Travis Makes Money

Zvi Band is a developer, serial founder, and relationship-driven entrepreneur best known for building Contactually, the much-loved CRM he scaled to over $10 million in revenue before selling to real estate giant Compass in a deal valued north of $20 million. In addition to founding and exiting venture-backed companies, he’s written a book, coached thousands of professionals, and now leads Relatable, a personal CRM designed to help people deepen trusted relationships instead of just “monetizing contacts.” In this conversation, he unpacks how AI is blowing the doors off traditional software gatekeeping and what non-technical founders can realistically build in the next 30 days. On this episode we talk about: How AI has collapsed the barrier to building software—from needing a technical co-founder or expensive dev team to being able to spin up a working web app in a matter of hours. What non-technical founders should actually learn first (hint: product thinking and clear specs) instead of trying to become full-stack engineers. Which AI-powered tools can help you go from “idea in your head” to V1 MVP—covering product specs, code, hosting, and iteration. How to think about UX/UI in an AI world, including using real-world visuals and brand cues to guide your app’s look and feel. Where AI is taking the software and career landscape next, from solo-built seven–eight figure products to massive retraining opportunities as lower-level jobs get automated. Top 3 Takeaways 1.  You no longer need a technical co-founder to ship a real product; if you can clearly describe what you want and think like a product manager, AI can handle most of the coding and infrastructure for a basic business app.2.  The real “execution risk” has shifted from writing clean code to building the right thing, matching real user journeys, and finding distribution in an increasingly noisy, AI-generated world.3.  AI will both automate low-level work and open up huge opportunities in enablement—helping industries adopt AI, retraining displaced workers, and giving more people a viable path into software and entrepreneurship. Notable Quotes   "Even if the code is ‘throwaway,’ it costs you next to nothing now to have AI build a V1 while you sleep."   "Anyone can tell an AI to make a CRM; very few people can make a CRM informed by fifteen years of thinking deeply about relationships."   "As AI takes more tasks off your plate, the real question is whether you’ll use that freed-up time to invest in relationships or just scroll more content." Connect with Zvi Band: Website: https://www.zviband.com Relatable (personal CRM): https://relatable.one ✖️✖️✖️✖️ 🚀 Travis Makes Money is made possible by High Level – the All-In-One Sales & Marketing Platform built for agencies, by an agency. 🚀 Capture leads, nurture them, and close more deals—all from one powerful platform. 🎁 Get an extended free trial at gohighlevel.com/travis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Travis and his producer Eric break down what it really looks like to make money as a content creator when you’re not pulling MrBeast numbers or signing eight‑figure brand deals. Instead, they focus on the realistic—and highly achievable—lane of “middle class creators”: people earning $1,000–$5,000 per month from content as a side income (or lean full‑time if you keep expenses low). They also share real revenue numbers from Eric’s channel, plus examples of small brick‑and‑mortar businesses using short‑form content to turn marketing into a profit center instead of a pure expense. On this episode we talk about: Why most creators should aim for “middle class” money first instead of chasing MrBeast‑level outcomes How Eric built a niche show (Preacher Boys) into a $2.6k/month side income through ads, sponsors, and platform payouts The importance of loving your topic enough to talk about it for free for years How one Zoom interview episode on YouTube alone brought in over $1,500 in ad revenue Why you should spread income across YouTube, podcast ads, Facebook bonuses, sponsors, and Patreon Brick‑and‑mortar examples like the LED sign guy and the “pancake lady” turning simple videos into customers and creator checks Why every post is a “lottery ticket” for new opportunities, from documentaries to brand deals How business owners can get to the point where their marketing actually gets paid by platforms Top 3 Takeaways You don’t need millions of followers to make meaningful money; a focused niche, consistent publishing, and multiple small revenue streams can add up to a solid side income that may evolve into full time. Content creation is front‑loaded work and back‑loaded payoff—expect years of low or no pay before the inflection point where old episodes start earning hundreds or thousands of dollars each. If you own a business, learning to create simple, personality‑driven content can turn your advertising from a cost center into a profit center—platforms and sponsors can effectively subsidize your marketing. Notable Quotes “If you’re not excited about the first dollar you made, you’re not going to be excited about the first thousand.” “Hourly, I used to be making maybe a dollar an hour—now a single Zoom interview can bring in over $1,500 on YouTube alone.” “Historically, every form of advertising cost you money; now your marketing can actually pay you." ✖️✖️✖️✖️ 🚀 Travis Makes Money is made possible by High Level – the All-In-One Sales & Marketing Platform built for agencies, by an agency. 🚀 Capture leads, nurture them, and close more deals—all from one powerful platform. 🎁 Get an extended free trial at gohighlevel.com/travis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kiana Danial is a social media finance educator, personal finance expert, and the author of Triple Compounding For Dummies, as well as previous “For Dummies” books on forex and cryptocurrency. She went from accidentally making $10,000 trading forex during the 2008 crash to working on Wall Street, losing everything on one bad trade, and ultimately building a multi‑income‑stream business teaching people how to invest wisely without treating the markets like a casino. In this episode, she breaks down her “triple compounding” framework and why most traders and would‑be investors are skipping the most important step: investing in themselves first. On this episode we talk about: How Kiana accidentally made $10,000 during the 2008 market crash while studying electrical engineering in Japan Why she left forex trading after one over‑leveraged trade wiped out years of profits The truth about retail forex, “copy trading,” and why most people lose money What “triple compounding” really means: you, your business/income, then external assets Why investing in skills, identity, and income comes before stocks, crypto, or any market How entrepreneurs making seven figures can still end up broke if they don’t compound correctly The trap of hoarding small nest eggs vs. using them to upgrade your earning potential Why saving $0.06 per gallon on gas matters less than learning a skill that adds $100k+ to your income Top 3 Takeaways The first and most important investment is you—your identity, skills, mindset, and financial literacy—because without that, you will misuse any strategy or asset class you touch. Triple compounding stacks three layers: invest in yourself, then in a controllable income engine (job or business), and only then in external assets you cannot control (stocks, crypto, real estate, etc.). If it took you years to save $10k, your problem is income, not portfolio allocation; focus on increasing your earning power before obsessing over whether to get 8% vs. 10% in the market. Notable Quotes “If this were truly an automatic 10–15% per month, why isn’t Warren Buffett doing it?” “You can’t make money you don’t have work for you—you have to raise your income first.” “It took eight years of compounding skills to become an ‘overnight success.’” ✖️✖️✖️✖️ 🚀 Travis Makes Money is made possible by High Level – the All-In-One Sales & Marketing Platform built for agencies, by an agency. 🚀 Capture leads, nurture them, and close more deals—all from one powerful platform. 🎁 Get an extended free trial at gohighlevel.com/travis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Travis Chappell and his producer, Eric, react to a retired American couple who traded their old life in the US for a more affordable, higher-quality retirement in Malta. By downsizing their costs, leveraging rental income from their U.S. home, and tapping into cheaper healthcare and everyday expenses overseas, they’ve created a lifestyle they never could have afforded if they stayed put in the States. Their story is a real-world case study in using self-awareness and geography—not just income—to design a life you actually want. On this episode we talk about: How Mary and Kevin retired to Malta on Social Security and rental income Why your ideal life might be more about where you live than how much you earn The mindset shift from “big house and car” to “low overhead and freedom” Tradeoffs of retiring abroad: distance from family vs. more time and presence when you visit Countries where you can live comfortably for under $1,000 a month Why lifestyle bloat traps people in jobs they hate longer than necessary How to reverse-engineer your cost of living around the life you actually want Top 3 Takeaways You don’t have to become a billionaire to live well in retirement; you may just need to move somewhere your Social Security or modest income stretches a lot further. Success starts with self-awareness—getting brutally honest about what you really want (time, freedom, experiences) instead of defaulting to status symbols like big houses and luxury cars. Geographic arbitrage is real: by lowering housing, transportation, and healthcare costs abroad, you can often buy more free time, less stress, and more meaningful time with the people you love. Notable Quotes “The choice was basically stay in the U.S. and keep working—or go to Malta and actually enjoy our retirement.” “You don’t have to dedicate your life to becoming the next Steve Jobs; you just have to do the math on the life you want and engineer it on purpose.” “If you just float and let life happen to you, you get the kind of results that come from living that way—and that’s not how I want to live.” ✖️✖️✖️✖️ 🚀 Travis Makes Money is made possible by High Level – the All-In-One Sales & Marketing Platform built for agencies, by an agency. 🚀 Capture leads, nurture them, and close more deals—all from one powerful platform. 🎁 Get an extended free trial at gohighlevel.com/travis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Meerman Scott is a business growth strategist, advisor to emerging companies, and international bestselling author of 13 books, including Fanocracy and The New Rules of Marketing & PR. His work has helped companies generate tens of billions in revenue, and his portfolio career spans speaking, writing, advisory roles, and equity-based coaching, giving him a uniquely practical perspective on how to build a flexible, lucrative life in business.​ On this episode we talk about: How David went from pulling weeds at 11 to launching an office in Tokyo in his 20s Why his “dream job” on Wall Street became unbearable—and what he did next How to act like an entrepreneur inside a company and get paid to learn The transition from corporate CMO to fractional CMO, author, and speaker Why he stopped consulting for cash and started coaching for equity instead How book writing became the engine for 500+ paid speaking gigs worldwide Portfolio strategy: mixing speaking, royalties, courses, and equity for freedom Avoiding lifestyle bloat so you can say yes to long-term upside (not just quick cash) Top 3 Takeaways You can practice entrepreneurship while still employed by taking ownership, cutting deals tied to profit, and treating your role like you’re running a mini-business. Building intellectual property (like books and courses) can become powerful marketing for higher-ticket revenue streams such as speaking and advisory work. Keeping your lifestyle lean and your income diversified gives you the freedom to take equity, play the long game, and avoid becoming trapped in work you hate. Notable Quotes “It was totally entrepreneurial even though I was on salary—my bosses were 12 time zones away, and I was responsible for everything.” “I wasn’t writing books to make money from book sales; the books were the advertising for my speaking and advisory work.” “I don’t want cash; I want a piece of the upside.”​ ✖️✖️✖️✖️ 🚀 Travis Makes Money is made possible by High Level – the All-In-One Sales & Marketing Platform built for agencies, by an agency. 🚀 Capture leads, nurture them, and close more deals—all from one powerful platform. 🎁 Get an extended free trial at gohighlevel.com/travis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Explore the clash between grinding in Grand Theft Auto V and the reality of building wealth. Travis and Eric dissect a viral video on in-game businesses while delving into the allure of virtual riches versus real-life struggles. They share personal childhood gaming restrictions, that odd concern over sleepovers now as parents, and the nostalgic pull of old games. Plus, a candid look at how passion projects can turn into income streams versus the pitfalls of excessive gaming. It's a humorous and thought-provoking journey into gaming versus reality.

Lamar Tyler, CEO of Tyler New Media and creator of Traffic, Sales & Profit, shares his journey from cutting grass to building a media empire. He discusses the importance of pursuing clarity when deciding between college and entrepreneurship. Lamar highlights how he transformed a blog into a thriving community and reviews current trends in digital media, emphasizing authenticity. He also provides insights on effective traffic generation strategies and offers details about his mastermind programs to help others scale their businesses.

In this episode, host Travis Chappell and his producer Eric unpack what big brands like Starbucks and Target are getting wrong about culture, customer experience, and “forced friendliness.” Using Eric’s local Starbucks and Target’s “10–4 policy” as jumping-off points, they dig into how authenticity, sleep, and sustainable effort matter far more than corporate scripts or nonstop grind. Along the way, they break down Gary Vee’s “new” stance on sleep and hustle, plus how high performers actually use rest as a competitive advantage.​ On this episode we talk about: Why Eric’s favorite Starbucks went from feeling like “Cheers” to feeling scripted once corporate required baristas to write something on every cup.​ How genuine, voluntary gestures from employees turn into hollow “corporate bullshit” once they’re turned into a rule.​ Target’s 10–4 policy (smile within 10 feet, warm interaction within 4 feet) and why forcing friendliness can feel awkward for both customers and staff.​ The difference between real culture (people who like working there) and forced culture (mandated smiles, scripted greetings, required cup messages).​ Gary Vee’s clip about sleeping 7–10 hours, not going hard 24/7, and why that sounds like a reversal of his early “hustle” content.​ How high performers reconcile hustle with rest: being insanely productive when awake while protecting sleep so they can sustain output for decades.​ Insights from Travis’s interview with The Sleep Doctor, including Steve Aoki’s custom sleep schedule built around a 1 a.m. start time.​ Why even entertainers and entrepreneurs with “wild” schedules need intentional sleep architecture to keep going into their late 40s and beyond.​ The weirdness of people falling asleep to business podcasts, and what it says about how hard it is for entrepreneurs to mentally clock out.​ Top 3 Takeaways Authentic culture can’t be scripted. If you take something organic—like baristas writing personal notes—and turn it into a corporate mandate, you strip away the sincerity that made it powerful in the first place.​ Forced friendliness doesn’t fix deeper problems. Policies like Target’s 10–4 may create momentary eye contact, but they can’t compensate for broken systems, low morale, or a bad customer experience.​ Sustainable success requires real rest. Hustle still matters, but the people who win long term (including Gary Vee and Steve Aoki) are the ones who treat sleep as a performance tool, not a luxury.​ Notable Quotes “There’s a difference between culture and forced culture—once you make it a rule, you kill the very thing that made it special.”​ “Don’t put ‘going hard’ on a pedestal; it’s not about never sleeping, it’s about being productive when you’re awake and listening to your body.”​ “You can’t perform at a high level for 15–20 years on no sleep—hustle without rest just means you hit the wall sooner.”​ ✖️✖️✖️✖️ 🚀 Travis Makes Money is made possible by High Level – the All-In-One Sales & Marketing Platform built for agencies, by an agency. 🚀 Capture leads, nurture them, and close more deals—all from one powerful platform. 🎁 Get an extended free trial at gohighlevel.com/travis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Travis talks with serial entrepreneur and private equity operator Eddie Wilson, known as the “King of Exits” for owning more than 140 companies and successfully exiting over 100 of them. Eddie breaks down how he went from corporate media to running a 30‑company portfolio, created the Empire Operating System, and co-built the Aspire Tour, the nation’s largest business event series.​ On this episode we talk about: How Eddie went from third‑generation real estate kid and corporate TV/radio executive to starting an ad agency, exiting it, and then suddenly helping operate a portfolio of 30+ companies The Foot Locker “measure-the-feet” story, how it inspired his Brick concept, and how extreme focus on one core metric evolved into the Empire Operating System now used across thousands of companies​​ Scaling from 30 to 86 portfolio companies, then selling 76 of them in a single year to ~20 different buyers—while only owning a minority stake and learning how to systematize exits Why he and Andrew Kroeze built Aspire Tour as a front-end community and lead engine for financial services (tax, insurance, wealth) and how they fill arenas with speakers like David Goggins, Gary Vee, and Shark Tank sharks while often losing money on the event itself​ Eddie’s deeper “why” behind all of it—his Impact Others nonprofit that feeds and educates ~5,300 kids a day in 100+ countries and runs massive projects like providing Christmas morning for 18,000+ children worldwide​​ Top 3 Takeaways Systems are the only way to scale and exit repeatedly; Eddie’s Empire Operating System grew out of real portfolio pain and now focuses each company around a single “brick” metric that drives everything else. Big, sexy front-end plays like Aspire are often loss leaders—what matters is the lifetime value created when you plug those attendees into masterminds, tax strategy, insurance, and other high-value services. Money alone gets boring; tying business growth to a bigger mission—like feeding thousands of kids daily through Impact Others—creates the kind of purpose that keeps you building even after you could retire. Notable Quotes “I realized I could do what I do—but at scale.” “Aspire is really just aggregation. It’s the community that lets us serve people with financial services long after the event ends.” “Success without impact left me empty; Impact Others is what keeps me going.” Connect with Eddie Wilson: Personal site & bio: https://officialew.com​ Operating system: https://empireom.com​ Business tour (Aspire): https://aspiretour.com​ Nonprofit: https://impactothers.com  ✖️✖️✖️✖️ 🚀 Travis Makes Money is made possible by High Level – the All-In-One Sales & Marketing Platform built for agencies, by an agency.​ 🚀 Capture leads, nurture them, and close more deals—all from one powerful platform.​ 🎁 Get an extended free trial at gohighlevel.com/travis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Travis sits down with leadership expert and “Business Sergeant” Chris Hallberg to unpack how great sales and great leadership go hand in hand. From shoveling driveways in Minnesota to scaling and selling an energy‑efficient remodeling company during the Great Recession, Chris shows how disciplined systems, integrity in sales, and long‑term thinking can build serious revenue.​ On this episode we talk about: How Chris went from shoveling snow and working at McDonald’s to military police, then into construction sales and six‑figure commission income The story of launching an energy‑efficient remodeling business in 2008–2010 using tax credits, ROI calculators, and “green” door‑to‑door canvassing to thrive while legacy contractors went under Why door‑to‑door is still “king” in certain home-services niches, and how to sell respectfully at the front door without being a stereotypical high‑pressure closer The mindset shift from zero‑sum “I win, you lose” sales to win‑win selling that focuses on impact, education, and walking away when you’re not the best fit How Chris now helps leadership teams implement EOS and uses his GoExpand AI platform to build disciplined, accountable, highly profitable organizations​ Top 3 Takeaways The best salespeople think of themselves as problem solvers and educators, not manipulators; they’re willing to walk away when their solution is not truly in the customer’s best interest. In tough economies, differentiation plus math wins: pairing tax incentives, real energy‑savings ROI, and targeted canvassing allowed Chris’s company to grow while others shrank. Long‑term success comes from systems and culture, not just charisma—frameworks like EOS and tools like GoExpand help leadership teams create repeatable, scalable performance. Notable Quotes “I look at people as helping people, not selling people. No one wants to be sold, but everybody needs help.” “If you serve other humans, you’ll get your just rewards. If you’re only trying to take, you’ll only get what they’ll let you have.” “Both models can work for six months, but only one works for ten years.” Connect with Chris Hallberg: Website (Veteran community): https://bizsgt.com​ Coaching & software: https://goexpand.com​ EOS Implementer profile: https://implementer.eosworldwide.com/chris-hallberg​​ ✖️✖️✖️✖️ 🚀 Travis Makes Money is made possible by High Level – the All-In-One Sales & Marketing Platform built for agencies, by an agency.​ 🚀 Capture leads, nurture them, and close more deals—all from one powerful platform.​ 🎁 Get an extended free trial at gohighlevel.com/travis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices