Tropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder Lifestyle

Timothy Moser, founder of LearnCraft Spanish, shares how he scaled a 7-figure education business in today’s fast-changing online landscape. From why SEO is collapsing to the surprising rise of YouTube as a high-converting channel, Timothy breaks down the strategies behind his content flywheel, email list growth, and powerful giveaway launches that turn listeners into paying customers. Dan and Timothy also discuss what founders really get from in-person Dynamite Circle events, how a 30-person remote team stays aligned, and the realities of carrying entrepreneurial responsibility—even when you “unplug.” LINKS: LearnCraft Spanish [https://www.learncraftspanish.com/] Contact Timothy to talk business [timothy@learncraftspanish.com] “Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business” by Gino Wickman [https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Get-Grip-Your-Business/dp/1936661837] Meet the world’s most generous global entrepreneurs inside Dynamite Circle [https://dynamitecircle.com/] Connect with 7+ figure founders inside DC BLACK [https://dynamitecircle.com/dc-black] Remote First Recruiting: Find your next best remote hire in 21 days [https://remotefirstrecruiting.com/] 22 FREE business resources for location-independent entrepreneurs [https://tropicalmba.com/resources] CHAPTERS: (0:00:13) Welcome & Today’s Big Question (00:01:48) Meet Timothy Moser & LearnCraft Spanish (00:07:38) How DC Events Unlock Growth (00:12:16) The SEO Collapse in 2025 (00:14:01) YouTube vs Podcasting in 2025: What Actually Works? (00:17:04) The Flywheel Effect of Great Long-Form Content (00:21:24) Timothy’s Counter-Culture Giveaway Strategy (00:29:50) Scaling and Delegating: Challenges for Bootstrapped Founders (00:36:24) Can Founders Ever Unplug? CONNECT: Dan@tropicalmba.com [Dan@tropicalmba.com] Ian@tropicalmba.com [Ian@tropicalmba.com] 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, Justin Tan, Matt Gartland, Ayman Al-Abdullah, Lucy Bella. PLAYLIST: Health Expert EXPOSES the "Eat Less, Exercise More" Movement [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifN_JJdt5qo] Going Deep With Your Customers [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-pNiE9WYzc] Taking the Entrepreneurial Leap [https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/entrepreneurial-leap-gino-wickman]

When Dan started training for an intense cycling season, he needed more energy... without wrecking his health. That led him to Jay Feldman, a health researcher who believes most mainstream advice is dead wrong. In this episode, Jay explains why “eat less, exercise more” backfires, and what to do instead. You’ll learn how metabolism really works, which foods help or hurt, and how to eat in a way that actually fuels your life. LINKS: FREE Energy Balance Food Guide [https://www.jayfeldmanwellness.com/guide/] The Energy Balance Podcast [https://www.jayfeldmanwellness.com/podcast/] 22 FREE business resources for location-independent entrepreneurs [https://tropicalmba.com/resources] Meet the world’s most generous global entrepreneurs inside Dynamite Circle [https://dynamitecircle.com/] Connect with 7+ figure founders inside DC BLACK [https://dynamitecircle.com/dc-black] Remote First Recruiting: Find your next best remote hire in 21 days [https://remotefirstrecruiting.com/] CHAPTERS: (00:00:28) Why This Episode Matters (00:04:17) What Is the Bioenergetic View of Health? (00:08:02) Why ‘Eat Less, Exercise More’ Doesn’t Work (00:13:39) The Food Industry’s Role in the Diet Lie (00:20:15) What Should You Actually Eat? (00:22:30) Why Gut Health Affects Energy (00:27:24) Are Seed Oils Destroying Your Cells? (00:31:01) Why PUFAs May Accelerate Aging (00:35:52) What a Metabolism-Friendly Day of Eating Looks Like (00:38:49) How to Eat Like a Baby (and Why That’s Good) (00:42:59) Where the Research Is Heading CONNECT: Dan@tropicalmba.com [Dan@tropicalmba.com] Ian@tropicalmba.com [Ian@tropicalmba.com] 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, Justin Tan, Matt Gartland, Ayman Al-Abdullah, Lucy Bella. PLAYLIST: What is the World's Best Diet? [https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/diet?rq=health] The True Cost of Burnout, Anxiety, and Entrepreneurial Depression [https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/benny-lewis-mental-health?rq=health] Talking Smart Drugs [https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/smartdrugs?rq=health]

Dan and Ian respond to a series of spicy "unpopular opinions" about entrepreneurship, employment, digital nomadism, and lifestyle design, sourced straight from Reddit. They weigh in on whether boring businesses really win, if you can get rich working a 9-to-5, and whether meeting locals is overrated when traveling as a nomad. LINKS: 22 FREE business resources for location-independent entrepreneurs [https://tropicalmba.com/resources] Meet the world’s most generous global entrepreneurs inside Dynamite Circle [https://dynamitecircle.com/] Connect with 7+ figure founders inside DC BLACK [https://dynamitecircle.com/dc-black] Remote First Recruiting: Find your next best remote hire in 21 days [https://remotefirstrecruiting.com/] CHAPTERS: (00:00:00) Intro (00:01:08) Unpopular Opinion #1: Boring Businesses Actually Win (00:05:26) Unpopular Opinion #2: A Job Can Make You Rich (00:11:22) Unpopular Opinion #3: Strategic Planning Is a Waste (00:13:49) Unpopular Opinion #4: Meeting Locals is Overrated (00:17:49) Unpopular Opinion #5: Entrepreneurship Isn’t All Sacrifice CONNECT: Dan@tropicalmba.com [Dan@tropicalmba.com] Ian@tropicalmba.com [Ian@tropicalmba.com] 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, Justin Tan, Matt Gartland, Ayman Al-Abdullah, Lucy Bella. PLAYLIST: “Lifestyle Business” vs “Real Business” [https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/lifestyle-vs-real-business] Taking the Entrepreneurial Leap [https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/entrepreneurial-leap-gino-wickman] A Game of Would You Rather ft. Noah Kagan [https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/would-you-rather]

We’re halfway through 2025! This episode is a raw look at what’s working, what’s not, and the experiments we’re doubling down on. From running premium events at zero profit to building lean teams with talent from Latin America, we share the trade-offs and results behind every decision. Dan and Ian open the books on DC BLACK and DC Accelerator, plus they uncover how Remote First Recruiting quietly had one of its best quarters yet. LINKS: Dan’s Four Bricks presentation [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZooQo760Ik&ab_channel=TropicalMBA] Meet the world’s most generous global entrepreneurs inside Dynamite Circle [https://dynamitecircle.com/] Connect with 7+ figure founders inside DC BLACK [https://dynamitecircle.com/dc-black] Remote First Recruiting: Find your next best remote hire in 21 days [https://remotefirstrecruiting.com/] CHAPTERS: (00:00:42) Can You Break a Plateau Without Spending $200K? (00:01:45) Why Your Next Growth Phase Starts With You (00:06:45) What Happened When Our CFO Left (00:11:27) Why We Finally Launched a Premium Tier (00:16:01) The Real Results of Our $5K Coaching Program (00:22:03) Is Our Recruiting Arm About To Have Its Best Quarter Yet? (00:28:01) We’re Going to Bangkok This October CONNECT: Dan@tropicalmba.com [Dan@tropicalmba.com] Ian@tropicalmba.com [Ian@tropicalmba.com] 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, Justin Tan, Matt Gartland, Ayman Al-Abdullah, Lucy Bella. PLAYLIST: “It’s easier to 10X than to 2X” + 8 Lessons from CEO Bootcamp [https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/easier-10x-than-2x] Building ‘Brick by Brick’: Goals, Plans, Scorecards, Cadence [https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/brick-by-brick] 90-Day Growth Plan in 10 Questions [https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/90-day-growth] The Wheel of Despair and the Paradox of Growth [https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/wheel-despair-paradox-growth]

What happens when you’ve optimized everything… and growth still stalls? In this episode, Dan and Ian break down a powerful distinction most founders miss: the difference between optimization (making your business run smoother) and growth (finding and testing new paths to scale). They unpack insights from Growth Levers by Matt Lerner, a framework that helped PayPal and other startups unlock massive growth and why it still applies to bootstrappers today. You’ll also get a behind-the-scenes look at how Dan and Ian run operations in under 5 hours per week using the “Four Bricks”: financials, a measured plan, individual scorecards, and pulse meetings (aka the Daily Huddle). Plus: why growth experiments often fail, how to avoid optimization creep, and how interviewing your customers using the “Jobs to Be Done” framework can reveal the 10% that leads to 90% of your growth. LINKS: “Growth Levers and How to Find Them” by Matt Lerner [https://www.amazon.com/Growth-Levers-How-Find-Them/dp/173842622X] “Scaling Up” By Verne Harnish [https://www.amazon.com/Scaling-Up-Mastering-Rockefeller-Habits/dp/0986019593/ref=sr_1_1?crid=I82ETY13E1ZJ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.EunjEAWizJJCnRStrVvxOJwktAGOrvzCg7v4AoNJfIU6bVKGlwoaahD13GvmODVvdHfxaCtbalOfRWgZOg5S21BtHBMaKYq62OqBxcVCNbGCvxTyjwgDSB-CCVhwxnkkdUIfFUnmjvgMdP0NNqU-7ueWn59X5uFP1GVKtTr9KukRePtfM9H9riTjX7cbPcSSX6o8FtAMy464cHeRDDiEG-HRIkkMFr6E78CM5s3og_g.lpyuAh6r5azEIrwxxEgYJiq8LPg5qtpavZ6HnojzTvo&dib_tag=se&keywords=scaling+up&qid=1751519981&s=books&sprefix=scaling+up%2Cstripbooks-intl-ship%2C115&sr=1-1] Daily Huddle Template [https://docs.google.com/document/d/14i_qZjKFDP_IEjiF3XHd1j41H6Vop_Cp987L41QjXOQ/edit?tab=t.0] Company Scoreboard Template [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ArOv-eMCWIxF8Yk3ngUlAuxITgMK3GUR5E6mfw57vR4/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.3olbivi0zybz] Individual Scorecard Template [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1J_EGV0SnmhjBRRYr5GDnUGV9ULTd1Bbz9RaJQfEVAQw/edit?tab=t.0] “Jobs to Be Done” Interview Framework [https://www.dscout.com/people-nerds/the-jobs-to-be-done-interviewing-style-understanding-who-users-are-trying-to-become] Dan’s Four Bricks presentation [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZooQo760Ik&ab_channel=TropicalMBA] Connect with generous global entrepreneurs [https://dynamitecircle.com/] CHAPTERS: (00:00:13) Intro: Founders, Channels, and What’s Working in 2025 (00:01:40) Growth vs Optimization: The Lens That Changes Everything (00:09:34) The Four Bricks: How to Run Ops in Under 5 Hours/Week (00:18:38) Why Most Teams Avoid Growth (00:20:32) Growth Levers: The 10% That Drives 90% of Growth (00:28:00) Jobs to Be Done: Why Customers Really Buy (00:33:26) Growth Sprints: How to Experiment Without Burning Out (00:36:22) Common Mistakes That Kill Growth Early CONNECT: Dan@tropicalmba.com [Dan@tropicalmba.com] Ian@tropicalmba.com [Ian@tropicalmba.com] 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, Justin Tan, Matt Gartland, Ayman Al-Abdullah, Lucy Bella. PLAYLIST: “It’s easier to 10X than to 2X” + 8 Lessons from CEO Bootcamp [https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/easier-10x-than-2x] Building ‘Brick by Brick’: Goals, Plans, Scorecards, Cadence [https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/brick-by-brick] 90-Day Growth Plan in 10 Questions [https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/90-day-growth] The Wheel of Despair and the Paradox of Growth [https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/wheel-despair-paradox-growth]