The $100 MBA Show

Need a revenue boost? Look no further. Today, we discuss 3 steps you can take today that’ll jazz your numbers up and get you through a slow month. These immediately applicable, effective steps can give you just the edge you need to see moderate growth within a few weeks. Some are simple, some more involved, but all can do the trick. From unique promotional strategies, to outside-the-box marketing...

Affiliate marketing can be a powerful, positive tool for growth. But like many business opportunities, it can also create the conditions for some seriously shady misbehavior. Don’t let the scammers win! Today, we discuss 5 simple strategies you can use to cut the devils off and protect your business. While most of your affiliates will be trustworthy fellow entrepreneurs with good intentions, there...

Time is more valuable than money — and we’ve only got so much. What would you be willing to trade for substantially more time, each and every week? Today, we’ve got 3 steps you can take to drastically increase your time by drastically improving your productivity. These aren’t simple “hacks” or fluffy life lessons; they’re challenging acts of commitment that pay off big. These are things we do ours...

Do you have employees, or do you have a team ? It’s one thing to be in charge, but having strong relationships with your team can have a serious positive impact on your business performance. The quality of your product, the efficiency of your systems, and your bottom line can all be better — if you’re willing to put some work into the relationships that drive the team’s success. Today on the podca...

Meetings: is there anyone who actually likes them? For most businesses, meetings are a must, at least occasionally. Very rare is the business in which the team never gets together, either virtually or in person. However, too many meetings are just as dangerous as too few. So what’s the right frequency for your business? Today, we discuss how to determine exactly how often to meet. From the daily “...

The age old question for entrepreneurs with growing teams: when does is stop being smart to pay by the hour? When is a salary the right move? Depending on the employee, how you pay them can make all the difference in both their productivity and your return on investment. And while one option definitely (usually) costs more than the other, what you get back for that money is just as variable. We ha...

Facebook advertising works, but only if you do it right. It’s Q&A Wednesday, and we’ve got a listener who’s ready to advertise, but not sure how to design ads that convert — and more importantly, don’t waste the advertising budget. Fortunately, you don’t need to hire an expensive pro to design effective Facebook ads. There are several options, and lots of resources, for the DIY advertiser. With a...

A basic truth of business: this isn’t for everyone. Entrepreneurship isn’t a better way of making a living, just a different one. And only certain kinds of people are suited for it. Having coached and mentored many an independent business person through the $100 MBA, we’ve seen what it takes to succeed — and why being honest with yourself is the first prerequisite. Over time, we’ve noticed a colle...

Tim Ferriss is at it again, with another book of Grade-A entrepreneurial wisdom. But this time, it’s not just from the man himself. Tribe of Mentors is a fantastic collection of condensed wisdom from experts in various industries. Easy to read, digestible, and immediately applicable, these golden nuggets of business truth will serve you well. That’s why it’s this week’s Must-Read book for budding...

Will writing a book help your business? It sounds like a no-brainer: figure out how to start writing a book , finish it, and your credibility will spike, leading to more traffic. Done right, a book can be one of the most powerful branding and marketing tools imaginable. But done incorrectly, writing a book can be serious waste of time, money, and effort. In order to produce a big ROI, your book ha...

Entrepreneurs have to stay on top of the latest. Any tools that can make us more effective, more efficient, and better prepared to compete are a must. In business, we all need an edge. 2018 has offered exactly that, with apps and programs that make a difference. Today, we discuss 5 incredible tools that have had the greatest impact on our productivity. They’ve improved the quality of our work, whi...

It’s time to take a stand! The health and productivity drawbacks of sitting all day at work are well-documented. As people in every business look for ways to work healthier and more effectively, the standing desk has become all the rage. As entrepreneurs, we have the privilege of being able to design our own workspaces. Freed from the cubicle, more and more of us are choosing to work on our feet,...

Considering building a personal website to boost your brand? In addition to business and product-specific sites, sites devoted to your personal outlook and character can have a powerful marketing impact. They can help consolidate and leverage your most important asset — the audience you build — across multiple business ventures. We decided to find out for ourselves what it takes to build an effect...

One talk can do it all. It can propel your independent business, and keep it growing year after year. The right signature speech can be the foundation of your entire personal brand, boosting your credibility and growing your following. Today, we’ve got a special guest teacher who specializes in crafting evergreen, reusable, home-run talks that get serious mileage. Pete Vargas knows what it takes t...

Relax. That’s not a suggestion. It’s not even advice. It’s a requirement for any entrepreneur who really wants to succeed. A burnt out, overworked, overtired person cannot meet their full potential, and is not fit to run a business. In order to make yourself fully capable, you have to factor in a little R&R. Fortunately, getting the recharge you need doesn’t have to cost you much money, or your bu...

Is your small business succeeding? Growth can be a difficult thing to measure. Often, new entrepreneurs need help to determine whether they’re on the right track. What exactly constitutes the right speed of growth is hard to put your finger on, especially when things can change so drastically at the beginning. Today, we discuss exactly how to decide what success means for your business, what exact...

Just getting started blogging? There’s a ton to learn. There’s a ton we wish we’d learned before we started. Fortunately, we’ve learned it since, and today we share it with you! It’s Q&A Wednesday, and one listener wants to know exactly what advice we’d give a rookie blogger. Without the right focus (and the right tips), the blog game can be tough, even counter-productive. But if you can find your...

Conferences can be excellent opportunities to network, build partnerships, and yes, build your audience. Whether you’re a speaker or just an attendee, there’s no substitute for the face-to-face, in person connections you build at conferences. But you have to make those connections correctly, and strategically. Too many entrepreneurs don’t get the most out of the opportunities conferences create. T...

What’s the secret to creativity? How do great product designers, artists, and content marketers create original work that’s unlike anything consumers have seen before? They don’t. This week’s Must-Read book for the entrepreneur, Austin Kleon’s Steal Like an Artist, debunks the myth of originality and explains how all great creations are the products of the creator’s influences, not divine inspirat...

For new businesses, Facebook is a long game. The power of social media marketing is often, frankly, overhyped. But that doesn’t mean there’s aren’t serious gains to be made with the right approach. In particular, Facebook’s ability to directly target users according to endlessly refinable characteristics is just too good to pass up — but it still requires strategy on your part. Today, we discuss o...

Computer running sluggish? You can’t let your tech slow down your business, but what if you can’t afford a brand spanking new piece of equipment? Worry not, friends. You don’t have to drop a couple G’s on the latest hardware. There are alternatives. You’ve got to have the tools you need to do business, even if your operating budget isn’t in “new MacBook” territory just yet. You can drastically imp...

Entrepreneurs have active minds. Our brains are always coming up with new ways to innovate, grow, and evolve. Ideas, as they say, are a dime a dozen — but only if they’re not executed in the real world. So how can you make sure you’re getting the most out of your ideas? How can you keep up with your own busy brain? Today, we’re offering a solution. We’ve got a super-efficient, time-effective syste...

The holidays aren’t exactly around the corner. But for businesses, it’s time to get ready for the season of giving, right now. Today, we discuss why prepping for the holidays early is the best way to make the most of this annual opportunity. As November approaches on the Western calendar, you need to have your strategy in place. Consumers are primed and pumped to spend, and you don’t want to miss...

Every entrepreneur has to ask themselves: how can my business stand out? You need to find an edge, a place where you can do what other businesses can’t, or won’t. For so many industries, an entrepreneur can make a huge splash by offering better customer service. As today’s special guest teacher tells us, general satisfaction with service is at an all-time low. Shep Hyken is a best-selling author a...

If you haven’t heard, Apple does a pretty decent job of selling iPhones. So what can we as entrepreneurs learn from the king of the tech sector? Apple just launched the the iPhones XS, XS Max, and XR. This is something Apple does every year, and every year they use strategies worth taking note of. Today, we break down those strategies, and show you how you can use them to sell anything. What most...