The $100 MBA Show

Today, we’ll teach you how to KISS. No, we’re not celebrating Valentine’s early. We’re showing listeners how to do the most important thing a lean, growth-focused independent business can do: Keep It Simple, Stupid. Of course, we don’t think anyone smart enough to listen to our show is “stupid,” but the acronym is a valid one. When complications creep in, it becomes harder for you and your custome...

It’s our first Q&A Wednesday of the year, and we’re kicking 2018 off with a tough one! It’s uncomfortable to think about, but what should an entrepreneur do when resources dry up? The accounts are low, spending is outpacing revenue, and it looks like all is lost. Can you carry on? Absolutely. Just because you’re tapped out, doesn’t mean you have to tap out. On today’s episode, we teach you how to...

Is this working? If you’re not asking that question about every aspect of your marketing, sales, and finance strategies, you’re leaving money on the table. It’s vital to know when your efforts produce fruit, and when you’re wasting your time. Knowing how to measure growth is the key to achieving it! Today, we discuss specific, actionable techniques for making sure you’re doing what works. We lay o...

Happy New Year! It’s 2018, and we’re back with our DAILY podcast! We’ll be bringing you 5 practical business lessons every week, including our popular Q&A, Guest Teacher, Free Ride Friday giveaway, and Must-Read Book Review episodes. Steve Martin might not be the first person you think of for business advice, but his biography is a master course in business perseverance. From his hard-earned advic...

‘Tis the season — let’s talk giving! Offering free bonuses is a common sales-boosting strategy, used by everyone from the smallest mom-and-pops to the biggest corporations. But do these giveaways work? If you’re starting or running your own business, it’s important to use every resource wisely. You’ve got to carefully consider everything you offer to customers, or it’s money down the drain. The ke...

It’s that time of year! No, not that. Even better: it’s time to reveal this year’s 5 lessons from 5 of the greatest business teachers around! Every year, we choose 5 entrepreneurs whose unique approaches, strategies, and styles inspired us, educated us, and made us better business people — whether they knew it or not. Some of them we know personally. Some of them, we’re just fans of. But whatever...

There’s more than one way to start your own business. When plotting out your entrepreneurial path, it’s important to establish something early on: what kind of independent business person you are. Would you make a better entrepreneur, or solopreneur? Maybe you’re the type to go it alone. Maybe your product is best produced, marketed, and sold by its creator. In that case, solopreneurship might be...

So you want to start your own business. What’s taking so long? Here at the $100 MBA, we battle a myth. We battle it day in and day out, because it’s the one thing holding more entrepreneurs back than anything else: the belief that you need huge amounts of funding, education, time, or resources to start a successful business. It’s not that you won’t ever need things like knowledge or capital. You j...

Every business is different. So why assume that what works for some businesses will work for yours? It’s pretty standard practice in most industries to ramp up sales for the holidays. After all, it’s the most wonderful time of the year — to generate revenue. The big holiday sales push is so commonplace, we just assume that it’s a smart, effective strategy. Let’s stop assuming. For some kinds of bu...

Is it time to hire? As your business grows, this can be a tough question. As entrepreneurs, we all want to be proactive. Why wait ‘till tomorrow when you can do it today? But when it comes to personnel, it’s not quite so simple. Growing your business is about many things, not the least of which is timing. No one can hire the people they need at the exact moment they’re needed. So the question is:...

Are you addicted to social media? More importantly, is social media having a negative impact on your business? There’s lots to love about Twitter, Facebook, and all the rest. For business owners, social media is an undoubtedly useful tool for outreach and marketing. But many independent business people — myself included — think there’s a fine line between useful and necessary. I’m not the only one...

What do you want? It’s the most basic of questions, underlying the motivations behind everything we do in life and business. What’s it all for? Why are we striving to make our businesses successful? What’s the point of profit? For all of us, the money isn’t the answer. It’s the means to achieve the answer. That said, we shouldn’t abandon all thoughts of quantifying our personal definition of succe...

What to say about Steve Jobs? He’s the first person that comes to mind when you think of the word “entrepreneur.” He changed the world we all live in, by virtue of his commitment to a business vision. Much has been written about, by, and for him. What can you, as an entrepreneur, learn from the legend? Now, we have the ultimate guide to his life and career: Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, the most...

What’s the best return on investment? What’s the most valuable thing an entrepreneur can gain from any expense? Time. Time is the greatest ROI. Some say time is money, but money pales in comparison to the value of time, the one resource you can never replenish once lost. A goal of every entrepreneur should be to free up as much of their time as possible: time better spent innovating than managing,...

For a predictable revenue stream, nothing beats the subscription model. Customers sign up to pay a fixed rate, monthly or annually. The business owner gets to map their budget and growth goals with greater confidence and stability. Everyone wins. But unfortunately, this model doesn’t work for regular old e-commerce…or does it? Typically, the subscription model applies to services, especially of th...

Most people think that being an entrepreneur means starting a business. But there’s another option, an alternative path to independent success: buying a business! We don’t often think of this option, but with some capital and a smart purchase plan, it can be the right move. Pre-owned cars and homes can be great investments, so why not businesses? So much of the work that goes into building a busin...

So you want to be an entrepreneur. Honestly, who doesn’t? Who hasn’t occasionally dreamed of that freedom and self-determination? Who isn’t intrigued by the thought of making their own living on their own terms? Of course, dreaming is one thing. Doing is another. That’s what we’re here for: to help you become one of the “doers” who actually takes concrete action. And that’s why this week’s special...

Worst. Boss. Ever. We’ve all had a terrible boss. As entrepreneurs, we never have to have one again. But as our independent business grows, how can we avoid becoming one? That’s the topic of this week’s deep-dive lesson, and it’s one worth exploring. Do you have the courage, the honesty, and the wisdom to ask yourself the question: Am I a terrible boss? Right off the bat, let’s be realistic: you’r...

The product is never perfect. Smart entrepreneurs realize that in order for a business to grow, the product has to grow with it. But what if you could direct (or at least guide) the evolution of your product? What if you could time that evolution, and set goals for certain improvements? What if you could see the development of your product in the future, as you move your business forward into it?...

A successful business has many components, but all of them fall into one of 3 main categories. These 3 branches of business are the basic aspects of commerce. They are the pillars that hold up any company, big or small. And like any tripod, without each leg in place, the whole thing comes crashing down. By understanding the 3 branches, and applying appropriate levels of focus to each, you can give...

No man is an island, or so they say. By the same logic, no entrepreneur succeeds entirely on their own. Independent business doesn’t mean going it alone or taking a solitary approach. It just means you get to choose the terms upon which you partner with others. When you do, you further your success, and theirs. Mutually beneficial partnerships can fast-track the growth of your business by allowing...

Independent business is never easy. If it was, everyone would do it! Because we choose the path less traveled, we entrepreneurs need to reckon with challenges and obstacles that the conventionally employed never face. At first, that might seem like a negative. But challenge is what entrepreneurs thrive on. Independence is what we work for. No matter how tough the going gets, we don’t just persever...

At The $100 MBA, we’ve always believed in the philosophy of ABM: Always Be Marketing. Succeeding as an entrepreneur takes more than a great product and a can-do attitude. While starting a business takes some work, it’s maintaining and growing a business that poses the greatest challenge. That’s why a constant, consistent marketing effort is the difference between a business that could’ve been and...

What’s your website doing right now? If it’s not growing your business for you, it’s not doing its job! Optimizing your website to promote growth is key to your survival in businesses. It’s also the whole point of having one! Too many entrepreneurs put extraordinary time and effort into the design of their website, but that effort isn’t geared specifically towards growth. It may be beautiful. It m...

All good things must come to an end. Our incredible 8 week trip around the world is no exception. But with every ending comes a new beginning— and the end of this journey signals the start of something BIG for ourselves and our listeners! We’re in the magical, timeless little town of Gimmelwald, Switzerland, surrounded by breathtaking beauty and clean mountain air. We’re reflecting on everything w...