Tropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder Lifestyle

http://www.tropicalmba.com/greenbacktaxservices/ For the past several weeks, Dan and Ian have been speaking about what it means to build a culture for your company. One of the most important parts to fostering that culture is managing a team, and almost no one does it better than this week's guest. Enter Carrie McKeegan. In 2008, Carrie and her husband Dave founded Greenback Tax Services. Since then, their business has exploded and they have expanded to include a 55 person fully distributed team. On this episode, you will hear about the challenges of starting a business with your spouse, why Carrie believes her corporate experience prepared her for entrepreneurship, and some essential insights into running a remote team. If you are looking to grow a meaningful business that isn't just going to pay the rent, but pay for retirement, then this is an episode you're going to want to stick around for.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/gfny/ Dan and Ian often use this show as a platform to talk about the things that they are most passionate about. This week, we are taking a look at two of Dan's favorite topics: cycling and event-based businesses. Uli Fluhme is the co-founder of GFNY, a cycling event in New York city that was the first of its kind in America, modeled after the traditional Italian Gran Fondos. On this episode, you'll hear Uli's story about the logistical challenges of creating an event like this, how he set out to achieve the ambitious task of shutting down the George Washington bridge for a cycling race, and how GFNY has managed to expand into a global brand. Even if you aren't into cycling, today's episode offers some unique insight into building successful events, and building a strong brand that you can license out to others or build a franchise around.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/seekingapprentice/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/seekingapprentice/ Podcast 20:26| Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment Dan and Ian are currently seeking a Business Development Apprentice to help grow The Dynamite Circle, as well as this very podcast. Over the years, they have hired many people who were listeners to this podcast, or who were referred by listeners of this show. They decided that there...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/showerthoughts/ Dan and Ian have often subscribed to the notion that some of their best ideas come from their most personal moments, and what moment is more personal than taking a shower? This week's episode is a collection of "shower thoughts" that the hosts of this podcast have been ruminating on for quite some time. You'll hear insights on what it takes to achieve life goals, why debt can be the #1 thing stopping you from reaching your potential, how to avoid the noise of information, and a whole lot more.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/noahkagan/ Dan and Ian are very fortunate to speak to one of their favorite entrepreneurs this week, and someone whose reputation certainly precedes him. This week's guest is Noah Kagan. Noah is the founder of AppSumo.com, and the host of Noah Kagan Presents. App Sumo is an extremely successful online business which offers daily deals for digitally distributed products and services. Noah's blog OkDork has also been a longtime favorite of the hosts of this show.. On this episode, you'll learn how Noah defines success. You'll also hear about his unique approach to hiring and team building, his investment strategy, and much more.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/dreamline/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/dreamline/ Podcast 36:53| Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment On this week’s episode, Dan and Ian unearth some important documents from 2009. Yes, we are talking about their original, old-school Dreamlines, written back when Dan and Ian first met. For those unfamiliar with the term, a Dreamline is a document that asks you to write down what you want to...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/convertkit/ On today's show, Dan and Ian are going to talk to an entrepreneur whose business is absolutely on fire right now. Nathan Barry is the founder and CEO of ConvertKit, an email marketing program for bloggers. ConvertKit currently has 28 employees, and is turning over 9 million dollars in annual recurring income. Nathan has built a long and storied reputation of being unafraid to confront and analyze the challenges of entrepreneurship through his blog at NathanBarry.com. On this week's episode, Nathan talks about a challenge that he is facing right now that many entrepreneurs would love to have. How do you create a company culture when your team is growing at a remarkable pace? It turns out the answer is brutal honesty.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/jasoncohen/ Today's guest is one of the smartest business minds that Dan and Ian have encountered in their travels. Jason Cohen is the founder of WP Engine, a very successful company that provides managed Wordpress hosting. He is also the author of Dan and Ian's all-time favorite blogs, A Smart Bear. A few years ago, Jason made the difficult decision to step down from his CEO role at WP Engine, at a time when the company was more successful than ever. Jason recently spoke about this decision at our recent Dynamite Circle event in Austin, and we invited him on the show this week to expand on that talk. On today's episode, you'll hear Jason share his insights about the struggles of growing at the pace of your company, the angst you can feel after you sell a business, and how he has been able to harness his "superpowers".

http://www.tropicalmba.com/nameyourbusiness/ This week's episode is about a question that Dan and Ian are struggling to answer right now: What is the best way to go about naming a new business or product? A lot of times you only get one chance to get people's attention. Choosing the right name could unlock the door to great success, and branding your business incorrectly could prove disastrous. Today's guest knows this challenge better than anyone. Alexandra Watkins is the founder of a company called Eat My Words, which specializes in naming brands and products. She is also the author of a book on the subject called "Hello, My Name is Awesome". This interview originally started out as a discussion about Alexandra's book, but it ended up taking a serious turn about halfway through, when Alexandra went to great lengths to help Dan and Ian find a new name for this podcast.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/400thshow/ Dan and Ian have spent a substantial amount of their life making this show, nearly 8 years to be exact. What better way to celebrate the 400th episode of this podcast than to return to one of their favorite episode formats: the good, old-fashioned Q&A. This week, Dan and Ian are answering more listener questions, and riffing on topics like "Comfy Bed Syndrome" and "The Golden Handcuffs". You'll also hear some retrospective thoughts on 8 years of talking about entrepreneurship.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/curiosity/ Today's show is the product of a dream that Dan and Ian both had, which inspired them to follow up with an old friend. The topic is a rather simple one. What if you could take your curiosity and energy about a topic and turn it into a serious business? In pursuing the answer, they both decided it was a good time to check in with their former business partner Jesse Lawler, who hosts a fantastic podcast called Smart Drug Smarts. Jesse didn't start the podcast with a PhD in medicine, or anything relevant to the medicinal field except a genuine desire to explore these issues, and he has had a tremendous amount of success in doing it. On this show, Jesse shares how was able to turn something that he was passionate about into a full-time business that generates real revenue. We hope this episode will inspire those of you who are passionate and curious to find a way to tell your own story.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/adbadger/ Dan and Ian often speak on this podcast about how businesses and entrepreneurs evolve. Today's guest, Michael Erikson, has certainly done that since the last time he spoke on this show. Michael's journey started, as many of ours do, staring at a blank Google search screen and typing in the words "How do I make money online?" Several years later, Michael has spoken at several of the Dynamite Circle events. He was on this podcast last December, sharing his journey of building a 6 figure services business called Search Scientists. Michael has recently started a new company called AdBadger, which is in essence a software version of his previous services company. On this week's show, you'll hear Michael share insight on how to do something that most services entrepreneurs dream of doing: selling a product.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/questions1/ On today's show, Dan and Ian are once again reaching into the mailbag to answer some questions from the listeners of this show. You'll hear practical answers about a whole slew of topics, including purchasing an"entrepreneurmobile", The 1,000 Day Principle, and what it means to be useful. You'll also hear advice on how you can go to conferences for free, tips for traveling to Southeast Asia with your family and much, much more.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/tmba2017/ As many of our listeners know, Dan and Ian hosted an event in Austin, TX last week that brought together entrepreneurs from all over the world to talk about their businesses. Today's episode features five of the most important takeaways from that event, focusing primarily on the cold, hard realities of what it means to be an entrepreneur in 2017. These subjects range from hiring A players to harnessing your "superpowers" and much, much more. You'll also hear a lot of news about the podcast, including an opportunity for one talented listener to win a $1500 cash prize.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/quittingentrepreneurship/ One of the dichotomies that Dan and Ian often address on this show is the difference between being an entrepreneur and having a job. Today's podcast is going to cover a rather taboo subject in some entrepreneurial circles, which is the decision to stop being an entrepreneur and go back to the daily grind of a 9-to-5. Anna Wickham is a former TropicalMBA intern, who traveled the world for nearly ten years and eventually started her own marketing agency called Charm House. Anna had been feeling pressure to remain an entrepreneur, even though she wasn't sure that it was the best fit for her. In this episode, Anna opens up to share her fears and hesitations about the entrepreneurial life, and why she ultimately decided that it wasn't healthy for her to keep pursuing it.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/richardjalichandra/ One of the things that Dan and Ian are most passionate about is finding great blogs and podcasts. These days, the internet seems to be getting smaller and smaller. You really need to dig deep to find unique content, and a lot of it is being made in the most remote corners of the internet. Once upon a time, though, there was a search engine that highlighted blogs themselves. Richard Jalichandra is the former CEO of Technorati.com, which at one time was considered by many to be the gateway into the blogosphere. During their quest for great blogs, Dan and Ian became curious as to why this company disappeared. On this week's episode, Richard shares the story of Technorati, as well as the details of his long and storied career in the early days of the world wide web.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/howtopitch/ It's safe to say that Dan and Ian get a lot of pitches in their inbox. These pitches come in a variety of forms, but the people that send these pitches often follow a lot of the same archetypes. In general, there is a whole lot of asking going on. On today's episode, Dan and Ian will be following up on their recent sales episode, and providing some useful, actionable information on how you can pitch people successfully through cold emails. First, they will be sharing some successful pitches they have received, as well as the types of pitches they dread seeing in their inbox. They will also be sharing a three-step formula to creating winning pitches that won't end up being archived or deleted.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/liveinthailand/ This week's episode is another chapter in a long-running series on this podcast, where Dan and Ian have been exploring the locations around the globe that entrepreneurs are moving to. Today, you will hear from two entrepreneurs who have made Thailand, and more specifically the northern capital of Chiang Mai, their home bases for the portion of a year. Philippe Bordeau is the founder of HammockUniverse.com. He shares his story, including the details of a Visa that he has acquired that allows him to be a resident of Thailand for up to 6 years at a time. Leanne Woodmass, along with her husband, runs an Amazon Fulfillment Brokerage. She has been living in Thailand for the past few years. You'll hear how a community of expats and entrepreneurs enticed them both to stay in Chiang Mai.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/productized5/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/productized5/ Podcast 43:29 | Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment Just over a year ago, Dan and Ian profiled a productized bookkeeping business called the Bean Ninjas. A lot has happened since that episode aired. In particular, the founders of that company, Ben McAdam and Meryl Johnson, have decided to part ways. This episode is...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/salestechniques/ One of the topics that Dan and Ian have repeatedly been asked to talk about on this show is sales. The reality for the majority of the entrepreneurs who listen to this show is that their businesses live or die by their sales funnel. It's also one of the number one things that entrepreneurs struggle to get good at. When Dan and Ian decided to do this episode, they knew there was only one person that they could call to talk about how to really get better at sales. John Logar is an extremely talented and successful salesperson, and he has always been very generous about sharing his advice on sales. On this week's show, John shares some of those insights, including a 4 step daily process that John guarantees will bring you more sales. This isn't going to be a drive by, top ten list type of an episode. This is a deep dive into the type of skills and habits that will help you build a better, more profitable sales funnel for your business.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/getstartedqanda/ One of the requests that Dan and Ian have received a lot on this show is to do more of an old school episode; the kind of one-on-one conversation that permeated the early days of this podcast. On this week's episode, they are doing just that. Dan and Ian are reaching back into the TropicalMBA mailbag and answering questions that listeners have submitted through the mailing list on a variety of topics, including advice for entrepreneurs who don't know where to begin, why being an entrepreneur means that you might lose a lot of friends, and what the two of them have been up to lately.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/strongtowns/ Dan and Ian are always looking for new ways to increase their productivity. In a lot of ways, Dan and Ian have often used this show as a means to explore places, though they have never explored those places in the ways that today's guest has. Chuck Marohn is the president of a nonprofit organization called Strong Towns. Through his work with Strong Towns, Chuck has helped to create a framework for how our cities and towns can become financially stronger and more prosperous. Today's podcast is an inspiring, and perhaps controversial, conversation about what kinds of towns and cities we want to live in, and what those places will look like in the future.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/stressfreeproductivity/ Dan and Ian are always looking for new ways to increase their productivity. Quite often, there is a mental cost that comes with any kind of productivity boost. Generally speaking, the harder a person works, the more stress is added to their life. But what if there were a few easy steps to increase productivity without these kinds of costs? Dan has recently traveled to New York City, and whenever he makes his way to the city, he always makes it a point to catch up with Taylor Pearson. Taylor is the author of The End of Jobs, and a very frequent guest on this show. On this week's episode, Taylor shares four productivity strategies that he has tested himself and teaches his students. He believes these strategies are the path to becoming more capable and productive without adding any stress to our lives.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/andorraandpanama/ One of the things that Dan and Ian discuss pretty frequently on this show are the places in the world that location independent people tend to gravitate toward. In this community a lot of people move around for lifestyle and social reasons, but traditionally business owners have moved to places that are offer low tax situations, or otherwise business friendly environments. On today's show, two of our listeners are going to share their experiences of living in a few of these countries; Panama and Andorra. Jase Rodley is a digital marketer for boutique hotels who visited Andorra with his wife Jess about 18 months ago and fell in love with it. Matt Landau owns his own boutique hotel in Panama, and he used his experience in that industry to create his own online business targeted towards vacation rental owners. You'll hear the two of them share their stories about why they chose to live these countries, and what makes them so appealing to digital nomads who are looking for a place to settle down.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/knotel/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/knotel/ Podcast 32:35 | Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment Generally speaking, Dan and Ian aren’t exactly fans of having a physical office. This is due, in large part, to the complications and difficulties that come with renting these kinds of spaces. Today’s guest is going to attempt to change their opinion. Amol Sarva is the...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/imposter/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/imposter/ Podcast 36:06 | Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment A recent thread in the Dynamite Circle forum really caught Dan and Ian‘s attention, and seemed to resonate with a great number of people in the community. One of the members introduced the idea of “Imposter Syndrome”, and asked the rest of the community if they...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/brentbeshore/ The toughest nut for Dan and Ian to crack over the last few years has been how to make money with your money. How do you successfully invest in small businesses without having to run them on a day-to-day basis? Today's guest has cracked that code. Brent Beshore is the founder and CEO of Adventur.es. Brent has managed to do something that our hosts have dreamed of doing for a long time. He owns a portfolio of different businesses, and he does little to no work in operating them. On this episode, Brent will share how he has built this portfolio and what things he looks for when deciding to purchase a business.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/romania/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/romania/ Podcast 29:02 | Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment Today, Dan and Ian are continuing their miniseries in which they look at the many different locations that people in this community have chosen to call ‘home’. In this episode, you’ll hear from someone who hasn’t just settled on a place but is also considering applying...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/calnewport/ If you are anything like Dan and Ian, then you have likely spent years geeking out on the writings of this week's guest. Cal Newport is a computer science professor, and he has been operating a blog on his website since 2007. He has also been writing books since he was in college, and his most recent book is called Deep Work, which is about the benefits and practical steps to getting more done in the internet age. This interview covers a wide range of subjects, including distributed algorithms at the extremes, why Cal uses walking to enhance his productivity, and why creativity is more workmanlike than most people realize.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/uglymail/ Dan and Ian have talked many times on this podcast about how the best ideas often come from scratching your own itch, or finding problems for solutions that you have experienced. Lately, Dan has had a very specific itch. Email tracking software has really been getting on Dan's nerves these days, so much so that he has even written a recent blog post about how much the industry is upsetting him. Enter Sonny Tulyaganov. Sonny was feeling some of the very same frustrations with email tracking software that Dan has been experiencing, but Sonny decided to do something about it. He developed a browser plugin called UglyMail, which allows you to see who is tracking your email. On this week's show, you'll hear the history of how Sonny developed this plugin, and the startling revelations about just how much of the information in your inbox is at risk.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/jordanharbinger/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/jordanharbinger/ Podcast 47:06 | Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment It’s no secret that Dan and Ian are radio enthusiasts. It’s the reason that they started making this podcast in the first place. They are also interested in learning how others have grown successful businesses through putting their voices on the air and by developing podcasts....

http://www.tropicalmba.com/splitly/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/splitly/ Podcast 39:10 | Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment On today’s show, Dan and Ian have decided to focus on something that has never been done on this podcast. They have interviewed many entrepreneurs over the years, but they have always wanted to document the story of a business. This episode follows the creation of...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/howdoesyourbusinessfeel/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/howdoesyourbusinessfeel/ Podcast 32:36 | Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment A short while back, Dan and Ian invited Rob Dix and Rob Bence on to the show to share their knowledge about property investment. During that conversation, the Robs spoke to Ian about a lot more than just investing in property. They have managed to build...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/hungaryandgeorgia/ A few weeks ago, Dan and Ian published their first episode of a new series on this podcast, where they decided to seek out the answer to a question that every location-independent entrepreneur has struggled with at one point in time: If I can live anywhere in the world, where should that be? On this week's episode, they will be focusing on two nations in Eastern Europe: Hungary and Georgia. Clayton Cornell runs his own lead-generation business online, as well as one of Dan and Ian's longtime favorite blogs called Spartan Traveler. On this podcast, Clayton shares his story about what led him to the capitol of Hungary, Budapest. You'll also hear from Dana Lindahl. Dana has chosen the nation of Georgia as his home base, as his wife has recently started a business there. You'll hear about what that process was like, as well as the entrepreneurial climate in this former Soviet country.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/makemoneywithamazon/ In the past, Dan and Ian have explored what they like to call the "Amazon Gold Rush" on this podcast. Today's show is inspired by someone that Dan recently spent some time with who is knee deep in that movement. Kevin Graham is the founder of Bulk Buy Hosting, but he has also made a considerable amount of money through his own Amazon affiliate business. The Amazon ecosystem is a huge opportunity, and is creating generational wealth for many crafty, young entrepreneurs. Kevin has had this kind of success, and on this episode, we will walk you through every step of how to create one of these businesses and get them ranking in search engines. This is one of the most business-focused episodes we have ever done on this podcast. If you are considering this path in your online business ventures, this is the episode for you.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/entrepreneurialpeople/ A few weeks ago, Dan and Ian sent out an email to the listeners of this podcast, in an attempt to get to know the audience a little better. They were excited to find out that many of the listeners of this podcast consider themselves to be entrepreneurial, but they don't have their own business yet. They were also excited to meet some young, entrepreneurial minds at a recent Dynamite Circle Junto, and they decided to start exploring what it means to be an entrepreneurial person. This week's episode is for those people. If you haven't started a business yet, but you are ready to find a way to turn your dreams into aspirations, this is the episode for you.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/spainandportugal/ This episode is the first in a series in which Dan and Ian attempt to answer one of the fundamental questions that all location-independent entrepreneurs eventually ask themselves: If I can live anywhere, where should I live? On this week's show, they will be focusing on two countries in Southern Europe: Spain and Portugal. To learn a bit more about Portugal, Dan reached out to Dr. Shannon Weeks, a Natropathic Doctor and Applied Kinesiologist, to share his experience about establishing residency in Portugal and his home city of Lisbon. You'll also hear Ian speak to Dan about a little bit of his own personal story, as both he and his girlfriend have established residency in Spain. Listen in as Shannon and Dan share their perspectives on visas, taxes, culture and more.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/waitbutwhy/ Today's guest is easily one of Dan and Ian's favorite writers online. Tim Urban is the man behind Wait But Why. He writes long-form, stick figure illustrated blog posts on a variety of topics. Better yet, he has turned his own procrastination into success. As you'll find out during this episode, Tim is more than just a blogger. He is a business owner, and all-around creative persona. His blog has even attracted people like Elon Musk, who enjoyed Tim's blog so much that he reached out to him directly to ask him to write about some of his projects. This week, Tim shares the story behind the creation of his blog, his business partnership, and what the future holds in store for him.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/hiremymom/ Dan and Ian know that all entrepreneurs struggle with hiring, and specifically hiring remote workers. One thing that they have learned over the years, through listeners of this podcast and members of the Dynamite Circle, is that stay-at-home moms tend to make model team members. On this week's episode, you'll hear the stories of three women. Kiri Masters is the founder of Bobsled Marketing. She shares some of her experiences finding great team members, and why that strategy revolves around stay-at-home parents. Louise Gray is one one of Kiri's remote employees. She had a very successful corporate career at Sony, before having a baby and reconsidering how she approaches work. Lesley Pyle is the founder of HireMyMom, a well-established agency that places stay-at-home parents at companies around the world.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/clickminded/ Dan and Ian have always been fascinated by people who can create ways to generate income quickly. Today's guest not only works for one of the most successful startups in San Francisco, but at the same time he has built a successful online side hustle in the form of an SEO training course. Tommy Griffith is the founder of ClickMinded. On this week's episode, you'll hear how he was able to create a successful side business by setting aside his Saturday mornings. Tommy also shares his thoughts about what you need to give up to be an entrepreneur, and why he thinks there could be opportunities for entrepreneurs in the educational space.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/tmba369-tropical-mbas-2016-year-in-review/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/tmba369-tropical-mbas-2016-year-in-review/ Podcast 29:28 | Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment It’s that time of year again. Our businesses slow down for the holidays, and we naturally get a little reflective about the past 12 months. This week, Dan and Ian have decided to revisit some of their favorite episodes of the Tropical MBA podcast in 2016. You’ll...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/christmas/ http://www.tropicalmba.com/christmas/ Podcast 19:28 | Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Comment On this very festive edition of the TropicalMBA Podcast, Dan and Ian have decided to put their own spin on one of their all-time favorite holiday songs, The 12 Days of Christmas. Their rendition is all about the 12 things that every entrepreneur is wishing for...

http://www.tropicalmba.com/businessideas3/ A few weeks ago, Dan and Ian mentioned that they would be inviting their friend Dan Norris back onto the program. Dan Norris is the author of The 7 Day Startup, and for lack of a better term, he is a business idea generating machine. There have been success stories on this show that came from many of Dan's business ideas. In this conversation, Dan donates a ton of business ideas, as well as sharing how he has been able to create a six-figure side hustle through self-publishing books. If you are looking for your next entrepreneurial adventure, this could be the episode for you.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/ricardosemler/ On today's show, Dan and Ian are going to be speaking with someone who has inspired them both for a very long time. In fact, he is the author of one of the most cited books on this podcast. Maverick is Ricardo Semler's account of how he was able to transform his family's traditional manufacturing business into an experiment that introduced the world to his innovative business practices. Even though the book is over 20 years old, today's entrepreneurs are still looking to it for inspiration. Ricardo opens up about what his life has looked like since the book was published, and how he has began to spread those innovations to other aspects of society. Transcript

http://www.tropicalmba.com/estonia/ On today's show, Dan and Ian are taking a look at one specific country. Estonia is a nation that, until this point, our hosts had very little knowledge of. They are a country that has started behaving like a startup, and has even started offering services specifically designed for location-independent entrepreneurs. In particular, they have developed a solution for our travel woes in the form of something called an "E-Residency". On this episode, you will hear from Estonian E-Resident, Joel Runyon. Joel is the man behind the fitness and mindset blog, The Blog of Impossible Things. You'll also hear from Estonia's Chief Information Officer, Taavi Kotka. The two of them will share their insights on how E-Residency could pave the path to the future of how nations, citizens, and digital nomads interact.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/sarahk/ Back in 2012, Dan and Ian hosted a two week seminar that was attended by 44 listeners of this show, and Sarah Kornblet was one of those people. Since attending that seminar, Sarah has become a very successful attorney for online entrepreneurs. This week's episode is really the story of what has happened in Sarah's life since that seminar. It is also the story of an idea, because every business starts with an idea. Sometimes we aren't ready for those ideas, or those ideas aren't ready for us.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/apprentice2/ On this show, Dan and Ian talk a lot about apprenticeships. In doing research about apprenticeships, Ian recently discovered that in many developed countries all over the world, there is a very robust apprenticeship culture that does not exist in the United States. On this week's episode, we are going to bring you the story of one such apprenticeship told from both sides. Jacob Puhl brought Corey Ames on as an apprentice at a company he founded called Firegang Dental Marketing. You'll hear how their relationship started and how it evolved to where it is today, as Corey is preparing to take over the reigns as CEO.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/businessideas2/ On last week's show, Dan and Ian spoke about how many entrepreneurs are finding success with productized service business. One of the reasons for that success is that these businesses can be started quickly and with little to no capital. On today's episode, they have asked their friend and expert idea generator Tristan King of Blackbelt Commerce to return to the show. The last time Tristan was on this program, listeners of this show took the ideas that were donated and turned them into successful businesses. Listen in to hear even more of Dan and Tristan's ideas for productized service businesses that could be started up this weekend.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/eventfive/ Dan and Ian are both recovering from their DC BKK event that they host every year in Bangkok. This year marked the fifth anniversary of that event, which has been a topic of conversation on this show every year since its inception. In this weeks show, they are going to talk about some of the themes of this year's DC BKK, what that they learned from this year's event, and the intimate connection that TropicalMBA listeners have formed with DC BKK over the years.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/claycollins/ Several weeks ago, Dan and Ian spoke with Simon Payne about his experiences as the technical co-founder of LeadPages, the number one landing page software on the web, and his decision to leave that company to pursue a new venture called ConvertPlayer. A few days after that episode aired, we were contacted by one of the other founders of that company, Clay Collins, who wanted to come onto the show and talk about one of his favorite things in life: marketing technology. We jumped at the chance to talk to Clay about his company's growth, why they decided to seek venture capital, and a whole lot more.