The Koerner Office Podcast with Chris Koerner
Episode #276: "He Made $60K His First Month Reselling"
Date: February 19, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Chris Koerner sits down with Jim Rowe — serial entrepreneur, former restaurateur, and now a reselling powerhouse. Jim tells the remarkable story of pivoting to resale after being laid off, how he generated $60,000 in sales in a rural town in his first month, and the entrepreneurial principles that fueled his transformation. The conversation covers hustling furniture and restaurant equipment, creative sales strategies, leveraging local networks, the risks and rewards of auctions, and why for Jim, this journey is all about chasing that family dream yacht.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Jim’s Origin Story and Resilience

• Jim grew up in a tough family environment, with his mom working as a bartender and his dad an alcoholic, which led him to become a natural problem-solver (01:39).

• After layoffs and the forced closure of his restaurant businesses during COVID, Jim committed to never letting others have power over his financial future again.

  "I'm never going to work for someone else that can control my income like that."
  – Jim Rowe (00:00, 25:31)

Entrepreneurial Background

• Jim has run multiple businesses: tool company, diamond wholesaling, glass installation, and a restaurant empire (01:39–03:08).
• With COVID shutting down his restaurants and colleges going remote, he pivoted into junk removal and couch-flipping, quickly learning the resale ropes (03:23–04:35).

Early Success and Distribution Tactics

• Started reselling by offloading inventory accumulated from his years owning restaurants.

• Leveraged local restaurant food suppliers (Cisco, US Foods) to refer buyers, sometimes paying them commission or just gifting as appreciation.

  "I leveraged my experience... and made them [restaurant food salespeople] into salespeople. So I'd pay them 10% commission on any lead they would give me."
  – Jim Rowe (05:34)

• Not all reps produced; classic 80/20 rule – a few top salespeople brought in most leads (07:34–08:31).

Learning the Resale Game – Product, Sourcing, and Selling

• Jim learned to maximize each dollar, reinvesting profits from small wins into larger purchases.

• He experimented selling Costco and other retail returns bought by the pallet from auction sites (e.g., B-Stock) and used Facebook Live and his restaurant’s social following to get eyes and buyers.

  "That Saturday, we put everything in the parking lot... went live on Facebook... sold all this stuff and made about $3,000 that day."
  – Jim Rowe (11:22, 11:29, 11:35)

• The right location multiplied sales: his first resale shop was in an old towing shop right by the busiest road in town, a block from Fred Meyer (17:55–19:04).

• Items that sell well included furniture, appliances, restaurant equipment, exercise gear, and even chicken coops. Jim found that just about anything can sell — including “damaged” items — if you market it properly (36:50–37:20).

  "There's a buyer for everything. I always have to tell myself I'm not my own customer..."
  – Jim Rowe (37:20)

The Dream Yacht — Why the Hustle?

• A family boat show inspired Jim’s "why": to make $700,000 for his dream yacht by stacking $1,000 wins, “700 times” (27:33, 29:09).

  "I'm trying to make a thousand dollars seven hundred times to buy my family our dream yacht."
  – Jim Rowe (27:33)

• The boat goal keeps him hungry and creative, even if it means selling everything from Rolexes to food trailers.

Auction Story: The Hinge Windfall

• Jim stumbled upon a B-Stock auction of 1,000 industrial hinges. He bought the whole lot for $2,800 (32:02–32:54).

• He called regional manufacturer reps, scoring a $5,000 profit quickly and still sitting on inventory with huge potential.

  "Worst case scenario, I'm melting them."
  – Jim Rowe, on safety-net thinking in auction buying (33:06)

Scaling and Moving Shops

• Outgrew the towing shop and moved into an old Sears building downtown (21:42–21:48). Despite better space, sales temporarily dipped due to lost drive-by traffic; Jim countered by upping his marketing game and running a tongue-in-cheek "Going Out of Business?" promotion that drove record sales (41:40–42:41).

  "My next [promotion]... Jim's thinking about closing."
  – Jim Rowe (42:46)

Practical Advice for Resellers and Side-Hustlers

• Start with what you have (don't go into debt to get started).

• Focus on learning to sell, not just on buying deals; market effectively and create relationships for re-marketing (48:21–49:20).

• Deliver and build relationships: sometimes selling outside your local area builds customer lifetime value.

• Know the market: in smaller towns, bring in what's likely to sell locally and flip higher-end items in denser metro markets.

• Managing inventory and cash flow is key; scale and reinvest but keep yourself disciplined with budgets (42:59).

  "Start with something you already own. Don’t go into debt to learn how to sell, because it’s not the buying, it’s the selling."
  – Jim Rowe (48:21)

Other Notable Segments

• The Window Business: Jim shares how he built and scaled a window replacement business using old-school flyer marketing and direct sales tactics, underscoring the timeless power of hustle, referrals, and service.
• The importance of building and nurturing an audience (e.g., Facebook Lives, using social following, community goodwill).

Notable Quotes

• On the entrepreneurial mindset:

  "I like to problem-solve, and I also like to help people. And so that’s become kind of my superpower in life..."
  – Jim Rowe (01:39)

• On margins and scaling:

  "We sold a bunch of furniture and made $3,000. To make $3,000 in the restaurant business, you’re going to do $30,000 in sales."
  – Jim Rowe (11:47)

• On learning to sell:

  "Learn how to sell before you learn how to buy."
  – Jim Rowe (48:21)

• On keeping customers:

  "You don’t need a lot. You need the people that actually like your brand and want to follow you."
  – Jim Rowe (14:55)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00–01:39: Jim Rowe introduces himself, motivation post-layoff
• 03:08–04:35: Shifting from restaurants to junk removal and couch-flipping
• 05:26–06:49: Turning restaurant food salespeople into equipment sales partners
• 11:22–12:18: First big ‘garage sale’ using Facebook Live – $3,000 profit day
• 17:55–21:04: Setting up shop in a roadside tow truck garage, optimizing for location
• 27:33, 29:09: The $700K yacht goal — "Make $1,000 700 times"
• 32:02–35:57: B-Stock hinge auction story, creative flipping strategies
• 41:40–42:41: Move to Sears storefront, sales dip, and marketing comeback
• 48:21–49:20: Jim’s #1 advice for side hustlers: Start at home, master selling

Memorable Moments

• Jim’s Facebook Live “warehouse sale” where he and his wife playfully demonstrate couches, realizing this hustle makes more than a month in the restaurant business — with no staff (11:22–11:43).
• The “Going out of business?” tongue-in-cheek promotion that leads to a record sales day (42:29–42:41).
• Jim’s ultimate advice for aspiring entrepreneurs: Start small, reinvest profits, get good at sales, and build a local network.

Where to Find Jim

• Twitter/X: @ResellerRow (58:22)
• Active in the Shannon Jean reseller group.

Final Takeaways

Jim Rowe’s reselling story proves that hustle, creativity, adaptability, and people-first salesmanship can build a profitable business from scratch, even in a small market. His advice? Don’t over-leverage, start with what you know and have, use your network, and always focus on the sale, not just the deal.

"Let’s make you some money with cool business ideas!"
*– Chris Koerner, at the top of the show