If you’ve been living under a rock, you might have missed Alex Hormozi’s record-breaking launch of his latest book $100M Money Models (yep, reps from Guinness World Records were there to verify.)

One of the most prominent internet business gurus of our time, Alex’s marketing and launch strategies paint a vivid picture of the power of “the influence equation.” Love him or hate him, his journey is inspiring for all entrepreneurs. Here are 5 takeaways from the launch, specifically for bootstrappers in the trenches.

LINKS

This week’s sponsor: spp.co “Your billing, onboarding & projects in one client portal”

CHAPTERS

(00:00:00) Intro

CONNECT:

[email protected]

Past guests on TMBA include Cal Newport, David Heinemeier Hannson, Seth Godin, Ricardo Semler, Noah Kagan, Rob Walling, Jay Clouse, Einar Vollset, Sam Dogan, Gino Wickam, James Clear, Jodie Cook, Mark Webster, Steph Smith, Taylor Pearson, Justin Tan, Matt Gartland, Ayman Al-Abdullah, Lucy Bella.

PLAYLIST:

The Changing Landscape of SEO and the Influence Equation

In this week’s episode, Allen Walton (SpyGuy) shares how he’s using AI to build custom tools with almost zero coding experience, and how founders can turn everyday business spending into first-class flights.

From AI-powered inventory forecasting to unlocking elite travel perks, this episode is packed with practical tips for bootstrapped entrepreneurs ready to work smarter and travel better.

LINKS

This week’s sponsor: spp.co “Your billing, onboarding & projects in one client portal”

CHAPTERS:

(00:00:00) Today’s Guest: Allen Walton

CONNECT:

[email protected]

Past guests on TMBA include Cal Newport, David Heinemeier Hannson, Seth Godin, Ricardo Semler, Noah Kagan, Rob Walling, Jay Clouse, Einar Vollset, Sam Dogan, Gino Wickam, James Clear, Jodie Cook, Mark Webster, Steph Smith, Taylor Pearson, Justin Tan, Matt Gartland, Ayman Al-Abdullah, Lucy Bella.

PLAYLIST:

Top 5 SEO Tactics That Still Work in 2025 with Sean Markey

TMBA 256: Making Sense of Awards Points and Business Class Upgrades w/ Erik Paquet

TMBA 540: Are You Generating Income or Wealth? w/ Nat Eliason

Organic traffic is getting weird… and kinda looks like an alligator’s mouth (you’ll have to listen to the episode to see what we mean).

SEO expert Sean Markey joins Dan to break down 5 strategies still working in 2025: from parasite SEO to aged domains and Reddit "hacks." If you’re trying to cut through the LLM noise, this episode is the ultimate SEO rabbit hole.

LINKS

Sean’s SEO newsletter for CEOs and founders that hate SEO newsletters

CHAPTERS

(00:00:00) Today’s Guest: Sean Markey

(00:02:53) The State of SEO in 2025

(00:03:49) What SEO Leaders Are Doing (Instead of Panicking)

(00:04:44) How to Own Page 1 Without Ranking

(00:07:25) Buy Your Way Into the SERPs

(00:09:23) The Reddit Mod Hack No One Talks About

(00:12:58) How Small Channels Are Printing 60K MRR

(00:14:46) Ranking in LLMs Without a Prompt Engineer

(00:17:26) The Aged Domain Shortcut That Still Works

(00:20:54) What Is Parasite SEO (And Why It Works)

(00:22:50) The AI Prompt Stack SEO Founders Are Gatekeeping

(00:25:25) Why Local SEO Still Wins in 2025

(00:26:45) Is SEO Even SEO Anymore?

(00:29:36) Why Community > Courses in 2025

(00:33:03) The 1-1-1 Model: Simple, Scalable, Profitable

CONNECT:

[email protected]

Past guests on TMBA include Cal Newport, David Heinemeier Hannson, Seth Godin, Ricardo Semler, Noah Kagan, Rob Walling, Jay Clouse, Einar Vollset, Sam Dogan, Gino Wickam, James Clear, Jodie Cook, Mark Webster, Steph Smith, Taylor Pearson, Justin Tan, Matt Gartland, Ayman Al-Abdullah, Lucy Bella.

PLAYLIST:

TMBA 588: Embracing Growth Through Setbacks w/ Sean Markey

From Struggling Plumber to $57K MRR w/ Tom Richards

Why Founders Shouldn’t Delegate AI (Barcelona Recap)

How are legit 7- and 8-figure founders leveraging AI in their businesses? Spoiler alert: they’re not just handing it off to their teams.

From cutting high level consultants to redefining metrics and leadership, Dan shares 7 takeaways from our recent DC BLACK event in Barcelona for million-dollar founders.

LINKS:

CHAPTERS:

Audio:

(00:00:46) AI Is a Founder-Level Problem

(00:01:16) Real AI Use Cases From 7-Figure Founders

(00:05:15) Financial Freedom Starts Earlier Than You Think

(00:07:45) Million-Dollar Nomads Are Rare (And That’s Powerful)

(00:10:38) How to Hire For Less in Latin America (Quick Plug)

(00:11:38) The Rise of the Lifestyle Business CEO

(00:14:39) Why Fringe Curiosity Is a Superpower

(00:16:21) What’s Your North Star Metric?

(00:22:22) The Meta Takeaway: Define Your Constraint

CONNECT:

[email protected]

Past guests on TMBA include Cal Newport, David Heinemeier Hannson, Seth Godin, Ricardo Semler, Noah Kagan, Rob Walling, Jay Clouse, Einar Vollset, Sam Dogan, Gino Wickam, James Clear, Jodie Cook, Mark Webster, Steph Smith, Taylor Pearson, Justin Tan, Matt Gartland, Ayman Al-Abdullah, Lucy Bella.

PLAYLIST:

The Brutal Truth About Business Exits with Rob Walling

The Content Flywheel Behind a 7-Figure Education Business ft. Timothy Moser

Health Advice That Goes Against Everything You Know ft. Jay Feldman

Timothy Moser, founder of LearnCraft Spanish, shares how he scaled a 7-figure education business in today’s fast-changing online landscape. From why SEO is collapsing to the surprising rise of YouTube as a high-converting channel, Timothy breaks down the strategies behind his content flywheel, email list growth, and powerful giveaway launches that turn listeners into paying customers.

Dan and Timothy also discuss what founders really get from in-person Dynamite Circle events, how a 30-person remote team stays aligned, and the realities of carrying entrepreneurial responsibility—even when you “unplug.”

LINKS:

LearnCraft Spanish

CHAPTERS:

(0:00:13) Welcome & Today’s Big Question

CONNECT:

[email protected]

Past guests on TMBA include Cal Newport, David Heinemeier Hannson, Seth Godin, Ricardo Semler, Noah Kagan, Rob Walling, Jay Clouse, Einar Vollset, Sam Dogan, Gino Wickam, James Clear, Jodie Cook, Mark Webster, Steph Smith, Taylor Pearson, Justin Tan, Matt Gartland, Ayman Al-Abdullah, Lucy Bella.

PLAYLIST:

Health Expert EXPOSES the "Eat Less, Exercise More" Movement

Going Deep With Your Customers

Taking the Entrepreneurial Leap

When Dan started training for an intense cycling season, he needed more energy... without wrecking his health. That led him to Jay Feldman, a health researcher who believes most mainstream advice is dead wrong.

LINKS:

CHAPTERS:

CONNECT:

[email protected]

Past guests on TMBA include Cal Newport, David Heinemeier Hannson, Seth Godin, Ricardo Semler, Noah Kagan, Rob Walling, Jay Clouse, Einar Vollset, Sam Dogan, Gino Wickam, James Clear, Jodie Cook, Mark Webster, Steph Smith, Taylor Pearson, Justin Tan, Matt Gartland, Ayman Al-Abdullah, Lucy Bella.

PLAYLIST:

Dan and Ian respond to a series of spicy "unpopular opinions" about entrepreneurship, employment, digital nomadism, and lifestyle design, sourced straight from Reddit.

They weigh in on whether boring businesses really win, if you can get rich working a 9-to-5, and whether meeting locals is overrated when traveling as a nomad.

LINKS:

22 FREE business resources for location-independent entrepreneurs

CHAPTERS:

(00:00:00) Intro

(00:01:08) Unpopular Opinion #1: Boring Businesses Actually Win

(00:05:26) Unpopular Opinion #2: A Job Can Make You Rich

(00:11:22) Unpopular Opinion #3: Strategic Planning Is a Waste

(00:13:49) Unpopular Opinion #4: Meeting Locals is Overrated

(00:17:49) Unpopular Opinion #5: Entrepreneurship Isn’t All Sacrifice

CONNECT:

[email protected]

Past guests on TMBA include Cal Newport, David Heinemeier Hannson, Seth Godin, Ricardo Semler, Noah Kagan, Rob Walling, Jay Clouse, Einar Vollset, Sam Dogan, Gino Wickam, James Clear, Jodie Cook, Mark Webster, Steph Smith, Taylor Pearson, Justin Tan, Matt Gartland, Ayman Al-Abdullah, Lucy Bella.

PLAYLIST:

“Lifestyle Business” vs “Real Business”

Taking the Entrepreneurial Leap

A Game of Would You Rather ft. Noah Kagan

We’re halfway through 2025! This episode is a raw look at what’s working, what’s not, and the experiments we’re doubling down on.

From running premium events at zero profit to building lean teams with talent from Latin America, we share the trade-offs and results behind every decision. Dan and Ian open the books on DC BLACK and DC Accelerator, plus they uncover how Remote First Recruiting quietly had one of its best quarters yet.

LINKS:

CHAPTERS:

(00:00:42) Can You Break a Plateau Without Spending $200K?

CONNECT:

[email protected]

Past guests on TMBA include Cal Newport, David Heinemeier Hannson, Seth Godin, Ricardo Semler, Noah Kagan, Rob Walling, Jay Clouse, Einar Vollset, Sam Dogan, Gino Wickam, James Clear, Jodie Cook, Mark Webster, Steph Smith, Taylor Pearson, Justin Tan, Matt Gartland, Ayman Al-Abdullah, Lucy Bella.

PLAYLIST:

“It’s easier to 10X than to 2X” + 8 Lessons from CEO Bootcamp

Building ‘Brick by Brick’: Goals, Plans, Scorecards, Cadence

90-Day Growth Plan in 10 Questions

The Wheel of Despair and the Paradox of Growth

What happens when you’ve optimized everything… and growth still stalls? In this episode, Dan and Ian break down a powerful distinction most founders miss: the difference between optimization (making your business run smoother) and growth (finding and testing new paths to scale). They unpack insights from Growth Levers by Matt Lerner, a framework that helped PayPal and other startups unlock massive growth and why it still applies to bootstrappers today.

You’ll also get a behind-the-scenes look at how Dan and Ian run operations in under 5 hours per week using the “Four Bricks”: financials, a measured plan, individual scorecards, and pulse meetings (aka the Daily Huddle). Plus: why growth experiments often fail, how to avoid optimization creep, and how interviewing your customers using the “Jobs to Be Done” framework can reveal the 10% that leads to 90% of your growth.

LINKS:

CHAPTERS:

(00:00:13) Intro: Founders, Channels, and What’s Working in 2025

CONNECT:

[email protected]

Past guests on TMBA include Cal Newport, David Heinemeier Hannson, Seth Godin, Ricardo Semler, Noah Kagan, Rob Walling, Jay Clouse, Einar Vollset, Sam Dogan, Gino Wickam, James Clear, Jodie Cook, Mark Webster, Steph Smith, Taylor Pearson, Justin Tan, Matt Gartland, Ayman Al-Abdullah, Lucy Bella.

PLAYLIST:

“It’s easier to 10X than to 2X” + 8 Lessons from CEO Bootcamp

Building ‘Brick by Brick’: Goals, Plans, Scorecards, Cadence

90-Day Growth Plan in 10 Questions

The Wheel of Despair and the Paradox of Growth

What marketing strategies are actually working in 2025? Karla Singson shares standout tactics from a DC Mexico meetup she hosted, where 6- and 7-figure founders revealed how they’re landing clients organically through Facebook groups, trade show podcast hacks, and thoughtful LinkedIn comments (no ad spend required).

We also dive into Karla’s own playbook: how she’s built multiple businesses around authenticity, reputation, and smart delegation. She shares tips for handling sales calls, choosing offers that sell themselves, and why relationships (not reach) are her #1 growth lever.

LINKS:

Karla’s Facebook

CHAPTERS:

(00:00:13) Intro: Affordable Marketing for Scrappy Founders

(00:01:29) Karla’s Business Portfolio: From Flowers to Facebook Funnels

(00:05:00) Why Founders Struggle to Delegate

(00:10:17) 3 Low-Cost, High-Impact Client Acquisition Channels

(00:12:59) Organic Facebook Marketing Still Works (Here’s Why)

(00:15:34) The 400% Revenue Trade Show Hack

(00:18:29) How to Capture Leads by Commenting on LinkedIn

(00:21:17) Why Most Founders Are Hesitant to Run Ads

(00:22:50) The Rise of Hyper-Authenticity

(00:26:30) Why In-Person Still Matters (But Not for the Reason You Think)

(00:27:25) The '10 Industry Friends' Strategy for Rapid Growth

(00:34:41) Why Karla Keeps a Business Portfolio (Not Just One Focus)

(00:36:30) The “Duh” Test for Business Ideas

(00:38:46) Sales Calls: What Actually Works in 2025

(00:38:54) Building Rapport That Converts (No Cringe Small Talk)

(00:41:23) Refunds, Guarantees, and the Power of Reputation

(00:42:11) Lessons from a Business Partnership Gone Wrong

(00:45:31) Why Golf Is the Best Business School

(00:48:05) Playa del Carmen as a Business Base: Pros and Cons

(00:52:37) Karla’s Love Letter to DCBKK

CONNECT:

[email protected]

Past guests on TMBA include Cal Newport, David Heinemeier Hannson, Seth Godin, Ricardo Semler, Noah Kagan, Rob Walling, Jay Clouse, Einar Vollset, Sam Dogan, Gino Wickam, James Clear, Jodie Cook, Mark Webster, Steph Smith, Taylor Pearson, Justin Tan, Matt Gartland, Ayman Al-Abdullah, Lucy Bella.

PLAYLIST:

Marketing to High-Dollar Clients

$1.5 Million from LinkedIn: Strategies for Building Influence and Consistent Revenue

Niche B2B Content = Big Revenue on YouTube

50/50 Partnerships: Saying the Quiet Part Out Loud