On Your Terms®
di Sam Vander Wielen
Ultimo episodio
302. I Did Less This Year and Had My Highest-Revenue Year Ever
302. I Did Less This Year and Had My Highest-Revenue Year Ever
Informazioni su questo podcast
A podcast for online business owners who refuse to choose between revenue and a real life. Most business advice tells you to hustle harder, post more, and "always be on." I'm here to tell you that's BS—and I have the multi-seven-figure business to prove it. I'm Sam Vander Wielen, and I've built a thriving online business while protecting my mornings, unplugging at night, and actually living the life I built my business for.
Every week, I share the marketing strategies, legal foundations, and lifestyle boundaries that keep my business profitable without stealing my peace. Whether you're building your first six figures or scaling past seven, this show will help you grow your revenue without sacrificing your presence, your sleep, or your sanity.
Because success isn't just about how much you make—it's about having the freedom to actually enjoy your life.
New to my world?
I’m a lawyer-turned-entrepreneur who built an 7-figure digital product business helping thousands of founders legally protect and grow their online businesses. These days, I’m here to share not just the legal clarity but the lessons, stories, and strategies that make business and life more fulfilling. I'm the author of the best-selling book, When I Start My Business, I'll Be Happy, and a weekly newsletter called Sam's Sidebar. Originally a proud Philly girl, I now live ON Long Island with my husband, Ryan, and bernedoodle/velcrodog, Hudson.
Episodi
I 50 episodi più recenti su 321
- 302. I Did Less This Year and Had My Highest-Revenue Year Ever · 48 min · Episodio 302What if the thing holding your business back is you doing too much? Going into this year, I planned an “entrepreneur gap year” with no big launches, no book, and less pressure…
- 301. How I Grew My Email List to 74,000 (Without Living on Instagram) · 39 min · Episodio 301You could post the best Instagram post of your life and hardly anybody would see it. Meanwhile, I have more than 74,000 people on my email list, which is way more than whoever…
- 300. I Asked 1,077 Customers Why They Bought. It Changed How I Sell. · 34 min · Episodio 300You have an offer you want to sell. Maybe you’ve even sold a bit of it already. But do you really understand why people buy it? Or are you playing by feel? Most business owners…
- The 5 Legal Steps I Took Before Making $10M Online · 1 h 18 minMaybe you’re about to start your online business and want to do it right from day one. Or maybe you’ve been at it for a while and, if you’re honest, your business is held…
- How to Legally Protect & Grow Your Online Business Before 2026 Ends [Join me live!] · 2 minIs the legal side of your business handled? Or is it still sitting on your "I'll deal with it later" list? Maybe you're about to start your online business and you want to do it…
- 299. Ready to Quit Your Job? Here's How I Knew It Was Time. · 37 min · Episodio 299Daydreaming about life outside your nine-to-five? Wondering if your side hustle could become your full-time thing, but not sure when to actually leave? In this episode, I'm…
- I've Sold $10M Online. Here's What Worries Me Now. · 7 minI've sold over $10M in digital products online, and right now three things in our industry have my attention: protecting yourself from AI and the AI label changes coming…
- 298. I Spent a Week with James Clear, Mark Manson, and Gretchen Rubin. Here's What I'm Changing in My Business. · 1 h 1 min · Episodio 298What happens when you get invited to an author mastermind with James Clear, Mark Manson, and Gretchen Rubin? You say yes, then spend days wondering if they sent the email to the…
- 297. If I Started My Business Today, I'd Ignore My Own Advice (Here's What $9M Taught Me) · 31 min · Episodio 297If you started your business today, would you actually follow your own old advice? I wouldn't. And after over $9 million in sales, I'm telling you exactly why. This isn't the…
- I Planned a Year of Doing Nothing. I Took 19 Flights Instead. [Summer Read-Aloud] · 12 minMy gap year was supposed to be boring. Instead I've taken 19 flights before summer even ended, and somehow I still feel more rested than I have in years. This episode is part of…
- I Built a Multi-Million Dollar Business to Avoid Feeling Anything. [Summer Read-Aloud] · 9 minI got forced to slow down, and it's the lesson I need to learn over and over again. In this episode, I read a personal essay from my Substack about a tennis injury that took me…
- How I Stopped Doomscrolling and Started Watching This. [Summer Read-Aloud] · 10 minHave you ever had a moment so small (a bird, of all things) crack open something so much bigger about how you're living your life? This week's episode is part of my summer series…
- How My Productivity Killed My Creativity [Summer Read-Aloud] · 10 minWe've lost the plot when it comes to creating content. In this week's summer read-aloud, I share a personal essay on how my own productivity systems, batching, optimizing, and…
- I Declared a Gap Year. Then I Turned It Into a Full-Time Job. [Summer Read-Aloud] · 9 minWhat happens when you give yourself an entire year off and can't actually take it? That's the question I'm sitting with in this week's essay. I declared 2026 my entrepreneurial…
- How I Stopped Letting the Algorithm Decide What I Like [Summer Read-Aloud] · 11 minI recently stood in a long line for pancakes I wasn't even sure I wanted. And it made me realize how much of what I consume, eat, buy, watch, isn't actually chosen by me anymore…
- 15 Habits that Rebuilt Me After I Lost Everything [Summer Read-Aloud] · 12 minOne of the strange gifts of your life completely burning to the ground is the fertile soil it leaves behind for you to begin again. That's where I found myself after losing both…
- More Memories of Other People's Lives Than Our Own [Summer Read-Aloud] · 11 minEveryone's obsessed with the getting off social media part — deleting the apps, doing the digital detox, bragging about their screen time going down. But almost no one talks…
- 296. I Took a Whole Month Off and Didn't Tell a Soul — Here's What Happened. · 35 min · Episodio 296I'm taking a little summer break, not just from the podcast, but from working in general. And yes, my friends are already cackling about that one, because as my friend Steve put…
- 295. I Went to Craft + Commerce. Here's Everything I Learned. · 58 min · Episodio 295If you've ever wondered what it's actually like to attend one of the best conferences in the online business space, I'm bringing you along this week. Every June, I pack my bags…
- 294. Why 'Must Be Nice' Is the Most Dangerous Thing You Can Say to Yourself · 26 min · Episodio 294“Must be nice.” It sounds harmless. Like a throwaway comment, a passing thought, something you mutter when you see someone doing something you wish you could do. But I’ve been…
- 293. I've Sold $9M in Digital Products. Here's My Honest Take on the Market Right Now · 32 min · Episodio 293Everyone keeps coming up to me like they're attending my business's funeral. "How are things?" And I'm standing there like... everything's actually great? My business keeps…
- 292. How to Actually Make Instagram Reels for Your Business (Without Losing Your Mind) · 48 min · Episodio 292You know reels are one of the best ways to grow your business on Instagram. You've seen other people crushing it. You've probably even sat down to film one yourself, maybe more…
- 291. 11 'Bad Habits' That Actually Built My 7-Figure Business · 39 min · Episodio 291Every entrepreneurship influencer on the internet has an opinion about what you should be doing. Six AM wake-ups. A content calendar mapped out six months in advance. Tracking…
- 290. I'm Sorry, But Someone Had to Say It (On Apologizing For Everything) · 22 min · Episodio 290I recently apologized to my shower handle. No, really. I turned off the water before rinsing out my conditioner, reached back to flip it on again, and instinctively said sorry to…
- 289. Why Doing Less Is Actually the Strategy · 43 min · Episodio 289You're busy. You're building. You're making a thousand decisions a day — what to post, what to buy, what to eat, what to cut. And somewhere along the way, all of that choosing…
- 288. I Pulled Back From Social Media. It Performed Better. · 42 min · Episodio 288What if stepping back from social media was actually the thing that made it work better for your business? I'll be honest with you: my relationship with social media has been a…
- 287. Why Nobody Thinks of You When It's Time to Buy · 49 min · Episodio 287Have you ever wondered why people in your audience don't think of you when they're ready to buy — even though you've been showing up, creating content, and putting offers out?…
- 286. I Went to an Invite-Only Mastermind. Here's Everything I Learned · 49 min · Episodio 286I just got back from three days in Atlanta with some of the most impressive people in the online business space, and I am still processing all of it. We're talking New York Times…
- 285. The Step Everyone Skips Before They Launch · 39 min · Episodio 285You've watched other people's launches from the sidelines. The big revenue numbers, the sold-out offers, the "We Hit Our Goal in 24 Hours" Instagram stories. You want that too…
- 284. My Best Kept Secret That Feeds My Content, Testimonials, and $500k Launches · 27 min · Episodio 284Automation is great — until it makes people forget there's a real human behind your business. In this episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on the tool I've been quietly using to…
- 283. How I Actually Decide What to Send My Email List (Even When I Have No Idea) · 30 min · Episodio 283If you've ever opened a blank document to write your newsletter and immediately closed it again, this one's for you. I've been sending my weekly newsletter, Sam's Sidebar…
- 282: The End-of-Quarter Habit That Will Change How You Run Your Business · 37 min · Episodio 282Q1 is officially in the books — so before you barrel headfirst into Q2, let's actually stop and take stock of how it went. In this episode, I'm walking you through the…
- 281. How I Made $500K in 4 Days (The Real Story) · 1 h 1 min · Episodio 281Sam pulls back the curtain on her biggest launch ever — $500K in revenue in just four days. She's sharing the real numbers: 11,000 webinar registrants, a 5% conversion rate, and…
- 280. How I Got My First 1,000 Subscribers on Substack · 43 min · Episodio 280Everyone's talking about Substack — and maybe you're curious, a little skeptical, and 100% wondering if you actually need to add another platform to your already-full plate…
- 279. You Have to Get Good First (Then the Audience Follows) · 35 min · Episodio 279If you’re trying to grow your audience for your online business, you’ve probably heard advice like “build the audience first” or “you need followers before you can launch.” But…
- 278. Make This List If You're Burnt Out (It Changed Everything) · 18 min · Episodio 278Have you ever heard a quote at exactly the moment you needed it? Like it practically reached out and grabbed you by the shoulders? That happened to me recently when I heard this…
- 277. The 6 Types of Rest (And Why Sleep Isn't Enough) · 40 min · Episodio 277If you’re building a business, doing “all the right things,” and still feel exhausted even after a full night of sleep… this episode is for you. So many entrepreneurs think rest…
- 276. The Monthly Goals Method (Steal This) · 38 min · Episodio 276It’s mid-February (or honestly… March… or April… or whenever you’re listening), and if your New Year’s goals already feel like they’ve floated off into the abyss — you’re not…
- How To Legally Protect & Grow Your Online Business in 2026 · 1 h 21 minIn this episode, you get to hear my full live training, “How To Legally Protect & Grow Your Online Business in 2026.” I’ll give you the five steps every entrepreneur needs to…
- 275. 6 Lessons I Wish I Knew 5 Years Ago · 39 min · Episodio 275There’s this moment in business where you keep thinking, okay… when does it get easier? When does the stress chill out, the money feel steadier, and you finally get to enjoy what…
- 274. 4 Tiny Shifts I Make Every Winter (so I feel cozy, not crushed) · 18 min · Episodio 274When it gets dark before you’ve even wrapped up work for the day, winter can feel like it shrinks your whole life. Suddenly everything feels harder, heavier, and honestly… a…
- 273. I Refilmed My Entire Signature Program (Here’s What I Didn’t Expect) · 32 min · Episodio 273Re-shooting all the videos for a product that’s generated over $8 million sounds like a straightforward business upgrade… until it isn’t. In this episode, I’m taking you behind…
- 272. What Happened When I Actually Took My Screen Time Seriously for 30 Days · 27 min · Episodio 272We all know that moment. It’s Sunday. Your phone buzzes. And suddenly you’re staring down your weekly screen time report wondering… how did THAT happen? For me, those little…
- 271. Substack vs. My Newsletter: What Goes Where (and Why) · 31 min · Episodio 271If you’ve been side-eyeing Substack trying to figure out whether you should start one, what you’d even put on it, or how it’s different from your “regular” newsletter… this…
- 270. Is AI Quietly Killing My Creativity? · 31 min · Episodio 270Let’s talk about the thing I didn’t even realize was happening until it had already messed with my head: AI was quietly killing my creativity. If you’ve ever opened your laptop…
- 269. 4 Tiny Habits I Do Before Year-End (So 2026 Is More Profitable and Peaceful) · 16 min · Episodio 269You know that feeling when you come back to your desk in January and everything is a disaster? Your desktop looks like a digital garage sale, your office chair is still wearing…
- 268. How to Create Your Ideal Business Year (Without Burnout-y Goals) · 28 min · Episodio 268It’s that time of year again — when everyone online suddenly becomes a color-coded-notion-board-wielding planning expert. But before you map out your entire 2026 vision board, we…
- 267. Before You Plan 2026, Do THIS First · 41 min · Episodio 267If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably hit the end of the year and thought: Wait… what actually happened?! How did we blink and suddenly find ourselves staring down a new…
- 266. How to Grow Your Email List (Series #4) · 42 min · Episodio 266If you’ve ever stared at a blinking cursor while trying to write your weekly newsletter and thought, “What in the whole enchilada am I supposed to say?” — today’s episode is your…
- 265. How to Grow Your Email List (Series #3) · 29 min · Episodio 265Let’s be honest — most freebies out there? They’re not working. If you’ve ever spent hours creating a lead magnet only for it to attract people who download and disappear, this…
