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...
http://www.tropicalmba.com/artofthedeal/ A few months back, Dan and Ian shared a conversation on this show about a failed negotiation that Ian was involved in for a used car. The response we received about that episode was pretty overwhelming, and the results were unanimous: people want to hear more about these types of dealmaking situations. In pursuit of that information, we decided to invite a very special guest on to the show. Corey Reuth is Ian's mentor in the world of wheeling and dealing....
http://www.tropicalmba.com/threescripts/ Dan and Ian have decided to use today's podcast to talk about a particularly difficult, but common issue in our community. One of the biggest challenges that entrepreneurs face is adhering to the "life scripts" that society has written for us to follow. The cold, hard truth is that people's lives often don't go the way that they think they are going to, and the social scripts that lead us into the corporate rat race can frequently leave us wanting more ou...
http://www.tropicalmba.com/parenting1/ Today's podcast is a very special episode. Dan and Ian are taking some time this week to celebrate the birth of Ian's new son. On this episode, you'll hear all about how Ian is transitioning to his new role as a parent. Ian isn't alone in this adventure, though. Many of our listeners and members of our entrepreneurial community are parents as well. Balancing parenting with entrepreneurship can be quite the challenge, and today's guest understands it as well...
http://www.tropicalmba.com/crypto/ Happy New Year and welcome back to all of our listeners. We hope that we can help make 2018 your best year in business ever. To kick things off strong, Dan and Ian are going to talk about one of the most popular and controversial topics in the entrepreneurial community today. Of course, we are talking about Cryptocurrency. Digital currencies like Bitcoin and Etherieum have made many members of our audience very wealthy, and have left the rest of us wondering wh...
http://www.tropicalmba.com/7stages/ Dan and Ian are in a reflective mood this week. 2017 has been a hallmark year for the TropicalMBA, and we thought it would be fun to revisit some of our favorite episodes of the year. We'll be sharing some of our most memorable moments from the show this year, as well as re-examining those conversations in a discussion we like to call the "7 Stages of Entrepreneurship". These 7 stages are bridges that every entrepreneur will eventually cross on their journey. ...
http://www.tropicalmba.com/greenbelly2/ In the past, Dan and Ian have spoken on this podcast about specific "epiphanies" that entrepreneurs have had on their journey. You're not going to hear about a lightbulb business idea or an overnight success story on today's show, though. The reality is that even if these epiphanies happen, the day-to-day life of being an entrepreneur has nothing to do with a single moment of insight. In fact, quite often the opposite is true. Entrepreneurs frequently feel...
http://www.tropicalmba.com/nateginsburg/ Dan and Ian have spent many years on this show discussing the importance of surrounding yourself with supportive people who share your vision. Today's guest can attest to that philosophy. Nate Ginsburg has built a successful Amazon business over the last two years, which he recently sold for just under a million dollars. He didn't do it alone, though. On this week's show, you'll hear how a chance encounter in the rolling hills of Northern Thailand led Nat...
http://www.tropicalmba.com/theservicesproblem/ Last week, Dan and Ian spoke to Greg Gerber on this podcast. During that conversation, Greg mentioned that he had recently interacted with many listeners of this show, and that a large portion of them owned services businesses. He also spoke about how he believed that those entrepreneurs were struggling to take the next step in their business. This insight into the audience of the show got our hosts thinking. What if they could help those entreprene...
http://www.tropicalmba.com/gregsgift/ Dan and Ian have shared many stories on this show about luck, serendipity, and being in the right place at the right time. But what if that luck isn't totally random? Today's episode is about entrepreneurs (and specifically listeners of this show) connecting to help each other out on their entrepreneurial journey. It begins with Greg Gerber, who made a post in our private membership forum The Dynamite Circle offering to give one lucky entrepreneur an all-exp...
http://www.tropicalmba.com/vincent/ The theme of today's show is navigating the social pressures that so many of us feel from friends, family, and colleagues. Dan and Ian are certainly familiar with these feelings, and today's guest is no stranger to them either. Vincent Nguyen is the founder of Growth Ninja, a performance-based Facebook ads company. You may remember Vincent from an episode we published a few years ago about apprenticeships. Vincent has definitely paid his dues in the world of e...
http://www.tropicalmba.com/amazon2/ This week's episode represents one of the most promising and immediate opportunities for starting a business on the internet. Dan and Ian have spoken at length about Amazon on this show in the past. Time after time, they have heard stories of success from other entrepreneurs. A year ago, they explored some of these same ideas on an episode that was one of the most popular and controversial episodes we've ever done. Kevin Graham joined us for that episode. He r...
http://www.tropicalmba.com/dcbkk2017/ Today Dan and Ian are going to be talking about their biggest weekend of the year. They are fresh off the heels of DCBKK, the annual event that they host in Bangkok for members of The Dynamite Circle. Hundreds of entrepreneurs, many of whom are listeners of this show, migrate to Southeast Asia each year to attend. They do so with the intention of focusing their time and energy on improving their businesses. On this week's episode, our hosts will be sharing t...
http://www.tropicalmba.com/municibid/ Dan and Ian have talked to many business owners on this podcast about what it takes to create a highly successful business, but what are we supposed to do once our businesses become successful? Today's guest is Greg Berry. Greg has been a very big contributor to our online community The Dynamite Circle, and has spoken at many of our events. Greg joins us this week to share the story of Municibid, a marketplace company that Greg founded when he was 26 years o...
http://www.tropicalmba.com/neversplitthedifference/ A few weeks ago on this podcast, Dan and Ian spoke about a failed negotiation that Ian went through when trying to purchase a car. Ian has said many times that believed he could have closed that deal if he just used the right tactics. Today's guest has spent a lifetime working on negotiating tactics, but he has primarily done so in matters of life or death. Chris Voss is a former FBI hostage negotiator and the author of "Never Split the Differe...
http://www.tropicalmba.com/tencommandmentsrevisited/ Over the years, Dan and Ian have spent a lot of time on this show talking about travel. One particular episode of this show called The 10 Travel Commandments, has resonated quite a bit with our listeners. We thought it would be fun to revisit some of the concepts from that episode and talk about how their travel philosophies have changed in the five years since that episode was published. You'll also hear tips, tricks, and essential strategies...
http://www.tropicalmba.com/linjer/ Dan and Ian love physical product companies. After all, they started their own entrepreneurial journey by selling physical products. On this week's show, they have chosen to showcase the story of a mid-market luxury brand that has found massive success. Jennifer Chong and Roman Khan are the founders of Linjer. Linjer manufactures and sells beautiful leather handbags and watches, which retail between $200 and $500 USD. On today's episode, Jennifer and Roman spea...
http://www.tropicalmba.com/amazingseller/ This week, Dan and Ian are going to be talking about one of the most successful platforms for building an online business, and one that has historically been under-represented on this show. That platform is Amazon.com, and the reason that you haven't heard much about it is because Amazon sellers have been pretty secretive about the ways that they have been using it to make money. Today's guest has no problem sharing his knowledge, especially with those w...
http://www.tropicalmba.com/greenbacktaxservices/ For the past several weeks, Dan and Ian have been speaking about what it means to build a culture for your company. One of the most important parts to fostering that culture is managing a team, and almost no one does it better than this week's guest. Enter Carrie McKeegan. In 2008, Carrie and her husband Dave founded Greenback Tax Services. Since then, their business has exploded and they have expanded to include a 55 person fully distributed team...
http://www.tropicalmba.com/gfny/ Dan and Ian often use this show as a platform to talk about the things that they are most passionate about. This week, we are taking a look at two of Dan's favorite topics: cycling and event-based businesses. Uli Fluhme is the co-founder of GFNY, a cycling event in New York city that was the first of its kind in America, modeled after the traditional Italian Gran Fondos. On this episode, you'll hear Uli's story about the logistical challenges of creating an event...
http://www.tropicalmba.com/seekingapprentice/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/seekingapprentice/ Podcast 20:26| Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment Dan and Ian are currently seeking a Business Development Apprentice to help grow The Dynamite Circle, as well as this very podcast. Over the years, they have hired many people who were listeners to this podcast, or who were referred by listeners of this show. They decided that there...
http://www.tropicalmba.com/showerthoughts/ Dan and Ian have often subscribed to the notion that some of their best ideas come from their most personal moments, and what moment is more personal than taking a shower? This week's episode is a collection of "shower thoughts" that the hosts of this podcast have been ruminating on for quite some time. You'll hear insights on what it takes to achieve life goals, why debt can be the #1 thing stopping you from reaching your potential, how to avoid the no...
http://www.tropicalmba.com/noahkagan/ Dan and Ian are very fortunate to speak to one of their favorite entrepreneurs this week, and someone whose reputation certainly precedes him. This week's guest is Noah Kagan. Noah is the founder of AppSumo.com, and the host of Noah Kagan Presents. App Sumo is an extremely successful online business which offers daily deals for digitally distributed products and services. Noah's blog OkDork has also been a longtime favorite of the hosts of this show.. On thi...
http://www.tropicalmba.com/dreamline/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/dreamline/ Podcast 36:53| Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment On this week’s episode, Dan and Ian unearth some important documents from 2009. Yes, we are talking about their original, old-school Dreamlines, written back when Dan and Ian first met. For those unfamiliar with the term, a Dreamline is a document that asks you to write down what you want to...
http://www.tropicalmba.com/convertkit/ On today's show, Dan and Ian are going to talk to an entrepreneur whose business is absolutely on fire right now. Nathan Barry is the founder and CEO of ConvertKit, an email marketing program for bloggers. ConvertKit currently has 28 employees, and is turning over 9 million dollars in annual recurring income. Nathan has built a long and storied reputation of being unafraid to confront and analyze the challenges of entrepreneurship through his blog at Nathan...
http://www.tropicalmba.com/jasoncohen/ Today's guest is one of the smartest business minds that Dan and Ian have encountered in their travels. Jason Cohen is the founder of WP Engine, a very successful company that provides managed Wordpress hosting. He is also the author of Dan and Ian's all-time favorite blogs, A Smart Bear. A few years ago, Jason made the difficult decision to step down from his CEO role at WP Engine, at a time when the company was more successful than ever. Jason recently sp...
http://www.tropicalmba.com/nameyourbusiness/ This week's episode is about a question that Dan and Ian are struggling to answer right now: What is the best way to go about naming a new business or product? A lot of times you only get one chance to get people's attention. Choosing the right name could unlock the door to great success, and branding your business incorrectly could prove disastrous. Today's guest knows this challenge better than anyone. Alexandra Watkins is the founder of a company c...
http://www.tropicalmba.com/400thshow/ Dan and Ian have spent a substantial amount of their life making this show, nearly 8 years to be exact. What better way to celebrate the 400th episode of this podcast than to return to one of their favorite episode formats: the good, old-fashioned Q&A. This week, Dan and Ian are answering more listener questions, and riffing on topics like "Comfy Bed Syndrome" and "The Golden Handcuffs". You'll also hear some retrospective thoughts on 8 years of talking ...
http://www.tropicalmba.com/curiosity/ Today's show is the product of a dream that Dan and Ian both had, which inspired them to follow up with an old friend. The topic is a rather simple one. What if you could take your curiosity and energy about a topic and turn it into a serious business? In pursuing the answer, they both decided it was a good time to check in with their former business partner Jesse Lawler, who hosts a fantastic podcast called Smart Drug Smarts. Jesse didn't start the podcast ...
