TMBA Podcast Episodes
With the TMBA in your ear, you’ll no longer have to grow your business alone. Subscribe to follow along to hear about the ways we help entrepreneurs scale successful businesses.
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TMBA 187 (LBP155) - The Power of Negative Action - Optionality, Convexity, and Anitfragility
Dan and Ian are coming at you this week after some intense reflection and mindset shifts. This episode is all about the power of negative action and leveraging the inevitable changes in the world as a small business entrepreneur. Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s book, Anti-Fragile inspires the content for today’s show and the fellas mold his frameworks of anti-fragility, robustness and capitalizing on chaos to you as an entrepreneur. You might want to schedule some reflection time after this episode because it will leave you re-thinking your strategy and applying the principles in this week’s episode.
TMBA 186 (LBP154) - How Profitable Niche Selection Really Works: Rip Pivot and Jam Redux
This week Dan and Ian are back in Saigon and are pumped to bring you this episode that’s chalked full of actionable methods and business frameworks. The Rip, Pivot and Jam is one of the fellas’ favorite business concepts so this episode is dedicated to helping you get the most from it. Running a business is all about selecting a market, analyzing that market’s potential then taking directed and purposeful action to execute. Lots of people are too busy making things too complicated to bring it back to basics. Tune in to this episode where you’ll hear Dan and Ian’s tried and true process for maximizing the Rip, Pivot and Jam framework for next venture.
TMBA 185 (LBP153) - 10 Potent Quotables From DC BER Speakers
Dan and Ian come at you this week from Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, Vietnam with the highlights from the DC Berlin Meetup last week. There were some absolute rockstar speakers at the event and the energy and excitement were electric. With topics ranging from smart drugs and focus optimization to SEO and ecommerce best practices, the event was jam packed with incredible people and information. This week’s podcast brings you the top ten quotables and topics of discussion that are exactly what you need to reset your mental framework and fuel your entrepreneurial jet.
TMBA 184 (LBP152) - The 10 Travel Commandments
Dan and Ian are drifting into your earbuds this week from Berlin where the DC BER meetup is in full swing. With all the talk of people traveling in for the event, and some recent European adventures between Dan, Ian and both their parents there have been travel tips flying all over the place. In this week’s episode, the fellas compile their top ten commandments of travel, packing and avoiding hassle so you can jump straight to first class status. For any of you that travel or are looking to do some in the future (yep, that’s you) this episode is packed with advice from the veterans.
TMBA 182 (LBP151) - Social Feedback Strategy and Adwords Landing Pages
Dan and Ian are coming at you from Italy this week with inspiration from the stately statues designed in Ian’s likeness. The fellas have chiseled out their incredibly effective strategy for testing and launching physical products and will lay out the simple system for you in this episode. Their method is an upgrade on Tim Ferriss’ ever famous Adwords traffic to a test landing page strategy. You may need to have a seat for this episode because you’ll be empowered to think of how you can implement the strategy with your business.
TMBA 181 (LBP150) - Imperfection and Getting on With It
Dan and Ian are back this week after an ill advised April fool’s joke earlier this week. Don’t panic though, according to the fellas, the podcast is the best part of their business so they’re not going anywhere… except Paris where they’re hanging out this week. Rather fitting for this episode, Dan and Ian talk about imperfection in business and how it’s not all rose petals and unicorns. The stars won’t align themselves for you so tune in to hear the top five things that new entrepreneurs tend to spend too much time worrying about instead of generating income.
TMBA 180 (LBP149) - 5 Tips for Managing a Software Development Project
The LBP has changed hands as Dan and Ian have decided to “go in another direction” with their businesses and focus on the big picture in life. Taking over are Rob Walling and Mike Taber from the podcast Start Ups for the Rest of Us. This week they’ll take you behind the scenes of software development and give you the top tips on what to watch out for when managing a new software project. Whether you’re looking to develop a WordPress Plugin, Saas, iOS or web application, this episode will undoubtedly spare you some serious heartache and pain in the development process. Follow along with the fellas this week as they impart their significant experience and intimate knowledge of software project management.
TMBA 178 (LBP148) - "Up or Out" - Re-Setting Your Strategic Scope
Dan and Ian go deep during this week’s podcast and start talking long term strategy and revitalizing your entrepreneurial drive with a focus on the philosophy that motivates your actions. This isn’t an episode for passive listening so strap on your thinking caps. The fellas discuss the difference between their current drives and motives and what spurred them forward when they were first starting out in entrepreneurship. This combined with talk of narrowing your focus and thinking more strategically about your project involvement makes for a juicy episode. Pop in your earbuds and listen in for an eye opening adventure.
TMBA 176 (LBP147) - Trade Shows and Low Blows
Dan and Ian hook up from opposite sides of the world this week to bring you some down to earth advice in a cloud based time. Dan is hammering away in Ho Chi Minh City while Ian is getting things done on the ground in Las Vegas. Though we’re not sure what Ian spent his time doing after the show, the day hours were spent representing their portable bar products and doing a little industry research at the trade show. In this week’s episode, Dan interviews Ian on the old fashioned, hittin’ the bricks style of marketing he used at the trade show and why these industry shows can be incredibly profitable ventures for you as an internet entrepreneur.
TMBA 174 (LBP146) - Some of Our Quirky Day to Day Entrepreneurial Habits
Dan and Ian do a little bit of contemplating this week on their entrepreneurial habits. As humans, we’re all creatures of habit whether that’s hitting the neon lights at 5:01 every day or getting up a little early for some yoga. The fellas talk about the habits they have worked into their current lifestyles which have had the biggest effect on their businesses.
TMBA 172 (LBP145) – Taxes, Taxes, Taxes, Taxes (featuring David McKeegan)
Dan and Ian are breaking out of the usual format to bring you some first hand knowledge on expatriate and lifestyle business taxes. Yep, it’s that time of year again when Uncle Sam starts checking his ledger to make sure you don’t owe. Even if you’re not a US citizen, there are some golden nuggets in this week’s episode. On the show today, the fellas are joined by David McKeegan from Greenback Tax Services. He’s going to lay down the top five tax tips to help you save money on your taxes while abroad. Preserve your bottom line and get straight with Uncle Sam by utilizing some of these lesser known tips.
TMBA 170 (LBP144) – The 10 Point Business Diagnostic Test
Dan and Ian break out the microphone from Bali this week to run you through their 10 point business diagnostic test. Consider this episode like an oil change and engine check to make sure your business is on the right path and won’t break down along the way. The discussion will give you that quick gut-check we all need every once in a while to ensure our heads are in the right place. Definitely an episode to be taking notes on, these 10 points will help you get back in the fast lane and make significant progress in your business growth.
TMBA 168 (LBP143) - The Art of the Deal and the Science of Ordering the Grey Matter of the Universe
Dan and Ian are excited to come to you this week with a discussion on the number one sticking point for entrepreneurs at all stages of the game. From a rainy Bali villa, the fellas are bringing the heat in this episode to pack it full of actionable content for you and your start up. This discussion is a poster child for lifestyle business entrepreneurs everywhere and helps bring to surface the biggest issues and shortcomings of most entrepreneurs in the space. Everybody is working towards independence of some kind and this episode is a perfect example of what is possible if you keep your nose to the grind stone.
TMBA 166 (LBP142) – The Hiring Golden Triangle
Happy Valentines Day from the fellas at The Lifestyle Business Podcast. Everybody’s back together this week to bring you some love. Ian has determined Tokyo to be his favorite Asian city and Dan has returned from some business (and pleasure) in the Philippines. Dan and Ian discuss hiring, when to use interns vs. VA’s vs. professionals and how this can have a profound impact on your business’ growth. They have also been getting an incredible amount of emails, reviews and feedback from everybody so the fellas take some time to answer your most pressing questions, concerns and confessions.
TMBA 164 (LBP141) - Rocking the Rockefeller Processes : “H” is for Hire
Dan and Ian are coming together again this week from across the seas. Ian graces us with his presence while still on his Tokyo trip with Dan getting his hands dirty down in Davao, Philippines. The fellas pull together this episode as the next chapter in the breakdown of the 1,000 Day Principle using the Rockefeller Process. This week’s discussion focuses on the next and perhaps most difficult step of growing your business through hiring employees. You’ll hear why the race to hire your first full time employee is often a crucial step in building a business instead of a job. Dan and Ian will open your eyes to the growth possibilities through hiring talent instead of ‘doing your own thing’.
TMBA 163 (LBP140) – The Location Independence Imperative
Dan and Ian are dividing and conquering for the next few weeks but don’t shed a tear, the separation is only temporary. Ian’s off to Tokyo for sushi while Dan’s swinging through the Philippines to check up on some business and meet up with entrepreneurs. This shows the beauty of operating location independent businesses which is the main topic of this week’s episode. They boys delve into an interesting conversation on the location independent movement and why it’s not just a fad. You’ll hear some pretty powerful stuff this week from getting inspired by strangeness to cities losing their value in the modern world. Plug in, sit back and grab yourself a cup of coffee since this week will no doubt leave you reflecting on the merits of location independence.
TMBA 162 (LBP139) - "P" is for Product
Entrepreneurial integrity and the true drive of a hustler shine through in this week’s episode of the Lifestyle Business Podcast. With a dose of that familiar Dan and Ian banter and a sprinkle of delightful puns, they break it down in a longer than usual episode to bring you the valuable marketing mojo you’re looking for. They pick apart the rip, pivot and jam formula to make sure you’re honing in on the proper pivot and jam methods while telling you why many people get a little off track at this point. You’ll also get Dan and Ian’s riverside hut metaphor to guide you in your quest of setting up shop and getting your first customers.
TMBA 161 (LBP138) - How The Pros Generate Winning Business Ideas
During this week’s installment of the Lifestyle Business Podcast, Dan and Ian hook up from Jakarta and Bali to provide the weekly dose you crave. When discussions range from medical examinations in South East Asia to announcements for the DC Berlin meetup, you know there’s a little something for everybody in here. The boys share some of the lowest points of their 1,000 day business journey, how they ‘stumbled’ across some of their most profitable products and why the products themselves are only half of the battle. While fielding listener questions, you’ll hear again and again about the top method of building a skillset and launching a business to solve problems in the market. Listen in to hear what this concept of success is and how you can tap into it.
TMBA 160 (LBP137) – The Kamikaze Sample and 5 Other Online Marketing Stunts
It’s Dan and Ian coming to you from Bali once again this week. They’ve been working on some hot projects coming down the pipeline and getting everything ramped up for the DC Berlin meetup. If you think that’s exciting, wait until you hear what they’ve got in store for you during this week’s episode. Dan and Ian go kamikaze this week with six marketing stunts designed to get you and you’re product or service some eyeballs. They share their first hand accounts of how these tactics have worked for them, and how you can rip, pivot and jam your way to a bump in website traffic.
TMBA 159 (LBP136) – A is for Apprentice
While spending a ruckus New Years in Bali with Brendan Tully and Tommy Schultz, Dan and Ian are ringing in the new year with a few beers, yoga and bike rides; though not all at once. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not all fun and games. They’ve also been working on putting together some Tropical MBA resources for the community, polishing off a book and simply taking care of business. This week’s discussion is centered around moving you forward in your business and social settings. Dan and Ian share their number one method to getting ahead, and show how they’re still using this process to further not only their businesses, but their friendships as well. You’ll also hear their approach to handling nay-sayers when a listener shares his experience of unsupportive parents.