The Koerner Office — Ep. 280

Title: She Makes $100K/Month Selling Magnets
Host: Chris Koerner
Guest: Sariah
Date: March 6, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode of The Koerner Office features an in-depth conversation with Sariah, the creator behind Memory Magnets, who built a $1M+ business selling custom photo magnets. Sariah shares her journey from financial hardship and personal struggle to launching a profitable, scalable side hustle with minimal startup capital. The episode explores her growth strategies, marketing approaches, wedding and event sales, production logistics, and her philosophy on business transparency and community building.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Sariah’s Journey and Motivations

• Background & Turning Point
  • Sariah and her husband, both 27, were newly married and struggling financially. Sariah was pregnant, sick, involved in a car accident, and couldn’t work, while her husband was working two low-paying jobs and never home.
  • “I was like, what could I do on the side from home that could just bring in like an extra couple hundred dollars a month?” — Sariah (00:30)
• Business Genesis
  • She identified a personal need: wanting to print photos without covering her home in frames. Researching unique photo displays led her to custom photo magnets.
  • Invested less than $1,000 to start, buying a $700 manual magnet-making machine from AliExpress.
  • First month profit: Over $1,000—life-changing for her family at the time (04:24).

From Side Hustle to Million-Dollar Business

• Growth Milestones
  • Business quickly scaled:
    • First $10,000 month within 2-3 months (May-July 2024) (43:44).
    • First $100,000+ month in 6 months (November 2024) (43:54).
    • 2025 annual revenue: $1.63M (11:16).
    • Typical month (off-season): $104,000 revenue (12:36).
    • Peak month: $233,000 revenue (August 2025) (13:01).
    • Net profit margins: 30-40%, or about $600,000 profit in 2025 (12:02).
  • “You went from really broke to pretty broke and never seeing your husband...and then you just started thinking about side hustles.” — Chris (00:19)

Sales Channels & Event Opportunities

• Markets and Community Events
  • Sariah gained traction by attending local markets; community response was strong.
  • Revenue at markets ranged from $150 (slow day) to over $3,000 (major two-day event) (34:32, 35:48).
  • “I've made anywhere like the least I've made at a market was probably like 150 and the most I've made was over 3,000.” — Sariah (34:32)
  • Booth fees: $50—$300; higher fees often align with more lucrative, higher-traffic events (35:11, 35:22).
• Weddings and Other Events
  • Expanded to weddings after market customers requested the service.
  • Wedding/event revenue: $1,200—$3,000 for 2-4-hour receptions (11:43, 14:05).
  • Costs per event are low: 300 magnets at approx. $0.35/each, total material cost ≈ $100 plus labor and mileage (16:32).
  • Sariah and her husband/family run event booths, sometimes with additional support from high school students paid $15/hr (18:11).
  • Gradually refining operations with custom-built software for guests to upload/crop photos via QR code for streamlined production (17:13, 21:18).

Marketing, Social Media, and Customer Acquisition

• Social Media Strategy
  • Early self-doubt about whether social media would help, but it ultimately contributed to growth and repeat customers (09:15).
  • “Consistency is like the main thing…if you are willing to outwork your competitor, you will succeed.” — Sariah (10:10)
  • Most content: behind-the-scenes processes and product demos, which engage viewers.
• Organic Word-of-Mouth
  • Many new bookings (weddings/events) come organically after initial exposure at markets or via social media; minimal outbound sales needed (22:05, 23:38).
  • Use of business cards at markets leads to online orders in subsequent days (37:48).

Product Line and Expansion

• Magnet Machines & Supplies
  • Began by sourcing unreliable equipment from AliExpress; now sells her own branded, reliable manual machines with a 30% profit margin (07:50, 41:59).
  • Offers supplies and aims to develop her own paper line—high standards for quality (41:30).
  • “I take a lot of pride in. We have like a lifetime warranty on all of our kits.” — Sariah (42:49)
• Recurring Revenue / Business Model
  • Sells machines (one-off), supplies (replenishment), and is testing other products like stick-on, restickable photo prints, pins, and bottle openers (47:20).
• Upcoming Courses
  • Plans to launch a comprehensive course covering every aspect of setting up and running the business, from forming an LLC to event execution and marketing (45:51, 47:09).
  • “We're working on just like an overall course that walks through literally every aspect we have gone through in this business…” — Sariah (47:12)

Business Philosophy & Abundance Mindset

• Open Playbook Approach
  • Sariah is open about sharing her methods and believes the opportunity is vastly under-tapped; welcomes copycats and sees the market as far from saturated (28:47).
  • “There's just so much room in this industry for however many people want to be in it.” — Sariah (28:47)
  • Inspired many other moms and entrepreneurs to start their own similar businesses; takes pride in being a catalyst and mentor (32:17).
  • “I had a lady come in and she gave me the biggest hug…and she just told me her story about how she bought a kit and now she's making X amount a month and she's able to be home with her kids now.” — Sariah (33:13)
• Community Building & Local First
  • Core belief in business as a means to foster local entrepreneurship and return to community-focused commerce (33:33).
  • “There's no reason why there should be a megacorp that sells magnets to everyone. There should be a hundred thousand people selling magnets to each other.” — Chris (34:05)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I quit his second job.” – Sariah (02:22)
• “That was your last shift.” – Sariah describing telling her husband he was done with night work (02:45)
• “It just blew up in my face—in a good way, in a great way.” – Sariah (03:28)
• “It’s a dream job for sure.” – Sariah on putting together wedding/event experiences (11:43)
• “If you are willing to outwork your competitor, you will succeed.” – Sariah (10:10)
• “This changed my life. The magnet end changed my life.” – Sariah (28:47)
• “Honestly, I love it.” – Sariah on the journey and impact (32:07)
• “Just do it.” – Sariah’s advice for aspiring entrepreneurs (45:11)
• “You just need to start and then you’ll just take off running. But starting is the hardest part.” – Sariah (45:46)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Sariah's Backstory & Quitting Husband’s Job: 00:19—02:47
• First Side Hustle Steps, Investment, and Idea: 03:00—04:55
• First Month’s Profit, Rapid Growth: 04:21—05:55, 11:06—13:09
• Social Media and Community Markets: 09:09—10:55
• Weddings and Event Logistics: 14:05—18:18
• Software Streamlining and Staffing: 17:13—18:41
• Customer Acquisition and Referrals: 22:05—24:18, 37:48
• Market Economics (fees, revenue): 34:32—35:32
• Copycats, Abundance, and Market Size: 28:47—32:07
• Business Expansion (machines, supplies): 41:22—42:08
• Advice for Getting Started: 45:11—45:46
• Future Vision & Courses: 45:51—47:32

Final Takeaways

• Practicality: Sariah’s business can be started affordably, with a high profit margin and scalable processes—even without advanced equipment or technical know-how.
• Resilience & Mindset: Her story highlights the importance of taking action despite uncertainty and adversity.
• Abundance & Sharing: Sariah models an open, collaborative approach to entrepreneurship, emphasizing community over competition.

Where to Find Sariah

• Website: memorymagnets.co.com
• Instagram: [handle mentioned during episode]
• Contact: Email or social DM

Summary by The Koerner Office Podcast — Ep. 280
If you’re seeking a high-margin, flexible business idea with significant event and product-based potential, Sariah’s story and playbook provide both practical steps and entrepreneurial inspiration.