Tropical MBA: Entrepreneurship & Founder Lifestyle

How long would it take to revamp your entire business? For Elliott Zelinskas: three weeks.

Using Claude Code, he rebuilt his 4-year website, generated 100+ SEO pages, automated YouTube creation and publishing, and replaced parts of his tech stack. All without a dev team.

Is agentic AI the next evolution of entrepreneurship?

LINKS

Follow Elliott on X

Follow Elliott on Instagram

Meet Elliott and other lifestyle founders inside Dynamite Circle

Hang out exclusively with 7+ figure founders in DC BLACK

Bento will beat your current email bill — up to 70% off or $300 in credits

Million Dollar Weekend by Noah Kagan

Live Well on Less Than You Think by Fred Brock

CHAPTERS

(00:00:00) Intro

(00:02:39) Meet Elliott & His Business

(00:07:05) How Elliott Started Using Claude Code

(00:11:16) Upsides and Downsides of Agentic AI

(00:15:13) Simple But Powerful Use Cases for Agentic AI

(00:22:07) Six Tips for Non-Tech Founders

(00:33:18) Security, Risk, and How to Decide What to Build

(00:46:42) Digital Nomading and Personal Finance

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:

Bad Hiring Advice That Can Actually Work: 9 Tactics for Lifestyle Founders

4 Ways to Start a Business From Scratch in 2026

“Scaling on Steroids” with AI Automation ft. Juan Montero

Dan and Ian respond to a listener's email about strategies for going from a 9-5 to full-blown entrepreneurship, and why mindset is far more important long-term than ideas if you want to start a business.

LINKS

Bento will beat your current email bill — up to 70% off or $300 in credits

Million Dollar Weekend by Noah Kagan

Dynamite Jobs

Meet lifestyle founders inside Dynamite Circle

Hang out exclusively with 7+ figure founders in DC BLACK

CHAPTERS

(00:00:00) Intro and Listener Email

(00:05:58) Path 1: “Hold Your Nose and Jump”

(00:11:43) Path 2: The Coast Side Hustle

(00:14:16) Path 3: Intrapreneurship/Apprenticeship

(00:18:14) Path 4: Job Hopping

(00:30:05) Product-Market Fit, Passion, and More

(00:38:58) Overrated and Underrated Entrepreneurship Tips

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:

Bad Hiring Advice That Can Actually Work: 9 Tactics for Lifestyle Founders

What We Learned From Running a 7-Figure Remote Business in 2025

The 9-5 is Dead, This is the Socially Acceptable Lottery Ticket

Dan and Ian share 9 pieces of hiring advice that are typically considered “bad,” but can actually work pretty well for smaller bootstrapped teams - and especially lifestyle businesses.

LINKS

Bento will beat your current email bill — up to 70% off or $300 in credits

“Who” by Geoff Smart and Randy Street

Remote First Recruiting: Land your next hire in 21 days or less

Meet lifestyle founders inside Dynamite Circle

Hang out exclusively with 7+ figure founders in DC BLACK

CHAPTERS

(00:03:42) Tip 1: Just Hire a Recruiter

(00:07:11) Tip 2: Work With Friends and Family

(00:10:34) Tip 3: Use AI For Onboarding

(00:12:02) Tip 4: Go Easy on the W2s

(00:14:52) Tip 5: You Don’t Need a Mission-Based Culture

(00:20:16) Tip 6: If You Hire the Wrong Person, Let Them Go

(00:22:54) Tip 7: It Doesn’t Have to Be More Than the Math

(00:25:45) Tip 8: Not Hiring Can Work Out Great

(00:30:30) Tip 9: Polarize Your Managing Style

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 We Learned From Running a 7-Figure Remote Business in 2025

The 9-5 is Dead, This is the Socially Acceptable Lottery Ticket

“The World Is Ending.” These 5 Businesses Are Still Making Millions

Dan and Ian take a candid look back at 2025, share highlights and lowlights from the year, and give a sneak peek into what’s next for Dynamite Circle.

LINKS

Bento will beat your current email bill — up to 70% off or $300 in credits

Ramit Sethi’s Money for Couples

Remote First Recruiting: Land your next hire in 21 days or less

Meet lifestyle founders inside Dynamite Circle

Hang out exclusively with 7+ figure founders in DC BLACK

CHAPTERS

(00:01:56) Personal Finance: The First Step to Entrepreneurship

(00:09:02) Why You Need an Annual Theme

(00:13:03) Business Updates

(00:19:45) Professional Empowerment for Your Team Leaders

(00:25:53) Consistency in Delivering a Great Product

(00:30:31) What We’ve Learned from Hosting Executive Coaching

(00:34:36) Under the Hood at Dynamite Circle

(00:41:02) Highlights and Lowlights of 2025

(00:49:03) Our Themes for 2026

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:

How to Actually Build Systems in Your Small Business ft. Layla Pomper

The 9-5 is Dead, This is the Socially Acceptable Lottery Ticket

Your 2026 Business Plan in 36 Minutes [FREE Resource]

Are we actively watching the rise of the degenerate economy? What does it mean for our entrepreneurial behaviors? What does it mean for our portfolios? Does gambling your way to wealth make sense? And what types of trends will emerge and strengthen in 2026?

Smart things look stupid for a while until they look smart. Dan and Jeff share their thoughts on the recent viral X article “The Prison of Financial Mediocrity” and their views on the “socially acceptable” risk of entrepreneurship as an escape from the 9-5.

LINKS

Bento will beat your current email bill — up to 70% off or $300 in credits

“The Prison of Financial Mediocrity” Full Article

The End of Jobs by Taylor Pearson (Dynamite Circle member!)

The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel

Same As Ever by Morgan Housel

The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi et al

Meet lifestyle founders inside Dynamite Circle

Hang out exclusively with 7+ figure founders in DC BLACK

CHAPTERS

(00:00:52) The Traditional Path is Closed

(00:06:00) The Era of Long Degeneracy & Success Via Risk

(00:10:49) Opportunity When the Game is Rigged Against You

(00:20:27) The Socially Acceptable Lottery Ticket

(00:25:47) Financial Nihilism and Betting on Change

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:

How to Actually Build Systems in Your Small Business ft. Layla Pomper

“The World Is Ending.” These 5 Businesses Are Still Making Millions

Why $120K From Your Biz Beats $150K at a Job