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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We publish a new show every Thursday morning, 8AM EST
TMBA 192 (LBP159) - A Philosophical Conversation : Gettin' Paid vs. Makin' Bank
Dan and Ian are joined on the show today by good friend and incredibly gifted entrepreneur Jon Myers. Jon is a customer experience and user interface designer with an impressive client roster including some of the organizations to which you may pay taxes. The fellas dive into the concept of simply running a comfortable company to pay the bills, and taking the next step to baller status. It’s more than just getting more customers, and as you’ll find out in this episode, it takes a little work on yourself and your business practices in tandem.
TMBA 191 (TTR34) - A Roadmap (with Case Study) For Replacing Your Salary in Less Than 6 Months
It’s time for another Tropical Talk Radio podcast, which gets published Friday afternoons (Hong Kong time). Here’s the link to subscribe in iTunes if you haven’t already done so. This week Dan talks to me! Ben Krueger from Authority Engine on bootstrapping a client service business, in this case, a podcast editing service which includes writing show notes (hence the first person). Tune in to hear some golden nuggets on why this model can be really effective for getting started as an entrepreneur.
TMBA 190 (LBP158) - 1,000 True Fans, 100 True Customers, or 10 True Clients
Dan and Ian dig into some of the most talked about and effective online business models for the bootstrapping entrepreneur. They discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each but it also comes with a healthy dose of why you might not want to use particular business models. This episode is all about getting your business rolling, whether you’re looking to generate passive income or really start pounding the pavement. You’ll see that just because it’s popular, it may not be the best method over the long run and a little planning up front can get you off to a faster start, and provide explosive growth benefits in the future.
TMBA 189 (LBP157) - How to “Monetize” a Blog or Podcast
Dan and Ian dive into a question that has been asked by millions ever since the advent of blogging and more recently podcasting. They also address one of the core issues behind the basic question that separates those looking for a quick buck, and those looking to build a cashflow business. Listen to Dan and Ian’s 5 step approach to conquer the question, “How do I monetize my blog?” You may be surprised with their answer since it’s not what you’ll find on WikiHow or advice you’ll see in internet marketing circles.
TMBA 188 (LBP156) - George Washington’s Guide to Being The Boss
Dan and Ian switch things up a bit this week to present the life principles of an American icon and “The greatest and best of men”, George Washington. The fellas talk you through his principled and altruistic standards and how they can directly apply to both your personal and professional life. Not only did this man lead a rag-tag army up against the most dominant military force in the world and win, he also conducted himself in accordance with his principles and his mission. You will undoubtedly be examining both your motivations and interactions more closely after listening to this week’s episode.
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 183 (TTR33) - What is the Best Place for Location Independent Families?
It’s time for another Tropical Talk Radio podcast, which gets published every Friday afternoon (Hong Kong time). Here’s the link to subscribe in iTunes if you haven’t already done so. This week Dan reels in David and Carrie McKeegan from Greenback Tax Services to learn how they’ve managed the location independent lifestyle with two young boys. Not only do they say it can be done, but that it’s been an enriching experience for their children.
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 179 (TTR32) - Subtle Social Media Tactics That Could Change How You Generate Leads
This week follows up from last week’s podcast where James and Dan laid the groundwork for a strategy that would require about 10,000 unique visitors a month to get a successful blog-based business off the ground. To follow up on that topic, Dan invited Jodi Ettenberg of Legal Nomads on the show to talk traffic and engagement. Over the last few years she’s built a passionate following and traffic over 4 times that 10,000 visitor baseline. They discuss some of the social media strategies– in particular Twitter and Facebook– that helped her drive big numbers and a unique level of engagement. Although she promotes a personal brand, there’s a bunch of lessons to be learned for brands and boostrapping entrepreneurs alike.
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 177 (TTR31) - Is it Possible To Travel Forever?
It’s time for another Tropical Talk Radio podcast, which gets published every Friday afternoon (Hong Kong time). Here’s the link to subscribe in iTunes if you haven’t already done so. In this week’s episode Dan sits down with James Clark, the digital nomad behind Nomadic Notes. James is rocking the solopreneur lifestyle with no employees and an affiliate marketing business that supports continuous travel.
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 175 (TTR30) - Why Location Independent Entrepreneurs Love Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam
It’s time for another Tropical Talk Radio podcast, which gets published every Friday afternoon (Hong Kong time). Here’s the link to subscribe in iTunes if you haven’t already done so. In this week’s episode Dan runs down David Hehenberger from Shopping Cart Labs in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam. The guys talk pros and cons for Ho Chi Minh City as a hotspot for location independent entrepreneurs.
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 173 (TTR29) - How to Get (and Keep) 1000's of Blog Subscribers
It’s time for another Tropical Talk Radio podcast, which gets published every Friday afternoon (Hong Kong time). Here’s the link to subscribe in iTunes if you haven’t already done so. In this week’s episode Dan rounds up some of the crew from Davao and discusses content marketing in depth to help you rev up your content engine. Join Dan Andrews, Justin Cooke, Joe Magnotti and Damian Thompson in going through this ten point checklist that will give your content marketing a boost.