The Exit Plan Podcast

This on-location episode is the story of Todd Wente, a former 9-5’er who is living proof that a person with a job and a career can transform into an opted-out master of their own domain, who lives anywhere they choose.  Even if that choice is a tiny Swedish town.  Todd didn’t launch a venture funded company, sell a business, or get a big payout. He’s a regular joe, whose living the opt out life abroad. A lot of people dream of writing a book. Well, Todd did it, and he’s built a new career as a successful self-published writer. Listen to his story now.  More at optoutlife.com/podcast/todd-wente

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In 1997, a young businessman got a wild idea. He and his partner would strike up a business deal with the King of Western Samoa. The plan? To use the tiny island country’s rights to the “.ws” domain extension to create a new “website” alternative for the world to use. Incredibly, that young businessman (our guest, Alan Ezeir) pulled it off, and built a very profitable lifestyle business that made everyone involved a lot of money.  We caught up with Alan to learn about how he’s hustled since his college days to always ask questions, be kind, and satisfy his curiosity in technology, business, tequila, and more. Details: optoutlife.com/podcast/alan-ezeir

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Dana Robinson is a co-host of this podcast, author of the book Opt Out, and the real life version of "the most interesting man in the world".  His life story includes stints as a pastor, a lawn boy, an attorney, a property manager, a published author, and a full-blooded entrepreneur who’s seen inside the stories of businesses as varied as you can imagine.     High end fashion? Wine barrels? Christian audiobooks? As you’ll hear, we’re only scratching the surface of the man, the myth and the legend.     How did Dana go from Bible college to being the founder of the modern “Opt Out Life”?  Our friend Laura Maly is back to help co-host this episode. We’ll do our best to get behind the scenes with Mr. Robinson. More at www.optoutlife.com/podcast/dana-robinson

Imagine your doorbell rings. You walk over, open the door, and standing right in front of you is William Shatner and those two Property Brothers from HGTV.  And a film crew.     Sound crazy?  Our guest today made that story come true for a Star Trek and HGTV superfan, through his most recent venture, Guru Global.  His name is Gabe Douek.  When he’s not steering the ship of GuruHub.TV with his partners, he’s following his peculiar love of all things travel - from airlines and airports, to big hotels and foreign cities.  He’s visited over 70 countries and hacks travel points on hotels and airfare like a pro. And did we mention Gabe was employee #1 at a company that grew from zero to $1 billion in valuation in 7 years? Yep, that's true, too. It all adds up to a very interesting story of a man who lives the Opt Out Life.  More at optoutlife.com/podcast/gabe-douek   Learn more and follow the hosts at optoutlife.com

Relationships are hard. Business is hard. Going against the grain to get what you truly want is hard.  This episode is the story of a woman whose had her fair share of hard things happen. But, she has emerged on the other side as the owner of a growing business, with employees who are treated like family, and a business partner who is family, in the form of her husband, Michael.   Her name is Laura Maly.  She’s a woman entrepreneur about town in San Diego, owner of the Wonderist Agency, and a well-earned liver of the opt out life. Her story is a cool contrast to some of our other guests, who may have had an exit or a meteoric rise with a business. Full episode at optoutlife.com/podcast/laura-maly   Learn more and follow the hosts at optoutlife.com

We love to travel. It's a big reason we've decided to live the Opt Out Life. In summer 2018, your hosts Dana and Nate are taking several trips across the globe. In this episode, we take a break from our typical format to detail our travels to places like Iceland, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, the South of France, Lake Como, Santorini, Sweden, London, Montana, and more. We open with a tribute to the late, great Anthony Bourdain, who passed away shortly after we recorded the episode. Like so many others, Tony inspired us to seek out new places and new adventure, without fear or pretense. RIP Mr. Bourdain. You were a true liver of the Opt Out Life. More at: optoutlife.com/podcast/summer-travels

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It started with used books. Then new books. Then toys. And games. And foods. And soaps. And beauty products. And yes, even Justin Bieber pillow cases.    Our guest is Ryan Mulvany. He’s a self-proclaimed Amazonoholic, or as we’re calling him, the “Amazon Whisperer”.  Joking aside, Ryan has been selling products on Amazon for nearly 10 years, from his garage to the C-suite of his own 8 figure business.  That business (Quiverr) grew into San Diego’s 3rd fastest growing company, and Amazon awarded it with Platinum Seller Status. In 2017, Quiverr was wholly acquired by one of the world's largest CPG brokers, Advantage Sales and Marketing.   But where does this story begin? With the right college degree? Or the perfect job with a trajectory to the top?  Nope. Ryan’s background in engineering, and his graduate degree in film didn’t play a role.  As the kids like to say . . . Alexa, play the Opt Out Life.  Full episode optoutlife.com/podcast/ryan-mulvany   Learn more and follow the hosts at optoutlife.com  

Starting a business can be scary. But what if you and your hot business idea could walk into an office, but it wasn’t like any office you’d ever been to before. The lights are soft. It smells like lavender. You notice a little zen music playing in the background. And someone says, “welcome to Hera Hub”.    This episode's guest is the creator of that unique world, and her name is Felena Hanson.  She was a pioneer in the world of coworking spaces, founding the female-focused Hera Hub in 2011. It not only provides a spa-like space for startups and entrepreneurs, but is a forum for mentoring and incubating ventures.    We caught up with Felena as she spends her days doing what she loves: bringing people together, mentoring and teaching the next generation of entrepreneurs and “opt outers".   So light a candle, and grab your robe and slippers.  Here’s Felena.  Full notes and more at optoutlife.com/podcast/felena-hanson   Learn more and follow the hosts at optoutlife.com

What’s the biggest expense most people face when they want to travel?  The answer is the cost of your flight.  Whether you’re a single nomad ready to backpack Europe or Southeast Asia, or a family of 5 trying to do more than take another boring trip to Florida, travel plans live and die by booking your flights.  You want them cheap.  You want a deal.  And you have to lock them down before you can start fantasizing about all the fun that lies ahead.   Our guest is Brian Kidwell.  Officially, he’s the co-founder of ScottsCheapFlights, a business that emails the best international flight deals of the moment to a list of over 1 million loyal subscribers.  Listen now to Brian’s “Opt Out” story as grown the business from locations that include his parents house, to co-working spaces in Bali, Thaliand, South America, and now, from Austin, Texas.  You can bet it won’t be long before the right cheap flight deal sends him packing for another adventure.  http://optoutlife.com/podcast/brian-kidwell   Learn more and follow the hosts at optoutlife.com  

David Garland has been cashing in on his personality since his early 20’s.  He’s got the gift of gab and the looks of talk show host, a huge online following to the tune of 100,000 email subscribers, and a true lifestyle business that’s landed his company on the Inc 500 with over $3 million in revenue . . . and 4 employees.     We sat down with David on a hot and happening afternoon, poolside in a private cabana at the Vdara hotel in Las Vegas.  The atmosphere is casual - you’ll hear music, beats, clinking margarita glasses, and maybe a few shout outs from our wives - but we figure you’ll like being a fly on the wall as we hang out with a guy who makes millions of dollars a year sitting in his gym shorts, and is cool enough to get mic’d up for an hour in the middle of a weekend in Vegas.  Mentioned in this episode: therisetothetop.com createawesomeonlinecourses.comvdara.com :)   Learn more and follow the hosts at optoutlife.com