owner of Nomad Inc., an adventure travel company, specializing in skiing/snowboarding, surfing, and mountain biking itineraries. They also do a lot of customization for their clients globally, so basically, if you can dream it, Nomad can plan it.

Frank's journey is a great example how sticking with your goals and learning how to look fear in the face

and say fuck you, I'm doing it anyway, can really pay off. His company has grown steadily over the last few years and his story is truly one that is envy worthy. It's probably best to hear it straight from the horses mouth, so without further ado, my conversation with Frank Scotti.

Show resources:

Jamie Wheal - Stealing Fire

Jeremy Jones

Jimmy Chin

Points North Heli

Emi Koch on Surfing, Social/Environmental Injustice, Founding a Non-Profit, And Coconut Ice-cream Jun 20, 2018

Show notes

Emi Koch, surfer and humanitarian, is the founder of Beyond the Surface International, a non-profit working around the globe in disadvantaged coastal communities to build social and ecological resilience through surfing, storytelling, and mindfulness workshops. Emi was named National Geographic Adventurerer of the Year for 2018, and she has recently been featured in Surfer magazine as one of the top women innovators in the industry who are "Creating a Line of their Own."

At the age of 19, Emi gave up a career as a professional surfer to instead focus on social and environmental impact, specifically empowering underprivileged youth to improve their futures and be the author of their own life story.

Emi is such a good example of blending her passions into a cohesive entrepreneurial concept. In her case, she figured out a compelling way to combine the things she loves: surfing and social justice, into not only a fulfilling career, but also something that truly makes the world a better place.

I got a lot out of this episode, and I'm sure within the first few minutes you'll realize, like I did, how truly infectious Emi's positive energy is. Emi thank you for the amazing work you do and for sharing your story with us. Without further ado, here's my conversation with Emi Koch.

Episode resources:

Emi's Non-profit: Beyond the Surface International

Emi's Instagram

National Geographic Video and Article

Billabong Team Member Profile

Dave Mossop On Self Actualization, The Role of Art in Mountain Film, Virtual Reality, and The Beauty of Dirtbagging It Jun 13, 2018

Show notes

Dave Mossop is the cofounder of Sherpas Cinema, one of the most - if not the most cutting edge, innovative outdoor film production studios out there. In fact Sherpas has been cited as redefining what is possible in outdoor film. Dave and his team have created some of the most stunning imagery I've ever seen, and likely a lot of what you've seen but may not know it. With big productions like All I Can, Into the Mind, Imagination, and their latest film - Loved By All - Sherpas has received countless top awards from most of the well-known Outdoor Film Festivals globally. They also work with some of the biggest house hold names out there: Google, Audi, The North Face, Asics, the list goes on and on.

What I loved about this conversation is that Dave has such an authentic and palpable appreciation for the things he cares about. Whether its the places he visits, or the new filming techniques he's learning, or the people he's met and lost along the way, whatever it is - there's this deep sense of gratitude for the opportunity, which I just find really cool.

With this episode, you get a little bit of everything - just the way I like it. We zig in and out of self-actualization, living life to the fullest, the role of art in outdoor film, virtual reality, and of course some good old dirt bag stories too.

Hope you enjoy it!

Show Resources:

Sherpas Cinema Website

Dave Mossop's Instagram

Sherpas Cinema Instagram

Eric Rosland and Malcolm Sangster (CoFounders Sherpa Cinema)

Brian Hendricks(Film Professor)

Sherpas Cinema Portfolio