Tropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder Lifestyle

http://www.tropicalmba.com/businessmodels/ This week we are going to replay one of our favorite episodes of all time, with a little bit extra thrown in for good measure. This episode has had a great impact on a lot of our listeners. Of all of the episodes we have recorded, this one has probably helped people improve their businesses the most.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/popular/ This week bossman and I discuss being unpopular in the face of pressure from friends, family, team members, and employees. Bossman references his new "entrepreneurmobile" gratuitously and we ponder the distinctions being 'know-how' and 'know-what' knowledge.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/deals/ We've seen a lot of really smart people making dumb deals. It's okay, every entrepreneur has been there. We're not afraid to admit that we've been guilty of some of these mistakes ourselves. On this week's episode we'll be talking about ten ways that you can avoid making a really terrible deal.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/saas/ People have been asking us to open up a little bit more about some of our specific business ventures so this week we’re going to be talking about our new software-as-a-service product, ValetUp.com. We’re 9 months into the company, and we’ve already faced some significant challenges. On this week’s episode we’ll be discussing the 5 things that we’d do differently if...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/locationindependent/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/locationindependent/ This week one of our listeners challenged us to explain the detailed costs of the location independent lifestyle. We’ll talk about how to set up your business so you can become location independent and some general principles we’ve learned over the years about the ‘live and work’ anywhere mindset. Liste...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/chinasourcing/ This week, one of our listeners challenged us to go more in-depth about Chinese manufacturing and how to get your first product manufactured. We're gonna dive right in and talk about where and how you can learn about outsourcing your product to China, and everything that it entails.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/updates/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/updates/ This week, Bossman is back on the scene, and we are going over a host of specific updates about our businesses. In particular, we really get into what kinds of challenges we’ve faced manufacturing our own product, how we’ve been handling our relationships with our Chinese suppliers, some ways that you can save money...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/heyladies/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/heyladies/ This week, Elisa Doucette joins me to talk about women in the location independent entrepreneurship game. Elisa runs the Dynamite Circle business operations. If you’re a lady sitting in your cubicle in the United States, listen closely. We have a fantastic network of women with similar stories that we hope will i...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/flashbar/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/flashbar/ This week, Ian catches up with us from Mexico to talk about the struggles and successes we’ve experienced with our portable bar company over the last nine months. We’ll talk about our experience displaying our new flash bar at a recent trade show and the pros and cons of drop shipping as a business...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/college/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/college/ In this week’s episode, I’m answering some listener submitted questions. I’ve invited Jimmy Hayes and Josh Weinstein back on the show to add their two cents as well, as we discuss whether or not a college degree is necessary for someone who wants to become a location-independent entrepreneur, among other topics. Listen to this...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/roundtable/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/roundtable/ *** Are you interested in attending our high level mastermind in April or May? If you can fill out this brief survey, we’ll send you more details shortly. *** In this week’s episode, we’re decided to do things a little bit differently. I’ve invited several of my friends from the Dynamite Circle on to...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/fundamentals/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/fundamentals/ *** Are you interested in attending our high level mastermind in April or May? If you can fill out this brief survey, we’ll send you more details shortly. *** In this week’s episode, I’ve been reflecting about how far things have come since I began dreaming about working remotely. Staying true to that, we are...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/why/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/why/ Damian Thompson is back after the last episode with him absolutely blew up! Erik Emsley challenged us to help him explain to his family what this lifestyle choice is all about. Listen to this week’s show and learn: The fundamental belief system behind the entrepreneurial lifestyle. How much we value our time above all...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/table/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/table/ Ian is back on the Tropical MBA Podcast this week to talk about our next big idea, as well as answering some listener questions (thank you to all who’ve called our voicemail: 888-554-8428). Listen to this week’s show and learn: Why having the same amount of “skin the game” can be critical when networking....

http://www.tropicalmba.com/services/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/services/ Damian Thompson from Linchpin is back on the show this week (his first appearance here) talking with me about one of the biggest movements we see in the location independent scene. We talk about what Damian has learned during his first 1,000 days of being a business owner, and how listeners can utilize the lessons...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/cutbait/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/cutbait/ The boss man is back this week after a far too long hiatus and his timing is perfect for a topic we absolutely love. Kiri called in with some concerns about whether it’s time to cut her losses with her current business, or if there’s anything she can do to turn it around. Her...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/asia/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/asia/ Happy New Year! Ian is off celebrating the holidays with his family this week, and Kaiser Soze was here hanging out when a discussion came up that we thought would be good for the show. This show is mostly about lifestyle,  but in case you’re looking for the good old fashioned business talk, below...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/1k/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/1k/ Since an angry fish seemed to have cut the internet wire in the ocean, Ian and I are cut off from one another. In his stead, Jesse “The Dominator” Lawler has stepped up to bring value to the masses. The listener questions continue to get better and better, so The Dominator and I are...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/ecommercemistakes/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/ecommercemistakes/ We’ve been looking back a lot to the beginning of The Valet Spot now that we’ve released the info to the public and realized that although we did a lot right, we screwed up a lot too. We figured with some of the big changes and our growth trajectory coming up, it would be...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/valetparking/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/valetparking/ For a variety of reasons, Ian and I have never spoken openly about the first successful B2B business we ever started– TheValetSpot.com. This week we are going to change all that and go into the details of how that business got started, how we won market share, and what we are doing to grow...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/remote/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/remote/ I’ve got Joe “Hot Money” Magnotti on as my co-host this week in the wake of Ian’s much needed romp in Europe. Today, we’re passing the ball back and forth about the direction things are going regarding remote working and team building. We’ve been noticing that the old norms are shifting (some have been...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/email/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/email/ In the process of launching and iterating on Valet Up, our new SaaS app developed for valet companies, Ian and I have been working on refining our email marketing strategies and how we can snag some extra customers and improve our closing average. On top of this, an email came in from Mark from...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/thoughtexperiments/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/thoughtexperiments/ Ian and I are both in the “on the road” mindset this week– we’re both mentally preparing to head out traveling or a little while. In that casual spirit we’ve both been dreaming a bit about what the future might hold. We asked some team members and listeners to help us out with some...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/consulting/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/consulting/ We’ve gotten a few phone calls recently that set us off on a path to the discussion we had this week on the Tropical MBA Podcast. Making location independent income quickly is very doable, especially going the route of the consultant. There are a few keys to making it work the right way and...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/boat/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/boat/ Cam Collins runs a business that helps marinas manage their boat inventory. He recently sold the assets of the company in a strategic merger, and we’re pumped that Cam came by the podcast to share the lessons he learned during the process. Listen to this week’s show and learn: The difference between a strategic...