#838 Give Me 30 Minutes and I’ll Help You Plan Your Next 90 Days in Business
Timestamps are as accurate as they can be but may be slightly off. We encourage you to listen to the full context.
Podcast Summary
This episode reveals a powerful framework for business growth using 10 deceptively simple questions that can transform any business in just 90 days. Host Dan Andrews walks through the exact methodology used with 7 and 8-figure clients to create clarity, focus, and measurable progress. The framework addresses everything from identifying your biggest business constraint to building strategic relationships and maintaining team accountability. (02:07)
- Main theme: A systematic approach to 90-day business planning that prioritizes simplicity and execution over complex strategy development
Speakers
Dan Andrews
Dan Andrews is the co-founder of Tropical MBA and host of the long-running Tropical MBA podcast. He runs a multimillion-dollar business and works with 7 and 8-figure entrepreneurs through coaching and mastermind programs. Andrews has built his expertise in bootstrapped business growth and location-independent entrepreneurship over many years of practical experience and client work.
Key Takeaways
Identify Your Single Biggest Constraint
Every business has one key challenge that, when solved, unlocks the entire system to flow faster. Andrews emphasizes that as a founder with limited resources, you must identify this constraint and focus your best energy on solving it. (03:29) This isn't about having a long to-do list but about finding the one unlock that creates real progress. The key is to move beyond infinite possibilities and focus on what will actually drive growth in the next 90 days.
Establish One Core 90-Day Focus with Accountability
Rather than spreading effort across multiple initiatives, successful teams rally around one core focus for 90 days with clear measurement and accountability systems. (06:35) This means identifying who is responsible, how progress will be measured, and how the team will keep score daily or weekly. The power comes from simplicity - your team gets a clear message about what matters most, not pages of scattered notes and competing priorities.
Understand the True Job Your Customers Hire You to Do
Andrews introduces the "jobs to be done" framework, explaining that customers often buy products for different reasons than companies think they're selling them. (08:24) The McDonald's milkshake example illustrates this perfectly - morning customers weren't comparing milkshakes but looking for a convenient breakfast supplement during their commute. This shifts your competition from other milkshakes to bagels. Understanding this true job helps you position your product correctly and optimize for what customers actually value.
Create Three Brand Promises with Proof
Effective positioning comes through three simple brand promises - two measurable and one qualitative. (12:45) Each promise must be backed by concrete proof. This framework simplifies all marketing decisions because every piece of content reinforces one of these three promises. Teams no longer need to be constantly creative about messaging - everything connects back to proving these core promises to your ideal customers.
Pricing is Your Most Powerful 24-Hour Business Lever
Andrews calls pricing "the biggest lever in your business" and "the most powerful way to change a business in 24 hours." (22:58) You can run pricing experiments quickly - going premium, down-market, or testing different structures. Most businesses have untested pricing assumptions that could dramatically impact their results. Unlike other business changes that take months, pricing experiments can be implemented and tested within minutes to hours.
Statistics & Facts
- The framework focuses on 90-day planning cycles, with Andrews noting that "typically, if you execute well, then this key challenge could change in ninety days." (06:02)
- For hiring promises, Andrews gives the example of their recruiting company promising to "hire your next great Latin American team member in twenty one days or less," backed by proof that "the last 100 hires we made. On average, they're happening less than three weeks." (13:32)
- Facebook's key leading indicator was measuring "how many of its users logged in every day," with the philosophy that "if x percentage of our user base is logging on to Facebook in the last twenty four hours, our ecosystem will be healthier." (24:52)
