Tropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder Lifestyle

So Ian (the CEOh-yeah!) and I sat down tonight to talk about a bunch of stuff, but ended up instead telling the story of the Tropical MBA internships and how we plan to scale it through our new [UPDATE (1/2015): now retired] job site, TropicalWorkForce.com. The purpose of the TWF is to connect location independent entrepreneurs with freelancers providing services or aspiring digital nomades. Right...

This week, Dan and Ian interview Tim Conley from the Foolish Adventure Podcast. Tim has been an internet entrepreneur for many years and focuses on information publishing and consulting. Listen to this episode and learn: How Tim got 7000 unique visitors on the day that he launched Foolish Adventure. Why more product launches fail than you think Why blogging and podcasting are still good businesses...

Today I pulled Simon and Travis together to talk about some mindset issues. We were having an conversation for a few hours about our businesses, backstories, and relationships and… man I wish I would have had the tape running for that… anyway, I finally pulled out the mic and asked the guys to try and bring out some of key advice and concrete tips they have for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Another episode where we let it all hang out. Underdeveloped theories about sex and marriage? Check. F-bomb ladened rants about software start-ups? Check. Talking shit about people we shouldn’t be talking shit about? Check. Join us @ the TMBA compound for our Saturday night sit down where we talk about cash runway and a HUGE problem we see with tons of entrepreneurs who are creating web-based star...

This week, Dan and Ian interview SEO expert Travis Jamison from SupremacySEO.com. Travis isn’t your typical SEO consultant. He developed a product in a highly competitive niche (health) and had to figure out how to rank #1 for his keywords. Travis accomplished his goal and outranked health companies and government websites using grey hat SEO tactics. Listen to this episode and learn: Why you won’t...

Today I sat down with TMBA #6 Aamir Chishtie to discuss his affiliate marketing success story. Without a doubt, affiliate marketing is one of the best ways to make a living while you travel the world. Problem? 99% of people fail. Aamir is one of the few who have cracked the code. In this episode, I do my best to pull out the absolute best, no-bullshit resources on how to generate online affiliate...

Today Ian and I braved some of Indonesia’s craziest roads to find ourselves a treat from home– American coffee! We fired up our new Blue Yetti mic to share some war stories from a million dollar year in our business, waxed philosophic about the magic of being an expat, and shared some critical strategies for our business in 2012.

This week’s episode features Rob Walling from Software by Rob and Startups for the Rest of Us. Rob runs several online niche businesses (mostly software). Dan and Ian are huge fans of Rob and are super excited about having Rob on the show. Listen to this episode and learn: How you can speed-up your (entrepreneurial) learning by years Rob’s favorite books An exciting new SEO tool for bloggers and e...

***Please note this episode is extremely explicit and potentially offensive. The F-bomb is prominently featured. If you don’t like ignorant dudes shooting from the hip, I say man, don’t bother. In this episode of TTR we also get a little negative, which is something we wouldn’t do on the Lifestyle Business Podcast. The LBP is focused on being useful for entrepreneurs. Tropical Talk Radio is more a...

Last night I sat down with Ian, Travis, and Simon before we went out on the town to discuss some cutting edge SEO techniques that are working for some highly competitive key terms (all a bit naughty, of course!). We also got an inside look on how Simon created his ecommerce store from scratch in less than a year, and how he is out-maneuvering the big guys with some clever tactics

This episode is primarily focused on tax strategies for Americans. My friends David and Carrie McKeegan were kind enough to host a pool party the other day, so I decided to bring along my mic to learn a little bit more about expat tax tricks. They run a very successful expat tax consultancy called GreenbackTaxServices.com. It’s a fantastic example of a scalable “micro-multiational” lifestyle busin...

Dan and Ian got together to talk about some grey hat SEO, internet marketing and business tricks. Topics discussed include How to get media/magazine mentions for your products. How to make Search Engines believe that your sites are being updated regularly (this is important for rankings). How to get more people to open e-mail blasts you send them. How (manufactured) drama can create a buzz around...

It’s no secret that Ian and I love podcasting. Our heros are people like Howard Stern and Adam Carolla. Their shows (and many other radio programs) helped keep us company while we worked long hours at crappy jobs, and they continue to keep us laughing while we take long plane flights or just a walk around the block. Over the past few years, our podcast has attracted an audience of high calibre ent...

This week’s episode features a very special guest: Sebastian Marshall. Dan, Ian and Sebastian talk about how to hack performance and get more shit done. Topics discussed include Time tracking and how it works. Diet optimisation. Neural enhancer supplements. Putting a dolar value on your time. The equal odds theory (or: why Einstein was more successful than the average scientist) In the quick-tips...

This week, Dan and Ian talk about what they would do if they were to start from scratch in 2011. The answer might surprise you. Dan and Ian also ask a bunch of listener questions, including How to increase your chances of success when applying for a job (or the Tropical MBA)? How to be persistent? What should I do if I have no time and ressources to start a business? In the quick-tips section, Dan...

This week, Dan sat down with DCers Joe and Justin from AdsenseFlippers (one of Dan’s favorite blogs) to talk BIZNASS. These guys have a ton of hard-won business experience, an incredible story, and a scalable, repeatable business model that you can quickly draw lessons and inspiration from. WE LOVE THIS BLOG. These guys are 100% legit, quality business guys with a great lifestyle biz. Go subscribe...

This week, Dan and Ian are joined by a special guest: Brendan Tully from the Search Engine Shop (Dynamite Circle member, SEO, e-commerce and conversion optimization specialist). Brendan, Dan and Ian discuss the concept of Critical Non-Essentials (CNEs). CNEs are small changes that you can make to your business that bring huge results. The results that CNEs bring are super effective – changing a co...

Are you interested in content businesses? Dan and Ian certainly are and plan to focus more heavily on web properties like blogs and niche communities in the future. In this episode Dan and Ian talk about 4 ways to monetize an existing content site starting today. If you don’t already have a site, you’ll get inspiration and information on what kind of projects you should tackle next. They don’t jus...

In this week’s episode, Dan and Ian talk about common small business myths. Learning about big, successful companies can be inspiring, but many entrepreneurs make the mistake of trying to copy their ways of doing business. The fact is that a company like Apple or Nike approaches marketing (and all other parts of running a business) entirely different than you should run your business. Listen to th...

This week, Dan and Ian answer a bunch of listener questions. Topics include An in depth discussion on hiring (including: how to delegate, how to find cheap talent, …) Trade show hacks that Dan and Ian use (hustling involved) How Dan and Ian first got started when they founded their business 4 years ago The quick tips section features Rob Walling’s (from Startups For the Rest of Us) top 3 sticky ap...

In this episode, Dan and Ian unveil their private community for entrepreneurs, DynamiteCircle. The “meat and potatoes” section features an interview with Sean Ogle who is launching his product Location Rebel. Check out Location Rebel if you want to quit your job and make the leap into location independence. Sean and Dan discuss 5 mindsets that will break or make your entrepreneurial ventures. They...

In this episode, Dan and Ian talk about 9 tough truths about running or starting your business that bloggers won’t tell you about. Starting a business requires a lot of sweat, tears and sacrifices. You’ll feel lost or depressed every once in a while. You’ll have to stay at home while your friends go out and have expensive cocktails. Friends and family won’t understand or support what you’re doing....

After the successful sale of OutsourceToThePhilippines.com (and making more than $200 per post), Dan an Ian discuss content/blogging strategies. While they often make fun of blogging, providing high quality content to the right niche can be very lucrative. In this episode, you’ll learn how to identify a profitable niche how to come up with content one content strategy that caters loyal readers and...

This week, Dan and Ian answer a reader question about Hong Kong incorporation. You’ll learn What Dan and Ian’s HK incorporation experience was like. How much incorporating costs. Why internet business owners should set up a corporation in Hong Kong. Hong Kong vs. Singapore Hong Kong vs. the Philippines The quick tips will introduce you to a tool that makes your Mac even faster, a tool that makes u...

In this Episode, Dan and Ian announce how the sale of their blog, OutsourceToThePhilippines.com, went. You will learn why they decided that it was time to sell this property and that Chris Ducker is the new owner. Chris is the only guy in the outsourcing industry whose products Dan and Ian have backed in the past (e.g. Virtual Staff Finder) so he’s the perfect buyer. This week’s meat & potatoe...