In this solo-style episode, Travis and his producer Eric react to a viral Dave Ramsey clip where Dave flexes having a zero credit score while owning a campus worth roughly $500 million—and use it to unpack how “no credit, no debt ever” advice lands for people who aren’t billionaires. The conversation explores the tension between hating the credit system, still needing to function inside it, and the practical realities of renting apartments, buying cars, and getting mortgages in the real world.​

On this episode we talk about:

Dave Ramsey’s “my FICO score is zero” flex, why it’s objectively impressive, and why it doesn’t translate cleanly to normal earners.​

How the credit system actually works in practice—hard inquiries, utilization, and why Travis once saw his score drop to the high 500s despite never missing a payment.​

The difference between disagreeing with how the game is set up and refusing to play it at all when you still need housing, transportation, or business funding.​

Why obsessing over cutting every $10 expense is usually less productive than figuring out how to earn more so gas prices and coupon clipping stop running your life.​

The line between using credit as a tool (responsibly) and using “points hacking” as an excuse for financial gymnastics that don’t move the needle.​

Top 3 Takeaways

The credit system is deeply flawed, but pretending it doesn’t exist usually hurts regular people far more than it hurts multimillionaires who can just write checks.​

A strong credit profile—on-time payments, low utilization, limited hard inquiries—gives you options: better rates, easier approvals, and real emergency flexibility.​

It’s more powerful to focus on making more money and using the system intelligently than to chase the moral high ground of having no credit score at all.​

Notable Quotes

“I agree the system is dumb—but also, it’s the system that’s there.”​

“It’s objectively better to have a good credit score than to have no credit score or a bad one.”​

“You’re doing more mental gymnastics to brag that you have no credit score than you would be just managing a couple of cards responsibly.”​

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Dr. Michael Breus—known worldwide as “The Sleep Doctor”—is a clinical psychologist, board-certified sleep specialist, bestselling author, and one of the ten most influential people in sleep. He’s appeared on The Dr. Oz Show around 40 times, was named the top sleep specialist in California by Reader’s Digest, and has spent over 25 years helping executives, entrepreneurs, and high performers use sleep as a true performance enhancer instead of treating it like a weakness.​

On this episode we talk about:

Why “sleep is for the weak” is terrible advice for entrepreneurs, and how poor sleep quietly wrecks resilience, safety, creativity, and business performance.​

The truth about “how many hours you really need,” why 8 hours is a myth, and why consistently needing 9–10 hours is actually a red flag.​

How stress (physical, emotional, spiritual, and business-related) changes your sleep needs, and why waking up feeling good is the real metric that matters.​

The reality of wearables like Whoop and Oura: what data is useful, what’s inaccurate, and how to avoid letting your sleep score hijack your day.​

Chronotypes (night owl vs. morning lark), why they’re genetic, and how aligning your schedule with your type can dramatically increase productivity.​

Top 3 Takeaways

Eight hours is not a universal rule—sleep need is individual, but less than six hours consistently hurts reaction time, decision-making, and creativity, all of which are crucial for making money.​

Most wearables are decent at telling you when you slept and woke up, but bad at sleep stages; use them to spot trends, not to obsess over nightly scores.​

Aligning your work, workout, and wind-down times with your chronotype (your genetic sleep–wake preference) can make you more productive without forcing “5 a.m. hustle” that fights your biology.​

Notable Quotes

“Eight hours is a myth—not everybody in the universe needs eight hours of sleep.”​

“If you’re getting less than six hours, that’s when reaction time drops and things become highly problematic.”​

“There’s no universe where your wearable is accurate, but it can be consistently inaccurate—and that’s still useful if you look for trends.”​

Connect with Dr. Michael Breus:

Website: thesleepdoctor.com​

Chronotype quiz: chronoquiz.com

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In this episode, Travis and his producer Eric break down how to think about relationships in business—from early-stage networking, to picking partners, to knowing when it’s time to walk away. Using personal stories (including a near “bridge-burning” moment that later turned into a restored friendship and new deals), Travis lays out a practical framework for building a network that actually supports your goals without turning you into a ruthless opportunist.

On this episode we talk about:

Why, early on, you should say “yes” a lot, go to events, and focus on volume and exposure instead of over‑filtering people too soon.

How to distinguish between true business partners (like a marriage) and looser collaborations or joint ventures—and why the standards are different.

What to look for in deeper partnerships: aligned values, shared vision, complementary skills, and genuine trust.

When and how to end client or partner relationships that are technically profitable but are destroying your mental energy.

The danger of “covert contracts” in friendships and business—unspoken expectations that, when violated, lead to resentment and broken relationships.

Top 3 Takeaways

Early in your career, prioritize exposure and reps: go places, meet people, and let real‑world interactions teach you what you actually value in partners and peers.

Ending a partnership isn’t just about money; it’s about whether the relationship still serves both parties without draining your time, energy, and integrity.

Before burning a bridge, ask what part you played in the breakdown, own your side, and rebuild your half of the bridge—you might recover a valuable relationship later.

Notable Quotes

“You don’t want all your time taken up by people who have no goals—but that doesn’t make them bad people. It just means you need to go find others who share your ambitions.”

“Your job in sales and business is not to ‘win’ against people; if only you win, that’s a problem.”

“Most broken partnerships are fueled by covert contracts—agreements you wrote in your head that the other person never actually signed.”

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PGA Tour veteran Jay Delsing is a nationally syndicated host of Golf with Jay Delsing, a member of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, and author of You Wouldn’t Believe Me If I Told You: An Unforgettable Memoir of Golf, Grit, and a Blue-Collar Kid on the PGA Tour. From a modest, sports-obsessed upbringing in St. Louis to earning his PGA Tour card and building a hospitality business around pro-ams, Jay brings rare behind-the-scenes stories and practical wisdom on relationships, mindset, and money.​

On this episode we talk about:

How a blue-collar kid from St. Louis earned a scholarship to UCLA and eventually a PGA Tour card

Why caddying as a teenager became Jay’s masterclass in soft skills, networking, and dealing with high achievers

Wild stories from the course with Sean Connery, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Arnold Palmer, and Jack Nicklaus

How Jay turned pro-am rounds into a multi-decade hospitality and entertainment business using simple follow-up tactics

The mindset, gratitude practices, and “soft skills” he believes will separate winners in the next generation of business

Top 3 Takeaways

Deep competence in anything (golf, guitar, business, whatever) combined with soft skills and respect will open doors you can’t predict.

Small, “old school” touches like handwritten notes, genuine gratitude, and being great at the bottom rung of the ladder still massively differentiate you.

You get more of whatever you focus on—shifting from excuses and victimhood to ownership and opportunity is a non‑negotiable money and life skill.

Notable Quotes

“You get what you think the most about.”

“Write handwritten notes to people. Nobody does that now—and that’s exactly why it works.”

“You don’t have to be good at golf, just don’t be an ass. People do business with people they enjoy being around.”

Connect with Jay Delsing:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jay-delsing-83142914​

Twitter/X: https://x.com/JayDelsing​

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaydelsinggolf​

Other: https://jaydelsinggolf.com​

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Producer Eric joins Travis for a door-to-door sales deep dive, pulling from years of real-world canvassing experience in security, solar, and church outreach. From getting chased by dogs and dealing with “ostrich” homeowners to dissecting viral sales clips, this episode turns war stories into a practical masterclass on how to sell at the door without being sleazy or burning out.​

On this episode we talk about:

Why door-to-door is still one of the fastest skill-building & income-boosting paths for young hustlers

The fine line between having fun at the doors and sabotaging your own pitch

Why “I know you hate door-to-door guys” is a terrible opener—and what to say instead

How to reframe objections (“That’s exactly why I’m here…”) and handle competitors without trash-talking them

Ethics and strategy around “No Soliciting” signs, and how being older, a parent, and a homeowner changes the way you see canvassing

Why pest control can be a sleeper-hit business model with strong recurring revenue and scalable door-to-door teams​

Top 3 Takeaways

Never lead with shame or apology at the door; if you act like you’re a nuisance, the prospect will believe you and treat you that way.

Reframe objections as openings: “That’s exactly why I’m here” keeps the conversation going and gives you time to build trust instead of slamming the door on yourself.

Long term, the real money in door-to-door is often in owning the recurring-revenue business (like pest control) and building commission-only sales teams to feed it.​

Notable Quotes

“Half your job as a door-to-door guy is just to get them to talk to you longer so you have time to earn trust.”

“When you start telling people you’re annoying them, you eventually believe it—and you start selling like it.”

“There are unlimited doors; you don’t need to win the ones that literally put a sign up saying they don’t want you there.”​

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Peter Imburg is the founder and CEO of Elfster, the world’s most widely used Secret Santa and gift exchange platform, now serving over 40 million users globally. He bootstrapped the company from a side project in his basement into a profitable, affiliate-driven e‑commerce engine—without taking a dollar of venture capital or angel money.

On this episode we talk about:

How Peter went from paper routes and grocery bagging to tech consulting and then founding Elfster.

The origin story of Elfster and how a frustrating family Secret Santa experience sparked a global platform.

Bootstrapping for years without outside funding, including early experiments with sponsorships and brand campaigns.

The pivotal shift from seasonal ad deals to an affiliate/e‑commerce model that finally aligned user growth with revenue.

What Elfster looks like today: tens of millions of users, hundreds of millions in gross merchandise volume, and a lean global team.

Top 3 Takeaways

You don’t need VC money to build something big; you do need a real problem, relentless iteration, and patience through years of “keeping the lights on.”

Business models matter as much as product—Elfster didn’t really turn the corner until it aligned its product with an evergreen revenue engine (affiliate commerce) instead of one‑off ad experiments.

Long-term success often comes from saying yes to “small” opportunities (like a late‑season campaign) and then spotting the bigger strategic insight hidden inside them.

Notable Quotes

“There’s got to be somebody doing this online…I looked all around, there’s nothing.”

“For years we were getting enough money to keep the lights on, but user growth didn’t translate into revenue growth.”

“Once we made the shift, as we grew users, our revenue grew too—that was the pivotal moment.”

Connect with Elfster:

Website: elfster.com

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In this episode, Travis and his producer Eric react to a series of viral skits that poke fun at B2B sales reps, door-to-door bros, and MLM stereotypes—and use them to break down what actually makes for good, ethical selling. The conversation hits on empathy, objection handling, long-term thinking, and why trying to “pound” customers for one big commission check is a terrible strategy if you want a real career in sales.

On this episode we talk about:

Viral comedy skits about B2B sales, breakups with sales bros, and door-to-door stereotypes—and why they’re so accurate.

Why great salespeople are genuinely empathetic, listen deeply, and try to understand prospects instead of waiting to talk.

How phrases like “totally understand” and “so what I’m hearing is…” can be powerful when they’re rooted in real curiosity, not manipulation.

The difference between transactional, burn-and-churn sales (pest control, alarms, etc.) and relational, long-cycle sales where reputation matters.

Why treating people well, solving real problems, and playing the long game leads to referrals, repeat business, and an actual book of business.

Top 3 Takeaways

The best salespeople don’t see selling as “winning” against a customer; they aim for a genuine win–win where the client’s problem is solved and the rep is fairly paid.

Simple frameworks like “feel–felt–found,” restating what you’re hearing, and handling objections are ethical and effective when you truly believe in your product and its fit.

Burning customers for a slightly bigger commission check destroys long-term opportunity; taking care of people builds referrals, repeat deals, and an actual business instead of just a job.

Notable Quotes

"Your job as a salesperson is to remove all obstacles to the person making a decision that’s going to help them."

"If only you win in the deal, that’s a problem—either your product sucks or you’re actually in a pyramid scheme."

"Most salespeople just want to get through the pitch; they forget there’s an actual person on the other side of the call."

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Andrew Giancola is the creator of MasterMoney.co and host of The Personal Finance Podcast, a top personal finance show doing over 400,000 downloads every month. He started with no money, no investing knowledge, and the same fears around asking for a raise most people have, and now teaches millions how to build real, lasting wealth through simple systems, smart debt strategies, and increasing income.​

On this episode we talk about:

How Andrew went from $30,000-a-year financial analyst to business owner, real estate investor, and top personal finance podcaster.​

Why most people dramatically overcomplicate money—and how automating your finances can free up your time and mental energy.​

The “1–3–6 Method” for building your emergency fund and getting out of the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle.​

Why paying off high-interest credit card debt is a “pants-on-fire” emergency and how credit card APR really works against you.​

The fastest paths to increasing your income: raising your W‑2 salary, smart side hustles, and stacking high-value skills.​

Top 3 Takeaways

Build a rock-solid foundation with Andrew’s 1–3–6 Method: save one month of expenses, pay off high-interest debt (6%+), then grow to three and finally six months of essential expenses before going aggressive on investing.​

High-interest credit card debt is compound interest working against you; if you’re carrying balances at 20–30% APR, paying them off should be your top financial priority.​

Long-term wealth is built in “the gap” between your income and expenses—so you must both manage money well and actively increase earnings through negotiating raises, job-hopping strategically, certifications, and scalable side hustles.​

Notable Quotes

"Credit card debt is compound interest basically working against you."​

"Once you have your foundation in place, the biggest catalyst for most people is increasing their income."​

"Everything out there is an opportunity—you just have to be able to see it and then take advantage of it."​

Connect with Andrew Giancola:

Website: MasterMoney.co​

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Travis teams up with his producer Eric to react to a wild news story about two Dairy Queen franchise owners in Long Island who got hit with a $6 million lawsuit over a technical payroll violation. Using their situation as a springboard, Travis unpacks the often invisible risks of small business ownership, the realities of razor-thin margins, and why the legal and regulatory environment can feel stacked against entrepreneurs.

On this episode we talk about:

The Dairy Queen “DQ sisters” case—how paying employees every two weeks instead of weekly triggered a multi‑million‑dollar lawsuit under an old New York pay‑frequency law.

Why lawyers, not workers or owners, often walk away with the biggest payday from these kinds of class actions.

The myth that small business and franchise owners are “rolling in cash” versus the reality of 12–16% profit margins and massive fixed costs.

How minimum wage pressures, government regulations, permits, and franchise fees compound the financial strain on brick‑and‑mortar businesses.

Why demanding higher pay without building new skills can backfire as automation and robotics become more attractive than hiring entry‑level labor.

Top 3 Takeaways

Small business owners—especially franchise operators—often operate on thin margins and can be wiped out by unexpected legal or regulatory hits, even when they’re acting in good faith.

Many “worker protection” lawsuits end up benefiting attorneys far more than employees, while leaving owners financially devastated and sometimes out of business.

The most reliable way to increase your income is not to rely on lawsuits or mandated wage hikes, but to build valuable skills, increase your earning power, and keep extra cash reserves for the inevitable surprises of business and life.

Notable Quotes

"People think business owners are taking their workers to the cleaners, but a lot of them are barely keeping the lights on."

"You might feel like you’re suing ‘McDonald’s,’ but in reality you’re wrecking the local franchisee who leveraged their house to open that one store."

"We need a skill‑building mindset, not a ‘demand more money for the same work’ mindset, or we’ll just price ourselves right into being replaced by robots."

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Retired Navy Senior Chief Travis Winfield is a bestselling author and the CEO of Military Operated Real Estate (MORE), the first national real estate brand built specifically for service members and veterans. He went from growing up with almost nothing to building a powerhouse six‑agent team that has closed over 700 homes and more than $350 million in sales, and his mission now is to fix the financial literacy crisis holding military families back from real wealth.

On this episode we talk about:

How Travis went from bad credit, 25% car loans, and debt to building a multi‑million‑dollar real estate business.

Why so many service members leave the military in a worse financial position than when they joined.

The blended retirement system, why it’s dangerous without financial literacy, and what it means for younger service members.

How military families can use benefits like the VA loan, GI Bill, and state education programs to build long‑term wealth instead of selling key assets.

How MORE and programs like SkillBridge and GI Bill on‑the‑job training help veterans transition into real estate with a real runway instead of starting from zero.

Top 3 Takeaways

You do not need to start wealthy to build wealth; understanding budgeting, debt payoff, and compound interest is enough to change your financial trajectory.

Military benefits like the VA home loan, education benefits, and the new blended retirement plan can be powerful wealth tools—but only if service members actually know they exist and how to use them.

Real estate remains one of the strongest paths to long‑term wealth for veterans, especially when combined with VA loan strategies, house hacking, and guided transition programs into the industry.

Notable Quotes

"Everybody thinks you need to have wealth to build wealth—but you can come from nothing and still build a multi‑million‑dollar business."

"Congress basically banked on the lack of financial literacy with the blended retirement; if you don’t understand it, you’ll choose spending today over security tomorrow."

"Every service member deserves to own a piece of the land they defend—hard stop."

Connect with Travis Winfield:

Website & book: traviswinfield.com

Military Operated Real Estate: militaryoperatedrealestate.com

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