Early Struggles: Two Years, $400

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Timestamps

00:00 Intro

03:12 "Nothing worked in the beginning"

06:50 The moment everything SHIFTED (you need to hear this)

13:24 How to STOP self-sabotaging your business dreams

17:03 The story that proves ANYONE can make money online

21:44 The $4,000 collapse that nearly broke her

28:29 Her divorce, rock bottom… and the rebuild

33:40 The moment she KNEW she had to change her business

41:58 The TRAFFIC problem: the real reason you’re not making sales

47:04 The 5-step blueprint to make your first $1,000 online

51:39 How to create content that gets buyers (not just views)

56:54 What to sell if you only have 100 followers

1:02:11 Two things your checkout page MUST have to get sales

1:07:14 Subtle selling: how to pitch without pitching

1:12:40 How far you can actually go with a $27 product

1:16:02 How to win on Instagram in 2026

About the Episode

Maria Wendt has made over $15M selling simple digital products — but her first two years online brought in just $400 total. In this episode, she shares her secrets for how beginners can start earning with under 100 followers by solving the right problems, posting the right content, and launching hyper-specific digital products.

Disclosures (Public)

Paid endorsement. All investing involves the risk of loss, including loss of principal. Brokerage services for US-listed, registered securities, options and bonds in a self-directed account are offered by Public Investing, Inc., member FINRA & SIPC. Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank. Crypto trading provided by Zero Hash LLC. Zero Hash LLC is licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by NYDFS and is not a registered broker-dealer or a FINRA member. Crypto is highly speculative and involves significant risk, including loss of principal. Cryptocurrencies are not protected by FDIC or SIPC. See disclosures for more details: https://docs.zerohash.com/page/us-lic.... Alpha is an experimental AI tool powered by GPT-4. Its output may be inaccurate and is not investment advice. Public makes no guarantees about its accuracy or reliability—verify independently before use. *3.6% as of 11/14/25. APY. Rate may change. See terms of ACATS & IRA Match Program here: public.com/disclosures/ira-match. Matched funds must remain in the account for at least 5 years to avoid an early removal fee. Match rate and other terms of the Match Program are subject to change at any time.