The Iced Coffee Hour Podcast Episode Summary

Podcast: The Iced Coffee Hour
Hosts: Graham Stephan & Jack Selby
Guest: Stable Ronaldo
Episode Title: “Harder Than A 9-5 Job!” Stable Ronaldo on Making $400,000/Month & Losing Everything
Date: September 14, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode features Twitch and YouTube personality Stable Ronaldo, renowned for his meteoric rise in the gaming and streaming space, his infamous “rise-fall-rise” storyline, and his staggering monthly incomes. The episode takes a candid look at Ronaldo’s journey from flipping sneakers at 15, to winning major tournaments, pulling in $400,000+ per month, losing almost everything, and his philosophy around failure, authenticity, money, relationships, and inspiring others. Through lively storytelling, relatable insight, and frequent humor, the conversation demystifies the world of streaming and offers hard-earned life lessons for aspiring content creators and entrepreneurs.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Realities of Streaming: Work Ethic, Failure, and Success

• Ronaldo on Overnight Success & Streaming Myths
  • Emphasizes the grind and the years spent making nothing before breaking through.
  • “I spent four years making no money. Like I’m talking like zero money to then finally achieving money. It’s all luck at the end of the day to an extent, but it’s also the grind. Like you’re not going get lucky sitting in your bedroom doing nothing.” (00:18)
• Comparing Streaming to Traditional Work
  • “People are like streaming isn’t harder than a 9 to 5. ...I give Credit to people because I want to see people do it. People are like, oh, I could become a streamer. So do it. ...Streaming is one of the hardest things.” (24:29)
  • Jack and Graham agree, noting the constant need to be "on" and innovating, unlike some 9-5 roles that allow for coasting. (25:09–26:35)

2. Ronaldo’s Journey: From Zero to $400K+/Month

• Early Days: Flipping Sneakers and Supreme
  • Ronaldo started out young, flipping hype items for profit and developing his hustle.
  • “When I was like 15, I was flipping shoes...would have like 300 and I turn into, like, 5,000 in, like, two weeks.” (06:15)
• Esports Breakthrough
  • His major turning point was winning the Fortnite FNCS tournament in 2019, netting $50K+ and opening the door to streaming fame.
  • “We ended up qualifying ... and then we won that tournament. ...it was like $200,000 split for four people.” (11:04)
• Rapid Earnings Growth
  • After the FNCS win and during COVID, viewership exploded, and so did the paydays: “After I won that...I started seeing hundreds of thousands almost instantly...months where I was making 30,000 right after that. Then 40,000...and then 110 [thousand].” (14:18)
• Losing It All: The Downturn
  • As the pandemic waned and Fortnite’s popularity fell, Ronaldo’s numbers and income plummeted to $2,000/month, forcing him to cut spending and reassess his motives.
  • “It went from like 60 to 40 grand a month, then 20 grand a month, then 10 grand a month, and then 2. Like, I had a month where I made 2 grand a month.” (19:46)

3. Philosophy of Failure and Resilience

• On Embracing Failure:
  • “Failure is the biggest way to become successful in life. I think you have to lose everything to gain everything.” (00:18, 109:56)
  • “When I failed...it’s where I found my peaks." (08:35)
• Abundance vs. Scarcity Mentality
  • Ronaldo differentiates his abundance, future-focused mindset from Graham and Jack’s more scarcity-driven perspectives.
  • “There’s unlimited money in the world. ...It’s just about how you want to go get it.” (73:03)

4. Money, Investing, and Lifestyle Choices

• Spending Philosophy & Lessons Learned
  • At his peak, blew $30–40K/month on clothes, gifts, food; now spends more on business, staff, and content investments.
  • “I regret spending that much money. ...Don’t do anywhere close to that no more.” (05:50)
• Car & Watch Purchases as Motivation & Assets
  • Cars are described as his “therapy” and source of drive.
  • “If you told me I’m an idiot for buying a car, I wouldn’t believe you because it makes me want to work harder, makes me enjoy life.” (35:10)
  • Watch collection includes an AP Royal Oak Skeleton ($120–130K), multiple Rolexes and a Cartier, most as gifts or personal milestones. (30:21–33:21)
• Investments
  • Real estate (mainly New Jersey), some stocks/index funds, assets like watches and cars. Inspired by Faze Rug to buy properties as safety net. (97:05–98:06)
  • Best investment ever: His cat “Burger,” generating millions in stream and TikTok attention. "I bought that cat...for $100...He made me millions of dollars. I’m serious." (100:23)
  • Worst investment: Designer clothes/jewelry that isn’t an asset. (101:37)

5. Content Creation & Innovation

• On Idea Generation & the Streaming 'Arms Race'
  • “Every second that you’re not trying to one up yourself, there’s someone out there in the world that’s doing that.” (01:13, 28:30)
  • Admits to “reformatting” others’ ideas and putting his own twist (“inspired, not copied”): “It’s just reformatting it in your own ways. ...That’s the whole point of entertainment.” (28:32)
  • Example: $30K set for Elden Ring stream returned $80–90K. (23:30)
• Discovering & Empowering New Creators
  • Describes a knack for picking future stars (Aiden Ross, FactCity, etc.) and enjoys empowering others over making money from them. (51:10–55:57)

6. The Business of Streaming & Faze Clan

• Faze Clan Structure
  • Owns a small percentage, alongside other creators and investors like DraftKings’ Matt Kalish.
  • "He wants to take care of us...a genuine dude and I think he's probably one of the greatest CEOs for us." (60:32)
  • Revenue split: Faze helps with capital/sponsorships, takes a ~30–40% cut on some ventures.
• Why Faze Kicked Out Members
  • Explains some original and newer members got lazy, did minimal content, and were cut: “Guaranteed half a million dollars a year...and they didn't want to work.” (69:17)

7. Authenticity, Relationships, & Life Balance

• Being Real On and Off Camera
  • Ronaldo claims there is “no difference” between his online/offline personality.
  • “I really don’t, like, intentionally form clips. Like, it just naturally happens.” (37:35)
• Relationship Philosophy
  • Keeps relationship private (girlfriend not allowed a social media presence); credits her with improving his off-stream life and maintaining his drive. (77:22–78:48)
  • Mutual agreement on prenup; business always comes first. (86:21–87:46)
• On Spending and "Faking It"
  • Estimates: “85 to 90%” of creators don’t actually own what they flex online. (81:55)

8. Safety, Swatting, & Streaming Risks

• Swatting Is a Constant Threat
  • "Over 50, easily. ...But I do have weirdos that follow me...wait for me outside the house..." (45:53, 47:09)
• Perspective on Doxxing and IRL Dangers
  • Shares near-miss stories, maintaining a security presence and staying vigilant.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Streaming vs. 9 to 5:
  “If you’re not at the top of your game every single minute, it’s your entire career falls off every second. A nine to five you could technically skirt by doing the bare minimum. If you did that on streaming, no one would want...” – Jack (25:09)
• On Building a Brand:
  “I spent four years making no money. Like I’m talking like zero money to then finally achieving money.” – Ronaldo (00:18)
• On Manifestation:
  “Manifestation is a real thing...the world runs off like energy. If you put out good energy, you get good energy back.” – Ronaldo (106:51)
• On Failure:
  “If you can’t give 100% and you can only give 10%. But you give that 10%, you gave 100%.” – Ronaldo (109:26)
• On Burnout & Taking Breaks:
  “You become brilliant when you take more breaks because you could think of better ideas.” – Ronaldo (77:13)
• On Authenticity:
  “There’s two points where it’s kind of dangerous. ...We got swatted once at the house, and there’s no cameras, by the way. ...That’s just who I am.” – Ronaldo (37:31)
• On Money Chasing:
  "I feel like life doesn't change depending on how much money you have. ...Once you reach a threshold ... high end middle class ... you’re going to be able to enjoy life more." (105:15)

Quick Reference Timeline

| Time | Segment | |--------------|-----------------------------------------------------| | 00:18–03:00 | Ronaldo’s intro, therapy, cars, “overnight” grind | | 04:09–06:54 | Early money lessons, overspending, hustles | | 08:35–12:07 | Failure, peaks and valleys, winning FNCS | | 14:13–15:51 | Explosive streaming growth, first windfall | | 16:06–18:16 | First purchases, supporting his mom, taxes | | 19:42–22:23 | Decline in viewership, mental health | | 24:23–26:35 | “Streamers work harder than 9-5 workers” debate | | 27:27–30:20 | Creative process, standing out, content innovation | | 30:21–33:23 | Watch collection | | 35:05–38:29 | “Cars as therapy,” authenticity on/off cam | | 45:53–47:09 | Swatting, personal safety | | 49:17–51:06 | Advice for aspiring streamers, Twitch’s future | | 55:21–61:22 | Faze Clan business, investing in other creators | | 69:13–76:18 | Why Faze kicks people, burnout, learning from loss | | 77:22–87:46 | Relationship management; money, prenup | | 88:51–93:17 | Multiple income streams, sponsorships, gambling | | 100:00–101:29| Best/Worst investments ("Burger" the cat) | | 109:26–112:13| Manifestation, inspirational advice, mindset | | 113:06–127:31| Streamer tier-list segment |

Ronaldo’s Top Three Viral Clips

1. The “Payphone” Singing Clip

   • “Somehow this clip generated billions. ...I still don’t understand why.” (39:51)

2. Getting Slapped by Bradley Martin

   • “I took his hat off because I was like, oh, it’s a joke... Slap the sh*t out of me.” (41:44)

3. Hiding From Cops on Stream During a College Stream

   • “I hid in her bathroom. ...It went everywhere, it was like a stupid clip.” (43:56)

Ronaldo’s Inspirational Takeaway

“Failure is the biggest way to become successful in life. I think you have to lose everything to gain everything.”
(00:18, 109:56, 112:49)

“If you can’t give 100% and you can only give 10%. But you give that 10%, you gave 100%.”
(109:26)

Conclusion

This episode delivers a behind-the-scenes look at streaming stardom, hard financial truths, mental resilience, and insight into building an authentic, lucrative, and fulfilling career in the new creator economy. Ronaldo’s honesty about money, mistakes, and mindset, combined with laughs and actionable advice, make this a can’t-miss for anyone interested in gaming, digital entrepreneurship, or self-improvement.