Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur | Start and Grow Your Own Business 1222: The 5-Step CLIMB to Financial Freedom for Entrepreneurs w/ Peter Waitzman
Financial wellness expert Peter Waitzman joins the show to completely reframe how you think about money on your entrepreneurial journey. He reveals why the generic financial advice we’ve all heard is holding founders back and what to do instead. This episode is a masterclass in building a rock-solid financial foundation that gives you the freedom to experiment, build, and scale your business responsibly. Peter shares powerful insights from his journey of building the profitable, mission-driven company, Expedition Money, and provides a practical roadmap for wantrepreneurs to achieve their goals without going broke.
💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business
- 🚀 The 5-stage "CLIMB" framework to master your finances, from cash flow to financial independence.
- 💰 How to use a side hustle as a low-risk "freedom fund" to experiment with and launch your business ideas without going into debt.
- 📈 The responsible way to fund your startup (Hint: It’s not with a credit card and blind faith).
- 📊 Peter's "throw it out there" content strategy: why creating massive amounts of content is the fastest way to find what resonates and grow your audience.
- 🧠 Why mindset and motivation are useless without a practical financial plan to back them up.
- 🏢 The brilliant business model that gets employers to pay for a service their employees actually want and use.
- 🧘 How to build financial habits that stick by starting with small, enjoyable actions that compound over time.
📝 About Peter Waitzman
Peter Waitzman is a financial wellness expert and the creator of Expedition Money, an employer-sponsored program designed to help individuals achieve lasting financial well-being. He holds a degree in economics from Northwestern University and brings a diverse professional background in banking, financial planning, and investment management.
Peter is also the author of several Amazon bestselling books on personal finance, financial independence, and entrepreneurship. Through his work, he empowers people to build financial confidence, pursue meaningful goals, and create long-term success.
🎯 Peter’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs
Create as much content as you possibly can. Stop trying to guess what will work and don't slow yourself down with excuses. The only way to find out what resonates is to throw a lot of ideas out there, watch the data, and when you see something getting traction, double down on it immediately and run with it.
📢 Memorable Quotes
- “A lot of people think that having the business card or the website... that makes them a business. It doesn't make you a business.” – Peter Waitzman
- “I think almost everyone should have a side hustle... if you have a side hustle, now you have two. You've doubled the number of sources of income for yourself. It may not be equal... but what that does is that can give you some freedom money, some breathing room to experiment with businesses.” – Peter Waitzman
- “Throw it out there, experiment, watch the data, and then follow what's working.” – Peter Waitzman
💡 Actionable Takeaways
- ✅ Stop overthinking your content. Commit to publishing content consistently for the next 30 days and analyze what gets the most engagement.
- ✅ Gamify your savings. Pick a small, enjoyable financial habit—like putting all your spare change in a jar or selling one thing on eBay a week—to build positive momentum.
🔗 Links & Resources