I take a sip of my morning coffee and glance out into the Verde Island passage.
My office is a white outdoor table facing the ocean. I’m at Badladz, one of the most relaxing beach resorts in the world.
Behind me lies the resort; nine single rooms, six double rooms and the best nachos in a 100 mile radius (they import their ingredients from North America!).
The soft “pitter-patter” of my Macbook Air’s keyboard blends with the cool ocean breeze. Above me, numerous coconut trees reach to the cloudless sky.
It’s just another day at the office.
This morning, thousands of location independent folks are opening their laptops in a variety of locations. Like me, some of them are at the beach. Others are hidden away in the mountains, some are sitting in cafes and yet more are in a typical office with desks and office chairs.
All these people share one thing in common – their laptop is their business.
Or rather, they can run their business wherever their laptop is. This means that they can work
Anywhere in the world.
In 2007, a book called the Four Hour Work Week was released to the world. It inspired thousands of people to give up their day jobs, escape the 9-to-5 and live anywhere.
Fast forward five years and the popularity of the book has inspired a movement. Phrases like “location independence” and “lifestyle design” have entered the lexicon of entrepreneurs around the world.
In less than two weeks, a group of passionate entrepreneurs will be arriving at Badladz Resort in the Philippines. They’ll learn about what it takes to build a successful business while living abroad at the Tropical MBA Summer School.
Tropical M-B-whaaat?
The old script defines that life should follow these steps:
School >> College >> Job >> Retire >> Die
But given the latest economic developments, hordes of people are disillusioned with the old script.
The old model no longer works. Getting a degree is no longer a failproof strategy to get a job.
In 2012, a degree is often nothing more than a piece of paper. In most cases, it does not guarantee that you will get a job.
So if you’re not guaranteed a job after college, why go to college in the first place?
That’s a question that Dan Andrews from Tropical MBA has an answer for.
Dan believes that college is a waste of time.
Dan’s advice to people disillusioned with the old model?
Become an entrepreneur.
Two years ago, Dan decided to break away from the old script and offer other people the chance to do the same.
To get the ball rolling, he began by offering internships throughout South East Asia. Interns were given positions with a variety of different businesses in a variety of different locations.
Interns were given the opportunity to work with successful business dudes and learn about what it takes to succeed at the location independence game. Along with the work, they often received a small monthly salary and living arrangements.
Sure, all of them got paid less than they might have earned in any Western city, who wouldn’t? Especially when your office looks like this:
This sure beats the office back home.
With the relatively low cost of living, South East Asia provided the perfect location to cut expenses and focus 100% on building a successful business.
Intern #1 was Sean Ogle, the popular lifestyle design blogger from Location 180.
Since then, 9 internships have been offered to people from all over the world.
It has also been the inspiration for a number of other entrepreneurs taking interns of their own.
Two recent examples include Chris Ducker, the outsourcing pro and the Adsense Flippers, the… well… Adsense pros.
Also, to put another spin on things, this blog post is being written by John McIntyre, Intern #8 and currently positioned at Badladz in the Philippines.
The Tropical MBA internships usually attract tons of applications. It seems that people are eager for the opportunity to break out of their jobs and become a location independent entrepreneur.
In the last few years, an entire business has grown out of the Tropical MBA, including a paid community for location independent entrepreneurs, private SEO services and a top-rated iTunes podcast.
As with all journeys, Dan eventually found himself asking
What’s next?
With the popularity of the internships and the growing location-independent community, it seemed like a natural evolution to offer a Tropical MBA Summer Class.
In June, the first Tropical MBA Summer Class will kick off.
12 eager guys and gals that are passionate about creating a location independent lifestyle for themselves will knuckle-down and learn how to create a successful business.
While Dan was satisfied with his blog and podcast, he began to think,
Wouldn’t it be fantastic to get a passionate group of entrepreneurs in a room together and do something great?
And with that, the Tropical MBA Summer Class was born.
Along with world-class business advice from Dan and his team, all attendees will stay for two weeks in the Philippines at Badladz Beach Resort.
Badladz Beach Resort is in Puerto Galera, a small town in the Philippines. It is a popular tourist spot and attracts people from all over the world. The big draws are the scuba diving and the nightlife.
During the two week Summer Class, there will be numerous brainstorming sessions, lots of midday swims to cool off (the Philippines is HOT!) and of course, plenty of hustle.
After two weeks, people will leave with a fully-fledged business idea and they’ll hit the ground running in their quest for location independence.
In August, just one month later, it will be time for round 2…
The internet has created a radical shift in the workplace. You no longer have to work from an office.
You can literally live and work anywhere in the world. On the beach. In the mountains. At a cafe.
This isn’t just for backpackers and people willing to earn tiny wages for the opportunity to travel. If you’ve got a bit of grit and determination, you could put together a million dollar business using nothing but your laptop.
The world is your oyster.
It is an age of unprecedented freedom.
Will you let it pass you by or will you get in on the action and ride this wave to the top?
If you’re trying to break out from the old script, check out Dan’s blog and podcast.
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