About the Tropical MBA

My name is Dan Andrews, I’m the guy to the right drinking a coconut. That’s a marketing stunt. In real life, I drink coffee and kick ass. Drinking coconuts and lounging around is for rich folks.

This blog started out as a job advertisement for a paid intern to join me as I traveled the world. That was over 2 years ago. Now we’ve sponsored 9 tropical internships, helped over 16 aspiring entrepreneurs work while they travel, and pulled together a community of 250+ location independent entrepreneurs.

Taken from the first TMBA Summit in Puerto Galera, Philippines

We Believe

We believe that building a successful lifestyle business is the best way to create more personal freedom and wealth for you, your family, and those around you.

I had zero idea of what I wanted to do with my life until I was in my mid-twenties. I only knew one thing – I wanted to be free. I think that’s why I gravitated so much to artists, intellectuals, and rock stars. They seemed to embody what I wanted.

And yet my heart wanders away,
My soul roams with the sea, the wales’
Home, wandering to the wildest corners
Of the world, returning ravenous with desire,
Flying solitary, screaming, exciting me
To the open ocean, breaking oaths
On the curve of a wave.
-Anonymous, “the Seafarer”

Early on in my life, I thought doing business was for boring people. I mean…I wanted to hang around with people who were really living.

As a creative person I’m drawn to novelty, fun, expression, and big challenges. I’ve always identified with artists and thinkers, but I never felt I was good enough at a medium to do it professionally – I couldn’t paint, my songs are mediocre at best, my singing voice is worse, and as a scholar I’d be lucky to get a gig teaching at a high school.

That changed when I had a few chance encounters with entrepreneurs.

They treated their enterprises as wide open canvases. Every day was filled with consequence, passion, and possibility. Every decision was an exercise in creativity.

Getting the opportunity work directly with entrepreneurs, I not only had a front row seat to how things get done… I learned the skills and mindset required to create the business and world that I wanted.

I created this space to find more aspiring and established entrepreneurs who were interested in these same things. Creating a lifestyle full of possibility and opportunity. I know that there are more of us out there, I’m determined to seek these people out and continue building a place for us to meet, share ideas, challenge each other, and thrive in the lifestyles we have designed.

The Tropical MBA Internships Started As The Job I Wish I’d Seen

Housewarming Gift From Our First Pool Party at the TMBA House

Late nights, coming home from a job I hated and a life I felt hopelessly stuck in, I surfed the wanted ads hoping some jet-set entrepreneur would be seeking a young guy like me willing to work his ass off to make his business a success. In return, all I wanted to do was to learn.

I never found anything.

Once our business started to see a little success, I couldn’t resist but to offer my dream opportunity on to somebody else. It has still been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my business.

We knew we were on to something when other location independent entrepreneurs started reaching out to ask about our Tropical MBA internship model and whether it would be a good fit for them. So we created Tropical Work Force, a site that helps match serious entrepreneurs interested in finding skilled and hungry aspiring location independent folks willing to work for $1000/month or less, and sharing their experience and chops to catapult their business to the next level.

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What We Do

I have one business partner (@AnythingIan), who is also my co-host on the Lifestyle Business Podcast. We run what internet marketers would call a “real” business. We have employees, balance sheets, offices, inventory, and all the headaches and hard won knowledge that comes from that. We try to complement business fundamentals with the best online marketing tactics we can get our hands on.

How To Connect With Us

About Me

With my Buddy and TMBA Sponsor Sean in Puerto Galera

I wish blogs were around when I was starting my career. They would have radically changed my life. I couldn’t be happier that I have spare time to write a few posts every week, and that you come by to check them out.

  • I’ve been in rock bands since I was 17. I play Fender Strats/Teles.
  • My favorite record of all time is Ok Computer.
  • In the past 3 years, I’ve lived in the USA, Canada, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia.
  • Our business has ‘offices’ in California, China, the Philippines, and a house in Bali.
  • I studied philosophy in University.
  • I love watching Anthony Bourdain on Youtube. I love his work and attitude. I’m a huge podcast and radio fan.
  • My favorite philosophers are Nietzsche, Foucault, Confucius, and Heidegger. I’m a huge fan of the Partially Examined Life podcast.
  • I’m 30
  • My favorite business books are the 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss, Maverick by Ricardo Semler, and Getting Things Done by David Allen.
  • I list everything I travel with on my Digital Nomad Packing List
  • In the past 3 years I’ve hired employees from over 10 different countries. I’ve been on a lot of airplanes.
  • Bali, Indonesia is my favorite place…. so far. :)
  • I would really like to visit Tokyo and go on a food tour there.

Still Here?

I’d put your name in the mailing list form…. I’ll send you personal emails whenever something is going down here at the TropicalMBA. Thanks for visiting. :)