On Your Terms®

If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably hit the end of the year and thought:

Wait… what actually happened?!

How did we blink and suddenly find ourselves staring down a new calendar, new goals, and the same coffee mug we’ve dragged through the highs and lows of the last 12 months?

Before you sprint into planning mode for 2026 (don’t worry, we’re doing that next week!), today’s episode is all about slowing down long enough to look back—at what worked, what didn’t, what you let go of, what you gained, and most importantly… how it all felt.

Because building a business on your terms means regularly checking in with yourself—not just the metrics, money, or milestones, but the very real human (you!) behind all of it.

Inside this episode, I walk you through the exact year-end reflection process I do myself, including the six life categories I evaluate every single December to help me understand what’s out of balance, what’s thriving, and where I want to direct my energy next.

Grab your notebook, a cup of something warm, and prepare for some gentle-but-honest self-inquiry.

In this episode, you’ll hear…

• The six life categories I use to check in with myself each year
• Why reflecting before planning will make your 2026 goals actually stick
• The progress-based mindset shift that will keep you motivated all year long
• What to ask yourself about what you accomplished, added, and let go of
• How to identify your “accelerators” and “constrictors” going into a new year

Click here to find the full show notes and transcript for this episode.

RESOURCES:

• Get Sam’s free weekly newsletter, Sam’s Sidebar
• Get Sam's book "When I Start My Business, I'll Be Happy"
• Listen to Epi 262. The 6 Weekly Anchors Behind My $8M Business
• Listen to Epi 254. The NEW Way to Structure Your Work Day for Better Content
• Subscribe to Sam's Substack Beyond Business
• Download Sam's Annual Planning Guide
• Click here to be notified when new episodes of On Your Terms® come out
• Click here to watch the free workshop so you can get legally protected right now!

CONNECT:

• Sam on Instagram
• Sam on Facebook
• On Your Terms® on Instagram
• Sam on YouTube

DISCLAIMER

If you’ve ever stared at a blinking cursor while trying to write your weekly newsletter and thought, “What in the whole enchilada am I supposed to say?” — today’s episode is your permission slip to stop overthinking and start structuring your emails in a way that works for you and your audience.

I’m breaking down the two classic newsletter formats (and why I don’t follow either), the hybrid structure I swear by, and the eight must-have elements your weekly emails need if you want them to be opened, read, clicked, and shared.

Whether you're brand new to email marketing or finally ready to clean up the spaghetti-at-the-wall approach we all start with — this episode gives you practical steps to build a bingeable, forwardable, valuable email your people will look forward to every week.

In this episode, you’ll hear…

1. The two traditional newsletter formats — and why a hybrid approach wins
2. Why story-driven writing builds connection (and how to use it well)
3. How to structure “predictable sections” and weekly “boxes” your audience can rely on
4. The three core goals every email should have (and how to choose yours each week)
5. How many links to include — and the right balance between your content vs. other people's
6. Eight essentials you must include in your weekly newsletter
7. How to write subject lines + preview text that actually get opened
8. My #1 habit that instantly elevates the quality of your emails (and makes them sound human)

Click here to find the full show notes and transcript for this episode.

RESOURCES:

1. Get Sam’s free weekly newsletter, Sam’s Sidebar
2. Listen to Part 1, Part 2 & Part 3 of the "How To Grow Your Email List" Series
3. Download the free “How to Grow Your Email List” Workbook
4. Get Sam's book "When I Start My Business, I'll Be Happy"
5. Listen to Epi 262. The 6 Weekly Anchors Behind My $8M Business
6. Watch my email walkthrough training
7. Click here to be notified when new episodes of On Your Terms® come out
8. Click here to watch the free workshop so you can get legally protected right now!

CONNECT:

1. Get Sam's weekly newsletter, Sam's Sidebar
2. Follow Sam on Instagram
3. Follow Sam on YouTube
4. Subscribe to Sam's Substack, Beyond Business
5. Take Sam's free legal workshop "5 Steps to Legally Protect & Grow Your Online Business"

DISCLAIMER

Let’s be honest — most freebies out there? They’re not working.

If you’ve ever spent hours creating a lead magnet only for it to attract people who download and disappear, this episode is your new best friend.

In Part 3 of my 4-part email series, I’m breaking down why your freebie isn’t growing your list (hint: it’s not because freebies don’t work) and how to finally create one that brings in actual future customers — not just freebie hoarders.

From finding the perfect topic your people actually want to grabbing the right metrics to track whether it’s working, this episode gives you the full roadmap to a freebie that converts

In this episode, you’ll hear…

1. Why most freebies flop — and how to fix yours
2. The #1 rule for creating a freebie your audience can’t resist
3. How to reverse engineer your freebie from your offer
4. The secret to positioning your freebie so it attracts buyers, not browsers
5. Which numbers to track to know if your email list is really growing

Click here to find the full show notes and transcript for this episode.

RESOURCES:

1. Get Sam’s free weekly newsletter, Sam’s Sidebar
2. Listen to Part 1 & Part 2 of the "How To Grow Your Email List" Series
3. Download the free “How to Grow Your Email List” Workbook
4. Listen to Part 1 of "How To Grow Your Email List" Series
5. Click here to be notified when new episodes of On Your Terms® come out
6. Click here to watch the free workshop so you can get legally protected right now!

CONNECT:

1. Get Sam's weekly newsletter, Sam's Sidebar
2. Follow Sam on Instagram
3. Follow Sam on YouTube
4. Subscribe to Sam's Substack, Beyond Business
5. Take Sam's free legal workshop "5 Steps to Legally Protect & Grow Your Online Business"

DISCLAIMER

You’ve been told that the only way to grow your email list is with freebies, PDFs, and opt-ins galore—but what if there was an easier (and honestly, more effective) way?

In Part 2 of my How to Grow Your Email List series, I’m spilling the details on my Easy Email Strategy—a super simple way to get the right people (aka future customers, not freebie collectors) on your list without creating a single freebie.If you’ve ever felt frustrated with the traditional “freebie → nurture sequence → maybe they’ll stick around” method, this episode will feel like a breath of fresh air. You’ll learn how to make your actual newsletter the thing people want to sign up for—and how to position it so it grows your list on autopilot.

In this episode, you’ll hear…

1. Why traditional freebie funnels often attract the wrong people
2. How to flip the script and make your newsletter the value
3. The two steps in my Easy Email Strategy: design + promotion
4. How to create a newsletter people are genuinely excited to receive
5. Real-world examples of how this strategy simplifies your marketing

Click here to find the full show notes and transcript for this episode.

RESOURCES:

1. Get Sam’s free weekly newsletter, Sam’s Sidebar
2. Download the free “How to Grow Your Email List” Workbook
3. Listen to Part 1 of "How To Grow Your Email List" Series
4. Check out Erin Parek's Substack
5. Click here to be notified when new episodes of On Your Terms® come out
6. Click here to watch the free workshop so you can get legally protected right now!

CONNECT:

1. Get Sam's weekly newsletter, Sam's Sidebar
2. Follow Sam on Instagram
3. Follow Sam on YouTube
4. Subscribe to Sam's Substack, Beyond Business
5. Take Sam's free legal workshop "5 Steps to Legally Protect & Grow Your Online Business"

DISCLAIMER

You’re doing everything to grow your email list — promoting your freebies, sharing your links, posting on social — and yet, that number just won’t budge. You want new subscribers rolling in every day, the kind who actually want to buy from you, and a reliable way to make sales that doesn’t depend on Instagram’s mood swings.

Sound familiar?

In this first episode of my 4-part Email List Growth Series, I’m breaking down what it really takes to build a thriving email list that fuels your business (and your freedom). It’s not about hacks or fancy tech — it’s about adopting an “all roads lead to the email list” mindset and taking strategic action to support it.

Because when your email list becomes the heartbeat of your business, you can take weekends off, go on vacation without stress, and still make sales while you sleep.

In this episode, you’ll hear…

1. Why your email list growth starts with mindset — not hacks
2. The three key steps to adopting an “All Roads Lead to the Email List” approach
3. How to clarify what your email list actually does for your business
4. How to audit your current strategy (and find the leaks)
5. The simple way to spot new email list opportunities everywhere
6. A sneak peek of what’s coming in Part 2 — my easy email list growth strategy

Click here to find the full show notes and transcript for this episode.

RESOURCES:

1. Get Sam’s free weekly newsletter, Sam’s Sidebar
2. Download the free “How to Grow Your Email List” Workbook
3. Listen to Ep 237. Why Your Email List Isn't Growing +How to Fix It
4. Click here to be notified when new episodes of On Your Terms® come out
5. Click here to watch the free workshop so you can get legally protected right now!

CONNECT:

1. Get Sam's weekly newsletter, Sam's Sidebar
2. Follow Sam on Instagram
3. Follow Sam on YouTube
4. Subscribe to Sam's Substack, Beyond Business
5. Take Sam's free legal workshop "5 Steps to Legally Protect & Grow Your Online Business"

DISCLAIMER

You’ve probably heard me say before that your business only grows as much as you do — and I mean it.

Because no matter how many marketing tricks you try, or how well you plan your next launch… none of it matters if you’re running on fumes.

In today’s episode, I’m sharing the six weekly anchors that keep me grounded, creative, and energized enough to run an $8M business — and not one of them has to do with marketing. These are the personal routines and boundaries that have built the foundation for everything I’ve accomplished in my business and my life.

Whether you’re building toward your first six figures or scaling beyond seven, these anchors will help you protect your energy, your creativity, and your mental health — the real ingredients of long-term success.

In this episode, you’ll hear…

• Why taking care of yourself is one of the most strategic business decisions you can make
• What my “Sunday Preheat” routine looks like (and how it keeps my week from falling apart)
• The planning process I use each week to set priorities and avoid overwhelm
• How I protect time for movement, rest, and creativity — even when my schedule’s packed
• The mindset shift that helped me stop seeing self-care as “extra”
• How you can create your own set of anchors that make your business (and your life) work better

Click here to find the full show notes and transcript for this episode.

RESOURCES:

• 👩🏻‍💻 REGISTER FOR MY FREE LIVE LEGAL CLASS --> https://www.samvanderwielen.com/live-legal-workshop
• Listen to Episode 1: Community Over Competition is BS: Tips to Navigate Your Competition in a Healthier Way
• Read Sam's Substack The Girlboss Who Died With My Parents
• Read Sam's Substack How I Broke Up With Instagram
• Get Sam’s free weekly newsletter, Sam’s Sidebar
• Click here to watch the free workshop so you can get legally protected right now!

CONNECT:

• Get Sam's weekly newsletter, Sam's Sidebar
• Follow Sam on Instagram
• Follow Sam on YouTube
• Subscribe to Sam's Substack, Beyond Business
• Take Sam's free legal workshop "5 Steps to Legally Protect & Grow Your Online Business"

DISCLAIMER

Thinking about starting an online business—or finally making your “side hustle” official—but don’t want to get buried in legal confusion? This episode is your crash course on exactly how to start your business the right way before 2025 ends.

Whether you’re a coach, course creator, service provider, or product-based entrepreneur, I’m walking you through the five simple legal steps you must take to set up your business, protect your content, and get paid confidently.

No law degree (or stress spiral) required.

In this episode, you’ll hear…

1. 5 things you must have in place before accepting even $1 (more) online
2. Exact steps to form your business
3. Should you become an LLC or sole prop?
4. Why you NEED to have business insurance (it’s so worth it)
5. An actual method for figuring out what you can (and cannot) do online or when you’re NOT working under your professional license
6. Your 2025 To-do List: things to do before Dec 31st to make your biz legally sound

RESOURCES:

1. The Ultimate Bundle® is on sale through Oct 24, 2025. If you buy it before Oct 22nd, 2024, you’ll receive 3 bonus templates + my last live call of the year.

CONNECT:

1. Get Sam's weekly newsletter, Sam's Sidebar
2. Follow Sam on Instagram
3. Follow Sam on YouTube
4. Subscribe to Sam's Substack, Beyond Business
5. Take Sam's free legal workshop "5 Steps to Legally Protect & Grow Your Online Business"

DISCLAIMER

Everyone wants the 7-figure business… until they realize what comes with it.

In this episode, I’m breaking down what it really takes to build a multi-seven-figure online business — and the trade-offs no one warns you about. I’ll share the 10 things I’d focus on if I were starting over, including how to create a flagship product that actually sells, the “3 Ps” I swear by for sustainable growth, and why making more money doesn’t automatically mean you’re taking more home.

If you’ve ever wondered what it actually looks like to grow a business beyond six figures (without losing your sanity or your joy), this episode is your behind-the-scenes reality check — and roadmap.

In this episode, you’ll hear…

1. Why only 1% of one-person businesses ever hit $1M/year
2. The 10 things I’d do to build a seven-figure business from scratch
3. The difference between profitable growth and burnout growth
4. Why your flagship product is the foundation for everything
5. The real emotional and personal trade-offs of scaling big
6. How to know if a seven-figure business is actually what you want

Click here to find the full show notes and transcript for this episode.

RESOURCES:

1. Get Sam's book "When I Start My Business, I'll Be Happy: A Practical No-BS Guide to Successful Entrepreneurship"
2. Get Sam’s free weekly newsletter, Sam’s Sidebar
3. Episode 243: Why Your Content is Driving Customers Away
4. Episode 256: How To Protect Your Privacy While Growing Your Business
5. Episode 259: Passion Doesn't Equal Profit (Why Your Idea Might Fail)
6. Click here to watch the free workshop so you can get legally protected right now!

CONNECT:

1. Get Sam's weekly newsletter, Sam's Sidebar
2. Follow Sam on Instagram
3. Follow Sam on YouTube
4. Subscribe to Sam's Substack, Beyond Business
5. Take Sam's free legal workshop "5 Steps to Legally Protect & Grow Your Online Business"

DISCLAIMER

So you love something—cooking, crafting, wellness, design—and you think, this is it, this is going to be my dream business! But then… crickets. No sales, no growth, no happy dance notifications from Stripe. Sound familiar?

Here’s the thing: passion is wonderful, but passion alone doesn’t pay the bills. In this episode, I’m sharing my own story of turning my love for cooking into a failed business (ouch) and the exact lessons I learned that helped me build a seven-figure business the second time around.

I’m breaking it all down into three “chapters” so you can see how to go from high passion/low strategy → sustainable, profitable business you actually love running.

In this episode, you’ll hear…

1. Why starting a business on pure passion can actually set you up for burnout and disappointment
2. The most common mistake new entrepreneurs make when turning a hobby into a business (I made it too!)
3. How to shift from thinking about what you want to what your audience actually needs
4. What to do when the excitement wears off and the sales don’t come rolling in
5. How to tweak your idea so it’s both fulfilling and profitable

Click here to find the full show notes and transcript for this episode.

RESOURCES:

1. Get Sam’s free weekly newsletter, Sam’s Sidebar
2. Get Sam's book "When I Start My Business, I'll Be Happy: A Practical No-BS Guide to Successful Entrepreneurship"
3. Listen to The Real Cure for Burnout Isn't Rest - It's Creativity. Here's How Anyone Can Unlock Theirs
4. Click here to watch the free workshop so you can get legally protected right now!

CONNECT:

1. Get Sam's weekly newsletter, Sam's Sidebar
2. Follow Sam on Instagram
3. Follow Sam on YouTube
4. Subscribe to Sam's Substack, Beyond Business
5. Take Sam's free legal workshop "5 Steps to Legally Protect & Grow Your Online Business"

DISCLAIMER

Most entrepreneurs think Q4 is a “dead zone” for sales—too many ads, too much noise, everyone distracted by holidays. But let me tell you: I’ve grown my multi–seven-figure business in the last 90 days of the year without ever running a Black Friday sale.

That’s right—no discounts on Thanksgiving, no frantic cyber deals, and no giving up my pumpkin pie to answer DMs. 🙅🏻‍♀️

Instead, I use five simple strategies every single year to not just end the year strong, but to set up massive momentum for the following year. And they work. Today, I’m walking you through exactly how I plan for growth in Q4 so you can steal my playbook.

In this episode, you’ll hear…

1. How to use end-of-year messaging to spark urgency and action from your audience
2. The behind-the-scenes planning I do in Q4 that fuels my January/February launches
3. Why “showing up like normal” (even when everyone else taps out) has been one of my biggest growth secrets
4. A sneaky way to run a holiday sale without competing in the Black Friday chaos
5. How tax deductions can be the secret sales booster no one’s talking about

Click here to find the full show notes and transcript for this episode.

RESOURCES:

1. Get Sam’s free weekly newsletter, Sam’s Sidebar
2. Click here to watch the free workshop so you can get legally protected right now!

CONNECT:

1. Get Sam's weekly newsletter, Sam's Sidebar
2. Follow Sam on Instagram
3. Follow Sam on YouTube
4. Subscribe to Sam's Substack, Beyond Business
5. Take Sam's free legal workshop "5 Steps to Legally Protect & Grow Your Online Business"

DISCLAIMER