Intro

🔥 Welcome back to the Level Up Creators Podcast! In this episode, Amanda Northcutt sits down with returning guest Sam Vander Wielen—attorney turned entrepreneur, legal educator, and author of the soon-to-be iconic book “When I Start My Business, I’ll Be Happy.”

Sam gets brutally honest about the real journey behind building a multi 7-figure business—from walking away from corporate law, to surviving brain surgery, to grieving the loss of both parents... all while scaling a business that works without her constantly in it.

This episode is packed with insight for creators and entrepreneurs who are ready to build smart, sustainable businesses—minus the hype.

Here’s what we dig into:

✅ Why starting a business won’t fix your life
✅ How Sam built an evergreen, high-leverage system that runs without hustle
✅ Growing an engaged email list to 46K+ (without being spammy)
✅ Saying no to writing a legal book—and landing a Big 5 deal anyway
✅ Creating focused, profitable offers (instead of 17 scattered ones)
✅ Cutting through the “silver bullet” noise online
✅ What it really takes to go full-time on your terms

👀 Whether you're stuck in a corporate job, tired of chasing shiny objects, or finally ready to build real momentum—this conversation is your next step forward.

🧋 Amanda Links:
Amanda’s LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/northcuttamanda/
Website → https://welevelupcreators.com/
Newsletter → https://newsletter.welevelupcreators.com/

🔗 Sam Vander Wielen Links:
Sam's Book → When I Start My Business, I’ll Be Happy
Podcast → On Your Terms
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/samvanderwielen/

Level Up Creator School
Our school is the ultimate creator subscription: education + a full fractional business team of advisors.
Check it out here!