Episodes

In this episode Neel interviews Chris Munn, a fellow remote local entrepreneur. Chris grew up in Detroit, now lives in LA (though he lived in Paris for a while), but has a cleaning business based in Tampa. Neel connected with him on Twitter and they had a chance to meet and connect in real life and decided to continue on some of the themes they had a chance to discuss when together, including: Chris' start in business via residential real estate Why Chris prefers the multiples on offer in real ...

In this episode Neel interviews Jodie Cook, who recently exited her remote local business (and is getting ready to start another!). Jodie knew from an early age that she wanted to work and earn her own money and be independent, and that hustle meant sometimes two jobs as she figured out what she wanted to do. Turns out that was a social media digital marketing agency that began from the desire to travel and work. It would be some time before she realized that travel/work relationship in her bu...

In this episode Neel and David talk about limiting beliefs, how to identify them, and how to replace them with empowering beliefs. David has been preparing to leave for 90 days off the grid and was worried one of his businesses would implode and Neel was battling the idea that more growth = worse life. Both of them share how these limiting beliefs paralyzed them for a while and how they moved past them. They also discuss: Why it can be hard to identify those beliefs Why you can't just eliminate...

In this episode Neel and David sit down with Derek Dodds and have a leisurely conversation about how Derek found his calling. Derek currently runs WaveTribe , an ecological surf company, has an interest in Naked Armor , a wet shaving company, and serves an advisor to a publishing company he co-founded, 2 Seas Agency . The path he took to get to those projects is anything but conventional. Derek also shares: Going from having a gun in his hand at the age of 5 and being a hunter to becoming a veg...

In this episode Neel and David brainstormed, putting the podcast itself into the frame that they discussed in Episode 32: the three levels of entrepreneurship. If you haven't listened to that episode yet, do so, so that this episode will make more sense! Neel and David consider the podcast to be still at Level 1, aka "Podcasting for Dummies." They discussed the origins of the podcast, why they prefer a conversation/co-host format, and why they keep the episodes short in length. They also discus...

In this episode Neel and David share the ONE BIG SECRET of successful remote local business owners. Okay, so the secret is...well you're going to have to listen to the episode to get it, but here are some of the other things Neel and David talk about: "Level 1" entrepreneurship, which is essentially like building and working in your own job "Level 2" entrepreneurship, which involves trying many different things while you develop a secret sauce "Level 3" entrepreneurship, in which you strive to b...

In this episode Neel interviews Johnny Robinson and Sergio Silesky, co-founders and owners of Orange Window Cleaning. Johnny and Sergio didn't grow up as entrepreneurs...in fact it wasn't until college when they found out that "anyone" could start a business and started a side hustle in residential and commercial window cleaning. That side hustle became a real-deal business when they found out that they hated jobs that they had been trained to get after going to college. And now they are on th...

In this episode Neel and David discuss his upcoming disappearing act: he's going to be totally off-grid for the first three months of 2022. David has been doing meditation for 6-7 years now and sees a three-month off-the-grid training to be a teacher in the Vedic meditation tradition as the next step. But he has a portfolio of businesses...what to do? Neel quizzes David on: What his endgame is How David used delegation, promotion, and partnership to prepare for this What "growth" looks like wit...

In this episode Neel and David build on their "New Year's Resolutions Suck" episode by reflecting on 2021. Both Neel and David built strong romantic relationships this year, and also started this podcast. For Neel, that meant getting out of his comfort zone and engaging more on social media and elsewhere. But it was also part of something that David had introduced him to the last time they spent a lot of time together: meeting people that are very different from himself. He's curious about rep...

In this episode Neel and David tell you why they think New Year's Resolutions are no good and what they have planned for 2022. David is starting 2022 with a three month off-grid meditation teacher training. Neel will be spending 10 days in Panama in the first quarter of 2022 doing some survival training. They talk about the methodology they use to make plans for big events like these and what else they have planned for the year. They also discuss: Jesse Itzler's calendar hacking Tactics to mak...

In this episode Neel and David discuss how emotions play into personal and business decisions, and a system for how to avoid making poor decisions. When Neel isn't running MaidThis he enjoys buying and selling real estate on the side and he recently got to closing day with a buyer that ended up being dishonest. He recorded this episode on the day he got the news that the buyer was trying to change the deal at the last moment so we recorded this as a time capsule of this thoughts. David asks: Ho...

In this episode Neel and David discuss their recent deeper dives into social media and why it's been a challenge for them. David has really been very active on Instagram and Neel has spent more time on Twitter. Both of them have been less willing to be involved in social media in the past simply because they weren't entirely comfortable on various platforms. But both of them have come to separately realize that there are opportunities to engage with people in a real way that doesn't need to fo...

In this episode Neel and David discuss the stress of running a remote local business. David begins the discussion philosophically by asking what the function of stress is within an evolutionary framework: it's there to give us tools to deal with a threat. While we might not have to deal with a tiger chasing us, sometimes our body can still react as if that's the case, and we need to reframe that thinking. They also discuss: situations that lead to stress in modern businesses, particularly the r...

In this episode Neel and David discuss the well-known abundance vs. scarcity dichotomy. Both Neel and David came from immigrant backgrounds which had a certain amount of scarcity baked into their upbringing and have had to unlearn some of that programming. David notes that one of the ways he knew he was embracing an abundance mindset was the willingness to invest in himself. They also discuss: How you can't save your way to financial independence The inability of fear or scarcity to add any val...

In this episode Neel and David talk about how to get started in acquiring a remote local business. While it can feel intimidating to get into the world of "buying a business" the reality is that like anything else, it's a learning curve but isn't nearly as complicated as it looks like from the outside. One of the things David, who has gone through 16 acquisitions at the time of this recording, stresses is the importance of the "investor" mindset when looking at businesses. They also discuss: Ta...

In this episode Neel and David give the BIG SECRET to taking your business to the next level. That secret is...being less available to your team! This helps: Empower your team Free you up from doing less valuable work so you can add greater value Give you the space to take three month mediation training retreats (like David wants to do next year) Level up your quality of life as a business owner Enjoy the episode!

In this episode Neel and David discuss how to build your marketing strategy when you're just starting out. David sets the stage for the discussion by pointing out that every business wants a consistent, profitable stream of customers without too high of an acquisition cost. How do you do that? Neel and David explain: Different channels (both online and offline) available to businesses Using your competition to reverse engineer a marketing plan The importance of testing and budgeting in differen...

In this episode Neel and David interview Giuseppe Grammatico, the Franchise Guide about all things franchise-related. Giuseppe was once a corporate executive who hated his job and looked for an exit strategy in becoming a business owner. He chose to hire a coach to help him choose a franchise and in the process decided that's exactly what he wanted to do. He runs the Franchise Guide and has a book and podcast to help educate those who, just like he was years ago, want more control of their fin...

In this episode Neel and David discuss how timezones affect your remote local business, whether you are traveling for business or pleasure. David was running his business in Colorado for a few years before deciding to live in Israel for a year, and he was sometimes answering the phone in the middle of the night. Neel wasn’t ever that crazy and brought on someone pretty early to help with calls and even when he did go away, it was to time-compatible Latin America. They also discuss: Stories and ...

In this episode Neel and David discuss the impact of where you live in relation to your entrepreneurial growth. Neel begins by stating his own preference for a larger city, where he will get access to more activities and a community that will push him to work harder. He characterizes this as “big city energy.” David’s own preferences are split: he enjoys being out in nature, near the mountains or the beach, but also enjoys the momentum and energy that can come from being in a bustling and busy ...

If you're looking to start a local business or expand in your current business, your local market and competition matter a lot. Trying to rank on Google in New York is going to be very different experience than trying to rank in Omaha, and the competition and rewards differ from market to market as well. Neel pulls from his experience with analyzing franchise territories and David pulls from his acquisition experience to provide a play-by-play on how you can analyze any geographic market and see...

In this episode, we have a super special guest - Rohan Gilkes, Founder of Launch27 and MaidsInBlack. After 10 years working in corporate, Rohan got laid off from his banking job and starting a local cleaning company on a whim just to find some extra cash to afford his car payment. After scaling the business to over $20,000 in PROFIT per month within 8 months, Rohan decide to posted his story on a Reddit forum, which inspired thousands of people to start their own local business (including Neel)....

Have you ever wondered if a motivated entrepreneur can have zen-like calmness? In today's society, being very calm and highly driven seem to be at odds with each other. Today's episode is about dispelling that myth and discussing how mediation and spirituality can drastically improve your entrepreneurial journey and help you live a more meaningful live. Neel & David discuss: The current “hustle culture” mentality portrayed in social media David's journey in meditation & spirituality How meditati...

Cam Woodsum left the tech world in Silicon Valley and found himself on the digital nomad path. Within a handful of years, he was able to achieve 'financial retirement' through his affiliate website businesses and other ventures. Cam is obsessed with world impact, freedom, happiness and entrepreneurship, and now runs FreedomIsEverything.com and Nomad Impact Ventures. Before his nomad life, Cam ran the special projects group at DoorDash, a Silicon Valley company backed by ~$1B from the early inves...