Location: Company HQ – Reading / Viewing Time: 20mins

Part of the Virtual Business Lifestyle revolves around entrepreneurship and passive income streams. Video blogging is hot stuff right now – it seems that almost every blogger online today is at least flirting with it in some way. There are several that are utilizing it exclusively, like today’s special guest and good friend, Tyrone Shum. You’ve no doubt already heard my interview with Tyrone in a recent Podcast. However, as he is one of the best video bloggers I personally know, I wanted to get him back for a more in-depth look at this specific topic.

Utilizing video online cannot be discounted any longer. And in this video / podcast you’ll hear Tyrone discuss, amongst other things:

• How simple and easy it is to get started with video blogging.
• The tools of the trade he uses to record his videos (so easy!).
• The massive impact video blogging has had on his own passive income.
• How he utilizes online services to blitz the search engines and get found on YouTube.
• Much more cool stuff…!

Download the audio of this podcast to listen to on your iPod, iPhone or iPad below, and be sure to subscribe to our Podcast on iTunes, too!

As a blogger utilizing video myself, pretty much from the first ever post here on the blog, I have to say (like I do in the video), I’m much more of a talker than a typer, and this medium is certainly one that I will be sticking with (if not concentrating on!) in the future for this blog and any others that I might start off.

Let’s us know about your experiences with video online, good and bad, what you think of it as a blogging concept and lets see if we can get a few additional tips together for everyone to enjoy – comment below.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Utilizing technology, particularly the technology available to us online and for free, is paramount for any wannabe location independent entrepreneur. There are a multitude of services and online tools out there to help you become more mobile and start to embrace your very own Virtual Business Lifestyle. Instead of listing all of them down here, I thought it would be best to let you in on the five main tools I use personally, in order to remain as virtual as possible and work in a seamless way when I am traveling, or simply ‘out of the office’.

Download this post below to listen to on your iPod, iPhone or iPad, now. Don’t forget to subscribe to our iTunes Podcast, too!

Amongst other things, in this post, I mention:

Gmail & Google Calendar – The absolute necessity when it comes to cloud computing. All my email addresses (I have 5 different) go through my one Gmail account, and I can read and reply to them, along with making changes to my calendar (and sharing my calendar with my assistant and wife), from anywhere in the world, on any computer in the world.

Dropbox.com – A great free resource to share files throughout a number of different devices, real-time, and with a number of different people. You get 2GB for free and can increase that to 8GB by inviting friends! I use it with my wife for personal stuff, like photos when I’m traveling, with my PA for anything we might be working on together, and even my Marketing Team for collaborating on campaigns we might be working on.

Blackberry / iPhone, or other Smartphones – Essential for email on the go. Not strictly an online tool, but, let’s face it, no modern-day, savvy entrepreneur can be without one of these. I’m currently using Blackberry, but can’t wait for the iPhone4 to hit the Philippines in a couple of months!

Skype - Call other Skype users for free anywhere in the world (and even landlines and mobiles at great international rates) from any computer / device where it’s installed. You can also SMS, too. Plus, the ‘chat’ function is great for communicating when overseas in real-time, but at an affordable (free!) rate. I haven’t made an international phone call without using Skype for a long, long time – seriously.

GoToMyPC - Nowadays, you don’t even need to have your computer with you to be able to access it fully. Simply install this nifty piece of software on your regular PC or Mac, leave it at home / in the office (switched on) and then login at GoToMyPC.com whenever you want to get onto your computer, from anywhere in the world. You can literally use it in exactly the same way you would if you were sitting at it yourself!

As a closing remark, you’ll see in one of my past posts, where I show you my mobile office, for when I’m on the road (Note: I no longer use a PC – I switched to a MacBook Pro a couple of months ago), you don’t need to bring a lot with you to continue to work when traveling, in a seamless way – check out these business travel tips for more info, too.

I’ve even had people ask if they can come up to my office, when I’ve been working at a beach resort – now THAT’s being a virtual entrepreneur!

If you’re new to the blog, be sure to download my free eBook on working with virtual staff to create a more mobile lifestyle – and don’t forget to sign-up for our RSS feed, too – there’s tons of great stuff planned for the blog in the coming weeks and months ahead… Thanks for your support!

Location: Company HQ – Reading / Viewing Time: Appx 30mins

As lifestyle designers go, my guest in this latest edition of the VBL Podcast, Cody McKibben, is a pretty cool cat. His blog, Thrilling Heroics is a thumper of a read, and although he doesnt do them nowhere near enough, his video posts are very enjoyable, shot around the world (mostly Asia) and give people the ‘real’ taste of lifestyle design that so many online surfers are looking for.

Originally from Sacramento, California, Cody is now living the internet lifestyle, working remotely from a number of different locations and consulting on anything from social media to web design and development. Our chat is an light-hearted look at lifestyle design and everything that goes along with it.

Amongst other things, we discuss:

• How he started outsourcing to freelancers to get more done.
• The things that keep him motivated day-to-day.
• How he dodged the bullets and bombs this year, whilst living in Bangkok (literally!).
• Why he encourages people to quit their job and become location independent.
• The secret to utilizing Social Media to build your online brand.
• Plus much more!

It’s talking with guys like Cody that continue to spur me on in regards to my Virtual CEO mission. At such a young age, this guy is doing what he wants to do, when he wants to do it, making money, living life and that – my dear readers/listeners/viewers – is what its all about!

Enjoy this conversation with Cody, and be sure to leave any feedback, comments and questions below, I’m sure he wont mind dropping by and answering them! See you next time…

Location: Company HQ – Reading / Viewing Time: Appx 30mins

Last year I picked up a book called ‘The Myth of Multitasking’. It was a first published work by then new-on-the-block author, Dave Crenshaw. Since then Dave is continued to kill it on a daily basis. He is now a highly respected business coach and speaker, as well as being the President of the National Association of Productivity Coaches and recently launched his second book ‘Invaluable’.

Dave focuses on helping people become great at what they do, and getting the most out of their time. Something that every entrepreneur could do with some help on! Our conversation is a lively one, full of excellent info and tips from a real one-off business owner and serious thought leader!

One thing that I love about Dave is that his outlook on personal productivity is nothing short of vibrant – in every way. In this great chat we discuss, amongst other things:

• Why he set-up the National Association of Productivity Coaches.
• The philosophy behind his new book “Invaluable”.
• The one major problem with entrepreneurs!
• His Dorky Dance video clip.
• His favorite public speaking story.
• Plus much, much more!

Here’s a clip to the Dorky Dance Video, as promised! Also be sure to check out Dave’s Blog and follow him on Twitter and Facebook, too!

Download, devour and enjoy this great conversation. Apologies for my earbud microphone rubbing up against my shirt collar from time to time on this video/podcast. I only just realized that is can get a little irritating. I’ll be super careful next time!

Look forward to reading your comments and questions below, as usual guys!

Location: Home Office – Viewing / Reading Time: 30mins

Last week I had the great pleasure to interview, via Skype Videocon, one of the guys that I really do enjoy following online – religiously. David Siteman Garland ROCKS! Plain and simple. As our little podcast continues to grow and as it just got listed with iTunes (you can subscribe directly with iTunes by clicking here), what better way to celebrate this milestone by unleashing our first Video interview and with such an awesome entrepreneurial force, too!

For those of you who don’t know David, he is a real entrepreneur’s entrepreneur! His zest for life, the energy behind his awesome TV show and the way that he carries himself in his interviews with some of the most popular businesspeople and authors of our time, is just as fun to watch as the content itself.

I have actually be following David for a while, but finally got around to posting a comment on one of his recently shows at TheRiseToTheTop.com, and was surprised when he replied as quickly as he did. I mean, seriously… he was ON IT! We conversed via email a few times, and he then agreed to do an interview for the VBL Podcast. Excellent.

Within our chat, we discuss, among other things:

• The importance of growing a community.
• The difference between caring and not.
• How he invested everything he had into his ABC TV show.
• Why he is now focusing on the online medium instead of TV.
• What he would considering outsourcing and what he wouldn’t!
• His upcoming book, published by Wiley.
• Much more…

For those of you who would like to listen to the interview instead, here is the player / link, as always.

I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation, and following my intro and the questions being asked, you’ll see I am a little quieter than usually! It was one of those conversations where you sit back and learn.

If you enjoyed the interview, please let me know by commenting below and retweeting to a few buddies that you think might also like to check it out. Don’t forget to subscribe to the iTunes feed, and the RSS feed for the blog, too – tons of more stuff coming soon! Thanks again, guys.

Location: Home Office – Reading / Listening Time: 25mins

A while back I was lucky enough to stumble over a comment that Australian entrepreneur, Tyrone Shum left on my Facebook page. I visited his blog, TyroneShum.com, and since then we have spoken a couple of times on the phone, and he also interviewed me via video for his blog last week. Tyrone has carved out quite a nice following in the online world, I believe mainly because of his excellent content and easy going approach to marketing online.

We sat down for the latest edition of the VBL Podcast after talking on Skype for almost an hour, and so were already pretty warmed-up, as they say. What ensued was a very loose, and enjoyable conversation which started with me being concerned that I’d be caught picking my nose on camera (he was filming it for his subscribers!) and ended with a multitude of subjects being covered.

In the audio you will hear us discuss, among other things:

• How Tyrone sold his ‘brick and mortar’ business to go online, full-time.
• The strategies he uses to be able to make $10,000 a month from his online businesses.
• His excellent MassOutsource program, which is very popular.
• The importance of working hard, but balancing family time.
• And much more!

Myself and Tyrone hit it off immediately and its clear to see that the two of us have very similar thought processes on many different aspects of life and business.

As someone who currently utilizes working with Philippines based virtual assistants, Tyrone is someone that anyone looking at outsourcing life in anyway, should check out for great tips and info. I’ve asked Tyrone to pop by the blog when he gets a chance, so please feel free to leave any messages and comments below for him.

As always, thank you for the continued support of these podcasts and I hope to be able to bring more to you soon – be sure to subscribe to get the latest updates on them!

Location: Home Office – Reading / Listening Time: 19mins

Entrepreneurial mindset is more abundant nowadays than ever before. The ‘youth’ of today (just saying that, in that tone makes me feel old…!) literally have the world at their feet – and more importantly, their finger tips. The way that entrepreneurial lifestyles are created and manifested today is waaaaaay different to the good old days of setting up a lemonade stand, or selling cup cakes at a local fair.

Today’s podcast features one such entrepreneur. Arielle Scott – The Youth Digital Strategist (love this title!). I came across Arielle’s latest and greatest project, GenJuice.com through a mutual online friend – Tony Ruiz, who I interviewed a while back for the podcast (click here to listen). Her quirky, fun attitude is a breath of fresh air. Her outlook on business and life is more than just inspirational and the fact that she woke up as the sun was rising, to sit with me for a while via Skype impressed me, I have to say. I mean, who am I to wake up early for, right!??!

Within the content of our chat we discuss:

• The first company she started, at just 18 years old
• The reasons why she is inspired to work with young entrepreneurs
• How a group of young branders meeting for fun became part of the GenJuice movement
• The upcoming GenJuice US Tour
• How her GenJuice partners are living to get close to the lifestyle they truly desire
• So, so much more cool stuff…!

It’s conversations like this one that I really enjoy bringing to you guys. They are rare. Smart, eager to get going and incredibly ambitious, Arielle and the rest of her GenJuice team are definitely on to something here. The concept behind the movement is one thing on its own – but, going on a TOUR of the US and ‘bringing it to the people’ is a whole different ball game.

I’m very happy to be supporting Arielle’s vision here, and I wish the GenJuice crowd all the best, and sincerely hope that I do end up in LA towards the end of the tour so I can be a part of the finale!

Dan Andrews and 1st Semester Tropical MBA Winner, Sean Ogle at Work!

Location: Home Office – Reading / Listening Time: 19mins

About three months ago I flew to Manila on business and whilst I was there I met with entrepreneur and virtual boss, Dan Andrews. We originally met via his blog OutsourcetothePhilippines.com, which I thought was an excellent resource for anyone looking to outsource or set-up businesses in the Philippines. We got talking and Dan told me about TropicalMBA.com – which blew me away.

I did a video interview with Dan for the blog, which you can check out here. And he also interviewed little ‘ol me for his Podcast, too.

So… Fast forward 6-8 months following the first semester and the Tropical MBA is now searching for one lucky so-and-so to be part of the second semester of this excellent program. I sat down with Dan last week to discuss this a little more via Skype (whilst he was on an awesome island here in the Philippines), and you’ll hear him formerly offer VBL readers the opportunity to apply for the Tropical MBA themselves, if they should want to do so!

We also discuss:

• How the first semester of the program went with Sean Ogle (the first lucky applicant)
• The in’s and out’s of this second semester
• What the second lucky virtual worker / entrepreneur will ‘get’ for their involvement
• Lots of laughs…
• Lots more info!

Its entrepreneurs like Dan that I enjoy being around. They have the ’screw it’ attitude, and literally get to it every day. That is the sign of success in the making (if it’s not been achieved already!).

As far as I am aware, he is working on a handful of projects right now – but, it’s probably way more than that in reality!

Click play below to listen to this excellent Podcast with Dan, and leave your questions and comments below, so Dan can get back to you personally. You can also find out more on his Tropical MBA program by visiting his website, too.

Location: Home Office – Reading / Listening Time: 18-19mins

Welcome to another edition of the VBL Podcast. The first two podcasts, with Tony Ruiz and Pat Flynn proved to be quite popular, so to follow these guys up I needed to come up with someone that could really ‘knock your socks off’. I believe I’ve done it with Maren Kate from Escapingthe9to5.com.

Maren has worked her way up from waiting tables to become a successful entrepreneur in her own right, with just two years of ‘business life skills’ under her belt. Brilliant, Ballsy and Beautiful she is slowly, but surely, becoming more and more popular in the land of social media, especially for those that want to escape the rat race to become their own boss!

In this interview we discuss, among other topics:

• How she utilizes a number of virtual staff to grow her businesses!
• The one piece of entrepreneurial wisdom she gives to all aspiring rat-race-quitters!
• The easiest way to get ‘out there’ as an online marketer!
• How she eve-drop’s her way into meeting awesome business people in Starbucks and beyond..!

Having Maren featured on the blog’s Podcast has been a real pleasure. And it is an even greater pleasure to let you know that she also interviewed yours truly at the same time, and will be posting the audio at her blog soon, too!

So, when you’re done listening to Maren’s pearls of wisdom, feel free to hop over to her blog, and check out my docile tones, too – if you like!

I’ve asked Maren to pop onto the blog from time to time to answer any questions you might have for her, so feel free to comment below, and I’m sure she’ll reply soon.

Location: Company Offices – Reading / Listening Time: 45mins

Last week I had the chance to sit down via Skype and speak with one guy that is completely Crushing It in the online world right now – Pat Flynn. Pat’s blog www.smartpassiveincome.com is one of the fastest growing blogs online right now, and he has been featured on ProBlogger as well as LifeHacker in the last couple of months alone.

In our podcast, I ask Pat a ton of questions. I figured a 20min chat with this guy, but it lasted for closer to an hour, and I personally felt that it could have gone on longer without any issues, if we both didn’t have scheduled telecon’s straight after!

What I love about Pat is that he isn’t shy with information. His blog is filled with tons of useful information, and he is consistently coming up with something new to discuss, analyze and present to his loyal legion of fans. Throughout our chat we discussed, amongst other things:

• What smart passive income really is.
• How he juggles working from home and being a father.
• His advice for aspiring online marketers.
• How he see’s the future of eBooks.
• His iPhone App’s and other future business plans.
• The Three key ingredients to creating passive income in the right way!

This is a great interview, and I’d like to thank Pat for taking the time to chat with me. Every now and then you sit down and converse with someone and, when you’re done and finished, the conversation continues to roll around inside your head for a good few hours. This was one of those chats.

Just press ‘play’ and following listening to the interview, please leave questions for Pat, and comments in general below, and I’ll see if I can convince him to drop by and answer them.

Thanks for your ongoing support and help in spreading the word of the Virtual Business Lifestyle blog.