The $100 MBA Show

Who says you have to build a product to build a business?“White Label” products let you market and sell someone else’s creation, under your own brand. It’s a tempting alternative for entrepreneurs whose strengths lie more in marketing and sales than in product development. And it’s a more popular option than ever before.But is it worth it?Today, we’ll review the advantages and disadvantages of going white label. We’ll discuss all the ways it’s easier and less involved than building your own product, and what you lose in exchange for that ease. We’ll also detail exactly what to look for in a good white label product, so you can make sure to hitch your brand wagon to something reliable.The white label approach can be a perfect option for certain kinds of entrepreneurs, or a precursor to a more conventional mode of entrepreneurship. See if it’s a way forward for you, with all the facts in mind. Click Play!SUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Online bullying: it isn’t just for middle schoolers. Every business will eventually have a customer who turns rabid, threatening to blast your company all over the Internet if you don’t cave to their (often unreasonable) demands. Here’s what to do next.It’s Q&A Wednesday, and one of our listeners has a disgruntled customer who wants a refund well past the deadline — or else. Some people think bullying works, because frankly, sometimes it does. Anyone who’s ever been on social media knows that people aren’t always their best online. So how do you handle someone’s worst?Is it worth the cost of a refund to avoid the drama? Or is it worth an attack on your reputation to stand your ground?Today we discuss both possible answers, and the pros and cons of each. The cost/benefit analyses of both approaches are worth considering, and may differ from business to business. Either way, it’s best to be prepared. Click Play!To submit your questions, visit 100mba.net/q.SUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Conferences were always going to go digital. Enter the online summit, a virtual gathering of industry pros that might offer the same (or similar) benefits to the analog version. These summits are more popular each year, with entire businesses built around hosting and promoting them. What does that mean for you?We’ve sponsored online summits, and been asked to sponsor others. Deciding whether it was worth it for us took some serious calculating. Today, we’d like to share our formula. How can you determine the ROI of sponsoring a conference?More importantly, how can you make sure you actually get the return you expect?We’ll discuss how to determine if a given summit is worth your sponsorship. Take the steps we outline, and you’ll get a better sense of the cost per lead involved, and whether putting your name on the virtual banners is smart marketing or not. There’s huge potential in sponsoring summits — but only if the numbers add up. Click Play!SUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Conventional wisdom: how wise is it?That’s the question Eric Barker asks in Barking Up The Wrong Tree, a super-entertaining challenge to everything you thought you knew about business. In this highly original, inventive look at the usual advice about success, Barker takes aim at the most well-established assumptions. Commonly held beliefs about everything from education to confidence to productivity are all shaken down in a ruthless pursuit of truth — however uncomfortable it might be.Put simply, this book changed our minds.Today, we’ll discuss three of the most “Holy Crap” insights this book offers. It’s less about debunking, and more about reconsidering, with a thoughtful, un-self-serious approach. Barker begs to differ, but he doesn’t preach. This subversion of all the classic assumptions isn’t just thought-provoking. It’s downright fun. Take a look at what you believe, and see what a little critical thinking can do to give you a better sense of how to achieve success. Click Play!Barking Up the Wrong Tree by Eric BarkerAudibleDiscover all our must-read book reviews at https://100mba.net/bookreviews.SUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hiring the best employees is no easy task. That task is further complicated when the perfect fit happens to be the relative, friend, or significant other of someone on your team.Trust me, we’ve been there.When you get a referral from a trusted employee, is that a good thing? Today, we’ll discuss the advantages and disadvantages of having deep personal connections between staff. Having briefly employed his own sibling, our host Omar has unique insight into the whole experience.What if the personal relationship goes south? What if the professional relationship is too personal? Is a family recommendation a perfect endorsement, or a perfect liability?We’ll explore all this, plus other complications that can ensue. One of our best hires was the sister of an established employee, so we know what it looks like when keeping it in the family goes well. Listen in, weigh the pros and cons, and be ready to decide for yourself if someone on your team shares genes — or anything else — with your next ideal candidate. Click Play!SUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Customer feedback is like fertilizer for your business growth. Way too many entrepreneurs try to “figure out” what would appeal to customers, when a smarter solution is there all along: just ask some. Today, we’ll discuss the incredible, underappreciated value of customer feedback, and how to mine your customers for this valuable resource. With it, you can do everything from improving your sales and marketing to lowering your churn. We’ve got 4 specific ways you can gather and utilize feedback, without putting too big a dent in the ol’ marketing budget.This is a small investment with a massive return.Establishing a systematized way of gathering and analyzing feedback takes a little work, but the payoff on that investment (of mostly time, by the way) is astronomical. With this precious intel, you can clear the blockage from your marketing and sales funnel. Growth ensues.You don’t have all the answers. Fortunately, your customers have quite a few. Click Play!SUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Almost every business goes through this: you set a refund policy, and a customer violates it — but they still want their money back.The terms were clear, but the customer isn’t. Or they are, but they want an exception. This is especially common when your refund policy stops after a certain amount of time. People unintentionally let free trials lapse into paid memberships, or procrastinate on returning a physical item. What should you do when they ask for a break?It’s Q&A Wednesday, and we’ve got a listener who wants to know how flexible or strict they can afford to be. Are there advantages to being a hardliner? What can you gain from bending the rules? It’s best to figure out what you’re going to do now, before you’re faced with the situation — because you probably will be.We’ll share our own formula for handling post-deadline refund requests, and explore the pros and cons of good old fashioned mercy. Plus, we’ll explain how every refund request is a hidden opportunity, if you know how to approach it. Click Play!To submit your questions, visit 100mba.net/q.SUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It’s something every marketer studies endlessly. If you’re in business, you’ve heard of it by now: the “funnel.”There’s a good reason this concept is so common. Understanding the funnel and applying it to your business is crucial to your company’s growth. You could even argue that without studying the art of the funnel, your business can’t grow at all! Whether they realize it or not, all businesses funnel. It’s just that some are better at it than others.In short, the funnel is the thing that takes people from perfect stranger, to lead, to customer, and finally to creator of other customers. It’s a central tenet of digital marketing, and the only efficient way to approach the task of finding your customers among all those millions of people out there on the Internet.Today, we’ll explain the funnel, unpack its mysteries, and illustrate the concept with a hypothetical example. Let’s build your funnel, and get some people into it. Click Play!SUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

There is no better salesperson than someone who doesn’t work for you.Think about how you decide to purchase something. While marketers, advertisers, and actual sales people have a goal in mind, other consumers have nothing to gain by encouraging you to buy a given product. It’s that simple.A happy customer is worth a dozen salespeople — because trust.That said, most of your customers aren’t likely to speak up for you unless you ask them. Today, we’ve got a special guest who’s an expert in enlisting customers as evangelists. Kim Speed is a branding master who knows how to get that crucial word of mouth going.She’s here with a lesson on approaching your customers, getting the feedback you need, and using it to turn satisfaction into hyper-effective marketing and advertising. Testimonials and customer reviews are pure gold, more likely to influence your sales than any amount of paid ads. Find out exactly how to extract this powerful asset from your customers, and use it to maximum effect. Click Play!Branding on a Shoestring by Kim SpeedPurple Moon CreativeSUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What does a podcast cost?It’s a good question, and one you should definitely ask before you get on the mic. The good news is that it’s more affordable than ever to produce a decent quality, competitive podcast in your space.But a good entrepreneur always crunches the numbers.We’ve gotten a ton of exposure and opportunities thanks to our humble little show. And take it from us, it started out very humble indeed. Almost 1,500 episodes later, we only wish we’d started sooner. Podcasting is a viable, economical brand builder for any entrepreneur with a point of view and a (surprisingly) few bucks.Today, we’ll ring up the price on a bare-minimum-quality podcast. Your “starter podcast” won’t cost a prohibitive amount, but it will require some investment. We’ll discuss initial one-time costs as well as recurring costs you can expect. We’ll also offer lots of recommendations for hardware, software, and resources to use. Get ready to podcast. But first, let’s do the math. Click Play!SUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What are you waiting for? No, seriously. What should you wait for before starting a business?One of the first, biggest hurdles new entrepreneurs face is taking the first step into the game. You’ve researched, you’ve planned, you’ve studied. But when is the right time to actually move? When does the light turn green, and how can you know?There’s a shockingly simple answer.Knowing what conditions should be in place to start a business is important to your chances of success. But those conditions probably aren’t as hard to align as you think. There’s an overlap in the venn diagram between planning and execution that anyone considering independent business should understand. The answer to the question of “when” is the same for almost every business. We’ll discuss what that answer is, and why it’s correct. When this episode is over, you’ll know exactly when the time is right. Click Play!SUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Every business needs a website, and therefore a good domain name. But do you need all the domains with that name?Good question.It’s Q&A Wednesday, and one listener wants to know if you should buy up the .com alternatives: the .co, the .net, even the international domains like .uk and .au. How many domains is too many? How many is not enough? Domains aren’t exactly expensive, but a few ventures into the game can ultimately cost you hundreds if you’re not picky enough. On the other hand, you don’t want someone else using your name and causing all kinds of brand confusion. Today, we’ll discuss what you should do before you start snapping up domains. If you buy too many too soon, you can end up burdening your business instead of protecting your brand. Find out what needs to happen first, and proceed from there.To submit your questions, visit 100mba.net/q.SUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Business travel got you stressed out, tired, and feeling low? It’s not just you.Traveling for work can absolutely suck. The airports, the baggage, the time zones, the bad food, and a million other inconveniences can turn any trip into a draining experience. As entrepreneurs, business travel is supposed to be part of the fun.So why isn’t it?We’ve put a lot of miles on our own business ventures, schlepping from conference to conference and managing a remote team spread around the globe. We know business travel, and we’ve picked up a few tricks along the way that make it a much less stressful experience.The work we do on the road is invaluable to our business. That’s why it’s important to have strategies for staying on top of your game, wherever you are. Get there, get it done, and get home without the drama. Come back feeling just as good as when you left — mentally and physically. Find out how. Click Play!SUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We’re not good at understanding each other. And that’s bad for business.Malcolm Gladwell has made a massive career out of noticing — patterns, syndromes, common social threads. He’s sold millions of copies of books like The Tipping Point and Outliers. His latest, Talking to Strangers, tackles another big, broad topic: human interaction.How we relate to people we don’t know has a massive impact, especially for entrepreneurs.The way you handle new people has implications for everything in business, from customer service to networking to partnerships. The skill of getting to know someone can change everything — but it’s a skill you have to develop.In fact, Gladwell argues that generally, we’re awful at figuring each other out.Today, we’ll discuss how business people can utilize the lessons of this book, and why we all need to question our instincts and assumptions about others. As Gladwell illustrates with a variety of real-world examples, failures in our evaluation of others can have drastic consequences. It’s something most of us don’t even realize we don’t even realize. See what we mean: Click Play!Talking to Strangers by Malcolm GladwellDiscover all our must-read book reviews at https://100mba.net/bookreviews.SUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Customer service: the forgotten weapon. The power move. The brand-defining differentiator that sets you apart from the competition. The secret to long-term customer retention and increased CLTV (Customer Lifetime Value). It’s kind of a big deal, so you have to get it right.Great customer service doesn’t just solve customer’s problems. It creates loyalty and reduces one of the worst diseases a business can struggle with: churn. So how can you make sure you’re offering customer service that works? It’s almost shockingly easy to improve your customer service.Today, we share 3 ridiculously simple ways you can make sure to be there for your customers. With a little strategy, you can pre-solve a ton of problems, and build a reputation for customer service that keeps people coming back — and inspires new people to come on board.We run a SaaS (Software as a Service) business, so we know better than most how important customer service is. When people don’t feel confident, when they don’t feel secure in your support, they live on the fence. Great support attracts, onboards, and retains customers, especially with a digital product.Take these 3 steps. It won’t be hard! And it’ll be well worth the effort. Click Play!SUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Second-guessing: some would say it’s a sign of healthy skepticism. But if it becomes a habit, it’s fatal to entrepreneurs.When you run your own business, you are constantly faced with high-pressure decisions — way more often than people with conventional jobs. With every call you make, that little voice can be heard talking: was I right about that? Should I have [fill in the blank] instead?Don’t “what if” yourself out of business.There are simple steps you can take to make sure that while you don’t always make the right call, you make the call that made the most sense. While nothing can ensure you bat 1000 with all your decisions, you can rest easy knowing you didn’t make the kinds of mistakes that put your judgment into question.It’s just a matter of preparation.You can maximize the odds of every decision turning out to be correct by laying the groundwork. Today, we share the surprisingly easy precautions you can take that make all your decisions better — and let you sleep soundly knowing you did your best. Click Play!SUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Content business vs. software business: which is right for you?Today’s episode is a good place to start answering that question. It’s Q&A Wednesday, and we’re helping one listener understand the biggest, most fundamental difference between the two business models.That difference is critical.Content businesses (like The $100 MBA) require different skill sets, resources, and personnel to pull off than software business (like our webinar platform company, WebinarNinja). As you can see, we do both, so we’re intimately familiar with the differences — including the big one.Hint: it’s about what customers expect from you in return for their money.We’ll discuss how this difference affects your role as founder, the relationships you’ll have with customers, and your decision to choose one model or the other. Both have their challenges — which one suits your skills and talents? There’s one way to find out: Click Play!To submit your questions, visit 100mba.net/q.SUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

To get more wins, study the ones you have.The “buyer’s journey” is a much-studied topic that CRM (Customer Relationship Management) experts have spilled thousands of gallons of digital ink on. What is the process by which people go from awareness of your brand to a final purchase?What gets them to that final decision? What triggers them to pull the trigger?The short answer is that it’s different for every business. That’s why you have to do the work and find out why your customers bought from you. Then, you double down. Today, we discuss how to take a deep dive into your sales funnel, and come out with the information you need to optimize your approach.This is Lead Nurturing 101.We’re doing some research into our own business, and preparing to experiment with some new adjustments to our own process. On this episode, we’ll share exactly how we gather the information and data we need to construct those experiments and measure the results.Don’t “trust the process.” Study it. Improve it. Start with today’s lesson — Click Play!SUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Thank you.Was that so hard?Actually, effective gratitude is more than just stringing two words together. It’s something today’s special guest teacher, Dr. Cindy McGovern calls a “lost art” — the ability to thank employees in a way that values, motivates, and inspires them. Thanking isn’t just a social reflex. For real leaders, it’s a strategy.Genuine appreciation is a massive motivator, right up there with pay! Seriously; research shows that employees generally don’t quit “bad” jobs. They quit “bad” managers and employers. If you’re not making your team feel vital, you’re not giving talent a reason to stick around.Fortunately, Dr. Cindy can help with that.As she explains today, gratitude isn’t just an act. It’s a skill. And it’s not just politeness; it has a substantive impact on team performance. Dr. Cindy has a 5-step formula that any business owner can use to hone their gratitude game, and get the best from everyone on the team.Don’t let your business’s culture be an afterthought. Take Dr. Cindy’s advice, and prioritize your thanking skills. You might be surprised at the results. Click Play!Every Job Is a Sales Job by Dr. Cindy McGovernSUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What do your employees really think?It can be hard to find out. People are naturally more reserved in meetings, and can feel “evaluated” or cornered if asked too much in front of others. That’s why we decided to do individual, one-on-one sit-downs with each of our employees to get their feedback.In other words, we had the employees evaluate the employers.By having a private, intimate, low-stakes conversation, you can get the truth from the people you trust to run your business. You can discover hidden problems, and reveal assets you never considered. You can resolve issues you never knew existed, and strengthen your business overall.Sometimes, just being heard is the greatest motivator.Today, we discuss how to execute these 1:1 conversations — what to ask, how to ask, and how to act on the information you get. How well you know your team may determine how far they’re willing to go for you, and how invested they feel in the company’s success. Click Play!SUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You and your team: are you in it together?Recently, we made a significant decision. We decided to share our biggest, longest-term, most ambitious goals with our entire team — every single employee. While we used to reserve our Grand Plans for ourselves and a few managers, we decided it was time to put our cards on the table.Why did we do that? Should you?Today, we discuss the reasons for sharing everything with everyone, and the effect that doing so can have on your business. While it can be nerve-wracking to put it all out there, we believe it increases personal investment from our team, and makes our goals more likely to be achieved.We unveiled a 10-year plan, with specific benchmarks and SMART goals that are more than just hopes and dreams. In this episode, we’ll help you determine what to include in your plan, how to format it, and how to present it to the people who will help you make it a reality. Start envisioning the future together, as a team. Click Play!SUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Prepare for launch! Actually, scratch that. We need to start even further ahead, with a pre-launch strategy.It’s Q&A Wednesday, and one listener is wondering how to maximize their launch by marketing well in advance. This doesn’t just apply to the debut of your whole business; product launches, updates, and other milestones all require the same planning to get maximum results.A launch is an opportunity — one that’s wasted if you don’t seed the ground.Today, we’ll discuss how to build buzz, grow and stoke the audience, and tee yourself up to capitalize on Launch Day. While we often think of launches as a beginning, smart entrepreneurs treat launches as the culmination of something as well. This episode is your pre-launch guide. Before you announce anything new in your business, make sure the news hits the right people in the right way. Otherwise, you miss the chance to leverage a rare and special event for growth. Click Play!To submit your questions, visit 100mba.net/q.SUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Is hustling effective? Does more work mean more results?Maybe not. Today, we’re discussing the math on work hours. While it might seem logical to assume that more work = more success, that approach forgets a key principle of productivity: working smart, not just hard.Which brings us to the “standard” work week of 40 hours.Is independent success really possible within that limit? Do entrepreneurs need to put in more hours than everyone else to make it? It’s time to get brutally honest, and explore the relationship between the quality of our work and its quantity. The truth is this: every sacrifice of your time has diminishing returns. You can accomplish more in a few focused hours than an entire day of burnt-out, bedraggled slogging. That doesn’t mean you don’t have to put in the hours — especially at the beginning — but it does mean you have to keep a careful eye on the cost/benefit ratio of your time investment.Finding a balance between time and effort is the key to real productivity. Tune in, and let’s figure out how much you should really be working. Click Play!Deep Work by Cal NewportSUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Sometimes, abandoning logic is the most logical decision.That’s the (somewhat controversial) premise of this week’s Must-Read book, Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss. While it’s tempting to think that fact-based, rational reasons are the most persuasive, the reality of business says otherwise. In other words, appeals to emotion are more effective than appeals to reason.In business, this principle works for everything from your marketing copy to your sales pitches to your negotiations with potential partners. According to Voss — a former hostage negotiator — logical arguments are vastly over-valued. This flies in the face of a lot of business advice, and of common sense. But sometimes, it’s the uncommon advice that really works.Today, we’ll discuss some of the key takeaways of Never Split the Difference, and how it can help you cultivate the skill of emotion-based persuasion. We are not rational animals — and the entrepreneurs who recognize this have the advantage. Click Play!Discover all our must-read book reviews at https://100mba.net/bookreviews.SUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What kind of growth can you get for $300? The answer might surprise you, but only if you’re willing to experiment. If your marketing budget isn’t exactly…flush, but you need a nice boost, it’s time to think outside that proverbial box. This is the beauty of entrepreneurship: how a little creativity can give you exactly the spike you need.And boy, do we have some bang for your marketing buck.These ideas occupy a funny space: they’re unusual, and unexpected. But they’re so effective it’s difficult to understand why more people don’t use them. They don’t require anything special, other than the willingness to stake a few hundred dollars on something different.Are these ideas typical? No. But can they work? One way to find out.This is what being “lean” is all about. Taking roads less traveled to produce more results from fewer resources is what startups do. With a little hustle, a little creativity, and — yes — a little independent-sized budget, you can move the needle. Click Play!SUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This is your year…unless it isn’t.We all hit January wide-eyed and full of big plans. But why do some entrepreneurs hit the goals they set, while others don’t? Why do some businesses actually make the progress their founders envision, while the rest of us keep dreaming? What’s stopping us?Today, we’re discussing a few things that get entrepreneurs off track. Year after year, a few common pitfalls derail all the would-be could-be independent business people, leaving them right where they started come December. The good news? You can neutralize these notorious derailers pretty easily.We’ve got some almost shockingly simple steps you can take to preempt interference from these business-killers. With some basic mental adjustments, you can get on course, stay on course, and end 2020 with milestones reached — not wished for.Don’t wait ‘till February to make these adjustments. Start 2020 on track, and keep it that way. Click Play!SUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Your co-founder wants in. You need them out.This is awkward.It’s Q&A Wednesday, and we’ve got a doozy. One listener co-founded a business a while back, but the co-founder in question took a back seat — only just maintaining their involvement while they pursued other things. Now, said co-founder wants to commit full-time to the business, and expects a full-time salary.The problem? The company can’t afford it.Business has no shortage of uncomfortable situations with conflicting wants and needs. Navigating such situations fairly, professionally, and productively takes finesse. Today, we’ll help our listener work it out with their co-founder in way that considers everyone’s needs — and those of the business. It’s easy to work with your team when things are going great, and there’s enough to go around. It’s the difficult situations that make or break an entrepreneur. Tune in, and learn how to talk openly and fearlessly about that ugly necessity of business: money. Learn how to prepare for a conversation with multiple possible outcomes, and find the sweet spot between personal interests that don’t align. Click Play!To submit your questions, visit 100mba.net/q.SUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

To rebrand or not to rebrand? That is the question. Today, anyway. If you feel like you chose the wrong name for your business, or something about your business name is holding you back, it might be time to rechristen. But you can’t do so without considering the costs — and not just in terms of dollars and cents. Sometimes, it can be better to keep a…less-than-ideal name, especially if you’ve already sunk a certain amount of time and resources into it. It all comes down to a simple cost/benefit analysis of how a name change would affect your budget, your online presence, your overall marketing, and more. Spoiler alert: rebranding involves more than a redirect from your website URL. Today, we’ll discuss all the arguments for and against rebranding. There are several examples of rebranded businesses out there, some more successful than others. There’s even one that turned back, un-re-branding itself when they realized the price was too high. If you’re considering a fresh handle, do the research first. Make sure that whatever you decide, your business can move forward no matter what you call it. Click Play! SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS Stitcher | SoundCloud | Podcast Feed | How To Subscribe Give us a Rating & Review Today’s Sponsors Amazon Logistics Amazon Logistics has a new program for leaders who want to build their own full-time package delivery business. Get access to Amazon’s logistics training and technology, and start building a team of motivated drivers in your community. To learn more about becoming an Amazon delivery service partner, go to logistics.amazon.com. Fundopolis Investing: it seems complex, intimidating, and impersonal. With Fundopolis, it doesn’t have to be that way. Fundopolis is where people and money come together to support businesses they care about. Investing shouldn’t just be for industry insiders; it should be for communities and individuals trying to grow something they’re passionate about. Head to fundopolis.com/podcast for an enjoyable, personal investing experience. The post MBA1429 Why You Should or Shouldn’t Change Your Brand Name appeared first on The $100 MBA. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Skills don’t matter, without the right mindset. There’s a ton of advice out there about what to do if you want to start and run a business. But there’s not enough about how to be, mentally and emotionally. If your frame of mind isn’t optimized, it doesn’t matter how great your product idea, marketing strategy, or SEO is. Call it woo-woo if you will-will. But there’s no substitute for an entrepreneurial mindset. Kenneth Aldrich has built multiple companies, and financed dozens more. Some have succeeded — wildly. Others, not so much. You might think his decades of experience are his single greatest asset, but he might argue otherwise. He might argue that his mindset is what made all of it possible. Today, he’ll explain exactly where your head needs to be, and how to get it there. There’s a million ways to be successful, but all successful entrepreneurs have the mindset in common. It’s one of the fundamental differences between entrepreneurs and people with normal jobs — and it’s the foundation of any independent business’s success. Of course, you don’t just stumble onto the right mindset. You cultivate it. Mental conditioning for business is like physical conditioning for athletes. It’s something you choose to do every day. On today’s episode, Aldrich offers some “exercises” to get you there. It might sound philosophical, practicing the right mindset is as necessary to entrepreneurship as building an email list. Tune in, and learn how. Click Play! SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS Stitcher | SoundCloud | Podcast Feed | How To Subscribe Give us a Rating & Review Today’s Sponsors Fizzle Let’s be honest: entrepreneurship can be lonely. You’ve got a million questions about your business, and few people to ask. Get the knowledge and support you need with Fizzle. Fizzle can help you earn a living doing something you love, with training, tools, coaching, community, and their famous Roadmap. Join Omar and thousands of other entrepreneurs on Fizzle — Get a free 14-day trial at fizzle.co/omar now! Talk Money with Mesh Lakhani Uncover the story of your money. On Talk Money, Mesh will follow paper trails, chat with experts, and break down complex ideas to bring clarity to the financial world. These sharply produced, complelling stories cover everything from BitCoin to student debt and everything in between. Learn how to spend, invest, and earn in today’s world. Subscribe to Talk Money with Mesh Lakhani today. Show Links The Dream Toolbox by Kenneth Aldrich The post MBA1428 Guest Teacher: Kenneth Aldrich – How to Create an Entrepreneurial Mindset appeared first on The $100 MBA. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

SaaStock rocked — and we brought back some lessons for you. This annual convention for SaaS (Software as a Service) businesses is a magnet for startups, freelancers, thought leaders, and entrepreneurs from around the globe. This year, our intrepid host Omar was invited to speak at the Sydney version of this multi-city international get-together. The “Disneyland for SaaS professionals” did not disappoint. As a speaker and attendee, Omar found loads of valuable lessons for any kind of business, of any size. Most of them had to do with the incredible value and potential of well-run professional conferences, and why every entrepreneur should try to be a part of them. SaaStock proved beyond a doubt what many independent business owners already suspect: a great conference is filled with the kind of personal, face-to-face opportunities that no other networking forum has. Whether you speak, or just buy a ticket, conferences like SaaStock are a must. Hear what we learned, and what you can expect if you plan on making SaaStock in 2020. Click Play! SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS Stitcher | SoundCloud | Podcast Feed | How To Subscribe Give us a Rating & Review Today’s Sponsors Podia Easily sell Online Courses, Memberships, and Digital Downloads to your audience. With more than 10,000 creators on the platform, Podia is the easiest way to earn a living teaching what you know. Create a beautiful storefront in minutes and start selling your digital products. No technical knowledge needed, and no third-party plugins required. Check out podia.com/mba now. Axos Bank Want a bank that moves your small business forward? Axos’ basic business checking account is crafted for business owners with solutions to meet your needs. It’s simple, convenient, and hassle free. Axos is 100% digital, with lower overhead that eliminates the need for maintenance fees, minimum balances, or domestic ATM fees. Access your money anytime, anywhere. Axos will give you $100 just to try it out: use promo code 100MBA at axosbank.com/100mba. Show Links EasyCourse The post MBA1427 5 Takeaways From SaaStock Aus 2019 + Free Ride Friday appeared first on The $100 MBA. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

SWOTing: it’s not something you do to flies. It’s a simple but powerful exercise anyone can use to refocus their business and plan for whatever comes next. A SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis lets you look around the bend to the future of your business. It’s an easy way to assess exactly what your business has going for it, what it lacks, and how you can improve. In other words, a SWOT analysis is the first step in crafting (or re-crafting) your business strategy. Today, we’ll explain exactly how to conduct a SWOT analysis, and what to do with the information you get from it. We’ll help you take a moment, look up from your laptop, and plot your course for the medium-to-long-term future. With nothing but a piece of paper, a pen, and an hour or so, you and your team can position your business for growth, not just continued existence. We recommend conducting a SWOT analysis once every quarter. Learn how — Click Play! SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS Stitcher | SoundCloud | Podcast Feed | How To Subscribe Give us a Rating & Review Today’s Sponsors Fizzle Let’s be honest: entrepreneurship can be lonely. You’ve got a million questions about your business, and few people to ask. Get the knowledge and support you need with Fizzle. Fizzle can help you earn a living doing something you love, with training, tools, coaching, community, and their famous Roadmap. Join Omar and thousands of other entrepreneurs on Fizzle — Get a free 14-day trial at fizzle.co/omar now! Fundopolis Investing: it seems complex, intimidating, and impersonal. With Fundopolis, it doesn’t have to be that way. Fundopolis is where people and money come together to support businesses they care about. Investing shouldn’t just be for industry insiders; it should be for communities and individuals trying to grow something they’re passionate about. Head to fundopolis.com/podcast for an enjoyable, personal investing experience. Show Links WebinarNinja Blog The post MBA1426 How To Perform a SWOT Analysis & Stay Ahead of Challenges appeared first on The $100 MBA. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Business draining you? Feeling exhausted? You’re not alone. But you have to fix it. It’s Q&A Wednesday, and one listener is simply out of gas. The freedom of entrepreneurship has a cost, and that cost is a workload and mental burden that few of the conventionally employed ever experience. How can we cope? How can we maintain our energy? We’ve been there. Our intrepid host Omar knows what it means to live in a state of near-constant burnout. Until he decided to prioritize his health and well-being, he was on the fast track to nowhere good. By neglecting his health, Omar wasn’t helping his business. A fatigued entrepreneur can’t reach their full potential. Exhaustion is not a sign of dedication. It’s a liability. Today, we’ll discuss some specific things you can do to make sure you have the energy to stay at the top of your game. Some are very simple, some require a little work and investment. But all of them will help your business by helping you perform. Click Play! SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS Stitcher | SoundCloud | Podcast Feed | How To Subscribe Give us a Rating & Review Today’s Sponsors Podia Easily sell Online Courses, Memberships, and Digital Downloads to your audience. With more than 10,000 creators on the platform, Podia is the easiest way to earn a living teaching what you know. Create a beautiful storefront in minutes and start selling your digital products. No technical knowledge needed, and no third-party plugins required. Check out podia.com/mba now. Amazon Logistics Amazon Logistics has a new program for leaders who want to build their own full-time package delivery business. Get access to Amazon’s logistics training and technology, and start building a team of motivated drivers in your community. To learn more about becoming an Amazon delivery service partner, go to logistics.amazon.com. The post MBA1425 Q&A Wednesday: I’m exhausted all the time. What do I do? appeared first on The $100 MBA. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You’re missing a huge marketing opportunity. That’s the case for most entrepreneurs with a business website, at least. Statistically, the “About” page is one of the most visited pages on a given website — second or third behind the home page, usually. And yet…so few people take advantage of this. “About” pages are almost never optimized for marketing. And that’s a gosh-darn tragedy. So often, we think of the “About” page as something fun and personal. It’s a place to share our story and a little bit of ourselves. But what we forget is that our story — our selves — are the heart of our brand. The “About” page is an honest-to-goodness conversion tool that we’re just not using. Our story isn’t just a story. It’s a lead magnet! In today’s marketplace, consumers want to know about you. That means traffic. It means SEO. It means an opportunity to grow your email list and leverage the fun, personal stuff into sales. Today, we’ll discuss how we’re changing our own “About” page to reflect that, and how you can, too. Don’t be afraid to shine. Learn how to optimize your “About” page, and actually utilize this hidden asset. Click Play! SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS Stitcher | SoundCloud | Podcast Feed | How To Subscribe Give us a Rating & Review Today’s Sponsors Podia Easily sell Online Courses, Memberships, and Digital Downloads to your audience. With more than 10,000 creators on the platform, Podia is the easiest way to earn a living teaching what you know. Create a beautiful storefront in minutes and start selling your digital products. No technical knowledge needed, and no third-party plugins required. Check out podia.com/mba now. Fundopolis Investing: it seems complex, intimidating, and impersonal. With Fundopolis, it doesn’t have to be that way. Fundopolis is where people and money come together to support businesses they care about. Investing shouldn’t just be for industry insiders; it should be for communities and individuals trying to grow something they’re passionate about. Head to fundopolis.com/podcast for an enjoyable, personal investing experience. The post MBA1424 Improving Your About Page appeared first on The $100 MBA. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What is company culture, why does it matter, and how can you build it? The answers to that and more come from one of Omar’s favorite business books ever: What You Do Is Who You Are by Ben Horowitz. Horowitz is a venture capital legend whose wisdom and experience is grounded in a street-level, practical approach. But for all the actionable nuts and bolts, this book puts it all in a big huge-picture context. With tested strategies and philosophy from history, business, and beyond, this company culture manifesto is deep, yet straightforward. It’s thoughtful, but focused on action. Horowitz seamlessly weaves broader business philosophy into the book’s central argument: that every one of your actions sets the tone for your business. Omar loved this book so much that he actually included it in his “Best of 2019” list before he finished reading it. Now that he’s gotten to the end, we can take a closer look. “Culture” can be hard to define for a small business. We don’t all have to take the Google approach with napping pods and on-site masseuses. But we do have to purposefully, intentionally foster a culture that fits our brand and mission. That starts and ends with you. Learn how to envision, embody, promote, and instill the right culture for you business, no matter how many people that includes. Hear the key takeaways from this gem of a book, and see if you might just need a copy. Click Play! SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS Stitcher | SoundCloud | Podcast Feed | How To Subscribe Give us a Rating & Review Today’s Sponsors Fizzle Let’s be honest: entrepreneurship can be lonely. You’ve got a million questions about your business, and few people to ask. Get the knowledge and support you need with Fizzle. Fizzle can help you earn a living doing something you love, with training, tools, coaching, community, and their famous Roadmap. Join Omar and thousands of other entrepreneurs on Fizzle — Get a free 14-day trial at fizzle.co/omar now! HoneyBook HoneyBook is an all-in-one business management platform for creative small businesses. They make it easy to streamline your process with client and calendar management tools, plus custom branded proposals and contracts. Save hundreds or thousands of hours a year. Get 50% off your first year at HoneyBook.com/MBA. Show Links The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz What You Do Is Who You Are by Ben Horowitz Free Book on Audible Top 5 Books of 2019 The post MBA1423 Must Read: What You Do Is Who You Are by Ben Horowitz appeared first on The $100 MBA. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Online courses: more popular than ever. A great source of revenue. A perfect way to monetize your expertise or passion. And yet… So many courses bomb. For every course that thrills its students and grows the business, there’s a ton that go nowhere. Our intrepid host Omar has created many, many courses over the years, and there’s a reason his usually succeed. It’s because of his background in education. Before Omar struck out into the world of entrepreneurship, he spent years honing his craft as an educator at the high school and university level. That experience is exactly what led him to the $100 MBA Show: the desire and ability to teach. Courses were a logical extension of that. As more entrepreneurs get into the course game without an understanding of teaching and learning, though, common mistakes were revealed. Today, we want to shine a light on those mistakes, so you don’t make them. We’ll help you improve results for your students, and for you. There are so many ways to build courses incorrectly. Know what they are, and design courses that’ll set you apart as a reliable online “educator,” even if you’ve never even held a piece of chalk. Click Play! SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS Stitcher | SoundCloud | Podcast Feed | How To Subscribe Give us a Rating & Review Today’s Sponsors Podia Easily sell Online Courses, Memberships, and Digital Downloads to your audience. With more than 10,000 creators on the platform, Podia is the easiest way to earn a living teaching what you know. Create a beautiful storefront in minutes and start selling your digital products. No technical knowledge needed, and no third-party plugins required. Check out podia.com/mba now. Axos Bank Want a bank that moves your small business forward? Axos’ basic business checking account is crafted for business owners with solutions to meet your needs. It’s simple, convenient, and hassle free. Axos is 100% digital, with lower overhead that eliminates the need for maintenance fees, minimum balances, or domestic ATM fees. Access your money anytime, anywhere. Axos will give you $100 just to try it out: use promo code 100MBA at axosbank.com/100mba. Show Links EasyCourse 30 Day Automated Webinar Challenge The post MBA1422 Why Online Courses Fail + Free Ride Friday appeared first on The $100 MBA. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

2020 starts now. I know the ball hasn’t dropped yet, but if you want certain things to happen next year, it’s already time to take the first step. It’s time to plan out your entire year, right now, today. All of it. The best part? It won’t even take that long. For an hour or two of your time, you can reduce stress all (next) year long. There’s nothing like going into the year completely confident that high-priority goals will be met. That doesn’t just include business goals; it’s equally important to carve out time for your personal goals as well. This way, every priority gets its due. Why let the busy catch up to you? Get ahead of everything, by filling in that calendar with all the “big rocks,” the absolute must-dos that will have the biggest impact on your life and business. Why not manage your most valuable asset — your time — as strategically as you manage your money? Today, we share the exact steps you can take to plot your whole year out. With a roadmap in place, you won’t just hope to accomplish certain things — you’ll know you will. Click Play! SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS Stitcher | SoundCloud | Podcast Feed | How To Subscribe Give us a Rating & Review Today’s Sponsors Amazon Logistics Amazon Logistics has a new program for leaders who want to build their own full-time package delivery business. Get access to Amazon’s logistics training and technology, and start building a team of motivated drivers in your community. To learn more about becoming an Amazon delivery service partner, go to logistics.amazon.com. Personal Capital Ready to purchase a home? Saving for tuition? Talk with Personal Capital’s registered advisers, who can help you build a personalized plan. Or download the Personal Capital app and get a 360-degree view of your finances in one place. Invest with logic. Plan with heart. For more information, head to personalcapital.com Show Links Dan Martell EasyCourse The post MBA1421 Why and How to Plan All of 2020 Today appeared first on The $100 MBA. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It’s that time of year. We don’t all celebrate the same way — or at all — but “the holidays” are a reality of business. Crucially, the holidays mean that your team will have personal and family obligations. Part of your job as a leader is to balance the needs of your business with the needs of your employees. You may even think about closing up shop temporarily. But should you? It’s Q&A Wednesday, and we’re helping one listener decide whether to hang the “Closed” sign up to give the team some holiday R&R. We discuss what factors to consider, including potential effects on the other group of people you need to keep happy: the customers. We also share our own approach to the holiday season, explaining how we manage the expectations of our team, our customers, and our audience. The right answer will vary from business to business, but the goal is the same: do what’s best for the company without alienating anyone. Start putting your holiday strategy together now. Click Play! SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS Stitcher | SoundCloud | Podcast Feed | How To Subscribe Give us a Rating & Review Today’s Sponsors Fizzle Let’s be honest: entrepreneurship can be lonely. You’ve got a million questions about your business, and few people to ask. Get the knowledge and support you need with Fizzle. Fizzle can help you earn a living doing something you love, with training, tools, coaching, community, and their famous Roadmap. Join Omar and thousands of other entrepreneurs on Fizzle — Get a free 14-day trial at fizzle.co/omar now! Fundopolis Investing: it seems complex, intimidating, and impersonal. With Fundopolis, it doesn’t have to be that way. Fundopolis is where people and money come together to support businesses they care about. Investing shouldn’t just be for industry insiders; it should be for communities and individuals trying to grow something they’re passionate about. Head to fundopolis.com/podcast for an enjoyable, personal investing experience. The post MBA1420 Q&A Wednesday: Do I close for the holidays and give my team time off? appeared first on The $100 MBA. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ever seen a win that — at first — looks like a fail? Elon Musk is the king of confounding expectations. When he unveiled Tesla’s take on the good ol’ ‘Merican truck, he did what he does best: surprised everyone, for better or worse. Even a demonstration of the Cybertuck’s, em… impact-resistant windows famously didn’t go according to script. And that’s perfectly on-brand for the guy who wants to colonize Mars. Whatever you think of him, Elon Musk is undeniably successful. Occasionally overshadowed by his public persona are achievements in tech and business that everyone can learn from — even small businesses. Today, we’ll discuss how the Cybertruck is a fantastic lesson in bold business strategy. Musk crashed headfirst into an incredibly tough-to-crack industry with an audacious out-of-left-field product. He invited controversy and criticism. He put on a show. And the pre-orders came flooding in. Sometimes, the marketing power of utter uniqueness is worth exploring. And sometimes, taking risks is less risky than it seems. Hear how you can apply the Tesla philosophy to your next launch. Click Play! SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS Stitcher | SoundCloud | Podcast Feed | How To Subscribe Give us a Rating & Review Today’s Sponsors Axos Bank Want a bank that moves your small business forward? Axos’ basic business checking account is crafted for business owners with solutions to meet your needs. It’s simple, convenient, and hassle free. Axos is 100% digital, with lower overhead that eliminates the need for maintenance fees, minimum balances, or domestic ATM fees. Access your money anytime, anywhere. Axos will give you $100 just to try it out: use promo code 100MBA at axosbank.com/100mba. Personal Capital Ready to purchase a home? Saving for tuition? Talk with Personal Capital’s registered advisers, who can help you build a personalized plan. Or download the Personal Capital app and get a 360-degree view of your finances in one place. Invest with logic. Plan with heart. For more information, head to personalcapital.com The post MBA1419 Ideas You Can Steal From Elon and The Tesla Cybertruck appeared first on The $100 MBA. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What’s your business worth? Even if you’re nowhere near selling your business, it’s important to know. And thanks to today’s special guest teacher, it doesn’t take long to find out. Ashley Micciche is the CEO of True North, a retirement advising firm. This means she takes the long view — helping business owners keep their eye on the endgame. Like any long-term goal, selling your business isn’t something you only start thinking about when the time comes. Today, Micciche is here to help you pinpoint exactly where you are in the journey — quickly. A simple valuation can take half an hour, with Micciche’s 8 key metrics and a very valuable online tool she’s giving our listeners access to. Hear the lesson, and get an accurate picture of your business. You can’t get where you’re going if you don’t know where you are — Click Play! SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS Stitcher | SoundCloud | Podcast Feed | How To Subscribe Give us a Rating & Review Today’s Sponsors Talk Money with Mesh Lakhani Uncover the story of your money. On Talk Money, Mesh will follow paper trails, chat with experts, and break down complex ideas to bring clarity to the financial world. These sharply produced, complelling stories cover everything from BitCoin to student debt and everything in between. Learn how to spend, invest, and earn in today’s world. Subscribe to Talk Money with Mesh Lakhani today. ActiveCampaign ActiveCampaign makes a customer experience automation platform for growing businesses. ActiveCampaign can help you formulate a great “win-back” email campaign to remind your customer why they were interested enough to subscribe in the first place. Head to ActiveCampaign.com/100MBA and start a free trial. You can get a second month free, free migration, and 2 free one-on-one sessions with a member of the ActiveCampaign team! Show Links True North Retirement Advisors Business Valuation Checklist True North Retirement on YouTube The post MBA1418 Guest Teacher: Ashley Micciche – How To Value Your Business in 30 Minutes For Free appeared first on The $100 MBA. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Let’s start here: a retreat is not a frivolous expense. For teams of all sizes, a retreat can have an incredible, valuable effect on motivation, cohesion, and productivity. It’s the definition of the term “investment:” something you spend money on because it will be worth it in the long run. But you don’t have to spend too much. Today, we’ll discuss how you can put together a retreat on the most meager of budgets, if you’re willing to get creative. It doesn’t have to be elaborate. It can even be local. Whatever gets your team out of their normal working context and into a new adventure together can have the desired effect. And the effect is very, very, desirable. We’ve got alternative retreat options for every budget, plus tips on how to get your team involved in the planning and decisions around your retreat. Especially for (increasingly popular) remote teams, getting everyone together for a little out-of-workplace experience can make a huge difference in how everyone works together. You know you have to nurture leads. Don’t forget to nurture your team. Click Play! SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS Stitcher | SoundCloud | Podcast Feed | How To Subscribe Give us a Rating & Review Today’s Sponsors Fizzle Let’s be honest: entrepreneurship can be lonely. You’ve got a million questions about your business, and few people to ask. Get the knowledge and support you need with Fizzle. Fizzle can help you earn a living doing something you love, with training, tools, coaching, community, and their famous Roadmap. Join Omar and thousands of other entrepreneurs on Fizzle — Get a free 14-day trial at fizzle.co/omar now! Personal Capital Ready to purchase a home? Saving for tuition? Talk with Personal Capital’s registered advisers, who can help you build a personalized plan. Or download the Personal Capital app and get a 360-degree view of your finances in one place. Invest with logic. Plan with heart. For more information, head to personalcapital.com Show Links EasyCourse The post MBA1417 Low Cost Team Retreat Options + Free Ride Friday appeared first on The $100 MBA. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

There’s apps — and then there’s Chrome extensions. It’s a fantastic, emerging niche-among-niches. As Chrome becomes an ever more popular browser, the need for the Chromified version of this or that software become ever more important. Halfway between a cloud-based solution and a full-on app, Chrome extensions meet a need that’s more needed every day. It’s Google’s world. We’re just living in it. For anyone who wants to get into the software business, a great Chrome extension could be the hidden avenue you haven’t considered. Today, we’ll discuss some incredible examples of Chrome extensions that — while less famous than some popular apps — are models of entrepreneurial success. We’ll explore what characteristics your Chrome extension needs to be successful, how to build it, and how to find the help you need. This could be the business you never knew you needed to get into. Click Play! SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS Stitcher | SoundCloud | Podcast Feed | How To Subscribe Give us a Rating & Review Today’s Sponsors Fizzle Let’s be honest: entrepreneurship can be lonely. You’ve got a million questions about your business, and few people to ask. Get the knowledge and support you need with Fizzle. Fizzle can help you earn a living doing something you love, with training, tools, coaching, community, and their famous Roadmap. Join Omar and thousands of other entrepreneurs on Fizzle — Get a free 14-day trial at fizzle.co/omar now! Columbia College Founded in 1851, Columbia College has been accredited for more than a hundred years. 8-week classes are held year round, so you can earn your degree quickly. With Columbia’s “trutition,” your education is one low price; no fees, book costs, or other surprises. Columbia even offers e-texts convertible to audio for studying on the go. Graduate or undergraduate, live or online, Columbia has classes for you — plus, Columbia has eliminated all fees from the application to graduation. Head to mytruition.com/mba to learn more. Show Links Honey Udemy Coursera SkillShare Freelancer.com UpWork EasyCourse The post MBA1416 Building a Chrome Extension Business appeared first on The $100 MBA. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The first sign that you’re really serious about moving your business forward? You’re ready to hire a coach. A successful entrepreneur is two things: brave enough to try on their own, and smart enough to know their limits. The ones who make it know when to get help, when to invest in the experience and skills of others rather than trying to do everything themselves. Whether it’s an employee or a coach, no entrepreneur is an island. When you hit a plateau, it’s time to find someone to learn from. But who can you trust? It’s Q&A Wednesday, and we’re helping one listener learn the difference between real, qualified coaches, and the army of “gurus” out there whose only real skill is convincing fellow entrepreneurs to hand over their hard-earned profits. We’ll discuss how to sift through the grifters, evaluate qualifications, and find the coach that’s right for you. We’ll also explain how to make sure you get what you want out of your coaching experience, since teaching and learning is a two-way street. A coach is a great investment — if it’s also a wise one. Click Play! SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS Stitcher | SoundCloud | Podcast Feed | How To Subscribe Give us a Rating & Review Today’s Sponsors Axos Bank Want a bank that moves your small business forward? Axos’ basic business checking account is crafted for business owners with solutions to meet your needs. It’s simple, convenient, and hassle free. Axos is 100% digital, with lower overhead that eliminates the need for maintenance fees, minimum balances, or domestic ATM fees. Access your money anytime, anywhere. Axos will give you $100 just to try it out: use promo code 100MBA at axosbank.com/100mba. Talk Money with Mesh Lakhan Uncover the story of your money. On Talk Money, Mesh will follow paper trails, chat with experts, and break down complex ideas to bring clarity to the financial world. These sharply produced, complelling stories cover everything from BitCoin to student debt and everything in between. Learn how to spend, invest, and earn in today’s world. Subscribe to Talk Money with Mesh Lakhani today. Show Links Dan Martell The post MBA1415 Q&A Wednesday: How do I find a great business coach? appeared first on The $100 MBA. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Yes, we all want our startups to be lean. Profit first, we always say. But like any fundamental truth, there’s an equal and opposite consideration you should never forget: You get what you pay for. Today, we’re discussing a few things you should never seek the lowest price on. Like a great pair of boots or the roof over your head, some necessities are better invested in for the long term, rather than found cheaply. The lowest price can end up costing your business, if the asset in question doesn’t do what you need. Sometimes, the ROI is worth more than even the biggest price tag. Some of these items may seem obvious (but not to everyone). Some may surprise you. But for any and all business types, these are the bits of overhead you should build your budget around. Spend as much as possible on these things, and your business will be rewarded.It’s always important for small businesses to save money where they can. It’s equally important to know when not to skimp. Make sure your money is well spent — Click Play! SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS Stitcher | SoundCloud | Podcast Feed | How To Subscribe Give us a Rating & Review Today’s Sponsors Bayer Bayer creates medicine to treat allergy symptoms, so allergies don’t get in the way of a good time. From advances in health to innovations in agriculture, Bayer is advancing medicine for a better life. At Bayer, this is why we science. Personal Capital Ready to purchase a home? Saving for tuition? Talk with Personal Capital’s registered advisers, who can help you build a personalized plan. Or download the Personal Capital app and get a 360-degree view of your finances in one place. Invest with logic. Plan with heart. For more information, head to personalcapital.com Show Links WP Engine The post MBA1414 4 Business Expenses You Should Never Go Cheap On appeared first on The $100 MBA. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The 90’s gave us a few classics: Nevermind, Clueless, flannel in general. But for entrepreneurs, one classic work defined a new approach to business and echoed into the next century — even as the Internet changed everything. That classic was Jim Collins’ Built to Last. This genre-defining tome was a deep, extended study of 18 companies (think Sony, Amex, etc.) that absolutely murdered it in their industries. It identified common threads, characteristics that any company of any size can leverage to limitless success. Years of research preceded — and followed — this landmark look at what makes companies endure. The best part? The fundamental principles that fueled these companies’ growth can work for anyone. Too often, independent entrepreneurs think that big business strategies don’t apply to small business. Nothing could be further from the truth. The same ideas that made Sony a household name can give your business a long-term, even generational, impact. Don’t be afraid to dream big and swing for the fences. With the right principles in mind, the sky is truly your limit. Click Play! SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS Stitcher | SoundCloud | Podcast Feed | How To Subscribe Give us a Rating & Review Today’s Sponsors Podia Easily sell Online Courses, Memberships, and Digital Downloads to your audience. With more than 10,000 creators on the platform, Podia is the easiest way to earn a living teaching what you know. Create a beautiful storefront in minutes and start selling your digital products. No technical knowledge needed, and no third-party plugins required. Check out podia.com/mba now. ActiveCampaign ActiveCampaign makes a customer experience automation platform for growing businesses. ActiveCampaign can help you formulate a great “win-back” email campaign to remind your customer why they were interested enough to subscribe in the first place. Head to ActiveCampaign.com/100MBA and start a free trial. You can get a second month free, free migration, and 2 free one-on-one sessions with a member of the ActiveCampaign team! Show Links Built to Last by Jim Collins The post MBA1413 Must Read: Built To Last by Jim Collins appeared first on The $100 MBA. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You’ve made the hires. You’ve got a great team ready to rock. So why are you still overworked? One of the trickier aspects of leading a growing business is handing off responsibility to new team members. For some of us, it’s hard because we don’t want to surrender control. But sometimes, we’re so eager to get things off our plate that we hand things off without making sure our new hire can take them on. And yes, this is one of those “we’ve made this mistake ourselves” episodes. We manage a remote team of dozens. As the team has grown, Omar has finally gotten used to passing the reins to others — even to feel liberated by it. But every so often, we find that a new hire can’t complete tasks because we haven’t prepared them adequately. It can be difficult to see your day-to-day operations from the perspective of a newcomer. Today, we’ll share the 3 things every new employee needs to truly take ownership of their goals, and be truly autonomous. By empowering your team to fly free, you don’t just relieve yourself of extra work: you make your employees happier, more motivated, and more productive. All that, and it’s FREE RIDE FRIDAY!!! Click Play! SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS Stitcher | SoundCloud | Podcast Feed | How To Subscribe Give us a Rating & Review Today’s Sponsors Podia Easily sell Online Courses, Memberships, and Digital Downloads to your audience. With more than 10,000 creators on the platform, Podia is the easiest way to earn a living teaching what you know. Create a beautiful storefront in minutes and start selling your digital products. No technical knowledge needed, and no third-party plugins required. Check out podia.com/mba now. Native Native creates safe, simple, effective products that people use every day. Their products are filled with trusted ingredients, and their natural deodorant is no different. Typical deodorant contains ingredients like aluminum. Native deodorant has no aluminum, parabens, or talc. Instead, it has simple ingredients found in nature. Native offers free shipping, returns, and exchanges. For 20% off your first purchase, head to nativedeodorant.com and use promo code MBA. Show Links EasyCourse The post MBA1412 Have a Team But Still Overwhelmed? How To Assign Ownership + Free Ride Friday appeared first on The $100 MBA. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Everyone needs a break: especially entrepreneurs. This isn’t an episode that tells you where to go. This all about the types of vacations that are most restful, useful, and valuable for independent business people. These entrepreneur-friendly trip types will recharge your batteries, and accomplish the one goal of a true, proper vacation: sending you back to work fresh and motivated. And of course, they’re fun! Don’t worry; these aren’t “working vacations,” unless you want them to be. While professional development can be a feature, the only rule of vacationing is to attain maximum enjoyment, whatever form that takes. We’ll discuss the benefits of 3 different trip types, and how they can work best for you. These trip types range: from the chillest to the thrillest, from the most relaxed to the most dynamic. Pick the one that suits you best, because you deserve it. Sometimes, independent business people need to remember that as much thought and planning should go into our rest as into our work. Let us help — Click Play! SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS Stitcher | SoundCloud | Podcast Feed | How To Subscribe Give us a Rating & Review Today’s Sponsors Podia Easily sell Online Courses, Memberships, and Digital Downloads to your audience. With more than 10,000 creators on the platform, Podia is the easiest way to earn a living teaching what you know. Create a beautiful storefront in minutes and start selling your digital products. No technical knowledge needed, and no third-party plugins required. Check out podia.com/mba now. Columbia College Founded in 1851, Columbia College has been accredited for more than a hundred years. 8-week classes are held year round, so you can earn your degree quickly. With Columbia’s “trutition,” your education is one low price; no fees, book costs, or other surprises. Columbia even offers e-texts convertible to audio for studying on the go. Graduate or undergraduate, live or online, Columbia has classes for you — plus, Columbia has eliminated all fees from the application to graduation. Head to mytruition.com/mba to learn more. The post MBA1411 My Top 3 Vacations for Entrepreneurs appeared first on The $100 MBA. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We’ve all had the sensation: Inbox Dread. The knowledge that you’re so behind on emails, the list of black, bolded “unreads” will just be too much to bear. How can you dig out of email overwhelm, and still get things done? It’s Q&A Wednesday, and we’re helping a listener who’s got 10 pounds of To-Dos on a 5-pound plate. Trudging through hundreds of emails — most of which are of little to no value — doesn’t exactly sound appealing. But we don’t want to miss anything important or useful. There has to be a way forward. Today, we’ll show you how to get that inbox under control, with a few quick and dirty tricks that cut your pile down to size. Email-induced stress is a real and painful thing that can detract from your health and productivity; but you’re done playing catch-up. Learn these few adjustments you can make to your system for tackling email, and get ready to breathe easier. Click Play! SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS Stitcher | SoundCloud | Podcast Feed | How To Subscribe Give us a Rating & Review Today’s Sponsors Talk Money with Mesh Lakhan Uncover the story of your money. On Talk Money, Mesh will follow paper trails, chat with experts, and break down complex ideas to bring clarity to the financial world. These sharply produced, complelling stories cover everything from BitCoin to student debt and everything in between. Learn how to spend, invest, and earn in today’s world. Subscribe to Talk Money with Mesh Lakhani today. Fundopolis Investing: it seems complex, intimidating, and impersonal. With Fundopolis, it doesn’t have to be that way. Fundopolis is where people and money come together to support businesses they care about. Investing shouldn’t just be for industry insiders; it should be for communities and individuals trying to grow something they’re passionate about. Head to fundopolis.com/podcast for an enjoyable, personal investing experience. The post MBA1410 Q&A Wednesday: How do I stay on top of my email with everything else I need to do? appeared first on The $100 MBA. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

If you know our intrepid host Omar, you know he’s a reader. Omar plows through over 50 books each year, searching for those golden lessons that resonate and have a real impact. That’s because he believes a book has the greatest ROI in terms of professional development. For usually less than $20, you can learn things that change you as a business person forever. Of course, not every book he reads is great. Some of them, though, are standouts, usually the subjects of our Must-Read episodes. Now, he’s chosen the top of the top, the absolute best reads on business, personal growth, and marketing he read in all of 2019. These are the MUST-Must-Reads for anyone looking to improve their entrepreneurial game. As the year draws to a close and the holidays approach, take some of that downtime to enjoy one. Or two. Or five! Some are long, some are short. Some are dense, some are super accessible. All of them will help you and your business grow, if you take their lessons to heart. One is so incredible, it made the list despite the fact that Omar hasn’t finished it yet! Find out what they are, and get reading. Click Play! SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS Stitcher | SoundCloud | Podcast Feed | How To Subscribe Give us a Rating & Review Today’s Sponsors Podia Easily sell Online Courses, Memberships, and Digital Downloads to your audience. With more than 10,000 creators on the platform, Podia is the easiest way to earn a living teaching what you know. Create a beautiful storefront in minutes and start selling your digital products. No technical knowledge needed, and no third-party plugins required. Check out podia.com/mba now. HoneyBook HoneyBook is an all-in-one business management platform for creative small businesses. They make it easy to streamline your process with client and calendar management tools, plus custom branded proposals and contracts. Save hundreds or thousands of hours a year. Get 50% off your first year at HoneyBook.com/MBA. Show Links The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene Product Led Growth by Wes Bush Product-Led Institute Extreme Revenue Growth by Victor Cheng Trillion Dollar Coach by Eric Shmidt What You Do Is Who You Are by Ben Horowitz The post MBA1409 My Top 5 Books for 2019 appeared first on The $100 MBA. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The market is a crowded place. One of the first hurdles new entrepreneurs struggle with is the old classic: how the heck do you stand out? Fortunately, we’ve got an expert in just that. Suzanne Chadwick has turned standing out into a full-time occupation. She’s mastered the art of being memorable for the purpose of branding and marketing. Author, speaker, and consultant, Chadwick knows how to get your business lodged in people’s heads, so that you are front of mind when they decide to make a purchase. And she’s here today. Suzanne has 5 specific things you can do to get the brand position that drives growth. By creating unique emotional connections with your audience, you can take away some of the blockers that prevent conversion. By putting in just a few extra miles, you can make the connections that make your brand pop. These are tips you can put to work immediately, and see the difference in your reach. Click Play! SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS Stitcher | SoundCloud | Podcast Feed | How To Subscribe Give us a Rating & Review Today’s Sponsors Kronos Kronos is workforce innovation that works. Kronos puts HR, payroll, talent, and timekeeping on a single, cloud-based platform specially designed to give HR professionals supporting a blended workforce a whole new level of confidence. Learn more at kronos.com/hrswagger Capital One With the Spark Cash card from Capital One, you earn unlimited 2% cash back on all your business purchases. Think about it – unlimited 2% cash back on everything you buy for your business. That cash back can add up to thousands of dollars, which you can reinvest back into your business so you can keep growing. Imagine what unlimited 2% cash back could do for your business. Capital One: what’s in your wallet? Show Links The Connection Exchange The Brand Builders Academy Play Big Brand Bold by Suzanne Chadwick Survey Monkey Typeform The post MBA1408 Guest Teacher: Suzanne Chadwick – How To Create a Stand-Out Brand Experience appeared first on The $100 MBA. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You know you want to start a business. But that’s about all you know. You’re not alone! So many people think that entrepreneurs start by having some grand product idea, but that’s rarely the case. More often, entrepreneurship starts with nothing more than the desire to be independent, and the chutzpah to go for it. So you’re off to a good start, even though you have no idea what’s next. Successful independent business is way more about execution than product ideas. As we discuss in this podcast, some of the most wildly successful entrepreneurs didn’t actually come up with anything new; they just improved the form, deliverability, or accessibility of something that was already out there. The key was: they met a need. Maybe we need to flip the notion of “creating a business idea” around. Instead, let’s try to find your business idea, by putting our ear to the ground and figuring out what market need you can meet. Take the time. Find an audience. Talk to it, but listen to it. Your big idea is out there somewhere, and if you’re patient and strategic, your idea will come — and it’ll seem like the most obvious thing in the world. Click Play! SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS Stitcher | SoundCloud | Podcast Feed | How To Subscribe Give us a Rating & Review Today’s Sponsors Podia Easily sell Online Courses, Memberships, and Digital Downloads to your audience. With more than 10,000 creators on the platform, Podia is the easiest way to earn a living teaching what you know. Create a beautiful storefront in minutes and start selling your digital products. No technical knowledge needed, and no third-party plugins required. Check out podia.com/mba now. Axos Bank Want a bank that moves your small business forward? Axos’ basic business checking account is crafted for business owners with solutions to meet your needs. It’s simple, convenient, and hassle free. Axos is 100% digital, with lower overhead that eliminates the need for maintenance fees, minimum balances, or domestic ATM fees. Access your money anytime, anywhere. Axos will give you $100 just to try it out: use promo code 100MBA at axosbank.com/100mba. Show Links EasyCourse Fizzle The post MBA1407 Where to Start When You Have No Ideas + Free Ride Friday appeared first on The $100 MBA. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.