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Location Independent Entrepreneurship The Tropical MBA - Startups
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“When is my LTV good enough?” + Founder Mode for Bootstrappers | Tropical MBA
“Manager mode is so tempting…” Dan & Ian discuss Paul Graham’s most recent essay titled “Founder Mode”, and how lifestyle bootsrappers can harness the power of founder mode to grow their businesses. They’ll also address a question they get asked all the time: “But when is my LTV good enough?”
You Don’t Have an Operations Problem. You Have a Sales & Marketing Problem. | Tropical MBA
Many founders think they have an operations problem - delivery, trust, staffing, leadership. But Dan thinks you might actually have a sales & marketing problem. Dan & Ian also talk about becoming better leaders and how to fight against the erge to control your team. Last but not least, D
$30K a Month on Upwork in Less Than 2 Years | Tropical MBA
This founder started an Upwork agency less than 2 years ago and is making $30K a month… JUST on Upwork alone. We talk about how to take it to $80K a month and beyond in the next year. In this week’s newsletter, we include our ICP exercise. Your next breakthrough in under 30 minutes. Today’s guest i
$100K MRR in 12 Months… Can They Do It? | Tropical MBA
These co-founders want to more than triple their revenue in the next 12 months. Despite stagnation the past few years, they believe they can get there. Dan & Ian dissect their plans to achieve this goal and offer some counterintuitive advice. They cover repackaging a product for a higher cos
“Lifestyle Business” vs “Real Business” | Tropical MBA
Go from being trapped in the job you’ve built for yourself to building a wealth-generating machine. Dan & Ian challenge service businesses to determine their LTV to CAC ratio so they can improve their cashflow and run a “real” business that gives them the lifestyle they want.
“1,000 Customers from One Channel” | Tropical MBA
Dan & Ian talk to a listener who’s running a SaaS business that within one year got to $8K MRR. The business is full of potential and opportunities, but the risks involved with having all of your customers come from one channel looms heavily in the background. Today’s guest is Pavel Schoffer, fo
“I’m Scared to Raise the Price” | Tropical MBA
Dan & Ian talk to a listener who’s running a $1M D2C e-commerce business about the challenges and opportunities he faces as he plans for future growth and a potential exit down the road. They discuss topics like decreasing customer acquisition costs, increasing profit margins, the absolutely ess
Only 3 Ways to Grow…What Would Plato Do | Tropical MBA
Tackling one of the biggest problems entrepreneurs struggle with: separating their business from their own narrative and looking at it with fresh eyes. This episode will uncover the simple but hard truths to every business and reveal the three (and only three) ways to grow any business. We talk a
The 5 Approaches for Getting Rich + Budgeting for Wealth | Tropical MBA
We speak to hundreds of entrepreneurs every year through one-on-one coaching and live events. Many of those entrepreneurs have gone on to become very wealthy, and throughout our conversations with those people, we have found some common threads to the ways that wealthy people behave. This was one o
Less Than 5% of Businesses Get to 1MIL+ - A Process to Reach the Goal | Tropical MBA
Dan and Ian discuss the fundamental principles of change and how they apply to both weight loss and entrepreneurship. The conversation explores the three key components of successful change: knowledge, accountability, and identity.
The 7 Most Common Money Mistakes for Bootstrappers | Tropical MBA
Dan and Ian discuss the biggest money problems they’ve seen in their own business and hundreds of other bootstrapped businesses. Learn how to craft a sustainable financial model, the importance of owner compensation, how to avoid being under-invested, and more.
How to unlock Wealth through Financial Fluency | Tropical MBA
In this episode, Dan and Ian discuss the credible and reliable ways to build wealth through your business, based on the work of author Keith Cunningham. The conversation emphasizes building a financially sound foundation for your business by understanding and applying financial principles, planning
The Secret Weapon to Pricing Power | Tropical MBA
Dan and Ian explore the concept of power in business and how businesses can transition from being a grind for the owner to having sustainable pricing power. Derived from the book 'Seven Powers' by Hamilton Helmer, they delve into the idea of cornered resources as a source of power and discuss exam
How Healthy is Your Business? | Tropical MBA
Dan and Ian challenge listeners to answer five questions about your business that will help you evaluate how healthy your operations are. They cover everything from doubling down on what’s working best to effective resource allocation and working “on” your business instead of “in” your business. Yo
The Million Dollar Service Business Playbook | Tropical MBA
In this week's episode Dan and Ian discuss the importance of the concept of Labor Efficiency Ratio (LER), to scale your business to a million dollars in revenue. They highlight the challenge of transitioning from being a craftsperson to a CEO and the importance of building a profitable business mo
Run Any Business With Just Two Simple Things | Tropical MBA
Dan reflects on his trip to Mexico last week where he hung out with 200 founders and listeners of the pod. Vulnerability, lessons from exiting a business, and a secretive membership called “being parents” were common themes. Another major topic was the launch of our new coaching program, DC Accelera
Mastering Consistency with Adam Gilbert | Tropical MBA
Health and wellness is the ultimate productivity hack, impacting every aspect of life. Adam Gilbert, founder of My Body Tutor, discovered that consistency is key, and accountability, mindset, and personalized plans help clients stay on track. It’s also what sets his business apart.
Lessons From an 18-Month Trip Around the World on $100 a Day | Tropical MBA
This week we had the pleasure of sitting down with Barry O'Brien, a global traveler, as he shares his 18-month journey to 15 countries on just $100 a day or less. Barry tells us stories about his experience in Vietnam, the most surprisingly underwhelming destination he visited, the most expensive
The 1 Million Dollar Question | Tropical MBA
Crafting your value proposition into an irresistible offer is not an easy task. Andrew Jacoby, entrepreneur and visionary behind Growth Era, a thriving outbound sales company, knows this all too well. Andrew shares his journey, highlighting the pivotal role of Sales Development Representatives (SDR
“The Death of the Follower” + How I’d Make $250K in 3 Days a Week | Tropical MBA
Is it possible to bootstrap a high-level business if you’re broke? Listen to Dan & Ian’s take on what kinds of businesses are best to start when you’re starting with basically nothing. Also, what the hell does a visionary do? Dan suggests that the best visionaries have integrator tendencies.
What is the Most Simple OS for <$5M? | Tropical MBA
The hard part shouldn’t be how to implement an OS in your organization. The hard part is answering the question: Are the right people in the right roles at your company? In this episode, Dan and Ian share their own OS that’s extremely simple. It’s called GPS. They’ll explain how GPS helps you put a
Do Things That Don’t Scale | Tropical MBA
In this episode, Ian and Dan discuss the concept of doing things that don't scale, inspired by Paul Graham's influential article 'Do Things That Don't Scale.' They explore the idea of taking risks and gambling in entrepreneurship, and how it relates to increasing one's locus of control.
Three Phases to 1 Million | Tropical MBA
Dan and Ian discuss the different phases of bootstrapping a business and the common challenges that arise at each stage. They walk through three phases: “The Mindset” (zero to $250k); “The Scalability Factor” ($250k to 1 million); and “The Enterprise” ($1 million +) to explore everything from adjust
Quiet Crypto, The Demand Question, and Difficult Decisions ft. Jordan Gal | Tropical MBA
Dan talks to Jordan Gal, founder of Rally and co-host of the Bootsrapped Web podcast about challenges in the ecommerce space, product-market fit and demand, partnerships and veto power, the quietness of crypto, risking other people’s money, and more…
“Full-Service Agencies Are Out” & Other Productized-Service Ideas | Tropical MBA
Dan & Ian talk to John Doherty, the founder of Editor Ninja, former owner of Credo, and cohost of the Working Sessions podcast about three major trends he’s seeing in the agency space that could impact your strategy and profitability for the year and beyond.
“3 Million in Revenue is a Death Zone" - Financial Strategy with Greg Crabtree | Tropical MBA
Transitioning through the death zone requires careful execution and a focus on profitability. The $3 million dollar mark is a critical milestone for businesses, and many struggle to push through it. In this episode, Dan talks to Greg Crabtree, author of Simple Numbers, Straight Talk, Big Profits! ab
How Transparent Should You Be? Thoughts on Queen Bee Roles & a Ticket Giveaway | Tropical MBA
This week Dan & Ian share a few thought experiments you can do to improve your business and reach your next breakthrough. They cover the value of a writing-first culture, the Queen Bee Role & how transparent should you be with your team? Plus, a ticket giveaway to one qualified founder.
Building Million-Dollar Businesses Out of Stupid Ideas | Tropical MBA
Going deeper on shiny object syndrome, Dan & Ian open the mailbag to read responses to last week’s episode. A listener shares his success story with shiny object syndrome, revealing how he pursues his entrepreneurial impulses without growing crazy. The listener emphasizes the value of muscle mem
A Podcast About Shiny Object Syndrome | Tropical MBA
Dan & Ian delve into the complexities of combating shiny object syndrome, a challenge that plagues all entrepreneurs at one time or another (or all the time). They’ll talk about six strategies for tackling “the syndrome” and how to harness your skill of going zero-to-one to grow your business
The Ultimate 7-Figure Productized Service Business | Tropical MBA
In this episode Dan uncovers what he is referring to as The Ultimate TMBA Business: a productized service business based on a skill set. Tom Kent started his business based on a very specific skill set of his: he was good at getting jobs. Now Tom is the founder and CEO of Career Nerds, a 7-figure
The Anti-Agency Agency + High ROI Customer Acquisition | Tropical MBA
Vince Nguyen joins Dan to share how he resurrected his agency from semi-retirement and in the first month resumed making 5+ figures per client. He runs his agency solo and shares some of his biggest hacks for success. Vince essentially delivers a masterclass in running a successful solo-agency as we
The Three Horsemen Holding Your Business Back from Breakthrough with Mike Michalowicz | Tropical MBA
Dan interviews business author and entrepreneur Mike Michalowicz, delving into the transformative concepts from Mike's books — "Profit First," "The Pumpkin Plan," Clockwork", and more. They explore the power of prioritizing profit and why most small businesses are often “cr
Business Basics: Revenue Durability, “Small” Goals, & High-Leverage Meetings | Tropical MBA
Today Dan & Ian challenge you to consider: How durable is your revenue? They’ll explore the concepts of profit now vs profit later, investing profits to build durability, network effects, marginal profitability calculation, and more.
#736 How to Have Your Best Year $$$Wise Ever | Tropical MBA
This week, Dan reveals a strategic approach to decision-making intervals for achieving top-line revenue and personal income goals. Join him as he explores how this decision-making cadence serves as a compass in navigating the challenging 'messy middle' of entrepreneurship.
End-of-Year Brainstorming, Goal-Setting, and a Mexico Meltdown | Tropical MBA
Dan & Ian offer up some end-of-year thought experiments for founders, including how to re-visualize your business, capitalize on strategy, and ensure that you are in the right role in your business. Most founders assume they are the “executive” in the business, but more often than not, their da
Non-Obvious Ways to Grow Your Business + Favorite Moments of 2023 | Tropical MBA
As 2023 comes to a close, Dan & Ian reflect on how their business did in 2023 and share some of their favorite moments from the year. They’ll also talk about what makes a compelling offer, the “non-obvious ways” to grow your business in 2024, and why you should dream bigger than the num
End-of-Year Brainstorming, Goal-Setting, and a Mexico Meltdown | Tropical MBA
Dan & Ian offer up some end-of-year thought experiments for founders, including how to re-visualize your business, capitalize on strategy, and ensure that you are in the right role in your business. Most founders assume they are the “executive” in the business, but more often than not, their da
Can Org Charts Be Sexy? + NYC Drinking Stories | Tropical MBA
Dan & Ian unravel the complexities of job titles and organizational frustrations post-DC Black event, offering solutions through org chart brainstorming, a new business idea, and how much you should be investing into networking strategies based on your income. Plus, see what UI and API score th