Successful Dropout

Travis is the co-founder and CTO of Newchip. An if you guys remember we’ve had Ryan Rafols on the show who is the other co-founder of Newchip. He believes crowdfunding is the future of investing and that millennials will lead the impending economic revolution. Travis has been involved in startups for over 20 years and has consulted over 2,000 startups and more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. More recently he helped build the fastest growth private company in Austin, winning Inc 500 #21, where they boot strapped a company from $1k per month revenue to over $1.2 million per month in less than 14 months, generating over $40 million in 4 years. Starting his Junior year in High School Travis took evening classes and joined the school’s work experience program in order to qualify for half days. By his senior year he was only attending 2 High school classes. At 19 he was already making $150k/year and at 21 he raised his first 10 million. Resources Newchip Travis' LinkedIn Travis' FB Travis' Twitter GolfBoard THA

Some vintage Successful Dropout here! Michael's episode used to be one of the most shared episodes on the show! Here it is again in all it's glory: After deciding to skip college, Michael Fisk founded Photoboxx, an event based photo activation company that released one of the first Instagram printers in the world. Photboxx built it's foundation in the hashtag printing industry and has quickly become a product used internationally by some of the world largest brands including Harley Davidson, Coca-Cola, TGI Fridays, Teen Vogue and Acura. This new startup has inspired thousands of fans to engage with their favorite brands on social media. This guy is a rockstar of a Successful Dropout, a serial entrepreneur with a passion for business and for his wife and three daughters. Time Stamped Notes 00:55 Kylon's intro 01:30 Michael tells us a little bit more about himself 02:33 What is Photoboxx 06:10 Michael shares his dropout story and why he decided to skip college 14:48 Advice for how to communicate with parents

This is episode is part 2 with the incredible Braun Shedd! See his first episode here.  I love chatting with Braun. Sometimes I feel like I'm sitting at the feet of a young Socrates in the making. The dude is an incredible philosopher - full of wisdom, alway searching, always questioning...the epitome of a Successful Dropout. I hope you enjoy listening to Braun in this episode as much as I did when we were recording! Some of the things we talk about: Forest fires and how the world is coming to an end Cryptocurrency and investing Braun Shedd was almost a Bitcoin millionaire. Almost. Got into BTC at $0.10! Stealing his parent's electricity to make money What Braun has been up to since Actiview Chatting about startups How do you know if you are building something people want? The realities of building a startup 3 things you definitely want to know before you jump into a startup   Crypto, startups, and how to get the most out of next year with Braun Shedd   Resources 8760 Hours PDF - Amazing worksheet. How to

Seth Hymes is the Founder and CEO of In Demand Career Training.  In Demand Career Training teaches future entrepreneurs how to get a job in the rapidly growing field of digital marketing. A graduate of NYU's film school, Seth found digital marketing in 2014 after successfully doing marketing for another company….not long after that he quit his job and began working for clients independently.  Since then, he has created the Digital Marketing Career Blueprint, which teaches students the in-demand skills in digital marketing from the ground-up, as well as how to put together resumes, talk to hiring managers, and get the job you want.  Seth has not only found great success with In Demand Career Training, but has also helped literally hundreds of students get interviews and jobs or become entrepreneurs themselves. This entire interview was gold...but my favorite part is the wisdom Seth shares towards the end of the episode. Seth is extremely passionate about helping his students learn the ins and outs of digital m

There are two types of entrepreneurs...which one are you? One is better than the other. This is another episode released a long time ago before Successful Dropout blew up. It has too few downloads...so here it is again!  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. Enter your email on the top right of this page for regular emails from Kylon Gienger on how to drop out, grind, and succeed. Follow @kylongienger on Instagram!

Sean Kim is the CEO of Rype, one of the world’s leading language learning platforms, and the founder of The Growth List, a media company focused on helping you become your best self. He is also a Columnist on Inc. and a contributor to Fast Company, Observer, TIME, and a few other publications. Sean shared a ton of value in this episode - no doubt a result of his wide array of entrepreneurial ups and downs. He has an incredible perspective on entrepreneurship and living unconventionally that I think you will enjoy. Here are some of the things Sean and I talked about Sean's story - from first business to broke, stranded and homeless Journeyed to Argentina and doubled his money! The importance of experimenting - figuring out who you are and what you are good at Transferable skills and career capital What are your unique strengths? What are your competitive advantages? How to win 30 consulting gigs in 30 days Looking for that one thing that works out of twenty or thirty things you try and fail at. Using pressure

This week I brought a special guest on - my second cousin Christian Bell. It was an absolute pleasure to chat with him. He has uniquely varied experiences in formal education, Ivy League schools, government, and small business that provide well-rounded perspectives on the pros and cons of each.  We chat about: Ineffectiveness of government and lack of incentive Checking the appropriate boxes to get into Ivy League schools Christian's experience at various Ivy League schools (Oxford, Yale etc.) Education doesn't foster curiosity, most of the time it even beats it out of you. How important are the "regular" school subjects, for example history? Should you take the time to learn it even though you may never use it again? Or should you only invest your time into your natural curiosities? Or both? Many shirts are too short for my torso  Is a degree in business necessary to start your own business? If you are going to college - be intentional! Free college only serves to lower the overall value of a college degree

Zachary Babcock is the author of Prison To Promised Land, a book he wrote on his 5 year experience in prison about how anyone can find happiness and fulfillment in life, even after the loss of loved ones, drug addiction, and spending years in prison. Zachary is now an inspiring transformational speaker and life coach. He inspires lasting change in countless lives through his unique story of overcoming adversity and the lessons that he learned through his experience. Zachary also owns and runs his Facebook advertising agency to help entrepreneurs, online business owners, and small business owners market their message to sell their products and services. Zachary has an incredible story of achievement and success in the face of extreme adversity and struggle. It was an honor to have him on the show. Here are some of the things Zachary and I talked about: No matter how good of a person you are you can't be liked by everybody. Sent to prison at 19 years old and thought his life was screwed Sister passed away due

Kylon talks about pressure and shares a personal story illustrating how pressure can be used as a tool to take things to the next level.  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. Enter your email on the top right of this page for regular emails from Kylon Gienger on how to drop out, grind, and succeed. Follow @kylongienger on Instagram!

At 19 years old Cathal dropped out of University in the UK to join a small team of four in Manchester to start building a social media marketing agency called Social Chain. In the first year, the team grew to around 30 staff, and he worked as the Head of Campaigns, overseeing the execution of all client work. Since then, Social Chain has worked with brands such as Puma, Malibu, Comedy Central, BBC and Universal. 2016 saw Social Chain’s expansion to Berlin and even New York and their staff has grown to around 60. Cathal has also recognized by Tech Insider as one of their "50 most influential people on Social Media" Resources Social Chain 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 

Just listen to the episode. Hackers stole $8,500 worth of bitcoin from my Bittrex account. If you are in cryptocurrency…this is an important lessons to learn! Don’t make the same mistakes I did!  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. Enter your email on the top right of this page for regular emails from Kylon Gienger on how to drop out, grind, and succeed. Follow @kylongienger on Instagram!

Sachet is an Indian-American entrepreneur specializing in mobile technology and marketing. With extensive knowledge in developing consumer products on the iOS and Android platforms, he has also been able to make several of them go viral; both independently, and through his companies. Currently, Sachet is focused on an anonymous, geolocation based social media app he launched with his partners, “Covertly.” He is also running his independent affiliate marketing business that he uses to fund his lifestyle. As a side hustle, Sachet trades his own capital on the cryptocurrency markets, A.K.A bitcoins & alt coins, and consults with his friends to do the same. Covertly has gotten over 150,000 downloads on the Apple App Store, and has raised $150,000 from investors at half a million dollar valuation. Sachet plans to double, or even triple that valuation within the next two fiscal quarters. Sachet is the epitome of an the entrepreneur who has experienced the full spectrum of roller coaster rides in the process of

Kylon shares four business ideas that you can get started on today. These are all businesses that Kylon has built before as well.  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. Enter your email on the top right of this page for regular emails from Kylon Gienger on how to drop out, grind, and succeed. Follow @kylongienger on Instagram!

Micah dropped out of Cornell university to found Maidbot, a company on a mission to bring Rosie the Robot (kind of like The Jetsons TV show) to reality - starting with the world's first housekeeping robot for hotels. Maidbot is starting to attract some major customers such as The Marriott, and The Hilton...and just finished it’s first round of funding. I really enjoyed talking with Micah. He's young, but he's sprinting out of the gate. What struck me most about this episode was Micah's mentality and reason for starting Maidbot. He actually worked in the industry he wanted to build a business in (hospitality), and experienced the problems and challenges within the space first-hand. With this knowledge he started working on solutions to solve those problems...which eventually turned into Maidbot. At the end of the day, being an entrepreneur and building great businesses is about solving people's problems by building a great solution. You won't know what solution to build, if you don't understand the problem, an

Kylon explores what success really means. Success is relative. Do you really want to be a millionaire? Or do you just want to LIVE like a millionaire?  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. Enter your email on the top right of this page for regular emails from Kylon Gienger on how to drop out, grind, and succeed. Follow @kylongienger on Instagram!

The epitome of what it means to be a life hacker, Maneesh Sethi went to travel the world using hacked plane tickets shortly after graduating from Stanford University. He created his website, Hack the System, with the intention of showing his readers how to achieve the lifestyle of their dreams (and teaching them how to get free plane tickets). His latest project, Pavlok, is a little magical haptic feedback wearable that helps train habits, improve athletic performance, and train learning. Know more about Maneesh and Pavlok here (pavlok.com). I had a great time talking with Maneesh...the dude has done a lot, to say the least. It's clear that his passion lies in hacking well established systems that few people attempt to hack themselves or even think of hacking. Education, credit cards, music, fitness, habits...he seems to have a hack for it all. Maneesh is definitely the epitome of an unconventional thinker and doer...you'll also love his stories and experiences. Heck, I looked up his youtube channel and there

In this episode Kylon explores what to do when you feel like you have too many interests and you are not sure what to pursue. If you are a student, and you are paralyzed by indecision, this episode is for you. Listen to it right meow.  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. Enter your email on the top right of this page for regular emails from Kylon Gienger on how to drop out, grind, and succeed. Follow @kylongienger on Instagram!

Man, I really enjoyed this conversation with Brett! I don't often share interviews of myself personally, but I thought this one was really special. This is actually part 2 in a continuing series/collaboration between Brett Veinotte of School Sucks Podcast: The END of Public Education, and myself. Part 1 was me interviewing Brett and you can find that here. In this episode, Brett was supposed to be interviewing me for his audience, but it ended up turning into a lively conversation between the two of us. I enjoyed the heck out of it and so I decided to post it for the Successful Dropout community to enjoy as well.  Brett is such an awesome dude. We talk about everything from religion to budgeting and beyond: What does "living the dream" mean when someone says it with a scowl? Community and accountability through Christianity Shame and judgment through Christianity too The law of attraction!  Self-trust: Kylon was an unenclosed child Comfort zones and glamorizing "failure" Confronting resentment towards succe

...Aaaaaand yet again another resurrected episode. To those of you who have been expecting new content on Fridays, it's coming back, I promise! Things have just been a little crazy in my world lately and so it works well for me to re-purpose some of my old content from a year ago that didn't get many downloads to begin with. BUT, this particular subject, talking with your parents about opting or dropping out, has been a question I still get often. So here is the answer and the strategy once again for everyone to hear!  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. Enter your email on the top right of this page for regular emails from Kylon Gienger on

When Andrew Schneck was in college, he broke up with girls to spend more time in the library studying finance and long term investing. His interest in this led him to study more than half of the 3000 public companies in the US, attend shareholder meetings, and he even got in touch with a few billionaires. This activity put him on the map at his school as a hard working and budding entrepreneur. It wasn’t long until a college buddy’s father invited Andrew to join him in building a healthcare business. In 2016 Andrew went from 0-100 quickly as the healthcare business grew. It was really a pleasure to have Andrew on the show since we have been friends on social media for a long time now. He is very active in the Successful Dropout community, Facebook group, and in entrepreneurial circles as well. Love what he is doing to solve a huge problem through entrepreneurship!  In this episode we: Talk about the importance of relationships with close friends with whom you can go deep with, wrestle with tough questions, a