Travis Makes Money

Whether nepotism is inherently unfair or simply a natural part of how relationships and opportunities work

Why talent and a strong body of work matter more than connections in the long run

Why Travis chose to build his own career instead of joining his father's real estate business

How door-to-door sales and an abandoned mortgage licensing path led Travis toward podcasting

Why taking ownership of your career decisions matters, especially when considering opportunities offered by family or connections

Connections can open doors, but talent keeps them open. Having access to opportunities through family or relationships isn't necessarily a problem. What matters is whether you can deliver once you get the opportunity.

Choose your career intentionally. Just because a path is available doesn't mean it's the right one for you. Travis wanted to build something that felt like his own, even if it meant taking a less predictable route.

Take ownership of your decisions. Whether you accept a family connection, pursue a new opportunity, or take a job to make ends meet, understand why you're making that choice. Personal investment in your path can make the work more meaningful.

"I wanted some version of personal ownership on what I was doing."

"I wanted something that felt like it was mine and felt like it was my path that I chose to go down."

"I don't fault anybody else for doing it. And I can understand the appeal."

Instagram: Travis Chappell on Instagram

Other: travischappell.com

How Jiaming went from studying economics and philosophy to practicing traditional Chinese medicine.

What she learned from working across China, North Korea, England, and the United States.

How her experience in health economics influenced her decision to return to her family's medical tradition.

Why Quinn Health emphasizes longer consultations, patient education, individualized care, and transparency.

Jiaming's approach to autoimmune conditions, mental health, and the role of lifestyle and nutrition in patient care.

Your career doesn't have to follow a straight line. Jiaming spent a decade as an economist before returning to her family's tradition of Chinese medicine. Sometimes the skills and perspectives you develop in one field prepare you for a completely different path.

A strong philosophy can shape how you approach business and life. Jiaming credits her study of philosophy, particularly the teachings of Lao Tzu, with influencing how she thinks about life, health, and making money. The underlying principles can matter just as much as the technical skills you develop.

Education and transparency can strengthen the patient experience. Jiaming describes how Quinn Health takes a more interactive approach to consultations, explaining treatment decisions and offering individualized lifestyle and nutrition guidance. Helping people understand their care is central to the model she has built.

“The foundation of Chinese medicine is actually philosophy.”

“I don't just want to study the data. I want to know how to change that.”

“You should know exactly where you're taking, you should know what you're doing.”

Instagram: @byjiamingju

LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jiaming-ju

Website: Kun Health

How success can change old friendships and why having a strong circle of male friends matters.

How Travis used his podcast, conferences, masterminds, and coaching to build a new network from scratch.

Why every man should consider starting a podcast—even if nobody listens.

The difference between collecting contacts and developing genuine, lasting relationships.

The missions behind Travis Makes Money, Travis Makes Friends, and Travis’s upcoming Dinner Party project.

Put yourself in the right rooms. Meaningful friendships and professional relationships rarely happen when you're isolated. Attend conferences, join communities, and spend time around people pursuing the kind of life you want to build.

Use podcasting as a relationship-building tool. A podcast gives you a reason to reach out to interesting people, have meaningful conversations, and build connections that might otherwise be difficult to establish. The value isn't just in the audience—it's in the relationships you create.

Building a relationship takes more than making an introduction. Meeting someone at a conference or exchanging contact information is only the starting point. Real relationships grow through shared interests, consistent interaction, mutual support, and time spent together.

“The podcast gives you unbridled access to a level of people that I just never thought it would give me access to.”

“The initial connection is just the starting point. And I think people a lot of times treat it as the finish line.”

“You won't do nothing sitting at the house. I guarantee you won't make no friends sitting at the house.”

Instagram: @travischappell

Website: travischappell.com

How Lindsay went from a small town in Rhode Island to a 15-year career at The New York Times.

Why quitting isn’t necessarily failure—and how letting go can create room for new opportunities.

The role fear, embarrassment, and regret play in keeping people stuck on the wrong path.

How entrepreneurs can recognize the sunk cost fallacy and know when to walk away from a failing venture.

Why successful people need to learn when to say no, set boundaries, and moderate their ambition.

Quitting can be a tool for success. Walking away from a job, project, or goal that no longer serves you can create the space needed to reset, refocus, and pursue something better.

Your strengths can become your weaknesses. Persistence, ambition, and saying yes to opportunities can help you get ahead—but without boundaries, those same traits can lead to burnout, poor performance, and missed priorities.

Don't let past investments dictate your future. Instead of continuing something simply because you've already spent years or money on it, ask yourself whether you would choose it if you were starting today. Sometimes accepting a loss now prevents a much bigger one later.

“Our strengths, in fact, often are our weaknesses if we don't learn to moderate them.”

“Our minds will lie about how much we can take, but our bodies tell the truth.”

“It doesn't get easier to quit with time. We just get older.”

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindsaycrouse/

Book: The Case for Quitting — available wherever you buy books.

What separates truly exceptional people from other successful entrepreneurs, including their willingness to risk rejection, endure embarrassment, and delay gratification

Why the sacrifices required to reach the highest levels of success aren't always worth it—and how Travis prioritizes time with his kids over certain business ambitions

How to recognize when you're climbing the wrong mountain by pursuing goals inherited from family, culture, or other successful people

Travis's experience leaving a fundamentalist Baptist community, questioning his career path in ministry, and building a new identity outside the environment he grew up in

The similarities between sales and high-control religious environments, including emotional persuasion, social pressure, and the difficulty of questioning established beliefs

Define success on your own terms. It's easy to imitate people who have achieved what you think you want, but their version of success may require sacrifices you're unwilling to make. Take the time to decide what matters most to you, rather than automatically adopting someone else's goals.

Don't let the sunk cost fallacy dictate your future. Just because you've spent years pursuing a career, earning a degree, or building a business doesn't mean you have to keep going. Recognizing that you're on the wrong path is valuable, and starting over may be better than spending another decade pursuing something that doesn't fulfill you.

Question the beliefs and expectations you've inherited. Family, culture, religion, and society can shape your ambitions before you've had the chance to decide what you genuinely want. Developing your own perspective requires examining those influences and having the courage to make choices that reflect your personal values.

"They are willing to go through more than most people are willing to go through in order to achieve what most people will never be able to achieve."

"I actually really enjoy the fact that I get to go to all my son's basketball games, even though they're garbage because they're six years old."

"If you are not willing to risk the embarrassment of starting over again, then you're just gonna end up being at the pinnacle of some mountain you didn't want to climb."

Instagram: @travischappell 

Other: travischappell.com

How CrossFit grew from a grassroots fitness program into a global network of 15,000 gyms without traditional investors or corporate backing

How CrossFit used the early internet to build a passionate community and scale its business in ways few companies had attempted before

Why the leadership traits that help founders build unconventional businesses can become liabilities as their companies grow

The dangers of surrounding yourself with yes-men and creating a culture where disagreement is treated as disloyalty

How aspiring writers can build their skills, pitch editors, and create opportunities by putting their work out into the world

Your greatest strength can become your biggest weakness. The unconventional thinking and willingness to break rules that help a founder build something remarkable can become liabilities when a business reaches a certain scale. Growth requires knowing when to adapt and bring in people with complementary skills.

Build a culture where people can challenge you. Leaders need people who are willing to question their decisions, identify problems, and provide honest feedback. When employees are afraid to disagree, bad decisions can go unchecked and threaten the entire organization.

Stop waiting for permission to pursue opportunities. Callum's advice to aspiring writers is simple: reach out to editors, pitch publications you admire, and put your work in front of people who can help you advance. Rejection is part of the process, but you can't get a yes if you never ask.

"The best thing about journalism is people will talk to you and tell you the story."

"I think it's incumbent on you... you need to be able to hear feedback. And I mean actually be able to like receive feedback."

"I usually tell people to just go for it. And I think... my advice is usually just ask."

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calummarsh

Website: https://www.calummarsh.com/

Other: The Glass Box — available in print, ebook, and audiobook formats. 

Why investing in your knowledge, skills, relationships, and content can help you rebuild and grow from scratch

How to build trust and meaningful relationships by prioritizing people over transactions and giving value without keeping score

Why empathy is one of the most underrated skills in sales and how understanding a prospect's perspective makes it easier to communicate your own

How asking better questions, actively listening, and mastering discovery can make closing conversations shorter and more natural

Why trust is the foundation of every sale and how personal branding, content, and genuine relationships can help prospects feel confident buying from you

Empathy is a competitive advantage in sales. Before trying to convince a prospect of your point of view, take the time to understand theirs. When people feel understood, they're more likely to trust you and consider your solution.

The best closers do the hard work during discovery. Don't rush through questions just to get to your pitch. Ask thoughtful follow-up questions, actively listen, and rephrase the prospect's problem until you understand it clearly and they agree you've understood them. That makes your pitch more relevant and the close more natural.

Trust drives transactions. People need to believe you have their best interests at heart and that you're capable of delivering what you promise. Build that trust through your actions, expertise, personal brand, and commitment to adding value—not just through scripts or objection-handling techniques.

“I want to be the person to add 51% of the value in every relationship that I have.”

“It's much easier to get somebody else to see your point of view when you are first willing to go see theirs.”

“Trust equals transactions.”

Instagram: @travischappell

Other: travischappell.com

How Mercer built her career from telemarketing into helping grow a billion-dollar business

Why taking action and following opportunities can lead to unexpected career breakthroughs

How to build a profitable business while genuinely caring for employees and avoiding burnout

Why Mercer and Christen partnered to help leaders improve communication, team alignment, and leadership skills

How executive coaching, leadership development, and team alignment can help businesses overcome challenges and create stronger workplace cultures

You don't need a perfect plan to build a successful career. Take the next available step, try new opportunities, and learn as you go. Clarity often comes from action rather than waiting for the ideal opportunity.

Making money and taking care of people aren't mutually exclusive. Businesses can achieve strong financial results while creating environments where employees feel supported, inspired, and motivated instead of burned out.

Great leadership requires more than technical expertise. People often get promoted because they're good at their jobs, but managing teams requires additional skills. Investing in leadership development, communication, and team alignment helps both employees and businesses thrive.

"I'm a big believer in doing something, even if it's not the perfect thing."

"You can take care of people and still be super successful."

"We're not here to run an agenda. We're here to be of service to you."

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christen-bavero-she-her-184679b3

Other: Level Up — Leadership development, executive coaching, and team alignment

How Travis went from a ministry degree to door-to-door sales, and then fell in love with podcasting

Finding clarity by doing things instead of thinking about them, and the "look at the 46-year-olds around you" test

Travis's biggest career regret: leaving solar too early with a sales-guy mindset instead of an entrepreneur mindset

Unlearning limiting beliefs, and the real trade-offs between a career in commission sales and running your own business

Coming in neutral every day so you can crush today whether yesterday went badly or well

Why your first $10,000 should go into your skills before the stock market, real estate, or crypto

You find out what you want by doing things. Don't spend 90 days researching a path. Try it for a week, and look at the people one stage ahead of you to see if you want their life. If you don't, change course now, because it will probably never be easier than it is today.

Show up to each day with neutral positivity. Bringing yesterday's bad day or yesterday's big win into today will both throw you off. Look at your results over months and years, and put your energy into getting a little better.

Invest in yourself before you invest in anything else. If it took you a year to save $10K, no stock or property is going to turn that into $100K in 12 months. A skill you can sell, like sales, copywriting, ads, or operations, can. Your competence, your connections, and your content stay with you even in a downturn.

"You find out what you don't want to do by just doing stuff."

"Every new business needs cash, and the fastest path to cash is sales."

"You gotta figure out ways day in and day out to keep that mindset ready to go so that you can crush today without thinking about the fact that you sucked yesterday."

"Everything is limited by the knowledge that you have or the skillset that you have."

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/travischappell/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travischappell/

Other: Travis Makes Money Podcast | Travis Chappell Website |

How Michael started his first business at 11 years old by pressure-washing driveways in his neighborhood.

The frustrations with traditional banking that inspired him to launch Novo.

Why poor cash management is a major reason small businesses fail and how better financial tools can help.

How Novo differentiates itself through simple banking, integrated tools, and a focus on saving business owners time.

Why Michael believes AI is ushering in a new era of million-dollar solopreneurs and independent business ownership.

Learn to recognize problems worth solving. Michael built Novo after experiencing the tedious, error-prone process of managing business finances. Some of the best business ideas come from identifying everyday frustrations and finding ways to make them simpler.

Treat cash flow as a business priority. Revenue alone doesn't guarantee a healthy business. Understanding what's coming in, what's going out, and when payments arrive can help business owners avoid cash crunches and make better decisions.

Use technology to create more freedom. AI and modern business tools are expanding what one person can accomplish. Entrepreneurs can use these tools to build leaner businesses, increase their earning potential, and spend more time on the parts of life that matter most.

“It's more just like, how do you deal with failure? How do you deal with something when it's a total change in how you had planned?”

“Moving money should be a super quick thing. And if it's not, that was kind of an insight to us of like, okay, then something must be broken or must be confusing.”

“If you're netting a million dollars a year [...] the way I look at that is like that equals freedom.”

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-rangel/

Personal Website: https://michaelvrangel.com/

Novo: https://www.novo.co/