http://www.tropicalmba.com/lifestylebusiness/ This week, we're talking about John Reineck's "Steak Dinner Problem", and how we interact with our clients. We had a great discussion with Taylor Pearson about it in the comments of our recent article about The Coconut Cash Conundrum. We're gonna be sharing some advanced level strategies on how to handle this complex situation that entrepreneurs face when their business starts to dictate the orders. We'll also talk about how to identify one thing tha...
Jun 12, 2014•32 min
http://www.tropicalmba.com/hire/ We're back this week, answering a bunch of listener questions about when it's the right time to expand your business and hire some new employees. We'll talk about why there's no magic bullet for getting through the hiring process. It's different for everyone, but there are ways to know when it's time to step up and start bringing in some help.
Jun 05, 2014•28 min
http://www.tropicalmba.com/blogging/ This week, we're digging into the archives and replaying one of our most popular, and controversial episodes. We're going to be talking about the perils of personal blogging and entrepreneurial journey blogging. A lot of people have interpreted this episode as a warning, but we consider it a challenge to bloggers to step up their game.
May 29, 2014•24 min
http://www.tropicalmba.com/sales/ This week, it’s all about making the sale. Bossman and I are exploring twenty random thoughts that we’ve had about sales. We talk about everything from salesmanship, to what that process looks like, what some of the key tactics that we use are, and how you can evolve by using these strategies.
May 22, 2014•50 min
http://www.tropicalmba.com/monies/ This week, we're talking about money. We've had quite a few listeners asking us about what to do when your business starts generating enough money for you to live comfortably. Bossman and I are not financial experts by any means, but we have experienced a lot as entrepreneurs, and we have our own opinions on what to do after you've started making money. Hope you enjoy and happy Thursday!
May 15, 2014•34 min
http://www.tropicalmba.com/knowledge/ Last week, we put out a challenge for listeners to email us there "1000 True Fans" business plan-- what they are going to be doing for their clients, how they are doing it differently than other providers, what they are delivering, and the prices that they are planning to charge. We got a ton of responses! Some were great, and some were problematic in our view. Among those, we tried to determine the most common mistakes being made. Bossman also predicts the ...
May 08, 2014•30 min
http://www.tropicalmba.com/examples/ We got a lot of great feedback from last week's episode, but a lot of people were confused about how the 1,000 True Fans model works in the real world. On this week's episode, we are answering some listener questions about how to build your business to create "passive income" and what the equivalent of the 1,000 True Fans model is in the context of an information product.
May 01, 2014•29 min
http://www.tropicalmba.com/businessmodels/ This week we are going to replay one of our favorite episodes of all time, with a little bit extra thrown in for good measure. This episode has had a great impact on a lot of our listeners. Of all of the episodes we have recorded, this one has probably helped people improve their businesses the most.
Apr 24, 2014•36 min
http://www.tropicalmba.com/popular/ This week bossman and I discuss being unpopular in the face of pressure from friends, family, team members, and employees. Bossman references his new "entrepreneurmobile" gratuitously and we ponder the distinctions being 'know-how' and 'know-what' knowledge.
Apr 17, 2014•30 min
http://www.tropicalmba.com/deals/ We've seen a lot of really smart people making dumb deals. It's okay, every entrepreneur has been there. We're not afraid to admit that we've been guilty of some of these mistakes ourselves. On this week's episode we'll be talking about ten ways that you can avoid making a really terrible deal.
Apr 10, 2014•40 min
http://www.tropicalmba.com/saas/ People have been asking us to open up a little bit more about some of our specific business ventures so this week we’re going to be talking about our new software-as-a-service product, ValetUp.com. We’re 9 months into the company, and we’ve already faced some significant challenges. On this week’s episode we’ll be discussing the 5 things that we’d do differently if we were starting up a SaaS business today.
Apr 03, 2014•36 min
http://www.tropicalmba.com/locationindependent/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/locationindependent/ This week one of our listeners challenged us to explain the detailed costs of the location independent lifestyle. We’ll talk about how to set up your business so you can become location independent and some general principles we’ve learned over the years about the ‘live and work’ anywhere mindset. Listen to this week’s show...
Mar 27, 2014•39 min
http://www.tropicalmba.com/chinasourcing/ This week, one of our listeners challenged us to go more in-depth about Chinese manufacturing and how to get your first product manufactured. We're gonna dive right in and talk about where and how you can learn about outsourcing your product to China, and everything that it entails.
Mar 20, 2014•27 min
http://www.tropicalmba.com/updates/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/updates/ This week, Bossman is back on the scene, and we are going over a host of specific updates about our businesses. In particular, we really get into what kinds of challenges we’ve faced manufacturing our own product, how we’ve been handling our relationships with our Chinese suppliers, some ways that you can save money...
Mar 13, 2014•42 min
http://www.tropicalmba.com/heyladies/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/heyladies/ This week, Elisa Doucette joins me to talk about women in the location independent entrepreneurship game. Elisa runs the Dynamite Circle business operations. If you’re a lady sitting in your cubicle in the United States, listen closely. We have a fantastic network of women with similar stories that we hope will inspire you to explore these...
Mar 06, 2014•19 min
http://www.tropicalmba.com/flashbar/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/flashbar/ This week, Ian catches up with us from Mexico to talk about the struggles and successes we’ve experienced with our portable bar company over the last nine months. We’ll talk about our experience displaying our new flash bar at a recent trade show and the pros and cons of drop shipping as a business...
Feb 27, 2014•33 min
http://www.tropicalmba.com/college/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/college/ In this week’s episode, I’m answering some listener submitted questions. I’ve invited Jimmy Hayes and Josh Weinstein back on the show to add their two cents as well, as we discuss whether or not a college degree is necessary for someone who wants to become a location-independent entrepreneur, among other topics. Listen to this...
Feb 20, 2014•30 min
http://www.tropicalmba.com/roundtable/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/roundtable/ *** Are you interested in attending our high level mastermind in April or May? If you can fill out this brief survey, we’ll send you more details shortly. *** In this week’s episode, we’re decided to do things a little bit differently. I’ve invited several of my friends from the Dynamite Circle on to...
Feb 13, 2014•1 hr 1 min
http://www.tropicalmba.com/fundamentals/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/fundamentals/ *** Are you interested in attending our high level mastermind in April or May? If you can fill out this brief survey, we’ll send you more details shortly. *** In this week’s episode, I’ve been reflecting about how far things have come since I began dreaming about working remotely. Staying true to that, we are...
Feb 06, 2014•27 min
http://www.tropicalmba.com/why/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/why/ Damian Thompson is back after the last episode with him absolutely blew up! Erik Emsley challenged us to help him explain to his family what this lifestyle choice is all about. Listen to this week’s show and learn: The fundamental belief system behind the entrepreneurial lifestyle. How much we value our time above all...
Jan 31, 2014•42 min
http://www.tropicalmba.com/table/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/table/ Ian is back on the Tropical MBA Podcast this week to talk about our next big idea, as well as answering some listener questions (thank you to all who’ve called our voicemail: 888-554-8428). Listen to this week’s show and learn: Why having the same amount of “skin the game” can be critical when networking....
Jan 23, 2014•39 min
http://www.tropicalmba.com/services/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/services/ Damian Thompson from Linchpin is back on the show this week (his first appearance here) talking with me about one of the biggest movements we see in the location independent scene. We talk about what Damian has learned during his first 1,000 days of being a business owner, and how listeners can utilize the lessons...
Jan 16, 2014•38 min
http://www.tropicalmba.com/cutbait/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/cutbait/ The boss man is back this week after a far too long hiatus and his timing is perfect for a topic we absolutely love. Kiri called in with some concerns about whether it’s time to cut her losses with her current business, or if there’s anything she can do to turn it around. Her...
Jan 09, 2014•26 min
http://www.tropicalmba.com/asia/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/asia/ Happy New Year! Ian is off celebrating the holidays with his family this week, and Kaiser Soze was here hanging out when a discussion came up that we thought would be good for the show. This show is mostly about lifestyle, but in case you’re looking for the good old fashioned business talk, below...
Jan 02, 2014•32 min
http://www.tropicalmba.com/1k/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/1k/ Since an angry fish seemed to have cut the internet wire in the ocean, Ian and I are cut off from one another. In his stead, Jesse “The Dominator” Lawler has stepped up to bring value to the masses. The listener questions continue to get better and better, so The Dominator and I are...
Dec 26, 2013•33 min
http://www.tropicalmba.com/ecommercemistakes/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/ecommercemistakes/ We’ve been looking back a lot to the beginning of The Valet Spot now that we’ve released the info to the public and realized that although we did a lot right, we screwed up a lot too. We figured with some of the big changes and our growth trajectory coming up, it would be...
Dec 19, 2013•32 min
http://www.tropicalmba.com/valetparking/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/valetparking/ For a variety of reasons, Ian and I have never spoken openly about the first successful B2B business we ever started– TheValetSpot.com. This week we are going to change all that and go into the details of how that business got started, how we won market share, and what we are doing to grow...
Dec 12, 2013•48 min
http://www.tropicalmba.com/remote/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/remote/ I’ve got Joe “Hot Money” Magnotti on as my co-host this week in the wake of Ian’s much needed romp in Europe. Today, we’re passing the ball back and forth about the direction things are going regarding remote working and team building. We’ve been noticing that the old norms are shifting (some have been...
Dec 05, 2013•30 min
http://www.tropicalmba.com/email/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/email/ In the process of launching and iterating on Valet Up, our new SaaS app developed for valet companies, Ian and I have been working on refining our email marketing strategies and how we can snag some extra customers and improve our closing average. On top of this, an email came in from Mark from...
Nov 28, 2013•27 min
http://www.tropicalmba.com/thoughtexperiments/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/thoughtexperiments/ Ian and I are both in the “on the road” mindset this week– we’re both mentally preparing to head out traveling or a little while. In that casual spirit we’ve both been dreaming a bit about what the future might hold. We asked some team members and listeners to help us out with some...
Nov 21, 2013•29 min
