The $100 MBA Show

More and more, what you sell isn’t the only thing you’re selling. You’re also selling you . People gravitate to brands they can identify with — which usually means brands associated with people they identify with. Sometimes, it’s sponsors or their fellow customers. But just as often, it’s the founder. But what if you’re not much of a…personality? The short answer is: you are, even if you think you...

The first hill tends to be the steepest. …or at least it can feel that way. When it comes to assembling a solid email list, getting from nothing to something can seem daunting. But with a few simple tactics, you can build that foundation. The best part? One thousand subscribers is enough to generate a full-time income, depending on what you sell. So doing some extra work in the beginning is a no-b...

For entrepreneurs (and humans in general), nothing is more valuable than time. But too often, we trade our time for money — or the promise of money. Entrepreneurs especially feel like your level of success is directly aligned to how much time you spend working. This. Is. False. In fact, the best thing you can do for your company and yourself is to take back as much time as possible. Omar learned t...

As a general rule, people don’t do what they don’t want to do. …even when they should. It’s not that we’re lazy, or not committed. It’s that we fail to proactively strategize, to paint ourselves into the corners where we’re forced to follow through on our goals.  It sounds simple. But then…why don’t we all do it? Today, we’ll share a few tried-and-true ways to set yourself up for success. By emplo...

Overwhelmed? The problem might not be you. There’s an entire industry of content, influence, and promises regarding productivity. But what if that’s tackling the problem backwards? What if maximizing your ability to blast through ToDo lists is missing a key element? We think that’s the case. Today, Omar shares a straightforward but potentially game-changing “secret” to productivity. But really, it...

Online entrepreneurship is perfect for creative introverts. You get to work by yourself, limit distractions, and subtract the anxiety that comes with office politics and social drama. …but that approach can leave you isolated, personally and professionally. It’s Q&A Wednesday, and we’ve got a listener who’s living the ideal introvert lifestyle: a blogger based in Fiji. How can you beat that? But l...

They seemed great when you hired them. But then… Why do some employees fail to measure up? Often, we think it’s because something is wrong with our hiring process. But realistically, it’s more likely to be what happens after the hire. Today, we discuss how to set and maintain expectations for employees in a constructive way. That doesn’t mean being heavy-handed, authoritarian, or micro-managing. I...

The more specific your marketing is to your leads, the better it’ll work. Hence, quizzes. Gen Furukawa is the cofounder of Prehook , a company that helps ecommerce businesses create interactive quiz funnels to drive leads and sales. By engaging with website visitors in a 2-way conversation, you can gather the data that makes marketing more personal. And of course, more personal means more effectiv...

The influencers agree: the key to success is tackling the day like it just ran off with your grandma’s purse. …but is it really? The high-powered morning routine is the latest craze, and one of the hottest topics of content on life and business optimization. But today, we dare to ask: does it even make a difference? Will your business thrive if you never miss your morning journaling/meditation/pow...

Feeling stuck in your business? That’s not to say you’re not doing ok financially. But every so often, a business can lose the…magic. You feel bored, unmotivated, maybe even depressed. You go through the motions, joylessly. Running your business has become the thing that you became an entrepreneur to escape: just another job. You’re not alone, and you’re probably fine. In fact, your business is pr...

How long is too long to request a refund?  It’s an important question, especially for small businesses. To grow, you have to be able to rely on steady, predictable revenue. And revenue that suddenly reverses can throw your metrics out of whack.  But on the other hand… Risk reversal is one of the most powerful selling tools you have. When customers feel like they’re truly guaranteed satisfaction, y...

2022 was…something alright.  So what fresh challenges and opportunities can we expect this year? We’ve got a few (educated) guesses.  Today, Omar shares what’s most likely to define 2023, based on his borderline-obsessive reflection and study of small business trends. From post-COVID adjustments to workplace culture to the surprise advantages most people will miss, these predictions can keep you a...

We all have monsters. Maybe you call them “demons,” or just plain old insecurities. Whatever the name, they’re the things that make us make poor decisions out of fear, doubt, or simple habit.  Today, we review a book from someone who’s had to face their monsters down. And somehow, it’s…hilarious. Leave it to Kevin Hart, the comedian who survived a serious accident and came out a little wiser — but...

So you need traffic…but you don’t have much cash to throw around. No problem! As a lean startup, we regularly experiment with low-to-no-cost ways of driving consumers to our website. Today, we share a few we’ve heard about, researched, and even tried ourselves. Always remember that paid ads can get eyeballs on your content and other assets — but not necessarily the eyeballs you want. For small bus...

You can do a million things for your business. …or you can do just one, really well. There’s a simple strategy that can boost almost any business, in the medium term. It doesn’t matter what you sell, who your audience is, or what size business you have. It doesn’t require expensive tools, or super-advanced specialized knowledge. But it’s not exactly easy. This move is low on complexity, but requir...

It’s easy to grow an email list… …when you have lots of money to blow on paid lead captures. But for the rest of us, building a solid list takes time, work, and creativity. It’s Q&A Wednesday, and we’re helping one listener figure out how to rake in the email addresses without sinking too much cash into the project.  The good news? There are lots of ways. Early on, we generated our own initial lea...

What is your business really offering people? We’ve all heard the “benefits over features” lecture, where you do your best to communicate what consumers get out of your product. But there’s a bigger picture — and it can compel people even more effectively. It’s all about your vision. Identifying and communicating your vision isn’t some exercise in self-importance. It’s a way to show your audience...

Your sponsorship “packages” might be costing you sponsors. Sponsorships are one of the best ways to monetize your brand and content. But as entrepreneurs who “work smarter not harder,” many of us approach sponsorships way too…passively. Today’s guest has a better idea. Justin Moore is a classic self-made entrepreneur with a unique specialty: helping other entrepreneurs get the best possible sponso...

Hate your day job? Is your own business stagnating? Are you feeling powerless? Sad? Angry? Good. When it gets bad enough, you have one of the greatest advantages an entrepreneur can have: motivation that outranks your fear. Today, we discuss how to use a rock-bottom low point in your professional life as a launching pad for independence. Omar will share how all the success we’ve built with The $10...

There’s a magic to the number 10,000. For an entrepreneur, $10k in monthly profit represents the moment you’re no longer trying to achieve independence — you have it. So why is it so hard to get to? The journey to 10k is likely the steepest hill you’ll have to climb on the way to success. That hill tends to weed out most would-be entrepreneurs, leaving only the ones who can truly make it. Today, w...

Every entrepreneur’s mantra should be this: “I can only do so much.” Starting and running a business is never easy — but there’s a line between “not easy” and detrimental to your health. Moreover, working too hard for too long is simply, objectively unsustainable. For anyone. It’s Q&A Wednesday, and we’ve got a listener who runs a business that’s doing ok, but only as long as the founder keeps the...

Google is a fickle master. Your traffic depends on your content’s ability to rank. For better or worse, Google is the #1 search engine, which means SEO (Search Engine Optimization) basically means appeasing Google, whatever it takes. …and what appeases Google changes all the time. In its effort to bring people the best results (and keep up with SEO pros trying to game the system), Google makes reg...

There’s writing, and then there’s writing well. Every form of communication in business requires a solid handle on the written word. From marketing and sales copy to public talks to pitches, if you can’t write it, you can’t share it. William Zinsser’s On Writing Well is different from our other recent Must-Read (Stephen King’s On Writing ). It’s strictly about non-fiction! The strategies in this b...

For a business, social proof is everything. There’s no better marketer or salesperson than a happy customer with an honest recommendation. A great testimonial or case study is worth a thousand paid ads, conversion-wise.  But of course, getting that social proof can be laborious, awkward, and time-consuming.  …but it doesn’t have to be. Today, we share our system for getting loads of social proof t...

What are your skills worth? To a conventional employer, they’re worth an average salary. But to yourself as an entrepreneur, their worth is limitless. Your knowledge and abilities are the foundation of your business — which means every dime you spend on learning more is an investment. Of course, that’s the simple answer. Here’s where it gets complex: what kinds of skills should you invest in? How...