TMBA Podcast Episodes
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TMBA 354: Who is Mr. Regular? The Story Behind the Hit YouTube Channel Regular Car Reviews
In the second part of our three-part series, Dan and Ian are talking to people that have turned their own personal obsessions into successful businesses. This week, you'll be hearing from someone that Ian has admired and wanted to talk to for quite some time. Mr. Regular is one of the hosts of Regular Car Reviews, a very successful YouTube channel that combines car reviews with pop culture references, social commentary, and much more. The results are both hilarious and impressive. You don't need to be a car person to enjoy this show. Mr. Regular shares his insight on what it was like to get started publishing content on YouTube four years ago and what the journey has been like since then.
TMBA 353: On the Bike with Patrick Brady
In the first part of a new three part series, Dan and Ian are going to be talking about some of their personal obsessions and the people who have turned those obsessions into businesses. This week, you'll hear about one particular obsession that Ian introduced into Dan's life: cycling. Patrick Brady of Red Kite Prayer has become one of Dan's favorite bloggers and podcast hosts. Patrick has been able to make a living writing and speaking about cycling. This episode is about more than just riding a bike, though. Patrick shares his attitudes about generating revenue with his blog, writers he is inspired by, and much more. Those of you who are cycling enthusiasts should stay tuned for some bonus content after the credits as well, where Patrick and Dan geek out over some hardcore cycling stuff.
TMBA 352: Symptoms: Sleeplessness, Loneliness, Stress. Possible Diagnosis: Entrepreneurship
Starting a business can be extremely emotionally difficult. Dan and Ian are very familiar with the personal toll that the process can take on an aspiring entrepreneur. A lot of times starting a business means that you are broke, or relying on your friends, family or significant other to support you. For some, that can lead to stress and even depression. Christopher Sutton knows these feelings all too well. A few years ago, Christopher wrote a blog post about what it was like to experience the emotional roller coaster of starting his own business, Easy Ear Training. On this week's episode, you will hear Christopher talk about what that experience was like, as well has how he found support through this podcast and our community of listeners in the Dynamite Circle.
TMBA 351: An interview with "CEO Sally." Find Out Who Bought Our Business
A year ago, Dan and Ian published one of the most-listened to episodes of this podcast, titled 7 Things to Consider When Selling Your Business. In that episode, they detailed all of the ups and downs of the sale process, as well as some anonymous profiles of the people who were putting in offers and kicking tires. On this week's episode, you will hear directly from Tino Sage, the "CEO Sally" who purchased their manufacturing and import business. She'll explain what she was looking for in a business, what the process of buying our business was like, and how things have been since she took over the reins.
TMBA 350: A Discussion About The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck
Today's guest is one of Dan and Ian's all time favorite writers, Mark Manson. Many of you may know him from his blog at MarkManson.net, where he has written about a wide range of subjects including digital nomadism, living with anxiety, and toxic relationships. Recently, Mark made the decision to sign with Harper Collins and publish his first book, titled The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck. Mark is going to be sharing a few excerpts from that book on this show, as well as talking about how he got into blogging, his values as a writer, what he thinks the state of the blogosphere is today, and much more.
TMBA 349: The Technical Origin Story of Leadpages
Like all entrepreneurs, Dan and Ian have fantasized about putting their ideas out on the internet and making millions of dollars. Today's guest has actually done that. Simon Payne is the co-founder of Leadpages, the industry standard software in creating landing pages for websites. Dan and Ian originally met Simon in the Philippines, around the time that they were forming the Dynamite Circle. In this episode, you'll hear how that original meetup influenced Simon, as well as the true story of how Leadpages was formed, and what the future has in store for Simon.
TMBA 348: You've Got Mail
Email has been an all pervading part of entrepreneurial life for the last few decades. These days, Dan and Ian have mixed feelings about email in general. In exploring how to step up some of their strategies for dealing with it, they decided to talk to someone who is always happy to open his inbox. Chris Van Patten of Van Patten Media is just that guy. Chris loves working with email, and he’s not afraid to share his feelings about it. In this episode, you’re going to hear some approaches to handling email and why, sometimes, it’s ok to give yourself permission not to respond.
TMBA 347: Levelling Up Your Podcast
About a year ago, Dan and Ian were working on their annual DC BKK event in Bangkok, and they were finding themselves strapped for time. They weren't putting the kind of resources or time into this show that the would have liked to, and they realized that the enjoyment that they were getting out of this podcast had started to wane. It was around that time that they decided they needed to drastically step up the production level of the show. They put out a call for a new producer, which was answered by a former BBC producer named Jane Beresford. This week's episode is the story of what has been going on behind the scenes of the Tropical MBA podcast since then. You'll hear about what led to the decision to increase production, and a step by step instruction on how they were able to take this show to the next level.
TMBA 346: The Early Story of Bitcoin
Dan and Ian have been talking a lot on the TropicalMBA lately about investments, and those conversations have led them down a lot of interesting paths. Most notably, that curiosity has led them to explore the future of cryptocurrency, and in particular, Bitcoin. What really compelled us to talk about the Bitcoin story on this show is the strange and incredible cast of characters involved. No one knows that story or those characters better than Nathaniel Popper, a New York Times business reporter and the author of Digital Gold. On this week's episode, you'll hear Nathaniel share the fascinating details of the history of Bitcoin, and the process of shaping a book based on so many of those crazy stories.
TMBA 345: You're a Resident of Where?
One of the recurring themes on this show is freedom. The freedom to make personal choices. The freedom to travel. The freedom to create a business that allows you to live the lifestyle you choose to live. Dan and Ian have spoken to many people about what that freedom means, but perhaps Esther Jacobs has the most profound story about freedom that has ever been shared on this show. Esther is one of the youngest people in the Netherlands ever to be honored with the distinction of knighthood. Despite that event, Esther has a very unique story to share about how she was disowned by the very same country that named her a knight. Esther has an unbelievable story, and it could carry serious implications for digital nomads all around the world.
TMBA 344: 5 Reasons Not to Sell Your Business
It's been almost a year to the date since Dan and Ian sold their business. They don't regret the decision, but in the time since then, the two of them have explored a lot of "what ifs" in their head. A lot of listeners have approached them recently who are considering selling their business as well. On this week's episode, you'll hear some of the questions that listeners approached them with, as well as five reasons why selling your business might not be the right idea for you.
TMBA 343: A Look Inside Boutique Japan
Last week Dan and Ian talked about how they hosted a couple hundred entrepreneurs in Barcelona for the DCBCN conference. A lot of those entrepreneurs shared their stories on stage, which is an intimidating task. Andres Zuleta of Boutique Japan was one of those people. Andres started a business that sells boutique travel packages to people who want to visit Japan. He called in to this podcast and left a voicemail not too long ago and today Boutique Japan is on target to make $1.3 million in revenue. We invited him on to the show this week to talk about how telling his story has helped him make sense of the ride that he has been on.
TMBA 342: Come Down From DCBCN - 5 Things We Learned
Dan and Ian are hot off the heels of the DCBCN conference they hosted this week, where over 200 entrepreneurs gathered in Barcelona to participate in a series of dinners, workshops, parties and even bike rides. On this week's episode, they'll be talking about some of the trends that they are seeing in the lifestyle business space, as well as five things that they took away from the overall DCBCN experience.
TMBA 341: Alex Blumberg on the Power of Podcasting
Last week we teased a very special guest for this week's episode. Today, Dan and Ian are very pleased to reveal that guest to be Alex Blumberg, the CEO of Gimlet Media and the host of one of our very favorite podcasts, Startup. As entrepreneurs, many of us have grown up listening to Alex's work on shows like This American Life and Planet Money. His recent foray into the realm of podcasting has had a huge impact on how podcasts are being produced today, and you'll hear him talk all about that journey on this week's episode.
TMBA 340: When Being an Entrepreneur is 'Meh'
Being an entrepreneur isn't all wine and roses. Frankly, a lot of it can be described in one word: 'meh'. On this week's episode, Dan and Ian are going to be sharing five of the most tedious and monotonous things to expect when running a business. These are five things that most entrepreneurs dread dealing with, and the day-to-day experiences that aspiring entrepreneurs can look forward to when starting their own business.
TMBA 339: Can You Invest in Property if You Don't Have Much Money?
On today's episode, Dan and Ian are going to speaking with Paula Pant. Back when Dan was experimenting with renting a place on AirBNB, he stumbled upon Paula's blog at AffordAnything.com. She is incredibly transparent in her business model, demonstrating how she created a real estate portfolio that provides her with cash flow every month. You'll hear Paula share her story about how she started from scratch to build a successful collection of rental properties.
TMBA 338: What is the World's Best Diet?
This show has always been about finding success in your business and your lifestyle. We've talked about lifestyle in a lot of different ways, but one portion of our lifestyle that is so important, that we have rarely touched upon on this show is our health. On this week's episode, Dan and Ian are diving into a topic of health discussion that is as contentious as it is important: what we should be eating. Dan is fascinated by diets, and he has experimented with a plethora of them. He recently decided to go on a search for the greatest diet in the world. On that search, he discovered the work of Dr. Michael Greger M.D., the founder of NutritionFacts.org. Dr. Greger's unique and inspired approach to nutrition is something that we believe every lifestyle designer needs to hear.
TMBA 337: The Power of the Pickle
One of the fastest ways to gain freedom from a location or a 9-to-5 job is to sell your skill set and your time as a freelancer. When you do that, you can create problems that might not rear their head for years. On this week's episode, Dan and Ian are speaking to Russ Perry from Design Pickle. He began his entrepreneurial career doing just that, and when we first heard from him in 2014, he was in the process of dissolving his first business and starting from square one. In less than two years, Design Pickle now has 20 full-time employees and just last month, they billed 90k in recurring revenue. On this show, you'll hear all about that journey, as well as a pretty in-depth discussion about our collective affinity for delicious pickles.
TMBA 336: Matt Farah on Breaking Through
On today's podcast, Dan and Ian have decided to dig into a topic that isn't usually covered on this show. We are going to be talking about one of Ian's favorite things in the world: cars. If you don't consider yourself a vehicular aficionado, have no fear. This episode is about the journey of Matt Farah, a successful automotive journalist who rose to fame through his YouTube channel, The Smoking Tire. You're going to be hearing a pretty compelling story about how Matt bootstrapped himself into the position that he's in today. And yes, there is a little bit of car talk in there too. Stay tuned until the very end of the episode to hear a bonus lightning round of automotive questions.
TMBA 335: The Long View on Location Independence
Dan and Ian have been speaking about the lifestyle of the Location-Independent entrepreneur on this podcast for over six years. During that time, they've found that people all over the internet tend to glorify this movement, and why wouldn't they? It's exciting to be a part of. On the other hand, there are very few people online who are talking about the challenges of being a digital nomad. Mark Manson and Stacey Herbert have both traveled the world as location independent entrepreneurs and have recently decided to put down roots for the first time in years. On this episode, you'll hear them share their thoughts and experiences on what some of the biggest downsides to the nomadic lifestyle are.