Tropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder Lifestyle

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TMBA466: The Dos and Don’ts of Hiring Apprentices Nov 08, 2018

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http://www.tropicalmba.com/hiringapprentices/ It's no secret that Dan and Ian love hearing from the listeners of this show.

This week, we received a question from Ben McAdam. Some of you might remember Ben from his earlier appearances on this podcast.

Ben reached out to us to ask about our recent decision to hire a new apprentice.

For those of you who are not aware, we brought someone new onto our team recently and we'd like to talk about it here today.

On this week's episode, you'll hear all about why we decided to find a new apprentice, and what that process was like.

We'll also be sharing a comprehensive list of "Dos and Don'ts" when it comes to hiring your own apprentice, as well as some quick tips on how you can find the apprenticeship of your dreams.

TMBA465: 5 Internet Business Themes for 2019 Nov 01, 2018

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http://www.tropicalmba.com/themesfor2019/ Dan and Ian are still resting up after hosting 350 entrepreneurs at their annual DC BKK event in Bangkok last week.

While they were at that event, they had the opportunity to speak to so many entrepreneurs about their business struggles and successes throughout 2018.

In light of those conversations, we've decided to address some of the common topics we've heard throughout that conference on today's episode.

This week, we are discussing the five trends that internet businesses need to consider for the upcoming year. We'll be talking location freedom, hiring practices, conference strategies, and much, much more.

TMBA464: 5 Reasons Your Presentation Might Suck Oct 25, 2018

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http://www.tropicalmba.com/presentations/ We are fresh off the heels of DC BKK 2018, our annual conference that we host in Bangkok.

It's safe to say that in the many years of running that conference, as well as attending other conferences around the globe, Dan and Ian have seen quite a few amazing presentations from speakers.

Not every presentation can be a home run, though, and we have seen our fair share of bad ones too.

This week, Dan is talking about the science behind a great presentation, and specifically the five reasons your presentation might suck.

The ability to give a great presentation is an important skill set for entrepreneurs. Even if you aren't planning on giving a presentation any time soon, learning these principles can help make you a better communicator in your business.

TMBA463: The Tao of the Hustle Redux Oct 18, 2018

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http://www.tropicalmba.com/hustleredux/ A few years ago, Dan and Ian published an episode of this podcast called The Tao of the Hustle.

In the years since we still receive frequent questions and comments about our opinions on hustle and entrepreneurship that we shared in that episode.

One of those questions recently came from a listener named Rob Sanchez.

Rob loves creating products, but over the course of his career, he has failed to establish proper distribution channels as he's built those products. His insecurities about hustling have frequently led to less than stellar results when his products launch.

On today's episode, we are addressing Rob's troubles, and revisiting The Tao of the Hustle. We'll be sharing six new elements to the Tao of the Hustle, as well as exploring the ways that our philosophies about hustle have evolved in 2018.

TMBA462: A Conversation with Michael Lombardi Oct 11, 2018

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http://www.tropicalmba.com/michaellombardi/ Dan and Ian are always looking for new ways to gain insight into entrepreneurship, and sometimes that insight can come from some unexpected places.

Michael Lombardi is an American Football executive and analyst. He also served as an assistant to the coaching staff of the New England Patriots, one of the most successful franchises in the history of the National Football League.

While Dan was reading Michael's new book "Gridiron Genius", he realized it wasn't just a book about sports. In many ways, Dan found "Gridiron Genius" to be as much a business book as a football one.

On today's episode, we are talking with Michael about the similarities between American Football and entrepreneurship, and some leadership strategies in sports that entrepreneurs everywhere can learn from.

TMBA461: The 40% Rule Oct 04, 2018

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http://www.tropicalmba.com/40percentrule/ If you've been listening to this podcast for a while, you would know that one of the major motivations for Dan and Ian in life is creating the freedom to live life on your own terms.

That freedom can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people.

On recent episodes, we have spoken about how entrepreneurship shares a lot in common with the FIRE (Financially Independent, Retire Early) community.

One of the tenents of FIRE philosophy is The 4% Rule, which is the practice of saving and investing enough money that it will allow you to withdraw 4% of that income every year to live off of.

In order for that rule to work, though, you would need to save 1 million dollars to live on a modest income of $40,000 annually. That can be a tall order for people who are on a small salary.

Enter Jase Rodley. Jase recently wrote a piece called The 40% Rule, which addresses this idea head-on. The 40% Rule is an investment strategy that allows people to concentrate on returns from modest investments, while still allowing themselves to "stay in the game".

On today's episode, Jase discusses The 40% Rule, the business that he is currently building, and how his experience with that business has informed his investment strategies.

TMBA460: Are We Being Honest About the True Cost of Bootstrapping a Business? Sep 27, 2018

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http://www.tropicalmba.com/costofbootstrapping/ Today we are examining a discussion that Dan and Ian have been having behind the scenes of this podcast for years.

These conversations revolve around a question that everyone who is considering an entrepreneurial lifestyle needs to hear: What are the real costs of bootstrapping a business?

The truth is that it is often much more expensive and complicated than writers and "thought leaders" let on. It can steal so much of our time, our opportunities for relationships, and sometimes our own well being.

Justin Jackson knows this better than most. Justin is a well-known podcaster with a track record of shows like Product People, Build Your SaaS, and MegaMaker. He has also recently launched an integrated podcast service called Transistor.fm.

Justin has been addressing some of these more "taboo" entrepreneurial concepts on his blog. A recent piece called The Bootstrapper's Paradox addresses some of the hidden costs of bootstrapping.

On today's episode, Justin shares his thoughts on those hidden costs. He also challenges some of the narratives that legendary figures in the movement have built around themselves and opens up about his own struggles with mental health as an entrepreneur.

TMBA459: The State of Bitcoin Sep 20, 2018

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http://www.tropicalmba.com/stateofbitcoin/ Dan and Ian have spoken about cryptocurrencies before, and they have certainly been a divisive topic among the listeners of this show.

The fact is that cryptocurrencies aren't going away. If you're interested in your financial future and really want to understand the nature of these markets and how to manipulate them, this episode is for you.

We've invited our friend Taylor Pearson back to the show this week to talk about a recent article he wrote called The State of Bitcoin.

On today's podcast, Taylor shares his thoughts on how cryptocurrencies essentially differ from other forms of investment, how to distinguish hype from opportunity, and why the "Bitcoin backlash" is happening.

TMBA458: Five Reasons You Won’t Be an Entrepreneur Next Year Sep 13, 2018

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http://www.tropicalmba.com/fivereasons/ Dan and Ian have been around the block a few times, and in that time they have seen many entrepreneurs come and go.

What many don't understand is that the majority of entrepreneurial success stories don't happen overnight.

Nearly every sustainable path to wealth and freedom is a journey that can take years, and often decades to achieve

This week's episode is a list of the five common reasons that entrepreneurs will give up on their journey.

If you identify with any of the reasons we mention on today's podcast, fear not. You can use the knowledge and information we share on this show to help you get over your obstacles and further sustain your journey as an entrepreneur.

TMBA457: Why Does Everyone Talk About Revenue and Not Profit? Sep 06, 2018

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http://www.tropicalmba.com/tomsawyer/ A few weeks ago, Dan and Ian published an episode of this podcast about The Peter Principle, which is the idea that everyone will more or less rise to the level of their own incompetence.

Today, we are talking about a different principle. This one comes from a great 19th century book, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain.

This episode begins with an excerpt from the book, where Tom is forced to paint a fence and convinces others to help him, eventually tricking them into painting the fence themselves.

On today's show, we're sharing our thoughts on how entrepreneurs can use this same philosophy to lead a great team without working in their business day-to-day.

We'll also be talking about the progress we've made with our new business venture - Dynamite Jobs, and why many entrepreneurs spend so much time focusing on top-line revenue rather than profits.

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