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.

↓ Never miss an episode or blog post!

We publish a new show every Thursday morning, 8AM EST

TMBA 372: A Conversation with Wait But Why’s Tim Urban
Episodes, TMBA Podcast Dan Andrews Episodes, TMBA Podcast Dan Andrews

TMBA 372: A Conversation with Wait But Why’s Tim Urban

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.

Read More
TMBA 371: Should Your Next Employee Be a Mom?
Episodes, TMBA Podcast Dan Andrews Episodes, TMBA Podcast Dan Andrews

TMBA 371: Should Your Next Employee Be a Mom?

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 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.

Read More
TMBA 370: The Saturday Morning Side Hustle
Episodes, TMBA Podcast Dan Andrews Episodes, TMBA Podcast Dan Andrews

TMBA 370: The Saturday Morning Side Hustle

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.

Read More
TMBA 369: Tropical MBA’s 2016 Year in Review
Episodes, TMBA Podcast Dan Andrews Episodes, TMBA Podcast Dan Andrews

TMBA 369: Tropical MBA’s 2016 Year in Review

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 hear highlights from some of the most interesting discussions, and their thoughts on those conversations, as 2016 draws to a close.

Read More
TMBA 368: The 12 Days of an Entrepreneur's Christmas
Episodes, TMBA Podcast Dan Andrews Episodes, TMBA Podcast Dan Andrews

TMBA 368: The 12 Days of an Entrepreneur's Christmas

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 this year. So kick up your stockings, grab a cup of cocoa and enjoy this entrepreneurial take on a yuletide classic.

Read More
TMBA 367: The Business Idea Bonanza with Dan Norris
Episodes, TMBA Podcast Dan Andrews Episodes, TMBA Podcast Dan Andrews

TMBA 367: The Business Idea Bonanza with Dan Norris

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.

Read More
TMBA 366: A Conversation with Ricardo Semler
Episodes, TMBA Podcast Dan Andrews Episodes, TMBA Podcast Dan Andrews

TMBA 366: A Conversation with Ricardo Semler

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.

Read More
TMBA 365: Estonian E-Residency: Is It For You?
Episodes, TMBA Podcast Dan Andrews Episodes, TMBA Podcast Dan Andrews

TMBA 365: Estonian E-Residency: Is It For You?

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.

Read More
TMBA 364: Sometimes the Best Business Idea is the Most Obvious
Episodes, TMBA Podcast Dan Andrews Episodes, TMBA Podcast Dan Andrews

TMBA 364: Sometimes the Best Business Idea is the Most Obvious

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.

Read More
TMBA 363: The Value of Apprenticeships
Episodes, TMBA Podcast Dan Andrews Episodes, TMBA Podcast Dan Andrews

TMBA 363: The Value of Apprenticeships

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.

Read More
TMBA 362: You Can Start a Business This Weekend, Here Are Some Ideas
Episodes, TMBA Podcast Dan Andrews Episodes, TMBA Podcast Dan Andrews

TMBA 362: You Can Start a Business This Weekend, Here Are Some Ideas

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.

Read More
TMBA 361: Contemplations On Five Years of DCBKK
Episodes, TMBA Podcast Dan Andrews Episodes, TMBA Podcast Dan Andrews

TMBA 361: Contemplations On Five Years of DCBKK

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.

Read More
TMBA 360: Clay Collins and The Unraveling Marketing Stack
Episodes, TMBA Podcast Dan Andrews Episodes, TMBA Podcast Dan Andrews

TMBA 360: Clay Collins and The Unraveling Marketing Stack

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.

Read More
TMBA 359: Our Favorite Books and Blogs of 2016
Episodes, TMBA Podcast Dan Andrews Episodes, TMBA Podcast Dan Andrews

TMBA 359: Our Favorite Books and Blogs of 2016

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, when Dan and Ian decided to start a business together, their first serious spending was on books. They knew that, in order to run a successful business, they would first have to read up on how others had done gone about it. This week, Dan has invited good friend of the show and author of “The End of Jobs”, Taylor Pearson back to discuss some of the books they have discovered over the past year, some of the books they have been re-reading as well as some of their favorite blogs.

Read More
TMBA 358: Is All Property an Investment Opportunity?
Episodes, TMBA Podcast Dan Andrews Episodes, TMBA Podcast Dan Andrews

TMBA 358: Is All Property an Investment Opportunity?

Recently, Dan and Ian have been exploring the subject of investing in properties, and the many reasons and motivations that different investors have. It has been a few months since Ian purchased his home in Austin, Texas, and he is still trying to wrap his head around what it means to be a homeowner. This week, he decided to reach out to Rob Dix and Rob Bence, who have both been investing in properties in the UK for almost a decade. They also run a business finding and managing properties for others, as well as hosting a podcast about property investments called The Property Podcast. On this episode, the "Robs" share with Ian why people might want to invest in property, some of the archetypes of people who do invest in property, and their general feelings on the future of housing market.

Read More
TMBA 357: A Review of Snowball, a Biography Of Warren Buffett
Episodes, TMBA Podcast Dan Andrews Episodes, TMBA Podcast Dan Andrews

TMBA 357: A Review of Snowball, a Biography Of Warren Buffett

Recently, Dan and Ian have decided to research someone who is a legend in the world of business. For a very long time, Warren Buffett was the richest person in the world. Dan and Ian both recently read Alice Schroeder's fantastic biography of Warren Buffett titled "The Snowball". They decided they wanted to dedicate an episode to that story of Mr. Buffett's life, and the unique business choices that he has made throughout his career.

Read More
TMBA 356: How Long Does it Take to Learn a Foreign Language?
Episodes, TMBA Podcast Dan Andrews Episodes, TMBA Podcast Dan Andrews

TMBA 356: How Long Does it Take to Learn a Foreign Language?

Like many of us, Dan and Ian spend a lot of time in foreign countries. As regular listeners know, Dan has recently moved to Barcelona and he’s starting to get more than a little embarrassed by his limited range lack of Spanish. But he also has a lot of questions and concerns about the kind of a time investment it’s going to take him to learn a new language.

Read More
TMBA 355: (Nate Duncan Interview) - How The Dunc'd On Basketball Podcast Became a Business in Just a Year
Episodes, TMBA Podcast Dan Andrews Episodes, TMBA Podcast Dan Andrews

TMBA 355: (Nate Duncan Interview) - How The Dunc'd On Basketball Podcast Became a Business in Just a Year

This week’s episode is the final installment of our three-part series about people who have turned their passions (which just happen to be some of Dan and Ian‘s personal obsessions) into successful businesses. Today’s guest is the podcaster that Dan has listened to the most in 2016: Nate Duncan, founder and host of the Dunc’d On Basketball Podcast. Nate has only been podcasting for a little over a year but has already turned it into his full-time job.

Read More
TMBA 354: Who is Mr. Regular? The Story Behind the Hit YouTube Channel Regular Car Reviews
Episodes, TMBA Podcast Dan Andrews Episodes, TMBA Podcast Dan Andrews

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.

Read More
TMBA 353: On the Bike with Patrick Brady
Episodes, TMBA Podcast Dan Andrews Episodes, TMBA Podcast Dan Andrews

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.

Read More