What happens when a Minnesota mama’s boy, hockey player, and part-time bread delivery guy quits Cutco twice—only to come back, dominate the fair circuit, and win a Silver Cup? You get Jared Carlton: $1.2M+ career sales, $67K SC2 push, $19K single-day record, and the 2024 Rising Star CSP Silver Cup winner.

In this episode of the No Base Pay Podcast, Jared opens up about what it’s really like to live “fair season,” grinding through state and county fairs to stack six figures in 90 days. He breaks down the daily discipline—ice baths, meal prep, workouts at 5:45 AM, laying everything out for the morning plunge—that’s transformed his results this year. Jared also gets real about shifting from chasing trophies to chasing profitability, cutting expenses, and valuing time at home as much as CPO.

We dive into his backstory—growing up in northern Minnesota with his mom and sister, changing his last name from Erickson to Carlton to honor his papa, quitting Cutco twice before moving into Alex Funk’s basement and giving the business a third shot. Jared unpacks the Silver Cup grind, the nail-biting $11K margin of victory, and the fog that came afterward—how marriage, faith, and focusing on net profit over gross sales gave him a new purpose.

From bodybuilding comps to hockey hat tricks, protein vending machine side hustles to joining the Avengers-level State Fair of Texas team, Jared shows what it takes to bounce back from failure, stack wins, and build a future with his wife Hannah. He leaves us with one piece of advice: surround yourself with the right people, because they’ll make or break your life.

🎧 Produced by: Alex Funk (@unlockwithalex on IG)

💥 Sponsored by: Dream Life Academy Mastermind

🔗 DM “PODCAST” to @unlockwithalex on IG for a free 10-min roadmap call to financial/time freedom.

⏱ Chapters

00:00 – Meet Jared Carlton: Jacked, Fair Season, and Ice Baths in Underwear

03:00 – Life in the Fair Circuit: $200K Goal, $118K at Halftime

07:00 – Daily Systems: Prep, Meal Plans, Ice Baths, and Discipline

11:00 – Backstory: Northern Minnesota, Hockey, Mama’s Boy, Cabin Life

15:00 – From Ericson to Carlton: Honoring Papa and Carrying the Family Name

19:00 – $1.2M Career Sales, $67K SC2, $19K Day, and Rising Star Silver Cup

25:00 – Bodybuilding, Hockey Goals, Marriage to Hannah, and Life Goals

30:00 – Winning the Silver Cup: Burnout, Breakthroughs, and a Nailbiter Finish

36:00 – Life After the Trophy: Shifting Focus to Profitability and Home Time

42:00 – Quitting Twice: Burned Bridges, Bread Trucks, and Funk’s Basement Invite

50:00 – Faith, Positivity, and the Power of Who You Surround Yourself With

56:00 – Marriage as a Team Game: Combining Incomes, Shared Purpose

1:02:00 – Hannah’s Career: From Cutco to AI Bot Boss in Med Spa Marketing

1:08:00 – Federal Team, State Fair of Texas, and “Run Your Own Race”

1:14:00 – Fitness at the Fairs: Protein, Sleep, and Cutting Social Media

1:20:00 – Goals Ahead: Debt-Free, Six-Month Savings, Investments, Fatherhood

1:26:00 – Protein Vending Machine Side Hustle: Passive Gains, Not Just Muscle Gains

1:31:00 – One Word of Advice: Food, Water, Roof, Lord, and the Right People