Tropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder Lifestyle

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Episode 436: TMBA436: The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Keeping Your Sh*t Together Apr 12, 2018

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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.

Episode 435: TMBA435: The Resistance is Real Apr 05, 2018

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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.

Episode 434: TMBA434: The Lure of Remote Work Mar 29, 2018

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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.

Episode 433: TMBA433: A Conversation With Seth Godin Mar 22, 2018

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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.

Episode 432: TMBA432: Finish Big – A Conversation with Bo Burlingham Mar 15, 2018

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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.

Episode 431: TMBA431: We Wrote a Book Mar 08, 2018

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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.

Episode 430: TMBA430: The Philosophy Of Crypto Mar 01, 2018

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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.

Episode 429: TMBA429: The Problem With Cold Email Feb 22, 2018

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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.

Episode 428: TMBA428: A Critique of Tim Ferriss’ 4-Hour Workweek Feb 15, 2018

Show notes

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.

Episode 428: TMBA427: Dan and Ian’s Consulting Corner Feb 08, 2018

Show notes

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.

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