Successful Dropout

Kylon shares a simple concept: the more novel experiences you have, the longer you will perceive your life to be. 

Guys! I can't begin to describe how cool of a feeling it is to have my younger sister featured on Successful Dropout. I'm so proud of her, and she has accomplished so much in just a few short years...much more success ahead for her! She is the epitome of a blooming Successful Dropout and a self-directed go-getter. If you have any questions about how to navigate the entrepreneurial waters and direct yourself outside of college - get in touch with her! 

Chelann at 20 years old is a serial entrepreneur focusing her ventures on inspiring and empowering others to chase their dreams and goals in life. Two weeks before graduating with her AA in college, Chelann opened NUYU Juice bar along with three other partners at the age of 18. Less than a year later she launched the Entrepreneur Before 25 Podcast out of a desire to inspire and unite young and like-minded entrepreneurs together. On the podcast Chelann interviews inspiring entrepreneurs who started their journey at the age of 25 and under. 

Ron Brumbarger is one of Indiana’s most recognized technology and education entrepreneurs. In 1992, Ron co-founded BitWise Solutions, Inc. and continues to serve as the company’s president and CEO. Ron’s foray into education started in 2006 when Governor Mitch Daniels requested he launch Indiana’s first statewide, virtual charter school (now known as the Hoosier Academies). In 2013, Ron founded Apprentice University ® - an award-winning proficiency college serving motivated high-school graduates eager to accomplish more than a traditional college degree. In 2016, Ron published his first book, “You’re Always Being Interviewed.” Ron and his wife, Cindy, enjoy traveling and spending time with their two sons, Tanner and Hudson.

I learned so much in this episode. Ron comes across to me as a very humble and a somewhat reserved person...those kinds of people almost always have loads of wisdom to share when they are asked the right questions...Ron was no exception. Here are just some of the things we talked about:

• The benefits of apprenticeships and how they are different from internships
• The history of traditional school and we discover where the term "credit" came from and what it really means
• What employers look for in an employee
• How to be conscience about your decision to go to college or opt-out
• Why traditional schooling is nothing like football (there were a lot of football analogies)
• What's wrong with traditional schooling, and how to challenge yourself outside of the system - a better way to do education.
• Great advice for parents in here too!

Patrick started his first company RED Alerts at age 17. It was a software platform to ease and enhance event scheduling and communications at schools, churches, and governments. A few years later he co-founded Phone2Action where he builds tools that help profit and non-profit companies activate and engage their supporters to be part of the civic process. 

Patrick is a great example of someone who started building solutions to problems at an early age. Remember, solving problems is the essence of entrepreneurship. Since Patrick built the RED Alerts software platform in high school and started generating a user base and interest in that so early on, he had two feet to stand on when he decided to drop out of college. Great example of why it's never too early to start building things...even while you are still in school. 

Tam is an entrepreneur, author, and speaker. He’s  built and managed online and in-person communities with Mixergy, The Hustle, 500 Startups, Lean Startup, and also under James Altucher. He teaches a course with Andrew Warner on how to create messenger bots to grow your business. And He’s also written two books: The 1st of which is about teaching people how to network. And the 2nd book is about teaching college students how to land their dream internship.

This episode was a blast. Tam gives great advice on how to talk to your parents about dropping out, he also talks about the most important things to keep in mind when starting your first business, we talk about messenger bots, breadth versus depth of knowledge, and we thoroughly answer the question, "is a college degree worth it?".

Michael is co-founder and CEO of Epic Playground, Inc. He is a veteran entrepreneur with a specific focus on Web-based software and services. Michael considers helping people understand and leverage technology his life's work. In addition to creating companies and running Epic Playground, Michael is heavily involved in the Dallas, Texas startup community, building on the lessons from the Boulder and Denver community – where he spent seven years. He is a mentor to several other individual startups, and he is debt free, including his house!

Guys I absolutely loved this episode. Michael will probably be on again in the future. In this episode we talk about questioning your belief systems, virtual reality, how Michael's daughter is "unschooled", how Michael quit smoking in 1 day, how he lost 40 pounds by eating mindfully, how he became debt free and why he sold a new car in favor of a $1700 junker. Lots of great stories that will challenge you to think differently! 

"A lot of times in life, the most fun things you can possibly do and the most value you can get out of life is to experiment and tinker with what your belief systems are. Question everything, constantly." - Michael

Justin has been pushing his limits for years now by pursuing extreme sports like free diving, back country snowboarding, surfing monster waves and much more.

He's a serial entrepreneur living life to the fullest, and he teaches entrepreneur's, high achievers, & sales people how to write, market and publish their first book in 90 days around their full time job even if they suck at writing and have no ideas. He loves helping people create passive income and he's built multiple million dollar businesses. 

Patrick is an American entrepreneur, author and creator of the Valuetainment channel on YouTube, which has been referred to as “the voice for entrepreneurs.”  Patrick is currently the CEO and founder of PHP Agency Inc. (People Helping People) which is a leading insurance sales, marketing and distribution company.  He resides in Dallas TX with his wife and three children.

His viral video: "The Life of an Entrepreneur in 90 Seconds" is worth checking out on youtube. Over 30 million total views and counting.

Braun is a 19 year old high school and college dropout based out of San Francisco. He works at Actiview, a blind and deaf technology startup after he had a line of several jobs at enterprise companies and VC firms. Braun is a huge fan of philosophy and hopes to convince people to work on problems that matter. 

We go deep into the philosophy of experientialism, and how you can live more lifetimes than the average person by seeking out more novel experiences. Braun lives a life that is consistently inconsistent as a result of his personal philosophy, and I found the idea pretty fascinating as I began to understand his reasoning. I think you will too.