The $100 MBA Show

Inbound, inbound, inbound. These days, it seems like all we hear. But what about the good ol’ fashioned way of moving product? What about getting out there and bringing your product to customers? There’s still room for the outbound approach. As your business grows, it becomes more and more important to actively pursue outbound sales, especially for business-to-business companies. While salesperson...

Sale prices can draw customers — but they can also send a bad message. It’s Q&A Wednesday, and one listener wants to know how to cut prices without harming the product’s real and perceived value. Whenever you lower the price of your product, even temporarily, you have more drawbacks to consider than just decreased revenue. Gaining more customers is always great, but if it comes at too high a cost...

You have no contact lists, no followers, no fans, nada. How in the heck are you supposed to start marketing? Everyone starts somewhere. Today, we discuss how to jump-start your marketing efforts from Square One. You can build a foundation from next-to-nothing, if you know how to use your resources wisely. Before you spend a dime on paid ads, listen to this episode. That’s not to say paid advertisi...

Ready to podcast? This is the episode for you. We know a thing or two about podcasting, having made it all the way to our 1,033rd episode. But we’ve got a special guest teacher with even more experience and knowledge, someone who helped us along the way. Justin Jackson of transistor.fm knows podcasting, and he’s here to offer seriously valuable advice to anyone getting ready to utilize this incred...

The Internet is great, but sometimes you can’t beat some good ol’ fashioned real-world networking. Physical meetups are more prevalent than you might think, and more affordable, too. Depending on your industry, there’s a good chance of finding a valuable get-together within a reasonable distance of wherever you are. Today, we discuss how to find, prepare for, and make the most of meetups. We offer...

Google AdWords: is the party over? There was a time when AdWords was everything: a valuable, cost-effective way to get your website to the top of the results page without all that pesky manual SEO. Massive chunks of marketing budgets were devoted to paying per click, and as the value of AdWords became more and more apparent, the pricing became more and more…let’s say, exclusive. That was then. Thi...

Are videos the new blogs? Many marketing experts have pointed out that YouTube is the world’s second-biggest search engine, but does that mean every entrepreneur needs to break out the tripod and start filming? It’s Q&A Wednesday, and one of our listeners wants to get a sense of the ROI for YouTube. Given the potential effects on branding, SEO, and all-around exposure, many entrepreneurs wonder if...

The road to independent success could use a few warning signs! If you’re starting your first online business, this is the episode for you. In a special interview, we’re sitting down with someone whose entire job is helping new entrepreneurs get the most out of their websites: Matt Jenks, program manager for customer success at Weebly. As the guy responsible for shepherding new entrepreneurs into t...

Your knowledge and experience are valuable — and not just to you. In fact, your knowledge and experience are worth paying for, if you have the public speaking and presentation skills to deliver them effectively. Being a public speaker can do wonders for your exposure and brand, but it’s also a fantastic way to earn income in its own right. Consider hitting the stage!   Today, we discuss what you n...

The excitement can’t last forever. When the honeymoon’s over, the founding obstacles are cleared, and the initial fires are put out, it’s just you and your successful business. At that point, you’re no longer facing the drama of starting a new business, and all the ups and downs that come with it. You’ve made it. It’s working. You’re bored. Like any relationship, the one between you and your busin...

To do the best job, you need the right tools. But even the best tools don’t last forever. If you’re like us, your business depends on your computer. Whether you’re on a desktop or laptop, Mac or PC, your computer is your primary weapon in the fight for independent success. It has to work, through thick and thin. What you spend on your computer can vary, but the ROI is undeniable. But when is it ti...

We’d say remote teams are the future, but they’re already here. More and more, smart entrepreneurs are taking advantage of a whole planet’s worth of talent, as the Internet erases borders and puts top-notch talent at your fingertips. In fact, the only problem with remote workers is that there’s just too many of them. So how do you find the good ones? Today, we discuss where to find the best in the...

Accounting can get out of hand, quickly — even when you have an accountant! With a million little business expenses going out every day, it can be maddening to try and keep track of each transaction. Factor in multiple team members using different methods of payment, and any entrepreneur can easily lose the thread. What’s a business owner to do? We’ve got a system. There’s no shortage of accountin...

Networking: you’re (probably) doing it wrong. Networking is crucial to the development of any business. We like to say that the relationships you build as an entrepreneur are the most valuable asset your business has. But acquiring contacts and building genuine relationships is a subtle art, one that requires skill and finesse. That said, anyone can do it. You just need the right approach. Enter t...

Entrepreneurs need weekends, too. Building a business on the side is no easy feat. But even the hardest working, most dedicated side-hustler has basic human needs: rest, relaxation, and a general enjoyment of life. To deprive yourself of these things won’t bring success. It’ll bring fatigue, burnout, and resentment. So how can you make time for you and your business? One word: scheduling. Today, w...

How are you doing so far? That’s a question every business owner needs to ask their team from time to time. Asking, of course, is easy. Getting honest answers, though…that’s something else. You need to improve as a business owner and leader. If you’re not growing, neither can your business! The only way to measure growth is to seek data, to make sure that you’re a better leader today than you were...

Got something to teach? Something to share? Ready to make a business out of it? It’s time to start your first online course. But if you’re like today’s Q&A listener, you’ve got one problem: a tiny budget. Not to worry! WIth low-to-no-cost tools available today, anyone can establish a decent online course and get the ball rolling on their coaching career. In fact, you can create an online course al...

Your future is bigger than yourself alone. There’s a huge difference between self-employment and business ownership. Being self-employed gives you freedom, and many prefer it to conventional 9-to-5 work. But self-employment means the whole enterprise depends entirely on you. Depending on the business, this isn’t scalable — or even sustainable in the very long term. Business ownership, on the other...

Every once in a while, go back to the classics. Tony Robbins is one of the original “self-help gurus.” While that kind of title might be scoffed at by some, the substance of his work is real and valuable. His 1986 book Unlimited Power isn’t some meaningless collection of affirmations — it’s a practical, smart guide to maximizing your potential. It’s one of Robbins’ all-time best-sellers, and for g...

The true measure of yourself is what you do when times are toughest. In business, tough times are never in short supply. Even the most successful business people have those WTF? days. It’s just gonna happen. What matters most is not avoiding those days, but responding to them in positive, constructive ways. Are you up for the challenge? Today, we discuss how to handle the most awful days, by focus...

We get it. Entrepreneurship is addictive. Sometimes, while we’re developing one business, we see an opportunity to start another. Currently, we’re juggling two companies ourselves. But at some point, you’ve got to set limits on the number of plates you’re spinning, so that you don’t end up sacrificing quantity for quality. Today, we discuss the right (and wrong) times (and reasons) for starting a...

Content: there’s plenty of it out there. Much of it can help you grow as an entrepreneur. With the wealth of online educational resources available today, you could spend your whole day learning about business and your own industry. Without setting foot in a business school, you can learn more from your laptop than many have in universities. But when does learning about business start to detract f...

You’re starting a small business. You need a website. But you’re not a website developer. Welcome to the most common of marketing conundrums. Can you make do with a drag-and-drop DIY website builder, or should you pony up for a fancy custom job? Can you really Do It Yourself effectively? Is the ROI for a designer really there? It’s a tough call, and the answer will differ depending on what stage o...

Ready for some top-notch business coaching? Clay Clark is in demand as a business consultant. SBA Entrepreneur of the Year and a bestselling author, Clark knows the strategies that create revenue for all kinds of businesses. That’s why he’s been successful both in creating his own businesses, and in coaching and motivational speaking for a slew of Fortune 500 companies. Bottom line: this advice is...

Let’s get SaaSy. It’s FREE RIDE FRIDAY!!!, and we’re finishing up our two-part series on the metrics that matter most to your SaaS business. If you haven’t listened to Part I , make sure you do (we’ll just wait right here). In that episode, we identified four basic metrics that help you lay the foundation for an accurate picture of your SaaS’s overall health. Today, we go deeper. We take a look at...