The Tropical MBA Podcast - Entrepreneurship, Travel, and Lifestyle Dan Andrews; Ian Schoen

Dan & Ian react to a viral article that asks the question: Does the American Dream still make sense in 2023? They point to the internationality of the concept, and muse about how the American Dream is changing and how it’s particularly relevant to digital nomads and founders.


Dan also gives a rundown of the Elon Musk bio and extracts the business lessons he gleaned from the book. Lastly, with DCBKK less than a month away, Dan & Ian reminisce about why they started this event in Bangkok over 10 years ago, and why it’s still worth the trip.


Dan & Ian’s Stuff:


The Newsletter
“The DC”
DC Black
Global events
Hire remote talent
Find a remote job
Listen on YouTube
Follow on Instagram
@TropicalMBA
@AnythingIan


Show Notes:



0:03:12 You can find community in different places - hobbies, church, work, or the DC
0:08:04 The reason we went to Asia and not Silicon Valley back in the day
0:10:20 Is Asia the land of opportunity?
0:14:47 Choosing the prestigious career track or the DIY track
0:16:22 What’s going on with DC Black? Our community for 7 & 8-figure founders.
0:21:20 Breakdown of the Elon Musk bio and The Algorithm
0:33:32 Does the American Dream still make sense?


Links:



Does the American Dream still make sense?
The Elon Musk biography


Past guests on TMBA include Cal Newport, David Heinemeier Hannson, Seth Godin, Ricardo Semler, Noah Kagan, Rob Walling, Jay Clouse, Einar Vollset, Sam Dogan, Gino Wickam, James Clear, Jodie Cook, Mark Webster, Steph Smith, Taylor Pearson, Tommy Griffith, Justin Tan, Matt Gartland, Travis Jamison, Ayman Al-Abdullah, Tynan, Lucy Bella Simkins, Brian Balfour


Additional episodes you might enjoy:


Moving Back to America… Was it Worth It?
Brian Balfour’s $33M Growth Insights: Product-Market Fit, Durability, & Knowing Your Natural Limits
Millions for Podcasts and Jay Clouse on Memberships

Join Dan for a wide-ranging conversation with Brian, the Founder and CEO of Reforge, as they dive into critical points in his remarkable journey and gained insights from his experience as the former VP of Growth at Hubspot. Brian has started multiple VC-backed companies and shares his wisdom through detailed essays on growth and user acquisition and in a new podcast, Unsolicited Feedback.


In this episode, they discuss the factors contributing to growth, what it feels like to have product-market fit, and the keys to building a durable business. They also address the unique challenges bootstrapers face when scaling their revenue to the next phase. Brian's valuable insights are essential for any business founder seeking business growth.


Dan & Ian’s Stuff:
The Newsletter
“The DC”
DC Black
Global events
Hire remote talent
Find a remote job
Listen on YouTube
Follow on Instagram
@TropicalMBA
@AnythingIan


Show Notes:



0:04:38 Do podcast appearances drive business value?
0:07:38 People follow people, not companies.
0:09:39 What is distribution, and why is it important?
0:10:15 The new distribution playbook
0:17:46 Explaining how the loop concept leads to compounding growth
0:19:36 Know when the buying moments happen and ensure you’re engaging until they do.
0:23:13 How important is founder talent in terms of business success?
0:24:31 Founders need to focus on the 0-1 phase.
0:27:23 “Data can mislead you from customer energy”
0:28:34 Mistakes when trying to unlock the next level of growth0:26:25 Critical customer feedback vs. nice-to-have ideas
0:30:25 That feeling when you find product-market fit
0:38:47 Do you stay or do you grow?
0:39:11 How to build a durable business
0:41:05 Retooling after raising capital
0:42:48 Taking calculated bets on the quest for growth
0:49:46 How to get the most out of on-the-job experience
0:51:28 The best content Brian’s consumed lately


Links:



Reforge
Unsolicited Feedback
Business Hypothesis Canvas
Brian’s essays
Brian on 20Growth
Brian on Noah Kagan Presents
Brian on Scale or Die
The Changing World Order by Ray Dalio
Parker Conrad’s Theory of the Compound Startup
Acquired Podcast


Past guests on TMBA include Cal Newport, David Heinemeier Hannson, Seth Godin, Ricardo Semler, Noah Kagan, Rob Walling, Jay Clouse, Einar Vollset, Sam Dogan, Gino Wickam, James Clear, Jodie Cook, Mark Webster, Steph Smith, Taylor Pearson, Tommy Griffith, Justin Tan, Matt Gartland, Travis Jamison, Ayman Al-Abdullah, Tynan, Lucy Bella Simkins, Brian Balfour


Additional episodes you might enjoy:


What Got You Here Won't Get You There
Millions for Podcasts and Jay Clouse on Memberships
3 Simple Ways to Improve Your Business

Dan and Ian host a dynamic summer roundup episode, sharing business highlights, dissecting the "nomad's dilemma," and offering their top picks for books and podcasts of the season. Stick around for the latest community news.


Dan & Ian’s Stuff:
The Newsletter
“The DC”
DC Black
Global events
Hire remote talent
Find a remote job
Listen on YouTube
Follow on Instagram
@TropicalMBA
@AnythingIan


Show Notes:



0:01:54 How to have relationships back home and abroad
0:03:56 Co-locating makes everything better
0:09:51 The anti-Traction manifesto
0:12:12 How to work ON not IN your business
0:16:57 Having goals is crucial at any size
0:23:24 Why you should get serious about meetings
0:30:51 Having an audience is underpriced
0:34:12 Serendipity is underrated
0:35:21 Creating value for your customers in the long term
0:41:03 A true story about entrepreneurship
0:44:59 Our first DC Black exclusive event has launched
0:45:32 Other Community News


Links:



DC Events
DC Black
The Costco episode
Jeremy Giffon episode
Mutiny on the Bounty


Past guests on TMBA include Cal Newport, David Heinemeier Hannson, Seth Godin, Ricardo Semler, Noah Kagan, Rob Walling, Jay Clouse, Einar Vollset, Sam Dogan, Gino Wickam, James Clear, Jodie Cook, Mark Webster, Steph Smith, Taylor Pearson, Tommy Griffith, Justin Tan, Matt Gartland, Travis Jamison, Ayman Al-Abdullah, Tynan


Additional episodes you might enjoy:


Moving Back to America... Was it Worth It?
Mailbag: What Can Scorecards Do For You? Equity Split Dilemmas
The Money Theory of Location And Why Employee Scorecards Are So Helpful
Deceptively simple ways to have a better business

YouTube creator, English teacher, and CEO Lucy Bella Simkins joins Dan on the pod to share some of the behind-the-scenes challenges, strategies, and reflections on turning a passion project into one of the world’s largest language learning YouTube channels and a thriving 7-figure+ business. She also shares the challenges and pitfalls of building an operation of 15 team members capable of turning viewers into customers.


Dan & Ian’s Stuff:
The Newsletter
“The DC”
DC Black
Global events
Hire remote talent
Find a remote job
Listen on YouTube
Follow on Instagram
@TropicalMBA
@AnythingIan


Show Notes:



0:00:00 Intro
0:06:32 Nurturing your audience
0:08:02 Growing a course business
0:16:06 The turning point
0:22:44 Maker vs manager
0:43:07 The spreadsheet experiment


Links:



DC Events
English with Lucy
Data Driven Marketing


Past guests on TMBA include Cal Newport, David Heinemeier Hannson, Seth Godin, Ricardo Semler, Noah Kagan, Rob Walling, Jay Clouse, Einar Vollset, Sam Dogan, Gino Wickam, James Clear, Jodie Cook, Mark Webster, Steph Smith, Taylor Pearson, Tommy Griffith, Justin Tan, Matt Gartland, Travis Jamison, Ayman Al-Abdullah, Tynan, Lucy Bella Simkins


Additional episodes you might enjoy:


What Got You Here Won't Get You There
Millions for Podcasts and Jay Clouse on Memberships
3 Simple Ways to Improve Your Business

Summer in Barcelona comes to a close with a game of Would You Rather featuring the CEO of AppSumo, Noah Kagan. Dan challenges him to choose between distributing equity to employees or advisors, investing in “boring” businesses or tech, owning or renting a primary residence, and more.


Dan also poses a question to listeners that’s been on his mind: how long should summer vacations be?


Dan & Ian’s Stuff:
The Newsletter
“The DC”
DC Black
Global events
Hire remote talent
Find a remote job
Listen on YouTube
Follow on Instagram
@TropicalMBA
@AnythingIan


Show Notes:



0:00:00 Intro
0:02:23 Sports over 40
0:03:59 Vacation poll
0:08:26 Would You Rather
0:32:37 Community news


Links:



DC Events
DC Black
Darren’s essay
AppSumo
37 Signals profit share


Past guests on TMBA include Cal Newport, David Heinemeier Hannson, Seth Godin, Ricardo Semler, Noah Kagan, Rob Walling, Jay Clouse, Einar Vollset, Sam Dogan, Gino Wickam, James Clear, Jodie Cook, Mark Webster, Steph Smith, Taylor Pearson, Tommy Griffith, Justin Tan, Matt Gartland, Travis Jamison, Ayman Al-Abdullah, Tynan


Additional episodes you might enjoy:


What Got You Here Won't Get You There
Overrated and Underrated Business Concepts with Noah Kagan
Millions for Podcasts and Jay Clouse on Memberships
The Europe Question

Dan flies solo this week in a 3-part episode where he circles back to a few hot topics that caught some listener’s attention over the last few months.


Back in May, Dan shared insights from a book he read called the 5 Types of People Who Will Ruin Your Life. Today he’s sharing a recent story where this came into play.


He also shares lessons from the best business book he’s read in the past 6 months (of which he reads about 3 each week). And last but not least, he reaches into the mailbag to share a story from a listener about their Mexican Fisherman Moment.


Dan & Ian’s Stuff:
The Newsletter
“The DC”
DC Black
Global events
Hire remote talent
Find a remote job
Listen on YouTube
Follow on Instagram
@TropicalMBA
@AnythingIan


Show Notes:



0:00:00 Intro
0:01:44 Too old for basketball
0:04:33 Personality disorders
0:11:07 Leadership
0:24:30 Mexican Fisherman


Links:



DC Events
DC Black
Language Mentoring
Clockwork by Mike Michalowicz
The Checklist Manifesto
Scorecards
Traction


Past guests on TMBA include Cal Newport, David Heinemeier Hannson, Seth Godin, Ricardo Semler, Noah Kagan, Rob Walling, Jay Clouse, Einar Vollset, Sam Dogan, Gino Wickam, James Clear, Jodie Cook, Mark Webster, Steph Smith, Taylor Pearson, Tommy Griffith, Justin Tan, Matt Gartland, Travis Jamison, Ayman Al-Abdullah, Tynan


Additional episodes you might enjoy:


TMBA 688: Mailbag: What Can Scorecards Do For You? And Equity Split Dilemmas
TMBA 695: The Money Theory of Location And Why Employee Scorecards Are So Helpful
TMBA 707: Deceptively simple ways to have a better business
TMBA 702: Millions for Podcasts and Jay Clouse on Memberships
TMBA 689: Re-visiting Our Conversation with Seth Godin