Tropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder Lifestyle

Organic traffic is getting weird… and kinda looks like an alligator’s mouth (you’ll have to listen to the episode to see what we mean).
SEO expert Sean Markey joins Dan to break down 5 strategies still working in 2025: from parasite SEO to aged domains and Reddit "hacks." If you’re trying to cut through the LLM noise, this episode is the ultimate SEO rabbit hole.
LINKS
Sean’s SEO newsletter for CEOs and founders that hate SEO newsletters (https://ranks.com/newsletter/)
Sean’s SEO community (https://advise.so/)
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) Today’s Guest: Sean Markey
(00:02:53) The State of SEO in 2025
(00:03:49) What SEO Leaders Are Doing (Instead of Panicking)
(00:04:44) How to Own Page 1 Without Ranking
(00:07:25) Buy Your Way Into the SERPs
(00:09:23) The Reddit Mod Hack No One Talks About
(00:12:58) How Small Channels Are Printing 60K MRR
(00:14:46) Ranking in LLMs Without a Prompt Engineer
(00:17:26) The Aged Domain Shortcut That Still Works
(00:20:54) What Is Parasite SEO (And Why It Works)
(00:22:50) The AI Prompt Stack SEO Founders Are Gatekeeping
(00:25:25) Why Local SEO Still Wins in 2025
(00:26:45) Is SEO Even SEO Anymore?
(00:29:36) Why Community > Courses in 2025
(00:33:03) The 1-1-1 Model: Simple, Scalable, Profitable
CONNECT:
Dan@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:
TMBA 588: Embracing Growth Through Setbacks w/ Sean Markey (https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/sean-markey-growth-through-setbacks?rq=sean%20markey)
From Struggling Plumber to $57K MRR w/ Tom Richards (https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/from-struggling-numbers-to-57k-mrr?rq=tom)
Why Founders Shouldn’t Delegate AI (Barcelona Recap) (https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/why-founders-should-not-delegate-ai)

How are legit 7- and 8-figure founders leveraging AI in their businesses? Spoiler alert: they’re not just handing it off to their teams.
From cutting high level consultants to redefining metrics and leadership, Dan shares 7 takeaways from our recent DC BLACK event in Barcelona for million-dollar founders.
LINKS:
The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss (https://fourhourworkweek.com/)
Growth Levers and How to Find Them by Matt Lerner (https://www.amazon.com/Growth-Levers-How-Find-Them/dp/1738426203)
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:
Audio:
(00:00:46) AI Is a Founder-Level Problem
(00:01:16) Real AI Use Cases From 7-Figure Founders
(00:05:15) Financial Freedom Starts Earlier Than You Think
(00:07:45) Million-Dollar Nomads Are Rare (And That’s Powerful)
(00:10:38) How to Hire For Less in Latin America (Quick Plug)
(00:11:38) The Rise of the Lifestyle Business CEO
(00:14:39) Why Fringe Curiosity Is a Superpower
(00:16:21) What’s Your North Star Metric?
(00:22:22) The Meta Takeaway: Define Your Constraint
CONNECT:
Dan@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:
The Brutal Truth About Business Exits with Rob Walling (https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/brutal-truth-about-exits)
The Content Flywheel Behind a 7-Figure Education Business ft. Timothy Moser (https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/content-flywheel-behind-7-figure-business)
Health Advice That Goes Against Everything You Know ft. Jay Feldman (https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/health-advice-against-everything-you-know)

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 (mailto: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
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
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
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)