Successful Dropout

To kick of this new season of Successful Dropout I was able to get our longtime business partners and best friends on the show (missing my sister Chelann though!) to talk about the pros and cons of partnership. We've been partners with Landon and Kennedy Wilkinson for over five years now, and friends for even longer. Together we have grown multiple six figure businesses and we don't plan on stopping anytime soon. Throughout our partnership and friendship we've have many ups and downs and we've learned a lot. In this episode we break down the last five years of business partnership experience into some key actionable steps that you can take to decide if getting a business partner is right for you, and if so, how to do it in the best way possible!  Here are some of the things we talk about: About our business partnership, how long we have been partners, what we have accomplished, where we are headed. Why having a business partner is great and why it’s not so great. When is it ideal, when is it not ideal? How d

Episode 100 marks the end of a season, and the beginning of a new one. Kylon talks about the history of Successful Dropout, and his vision for the future of this community. He also shares about his experience with Ayahuasca in the mountains of Costa Rica. This episode is about change, and new beginnings.  RESOURCES What is Ayahuasca? THANK YOU! Thanks again for listening to the show! If it has helped you in any way, please share it using the social media buttons you see on the page. Additionally, reviews for the podcast on iTunes are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show and I read each and every one of them. JOIN THE SUCCESSFUL DROPOUT COMMUNITY! Create a free account in the forum and introduce yourself! Subscribe to the Successful Dropout Podcast. Join our private Facebook Group! Follow @successfuldropout on Instagram!

It was a pleasure to sit down with Zachary Babcock on his new show, Underdog Empowerment and talk about my entrepreneurial journey, the school system, and the Successful Dropout community.  If you are having second thoughts about school, this is for you!  RESOURCES Underdog Empowerment Podcast THANK YOU! Thanks again for listening to the show! If it has helped you in any way, please share it using the social media buttons you see on the page. Additionally, reviews for the podcast on iTunes are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show and I read each and every one of them. JOIN THE SUCCESSFUL DROPOUT COMMUNITY! Create a free account in the forum and introduce yourself! Subscribe to the Successful Dropout Podcast. Join our private Facebook Group! Follow @successfuldropout on Instagram!

Rob had everything lined to succeed in college...a healthy scholarship, a spot on the baseball team and more. But he decided to opt-out on the last possible day and take life into his own hands. At the time all he had going for him was 5k in inventory which quickly turned into 250k sales in 13 months through selling on Amazon. This episode is special because Rob used to be a listener of Successful Dropout, and he's now worked his way up to becoming a guest! It's so amazing to be apart of a community and movement that is inspiring people to step off the conveyor belt and build the best version of their lives. Rob and I talk about his journey, and then go deep into the process of Amazon FBA. If you want a great platform to start building your first business on, Amazon FBA might be for you!    RESOURCES Connect with Rob on Facebook!  Jungle Scout Helium 10 Viral Launch THANK YOU! Thanks again for listening to the show! If it has helped you in any way, please share it using the social media buttons you see

Sivana is an ambitious and outspoken 20-year-old who believes the reason most young people aren’t achieving what they want is that they are unclear on who they want to become, undisciplined, and have a lack of support in education outside of the current system. From an early age, she has had her hand in different endeavors, including a successful fashion resale business, to a failed PR business. As a college dropout, Sivana has traveled from a suitcase for 14 months forging relationships and working with Forbes CEO’s, NYT bestselling authors, and online influencers. She is now on a mission to leave an impact through new forms of education, digital marketing, and influence. Sivana is passionate about speaking to high school students, reading way too many books (if that’s even a thing), and watching reruns of Survivor. Sivana is very much a kindred spirit and the epitome of a Successful Dropout with her approach to life and work. From her struggle to know herself, to her commitment to get 1% better everyday and

Jeremiah is the Cofounder and CEO of SimpleTiger, a boutique digital marketing agency specializing in SEO for entrepreneurs. The SEO industry is plagued by smoke and mirrors, blackhat techniques, and a lack of transparency, and Jeremiah wants to change that for good. For 11 years, Jeremiah has helped companies like Segment.com, Shopify, NBC, MTV, E*Trade, LG, and Sports Illustrated see significant gains in their search results, organic traffic, and revenue. Jeremiah's story is a fascinating journey that illustrates the importance of introspection and understanding yourself to the fullest. If you have self-knowledge, a world of opportunity opens up for you that would not be available without it. Truly, it's hard to overstate the importance of this.  Some of the things we talk about Poor grades in school and what that means Understanding your unique learning style The importance of self awareness Just in time learning Tips for SEO and getting your site more exposure on Google Building an SEO agency Benefits of

This week I decided to sit down with my wife and sister and answer some questions from the SD community.  Between the three of us we all run six figure businesses, manage employees and staff, run podcasts and communities, two of us dropped out of school, we've been broke, had business partners, worked with spouses, siblings and friends building businesses, we've failed, we've succeeded, we've switched, pivoted, or quit things...you name it. We got a great response and you guys asked some fantastic questions that we do our best to answer here. We don't have it all figured out, but we can speak from a lot of experience and the fact that we are STILL in the process of figuring it out.  Here are some of the things we talk about: Benefits of a brick and mortar business versus an online business Business plans Business partners Raising money to start your business How to start a brick and mortar business with a family and busy schedule Being business partners with family and friends How to be a great podcast gue

Brodie is a public speaker and serial entrepreneur. Brodie currently owns and operates a number of businesses including a commercial real estate brokerage, a telecom marketing agency, and a high-risk payment processing company. Brodie currently travels the country with his wife hannah speaking and attending a number of events on the topics of addiction, personal development, fear, motivation, and entrepreneurship. Brodie uses his past experiences with his battle against drugs and alcohol to inspire and empower others to overcome their afflictions. Some of the things we talked about: Brodie's journey dealing with alcohol and drug addiction Getting himself together, become a real estate agent Relapse! How do you get to know yourself? How do you go about understanding who you are? The important of meditation and it's real purpose Starting a telecom company Dealing with fear Underlying rage and how it can be useful Why hardship and failure is essential Brodie gives advice to his 18 year old self Recommended book

Caspar believes in challenging conventional thinking on how leaders and teams become truly effective and create extraordinary results. Caspar has 30 years’ experience in building teams to make things happen. Starting as an entrepreneur at the age of 14, he has built and led teams in global corporations, start-up businesses, struggling businesses and high growth businesses. He built a team on a trophy-winning world racing yacht. But his toughest challenge by far was building his family team to sail around the world: with his wife and three children aged 9, 7 and 2. Along the way he has built multiple successful ventures from scratch and sold one for a 7 figure sum whilst sailing the Pacific Ocean. This was one of the most fascinating interviews I think I've ever done. Caspar literally blew my mind and compelled me to set new standards for myself, my family, and my businesses. This guy took his family on a two year long sailing trip and at the same time built three successful 7 figure businesses and sold one o

Greg and Jeff are doing some amazing things to create social change in developing countries through the power of entrepreneurship. It was amazing to have them on the show and hear about their upcoming program, Career X and how YOU as a member of Successful Dropout can get involved.  If you are interested in entrepreneurship, looking for an adventure, and want to challenge yourself...how better to do it than going to Guatemala to build a business?? The adventure is 2.5 weeks long and you'll experience all the steps of launching a business: design thinking and prototyping, marketing, content creation, supply chain strategy, customer experience and more. You'll also be working with Jeff and Greg who have been building impactful businesses for over 15 years!  The first Guatemala program runs May 24 - June 10 so hurry and check it out here! This is your chance to gain unforgettable and invaluable entrepreneurial experience + have a crazy adventure you'll always remember.  About Greg Van Kirk & Jeff Hittner Gre

Andrew Schneck is a 26-year old college opt-out and obtained a college degree with the least possible amount of personal time spent in the classroom. He is an entrepreneur in the healthcare industry , building clinics that target addiction and mental health disorders. Prior to entrepreneurship he taught himself long-term investing in the stock market and has enjoyed national investing competitions, shareholder meetings, and selling research to investment firms. He mentors entrepreneurs and finance professionals as they seek out nontraditional careers. His goal is to fix healthcare and elevate those around him. Andrew has played a very integral role in the Successful Dropout community since the early days. He's the epitome of a Successful Dropout and someone who has overcome some massive obstacles in his journey to build the best version of his life.  I loved having him on the show again and I would highly suggest you reach out and get to know the guy!  Here are some of the things we talk about: Having bus

For this week's episode I wanted to share an interviewed I did on Stephen Warley's Life Skills That Matter podcast. This was part of an "interview swap" that Stephen and I did, and you can find his interview on Successful Dropout here.  Stephen is an absolute boss and is doing some incredible things to push this new paradigm of work we are entering into as a society. I had a blast on his show and  we discussed a lot of things including: Rethinking the American Dream. Calculating the cost of your ideal lifestyle. Moving from a permission mindset to a freedom mindset. What I learned from trying so many different career paths. I explains the concept of self-credentialing. Some inspirational quotes to remember: “My goals are all, they’re all set with the primary focus being, like, how do I want to spend my time and who do I want to spend my time with and the money, I believe, sort of comes as a result of that.” “You stick to doing what you love and building what you love, as long as it’s working, you know, I

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to a church door in Wittenberg to protest the sale of indulgences. These were pieces of paper the establishment church sold at great cost, telling people it would save their souls. The church made a fortune doing it. Likewise, universities today are selling a piece of paper at great cost and telling people that buying it is the only way they can save their souls. Universities call it a diploma, and they’re making a fortune doing it. Call them heretical if you like, but the 1517 Fund is dedicated to dispelling that paper illusion. Extraordinary careers are possible outside tracked institutions! Danielle Strachman (General Partner, 1517 Fund) - In 2010, during the founding of the Thiel Fellowship, Danielle joined to lead the design and operations. She is the visionary behind the Thiel Summit series that has been attended by some 2000 young entrepreneurs. Previous to her work with Peter Thiel, Danielle founded and directed Innovations Academy in

In this episode, Kylon and Teliah talk about their seven years of marriage and what it's been like building businesses and working together as husband and wife.  Some of the things they talk about: How to handle high stress situation with each other...a must if you are building a business with your spouse! How do you prioritize goals and objectives together and stay on the same page? Long distance relationships. Maintaining personal and work boundaries. Sectioning off time to be productive but also not losing time being together and developing the relationship. Tons more! THANK YOU! Thanks again for listening to the show! If it has helped you in any way, please share it using the social media buttons you see on the page. Additionally, reviews for the podcast on iTunes are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show and I read each and every one of them. Join the Successful Dropout Nation! Subscribe to the Successful Dropout Podcast. Join our private Facebook

Madelyn Moon is an author, podcast host, retreat leader and transformational life coach. She is a guiding force for women and men who want to stop over-thinking their lives away and live with more trust, intuition and flow. Maddy Moon was driven by perfectionist energy for most of her life, which led her down a dangerous path. Always striving to do more, be more and accomplish more, she found herself disconnected from her body with multiple disordered eating patterns, a restlessness and a lack of confidence. Maddy has since healed her heart, spirit, body and mind and is now taking life by the reigns by leading thousands of women and men across the world through their own transformational experiences via her podcast, Mind Body Musings, her website, MaddyMoon.com, and her global retreats. Her work and story has been featured in The Huffington Post, Teen Vogue, Nylon Magazine, The Daily Mail, Vice, Greatist, Men’s Health, PEOPLE and ABC News Nightline. It was awesome to have Maddy on the show. We really covered

Romacio Fulcher was a college dropout at the age of 19. By the age of 25, he was a self-made millionaire in real estate. That only took Romacio so far, he realized that although he had a steady income of $25K a month, living in California he was broke. In the last 10 years, he has made millions of dollars in the network marketing industry. Most recently, he rose to the top of his company within the first 4 months and earned over $2.3 million within his first year. Now he is on a mission to help 75 people make $10K a week. Romacio was an absolute pleasure to have on the show. The dude is like a preacher, and his message is about some very simple systems you can implement in your life right now to propel you towards success. This is worth listening to with a pen and paper! Here are some of the things we discussed:  The Golden Question to ask in networking The 3 Keys to Assured Success How to have a success mindset to achieve any goal The value of having a mentor and how to choose the right mentor for

Jeff leads Your Project X, a social venture dedicated to helping people (re)discover their purpose to build careers they’ll love. He has more than 18 years experience as an entrepreneur, consultant, professor and changemaker. He is the founder of five social ventures, including IBM’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) consulting practice. In 2011, he developed the curriculum for the first MBA in Sustainability on the East Coast, at Bard College, where he was the Leadership professor. He was also two-time Chairman of the Carnegie New Leaders at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs. Jeff’s passion has always been at the intersection of education and entrepreneurship. Prior to your Project X, he ran a career transition program for 64 New Yorkers, built global education programs including a blended learning initiative for high school dropouts in Latin America and career discovery programs for youth in Europe. He is currently piloting a 4 month multi-country internship and personalized leade

So this episode could potentially destroy my career. I decided to sit down and get really honest about a few beliefs of mine in lieu of an email I received from a listener. Honestly I felt really exposed recording this, and I'm still not sure if it was the right move or not. One thing I always want to make sure and do is be authentic with you guys...and I want us all to be authentic with each other. I think it's really important to open up respectful dialogues and debates on important topics and to try to understand each other's point of view. Successful Dropout is a very special community. I want it to be a place where anyone from any background in any circumstance can succeed and feel like they are home. Resources Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Fankl THANK YOU! Thanks again for listening to the show! If it has helped you in any way, please share it using the social media buttons you see on the page. Additionally, reviews for the podcast on iTunes are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do

Matt is originally ​from the Rocky Mountains in Idaho and​ moved to ​Miami after founding Daycation and leaving school at B​rown Unive. The goal was to get closer to the hotels ​Daycation was partnering with to begin building the company. Matt worked in hotels growing up in Idaho and always had a passion for architecture and hospitality.  Matt left school after his first year at Brown where he took courses in economics, urban studies, math, business and philosophy. I loved chatting with Matt and hearing his story. From the early days of building a startup, to dropping out of college, to hitting rock bottom (literally sleeping on rocks!)...it's a familiar and inspiring story for many of us. I especially loved talking with Matt about acting from first principles...this is a habit you need to get into!  ​Some lessons: Don't give up even when the going gets really painful. I think perseverance is often overlooked as a key trait to success in entrepreneurship, lots of people quit too early. ​Enjoy the ride. Findi

Loved having my wife Te on for this one! We sat down with a couple drinks to talk about excuses, "extreme ownership" and several other things.  Te is a serial entrepreneur, health coach, yoga instructor, and author. In addition to owning Renu Hot Yoga and NUYU Juice Bar, she also hosts her own yoga teacher trainings, runs private health retreats, coaches private clients, and sells her book "Choose You".  Quotes that stood out in this episode: "there's no such thing as a good excuse, even if it's a good one." and "that really chaps my ass".   Resources Te's website Choose You by Teliah Gienger War of Art by Steven Pressfield THANK YOU! Thanks again for listening to the show! If it has helped you in any way, please share it using the social media buttons you see on the page. Additionally, reviews for the podcast on iTunes are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show and I read each and every one of them. Join the Successful Dropout Nation! Subscribe to the Succ