The $100 MBA Show

Firing people is almost never easy. We’re often afraid of dealing with the fallout of letting an employee go. Operations will be disrupted, feelings may be hurt, and someone needs to take over for whoever got the boot…preferably as soon as possible. Can you plan ahead for a firing? You certainly can. It’s Q&A Wednesday, and we’ve got a listener who knows it’s time to say goodbye to a certain emplo...

Quitting is an option. And it’s often the right one. When a product or business idea fails to produce fruit — and you have little evidence to suggest it ever will — wasting more money on it doesn’t make sense. But of course, it’s hard to tell when you’re in that situation. There’s a fine line between perseverance and delusion; between being a quitter and being savvy. Today, we take a look at the m...

If you had to start your business all over again, what would you do differently? Some entrepreneurs actually get to answer that question. Take Laura Roeder, who created the social-media scheduling app MeetEdgar, built it into a top marketing tool, and ultimately sold it. Now that she’s out of the social game, Laura has turned her focus to a new business, the coaching platform Paperbell. How well h...

In-person events are back! One of the best things entrepreneurs — especially new entrepreneurs — can do to boost their business is to attend live, in-person conferences. COVID took that option off the table for a while. But now that things are normal(er), it’s time to take advantage. Today, we explain why you should be at the next conference you can get to, and how to get the most from it. We’ll d...

Let’s break down the “value ladder,” Many businesses purposely create products at varying price points, in the hopes of getting people into their ecosystem. Think of your cheapest (or free) product as a gateway to bigger-ticket purchases down the road — one stepping stone at a time. But does this work for everyone? Today, we explore this strategy in depth, and who it’s most appropriate for. We get...

Should you be charging in USD, no matter where you are? It’s a good question. Today is Q&A Wednesday, and we’ve got a listener with their own business in Europe, who noticed that competitors list their prices in American currency.  Why? What’s the advantage, and are there disadvantages? Now that even the smallest business can go global, the currency question looms large. Today, we outline the opti...

If that title sounds like clickbait…we get it. But we’re not kidding around; you can put together a genuine sales offer for an entirely new product in 48 hours or so. Whether it’s to boost revenue, or to simply put a few extra reps in exchanging goods for money, this is real. And yes, there’s a trick to it. It’ll all make sense once you hear the episode. Are we burying the lede right now? Of cours...

Don’t market without a (long-term) plan. Often, new entrepreneurs “wing it” when it comes to marketing and brand-building. But being new to business comes with a huge advantage: you can implement a long-term strategy earlier. Today’s special guest teacher will help you do just that — and if you’re already marketing, she’ll help you course correct for better results. Lorrie Thomas Ross founded Web...

Omar has run many a business. But the hardest kind, for (literally) his money, is ecommerce. Every type of business has its challenges, but selling physical goods online has more — and more difficult — issues to contend with. That’s not to say you shouldn’t start an ecommerce business. But you should know what you’re getting into! Today, we share what you need to prepare for, if ecommerce really i...

At first, your business is your baby.  But if you’re not mindful, it can quickly turn into a monster. Many entrepreneurs learn this the hard way, as responsibilities and obligations multiply, and gradually encroach on the boundaries between your work and your life. You may not see it coming; taking a weekend call here, sacrificing a workout there, cutting family time just a little short… Before yo...

We know email marketing is a must. But when you’re just starting out, how do you get people’s addresses? …more importantly, how do you get email addresses for free? Anyone can throw money at the list-building problem and get results (short-term though the results may be). But there are other, arguably better, options. With a little time, work, and creativity, anyone can build a strong email list....

eMail marketing works — but it can backfire. Sending your list too many emails comes with a host of bad consequences: unsubscribes and getting your content labeled as spam (yikes) can hurt your deliverability, making it less and less likely your emails will land in people’s inboxes.  So how do you communicate without…over-communicating? Today, Omar shares a simple system that works for us. By test...

Create it. Grow it. Cash out. That’s the goal of many entrepreneurs: to build a business that’ll sell for enough money to fund whatever comes next — even if nothing comes next, business-wise. So what does that journey look like? How do you get there? And just as importantly, what happens after? Patrick Campbell created ProfitWell and bootstrapped it into a successful startup. Selling it wasn’t exa...

Charging in installments works for infomercial products. But will it work for yours? When you don’t collect the entire price of your product or service right away, you take a risk. You may see one or two payments, only to forfeit the rest. That said, when you only accept full payment up front, you risk not making the sale. The key is to understand what kinds of offers benefit from payment plans —...

When it comes to social media, more isn’t always better. Our instinct (and a lot of advice out there) is to post as much and as often as possible. But the data — and our experience — don’t bear that out. Today, we take a dive into the available data on social media, and unpack how exactly you can use FB, Twitter, the ‘Gram, and LInkedIn to your advantage. Remember: these platforms and the companie...

Email is one of the most powerful tools for an independent business. As they say (and as we often repeat) “the money’s in the list.” For all the marketing channels out there, email still gets the best results in terms of reach and conversions. But there are way too many email platforms out there. Today, we help a brave, aspiring young entrepreneur get started on the right track, by choosing an ema...

Charging for a physical or digital product is fairly easy. But what about services? If you’re a freelance web designer, copywriter, or coach, getting paid can be tricky. Today, we explore the best ways to charge for services and process payments quickly — without hurting sales or getting yourself overburdened with complicated software tools. Buying your service online should be just as seamless as...

Harder doesn’t mean better. In fact, the opposite might be true. For as powerful as grit and a solid work ethic can be, we’re never grunting and sweating when we’re at our best. We’re smooth. We’re fluid. We’re… Effortless. Greg McKeown first changed our approach to business with his truly essential Essentialism , which advocates for a strict focus on what matters most. Now, Effortless adds a new...

Information isn’t the only thing that gets leads. When we create free lead magnets, we often default to sharing information. After all, sharing what we know doesn’t cost much, and knowledge is easy to transfer online. But there’s another option — and it’s just as good for conversions: templates. Whether it’s email or blog post templates, slide deck templates, or something else, a template doesn’t...

Offering live, in-person workshops, retreats, and other events isn’t easy. …but it’s so worth it. Recently, Omar hosted a 4-day in-person ski & snowboard retreat for independent founders. It was the first in-person event we’ve put together in a while, and it didn’t go exactly as planned — but it was still a win for us, and a worthwhile experience for everyone who attended. Today, we share how we p...

Entrepreneurship is about more than just making money. …or at least it can be. Today, we resume our partnership with US Bank’s Real Good podcast, a show that highlights business ventures for which profit isn’t the first goal. In this episode of Real Good , get to know Jennifer Openshaw, founder and CEO of Girls With Impact. GWI’s mission is to empower young female business people with a 10-week “m...

If you’re running a business by yourself, the question isn’t if you should hire an EA or VA (Executive Assistant/Virtual Assistant).  The question is when . And wouldn’t you know it, one of our listeners asked exactly that. It’s Q&A Wednesday, and we’ve got a solopreneur who knows an EA will be a good idea at some point. But how soon is too soon? How can you know when it’s the right time? In other...

Profit is oxygen. But if you’re only creating profit by maximizing revenue…you’re only doing half the job. It’s time to get lean, and stay lean. Today, we explore how to keep expenses down, by consistently tracking and trimming the fat. It’s not about obsessing over overy penny or being a miser. It’s about making smart deals with the people and companies who make up the “Loss” side of your Profit...

There’s only one thing more valuable than networking: being the one creating the networking opportunity. Ronsley Vaz started Australia’s first podcasting conference, We Are Podcast , now a significant regular event for entrepreneurs worldwide. But…how?  How does someone just decide to create a major event and actually pull it off? We decided to ask Ronsley and find out. In this extended conversati...

Everyone’s blogging. Everyone’s on social.  Podcasting, though… We can’t stress enough how powerful this podcast has been for our business. From our coaching and public speaking to our software business, The $100 MBA Show has opened more doors for us than anything else. More importantly, it taught us skills that apply to everything, not just the digital airwaves. And you should try it, too. It’s n...