The $100 MBA

You know you want to start a business. But that’s about all you know.

You’re not alone! So many people think that entrepreneurs start by having some grand product idea, but that’s rarely the case. More often, entrepreneurship starts with nothing more than the desire to be independent, and the chutzpah to go for it.

So you’re off to a good start, even though you have no idea what’s next.

Successful independent business is way more about execution than product ideas. As we discuss in this podcast, some of the most wildly successful entrepreneurs didn’t actually come up with anything new; they just improved the form, deliverability, or accessibility of something that was already out there.

The key was: they met a need.

Maybe we need to flip the notion of “creating a business idea” around. Instead, let’s try to  find your business idea, by putting our ear to the ground and figuring out what market need you can meet. 

Take the time. Find an audience. Talk to it, but listen to it. Your big idea is out there somewhere, and if you’re patient and strategic, your idea will come — and it’ll seem like the most obvious thing in the world. Click Play!

SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS

Stitcher | Spotify | Podcast Feed | How To Subscribe

Give us a Rating & Review

Today’s Sponsors

Podia

Easily sell Online Courses, Memberships, and Digital Downloads to your audience. With more than 10,000 creators on the platform, Podia is the easiest way to earn a living teaching what you know. Create a beautiful storefront in minutes and start selling your digital products. No technical knowledge needed, and no third-party plugins required. Check out podia.com/mba now.

Axos Bank

Want a bank that moves your small business forward? Axos’ basic business checking account is crafted for business owners with solutions to meet your needs. It’s simple, convenient, and hassle free. Axos is 100% digital, with lower overhead that eliminates the need for maintenance fees, minimum balances, or domestic ATM fees. Access your money anytime, anywhere. Axos will give you $100 just to try it out: use promo code 100MBA at axosbank.com/100mba.

Show Links

EasyCourse

Fizzle

Ready to start a software company? These are the most important things we learned from building ours!

It took time to learn them. It took a lot of trial, and no small amount of error. Software as a product type has exploded, especially the SaaS (Software as a Service) model. For anyone looking to start a business, software is quickly becoming the first, best option. 

We’ve seen a zillion software companies rise and fall, so what can we say that’s true for all of them?

Today, we share 3 specific facts about the software game that are immutable, irrefutable, and unchanging — no matter what kind of software you want to sell. Whether you want a lifetime revenue stream, or simply want to build an app and sell it, these are the universal rules.

We learned most of this on the way to building WebinarNinja, our webinar software. The key, in our experience, is to make decisions based on external realities and not just your own ideas. In other words, humility is the first ingredient.

Check out these 3 rules, and keep them in mind as you plan your incredible software business. Click Play!

SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS

Stitcher | Spotify | Podcast Feed | How To Subscribe

Give us a Rating & Review

Today’s Sponsors

Podia

Easily sell Online Courses, Memberships, and Digital Downloads to your audience. With more than 10,000 creators on the platform, Podia is the easiest way to earn a living teaching what you know. Create a beautiful storefront in minutes and start selling your digital products. No technical knowledge needed, and no third-party plugins required. Check out podia.com/mba now.

Axos Bank

Want a bank that moves your small business forward? Axos’ basic business checking account is crafted for business owners with solutions to meet your needs. It’s simple, convenient, and hassle free. Axos is 100% digital, with lower overhead that eliminates the need for maintenance fees, minimum balances, or domestic ATM fees. Access your money anytime, anywhere. Axos will give you $100 just to try it out: use promo code 100MBA at axosbank.com/100mba.

Show Links

WebinarNinja

The Fizzle Show Podcast

Strong App

Profitwell

Entrepreneurs are in a tough spot. 

We take on tremendous responsibility to improve our lives, but sometimes it comes at the expense of our lives. We know that a happy, healthy entrepreneur is more successful than an overworked one, but business doesn’t care when you need a break. We want freedom, but we chain ourselves to our computers.

How we can have lives and businesses at the same time?

It’s Q&A Wednesday, and one listener is doing great, business-wise, but life is passing him by. He’s got no social life, a messy home, and no idea what to do about it. It begs the question: if your success isn’t making you happy, is it really success? 

Sometimes, we entrepreneurs forget that high priorities aren’t the only priorities. Business, however much we enjoy it, is a means to an end. Moreover, actually enjoying your life as an entrepreneur is your greatest chance to be any good at it! 

If there’s no balance, you’re going to sink — personally and professionally. 

Fortunately, we’ve got some strategies that can help. It doesn’t necessarily mean doing less; it mostly means doing things more efficiently, more effectively, and sometimes letting others share the load. There’s no “one size fits all” solution, and no prescription work/life balance that’s perfect for everyone — but we can help you adjust the scales.

SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS

Stitcher | Spotify | Podcast Feed | How To Subscribe

Give us a Rating & Review

Today’s Sponsors

Podia

Easily sell Online Courses, Memberships, and Digital Downloads to your audience. With more than 10,000 creators on the platform, Podia is the easiest way to earn a living teaching what you know. Create a beautiful storefront in minutes and start selling your digital products. No technical knowledge needed, and no third-party plugins required. Check out podia.com/mba now.

ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign makes a customer experience automation platform for growing businesses. ActiveCampaign can help you formulate a great “win-back” email campaign to remind your customer why they were interested enough to subscribe in the first place. Head to ActiveCampaign.com/100MBA and start a free trial. You can get a second month free, free migration, and 2 free one-on-one sessions with a member of the ActiveCampaign team!

Bad days will happen. What matters is how you respond.

Our intrepid host, Omar, is no stranger to rough days at work. He’s learned how to feel it coming; the insurmountable To-Do list, the shift in mood, the feeling that nothing can go right while this particular sun is up.

We’ve all been there. And we know that finding a healthy way to manage the emotions that come with a bad day is crucial to running a business effectively.

Today, we discuss specific, actionable strategies you can use to cope with, navigate, and ultimately triumph over your godawful day. Whether it’s angry customers, uncooperative team members, depressing metrics, or something else, there is always a way forward. 

You just need the tools.

A successful entrepreneur has to develop one skill that’s sometimes overlooked: the ability to keep yourself in the right headspace in the face of frustration. Your decision-making abilities as a leader have to stay consistent — even when your luck isn’t. 

By utilizing these few simple strategies, you can avoid compounding your bad day with bad decisions, and make tomorrow better. Click Play!

SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS

Stitcher | Spotify | Podcast Feed | How To Subscribe

Give us a Rating & Review

Today’s Sponsors

Podia

Easily sell Online Courses, Memberships, and Digital Downloads to your audience. With more than 10,000 creators on the platform, Podia is the easiest way to earn a living teaching what you know. Create a beautiful storefront in minutes and start selling your digital products. No technical knowledge needed, and no third-party plugins required. Check out podia.com/mba now.

Mailchimp

Ready to grow your business? Mailchimp is your all-in-one marketing platform. Mailchimp lets you manage more of your marketing from one place, without all the extra tools. Market smarter and grow faster with one tool that helps you create, publish, manage, and measure multi-channel marketing campaigns. Let Mailchimp help you market smarter — learn more at mailchimp.com

Social media is a fickle thing. One year it’s the key to your business, the next year all your “likes” don’t translate to a dime in sales.

The social media Powers That Be (that’s Facebook, Insta, and the like) are constantly updating their algorithms and tweaking the way they determine how much of your content actually reaches the people you’re speaking to. It can seem a fool’s errand to try to keep up, but keep up we must.

Case in point: how much are your business’s social media accounts really driving your growth?

It can be tough to decide just how much time, money, and energy you’re willing to throw at the social media game. For some businesses, it’s undeniably crucial. For others, the ROI just isn’t there. Today, we’ll help you determine which category your business falls into — and what to do about it.

In simpler times (when more presence automatically meant more business), we over-valued social media. After that, we under-valued it. Now, we’re searching for that “Goldilocks” level of social media investment: just enough.

Tune in, and see where your business falls on the Social Media Importance Spectrum, and how to optimize your own business pages for the best results. Click Play!

SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS

Stitcher | Spotify | Podcast Feed | How To Subscribe

Give us a Rating & Review

Today’s Sponsors

Brandwagon

On Brandwagon, Wistia’s new talk show for marketers, hear how companies like Harpoon, MailChimp, and HubSpot are transforming their marketing efforts to build better brands. Learn valuable business insights — like how to make your brand stand out. If you’re ready to take your marketing from “meh” to “memorable,” check out BrandWagon at wi.st/brandwagonshow

Fundopolis

Investing: it seems complex, intimidating, and impersonal. With Fundopolis, it doesn’t have to be that way. Fundopolis is where people and money come together to support businesses they care about. Investing shouldn’t just be for industry insiders; it should be for communities and individuals trying to grow something they’re passionate about. Head to fundopolis.com/podcast for an enjoyable, personal investing experience.

Show Links

EasyCourse

So you’re ready to speak in public.

Kudos. Public speaking — especially at industry conferences — can be a massive brand-builder. It can turbo-charge your networking. It’s not for everyone, but the effects on a small business are undeniable. Somewhat surprisingly, it can also be the perfect way for introverted entrepreneurs to connect with people.

But how do you book a gig?

We’ve been there: before our intrepid host Omar became a successful regular public speaker, he had to find a way in. The goal was never to be a high-powered semi-celebrity making his living off speeches, but simply to showcase expertise, build his personal brand, and make connections. But getting in the door was…a challenge.

Today, we’ll share what Omar learned over time, so you can get to your first speaking engagement sooner.

There is a way to get on stage, even if you’ve never delivered a talk in your life. Find out how — Click Play!

SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS

Stitcher | Spotify | Podcast Feed | How To Subscribe

Give us a Rating & Review

Today’s Sponsors

Amazon Logistics

Amazon Logistics has a new program for leaders who want to build their own full-time package delivery business. Get access to Amazon’s logistics training and technology, and start building a team of motivated drivers in your community. To learn more about becoming an Amazon delivery service partner, go to logistics.amazon.com.

Kronos

Kronos is workforce innovation that works. Kronos puts HR, payroll, talent, and timekeeping on a single, cloud-based platform specially designed to give HR professionals supporting a blended workforce a whole new level of confidence. Learn more at kronos.com/hrswagger

Show Links

EasyCourse