Tropical MBA – Location Independent Entrepreneurship

With over 260 episodes, some of our listeners have been asking us which episodes of our show are the best to share with people who want to learn more about the location independent lifestyle. We thought this posed a pretty interesting challenge, and we've decided to create a five part series that people can download to get an overall sense of what the location independent startup community is all about. On this first episode in the series, we are going to be going over five key points on how to make your first $1000 online.

On last week's episode, our good friend Taylor Pearson mentioned that one of the most universally fundamental traits that all successful entrepreneurs have is sales skills. We're gonna be talking about how to build that skill set so you can get your first 100 customers. We are also answering a bunch of listener questions about fighting the Amazon beast, how to get the most out of events, and our thoughts on visiting the U.S. after an extended time abroad.

We put Taylor Pearson in charge of our Portable Bar company in its infancy, and he helped us grow our business 527% in the first 18 months, to the point where we are consistently having healthy mid 5-figure months. This week, Bossman is back and we are chatting with Taylor about what it's like to evolve from a small business that is just keeping the lights on to a real significant source of wealth. We're talking about the old-school tactics we used to grow our business, and how we have used the advice that we give in this show in real life situations.

As entrepreneurs, Google has really become a huge part of a lot of our everyday lives. The privacy concerns that have come to light over the last few years are legitimate, and way we think about our internet use is changing. Gabriel Weinberg is the Founder of DuckDuckGo, a search engine that is steadily gaining market share by offering real privacy. He is also an angel investor, and has taken investments from some of the most successful venture capitalists in the world. This week, Gabriel and are going to be talking about what privacy means today and what Google knows about us, along with some really unique strategies for startups.

This week I was lucky enough to catch up with Stuart McDonald, the founder of Travelfish, which one of the most respected sites on the web for South East Asia travel information. If you peak over the shoulder of a random backpacker in Bangkok cafes, expect to see a "TravelFish" URL along with Facebook blue.

Bossman is back this week and we are talking about affiliate relationships. How do you get others to promote your products? We'll talk about how to "write the religion" and give potential content publishers a reason to tap into your narrative. We also field several listener questions, including what to look for when hiring your first employee, and the ins and outs of establishing business credit.

Bossman is on vacation this week, so I've invited my friend Erik Paquet from Abroaders.com on to the show to talk all about mileage, point redemption, how to fly business class as often as possible and much more. In the Dynamite Circle, Erik is widely regarded as the go-to guy for travel hacking. We are also going to be discussing how he has been able to use his unique set of skills to launch a productized service business.

Will you succeed or fail as a digital nomad? Becoming a successful location-independent entrepreneur isn't guaranteed. Some of the skills it takes to become a successful digital nomad take years to develop. This week, we are talking about the four major differences we have seen between successful digital nomads and those who have failed.

Having a mastermind group, and perpetuating a mastermind group, is a great way to handle some of the emotional struggles of having your own business. They are just as fun as a poker party, but they can change your life. Masterminds are the reason we started this podcast. We've done a lot of in-person masterminds, and they are a great way to grow a community and connect with your audience. This week, we're talking about the power, the pitfalls, and the process of in-person masterminds.

We're talking about protecting our intellectual property and business through copyright, trademarks and patents. This stuff can be expensive for entrepreneurs, but it is incredibly important. There are so many reasons a bootstrapping attitude might differ from a more corporate or startup philosophy regarding these issues. We'll also chat about our upcoming event in Austin, T.X. and why we have decided to sell our cat furniture business.

We're getting into some advanced level stuff this week. As entrepreneurs, many of us have achieved what we've built by putting in insane amounts of hours on the phone or behind the laptop. How can we re-train ourselves to step back and enjoy what we have been working for? This week, we're outlining 5 different ways to go after some meaning with that time that you've been creating.

This week, we're talking about the four elements of the "Hero's Quest" that every entrepreneur embarks on. This episode is all about looking back and understanding the first six months of taking off on a new project or a new business, the struggle that it is, and how valuable that can end up being on the narrative of your life. We also answer some listener questions, including one about cold calling a huge corporation to make a sale.

Bossman and I are celebrating our 250th episode this week. We're also talking to our good friend Eric Dubs, the creator of Bedphones. Eric has found success in the consumer electronics market, despite facing competition from some huge brands. Eric has been able to build a genuine Four Hour Work Week product business through automation. We'll talk about what went into the creation of Eric's product, how he was able to get it featured on platforms like Dr. Oz and Good Morning America, and how his business has evolved to the point where he can operate it remotely.

We're talking about Churn rate, and everything we can learn from it. Bossman and I are by no means experts on the topic, but we've dug up a plethora of information to share on Churn rate analysis. We'll discuss how to use this information to provide more value to your clients and keep them around for longer. We also answer some listener questions about the FBAR deadline and how we approach the frequency at which we create podcast content.

This week, we're talking about John Reineck's "Steak Dinner Problem", and how we interact with our clients. We had a great discussion with Taylor Pearson about it in the comments of our recent article about The Coconut Cash Conundrum. We're gonna be sharing some advanced level strategies on how to handle this complex situation that entrepreneurs face when their business starts to dictate the orders. We'll also talk about how to identify one thing that benefits your business and maximize your efforts during your most productive hours.