← Travis Makes Money
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I was recently on whatnot the other day, just shopping around, looking frankly, because I was just blown away that this is something that people are doing with their time. And so I was like, I got to go see if this thing is real before I talk about it on the show. And so I'm browsing whatnot, looking around, finding things, and it's crazy to see the volume of people that are just having fun in the chat. They're watching people do live shopping. It's like, it's like, you know, QVC directly on your phone. It's something you need to try, I'm telling you. Not just buying, but the selling piece too, where these people are just starting up pop up shops and businesses, selling whatever product, finding their people, building community, getting repeat customers that come back to see your face as the seller. Not just a logo or a brand, anyone can sell. Whether your business is big, small, or yet to exist, people selling on whatnot sell 10 times more than on any other major marketplaces. And that's because you're not just listing products, you're building real connections with buyers across whatnot. The number of sellers making over $1 million a year has now doubled. The consistency pays off for those sellers. It's not just side hustle, it's a real path to building something that lasts. Because whatnot buyers spend more than an hour a day in the app, they're not just browsing around, they're engaged, they're buying, they're coming back. You go live, show off your products
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in real time and turn what you
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love into real income. So search whatnot whnot in the app store, download it today and get started selling right away.
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You're listening to the Travis Makes Money podcast. What is going on, everybody? Welcome back to the show. On this episode, it's me, you and the mic. And we are talking about identity. Identity, which is larger than the work, the career that outlasts the career. On these episodes, we've been going through common themes from some of the past guests that I've had here on the show. Coming up on 2,000 episodes, a thousand guests. And I looking at it, I was like, we should probably use this for something. I've talked to so many interesting people and I feel like we have not fully explained all of the tips and the tricks and the lessons and the insights that we've gotten from these people. So we put together this whole list of recurring themes and commonalities that came up over and over again throughout a lot of these interviews. And this one is all about Identity. The guests who transitioned most cleanly from one chapter to the next all built a self that was larger than any single role or title. The ones who crashed on the way out were the ones whose entire identity had collapsed into the job. I recently had a conversation with a lady who was in her late 40s, I think she was 48 when she quit her corporate job as an executive assistant and started her first business. And I loved that story so much because this was one of those questions that I was really curious about. What did it look like for you to be able to shift your entire identity for so long? You've been basically telling people when they ask you what you do that, well, I'm an executive assistant and that identity is really hard to break free from if it's something that you've been telling yourself for a really long time. Her name is Bonnie Shuts, by the way, to look it up real quick. Shuts is S C H U T Z. She started in a virtual assistant business, so she knew she, she was a really good executive assistant for a really long time to some big executives. And she started working remotely. And then she had people be like, hey, how are you working remotely? I would like to do that too. And so she said that she had trouble with that initially because she had not identified as an entrepreneur for so long that it was, that was difficult for her to step into that, into those shoes and fill that role. And it makes sense because if you do something for an extended period of time and it becomes who you are, then it's almost impossible to leave that thing and go do something else. Even if you know that you're called to do this other thing or that you know this other thing is a better opportunity or you know, fill in the blank. There's so many reasons that could, that could, that this next available opportunity could be the thing that you've been waiting for, that you've been looking for, that you've been hoping for. But if you are stuck in this realm where you're continually, you know, drawn in by your past experiences or your past skill sets, you're sort of changed to the things that you're good at, then you're going to find it difficult to make that transition, even if it's something that you know is going to be good. So I had a similar experience when I was starting the podcast because I was a door to door sales guy and that was sort of my identity was just like, I'm a sales guy, I know how to close, I know to sell like that's what I do. And then when I was starting the podcast, I remember I went to this mastermind, one of the first mastermind things that I ever did really, really early on. A friend of mine named John Corcoran put this thing on in Santa Barbara and I went out to it. And when I was there, you know, we'd had this sort of these roundtable sessions, and I was just getting started on my show, which at the time was called Build, you'd Network. And it was all about networking and advice and how to do this better. And then sort of in that discovery process, you know, some of the people around that table were asking me questions about what I've done and what my experience is and everything. And I started talking about door to door sales, and all of them were immediately interested, which is not the reaction that I thought I was going to get, by the way. I was sort of like running away from that identity to a certain extent. I was almost embarrassed by it. Like, ah, you know, all you people are cool.
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You.
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You figured out how to make money online. That's cool, you know. And then door to door felt like, this is something that I did for money, you know, like, it was almost, almost like downplaying it in real time. And then when I started talking about it, almost everybody at the table was like a captive audience. They were like, wait, you. You know how to do this, like what you should be doing this, like, this is what you should be doing. I, like, people want to learn sales, you know, from you, and you have all this experience and why don't you get in? Why don't you start a door to door sales podcast and things like that. But I had enough understanding at that time to like, I didn't know everything. But I did know that if I jumped into a door to door sales podcast, that it would further draw me into the industry that I was trying to depart from. So even with the people giving me advice at that table, I had the fortitude to stand my ground and basically say, I understand that, and maybe it would work. And it would probably do pretty well, because at the time there were no door to door, like in, like in general door to door podcasts. Now, now there is, and my buddy Sam Taggart has built a massive brand in the door to door industry, being the guy who trains door door people. But he did. What happened to him is exactly what I did not want to happen to me. And not to say that it's a bad fate or whatever, it's just I. I had enough insight to know that I didn't want to be in that industry forever. And now he's further pulled into that industry, and he's done very, very well for himself, and he loves doing it. So, again, I'm not, you know, talking shit. I'm just saying I knew that if I did something like that, that if I started the Door to Door Experts podcast like Sam did, that I would have just been further pulled back into the vortex that I was trying to escape purposefully. So it was a difficult decision, and I knew it was going to take more work because I was in a field that I knew nothing about talking about another field that I knew nothing about. Right. I was podcasting, which I didn't know anything about, about networking, which I didn't really know much about. So it was, you know, a risk, and it was a maybe jarring decision from an outsider's perspective, I suppose, but to me, it just made sense. And I was trying to not allow my current identity at that time to dictate what my next steps were going to be. So this episode we pulled from a couple of the conversations I've had with some folks on the show. This first quote comes from John Salley, who was a professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons back in the day. He said, this is what I want to do. This is not who I am, but who I am makes me better at what I do. And he was trying to paint a picture that what you do is not who you are. And if you allow your identity to become solely about what you do, then that's when you, you. You stop having the freedom to be able to make the decisions that you really want to make or decision that might be profitable or useful to you at a certain time period. You're not going to be free to be able to make that decision because there's this internal repercuss of. Of a challenge to the identity that you've held for so long. So do what you can to try to avoid having what you do become fully who you are. Second person talked about this was Brennan Schaub. And I felt like he was uniquely qualified to talk about this because he had multiple identity shifts in his life, and he's continued to do that even under intense scrutiny. Like, the volume of hate this dude gets online is honestly mind blowing to me because first of all, zero of these people would talk shit to his face because he's like a UFC heavyweight, former UFC heavyweight, and, you know, a scary dude to. To be in person with. So none of them would say that to his face. But he had this sort of intense scrutiny around his, around everything that he was doing for quite some time. And it still lasts to this day. Entire Reddit, like when I had him on the show, somebody in some random Reddit group posted the link and then it got a. I mean, I'm kind of grateful because it got a bump in traffic and got, you know, a bunch more people to watch it than would have. But probably over 50% of the comments were people just being negative about it because there's an entire Reddit group devoted to trashing this guy, which to me is sort of a sign that you're doing something.
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Correct.
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But anyway, he said, just because you're good at something doesn't mean you have to do it. My dad always told me, you don't have to do it. You don't have to do something just because you're good at that thing. And so he pivoted multiple times in life. He was a football player. Then he pivoted into becoming a UFC fighter, and then he pivoted into doing stand up comedy, and then didn't like that that much and pivoted again to just do, sticking to the podcast. And now he's got a couple different podcasts and he's been doing that successfully for quite some time. But he stepped out of the stand up comedy thing because it was like, I, you know, don't feel like this is part of what I want to do anymore. And so he, he's allowed himself to be able to pivot, move into different things. Now he's doing like a car show or something like that because he loves cars, and it feels like that's a better fit for you anyway with the podcasting career. And it's with the thing that you, that you really love. And, you know, maybe the stand up comedy medium wasn't something that worked out for you super well in a context where like, you have, like, it demands that you're funny all the time. But as a host, you know, he's a good host and he can say things that are funny off the cuff. And so it was cool for me to see that, like, oh, you put that, you, you put this pitch together and now this network is giving you a chance to do a car show with them. It's like that is, that is sort of the key here. And he's a good example because of how much intense scrutiny there was around, specifically his standup career, because there were a bunch of people in Reddit groups talking shit all the time. He is a good example of this because he's not allowed any of that vitriol that he receives to prevent him from trying another thing to just like their opinion does not matter for my success or lack thereof. It's only dependent on what I really want to be doing at this point in my life. This episode of the show is brought to you by Chime. Chime is changing the way that people bank. They offer the most rewarding fee free banking built for you, not the 1% Chime members can benefit from up to 1150 in annual rewards fee free direct deposit unlocks the most rewarding way to make it chime. It's rated five stars by USA Today for customer service with real actual human humans 24 7, which is enough to do the thing by itself. People, come on, you're not just switching banks, you're upgrading to America's number one choice for banking. With a Chime checking account, you get 5% cash back on a Chime card and category of choice like gas or groceries, you get savings to grow faster with a 3.75% APY which is nine times higher than the national average. They also have Spotme which lets you overdraft up to 200 fee free and you can even get up to 500 of your pay when you say with something that they call MyPay. I know my younger self would have benefited from this and you will too. Chime is not just smarter banking, it is the most rewarding way to bank. So join the millions who are already banking fee free today. Head to chime.com travis that's chime.com travis only takes a few minutes to sign up.
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Chime is a fintech, not a bank. Banking services for MyPay and Chime card provided by Chime's bank partners. Optional products and services may have fees or charges, Stated annual percentage yield and cash back for Chime prime only. No minimum balance required. Checking account ranking Based on a J.D. power survey published October 20, 2025 for more information on APY rates, MyPay SpotMe travel perks, go to Chime.com disclosures this
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episode of the show is brought to you by AG1. I don't know about you, but I feel like I've been traveling quite a bit this summer and I'm leaving again next week. But you know, one thing that has made it into my bag every single time is a little bit of ag1. Summer vacation means different bed, different schedule, healthy habits put on pause waiting for the fall. Except for the 30 seconds that it takes to mix AG1 one scoop plus 8 ounces of water every morning. AG1 helps maintain energy, support gut health and support immune health. And it's clinically shown to support gut health and fill in common nutrient gaps. It's a daily health drink with multivitamin, pre and probiotics, superfoods and antioxidants. So one scoop 8 ounces of water, that's all you need. Even though summers your license to chill with all the late nights, long weekends, spontaneous plans. AG1 helps you keep at least one thing consistent. High quality nutritional support every single day, no matter where you start your morning. I use this and you should too. Visit drink ag1.comTMM to get a free AG1 travel case with seven free AG1 travel packs in your welcome kit with your first AG1 subscription order while supplies last. That's drinkag1.comTMM
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and then Tanner Chittister, who's an online entrepreneur, said, when a million a month was your whole goal in life and you hit it, your life's over, and that's kind of tough. And he was talking about the challenge to his identity because for so long he was striving for this number to, to do, you know, $10 million a year, to hit a million dollars in revenue a month. And then he hit it like two, three years into his business. And afterwards he was like, well, what do I, what do I do now? Like, I did the thing that I thought was impossible. I did it in this short period of time. Now what do I do? And he went through this entire transformation of his personal life and his business life and the way that he,
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he
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was forced to, because all of his identity was wrapped up into the business until it could no longer be wrapped up in the business, because in his mind, he had done everything that he wanted to do with that business. So he came up against this back against the wall moment, and instead of letting that define him, he said, I'm going to pivot, I'm going to change, I'm going to do something different and I'm going to study more philosophy and I'm going to go do ayahuasca and I'm going to go on this retreat and meet these people and talk about what matters in life more, rather than just focusing on money all the time. And so he was able really pivot because he had that challenge to his identity after focusing on this one singular goal for so long. So what the research says here, career transitions go better when they're anchored in values rather than titles, which couldn't agree more. And that echoes even if you're an entrepreneur, decisions go better, transitions go better when they're anchored in your values rather than the perception that other people might hold because of the new title that you get, the pay, the, the bump that you get at your workplace, or because this opportunity that came up in your business and you feel like you should do it just because other people would think that it's cool, but not because you want to do it. And so it's, it's better to make those decisions when they're anchored in your values. A qualitative study of midlife women found that purpose led career change replaced dissatisfaction with fulfillment and improved health with introspection, agency and social support as the key facilitators. So introspection, agency and social support were the key facilitators to more fulfillment and improved health and improved health with a purpose led career change. And this is what I was talking to Bonnie about, Bonnie Schutz, the one I mentioned at the beginning of this episode. This is what I was talking to her about because she felt this weight lift from her shoulders, this burden get lifted from her back when she made this decision to leave her corporate career, even though it was all she ever knew. She'd been doing it for so long. I'm sure she was getting paid really well. Like executive assistants can get paid really, really well depending on who they work for. And so she made this decision to depart from the known and move into the unknown at almost 50 years old, doing a business for the first time as a first time entrepreneur. And though these are the words that she used to describe her current state was stuff like fulfilled and purposeful and healthy and like all these, all these descriptors that we're talking about in the study, these are all the things that she was feeling at that time. But it would have been really, really, really, really difficult, basically impossible if she just. That identity. And by the way, she told me that she regretted not doing it sooner, that she had felt those feelings for quite some time at her corporate job. And then she allowed this, this imposter syndrome and this strong sense of identity tied to the thing that she did to prevent her from going after what she really wanted. So she had the clarity a little bit sooner, but she didn't take the action until later because of this, this tie to what she did and the comfort that you feel in the certainty and in. So national longitudinal data links meaningful purpose driven work to better health and wellbeing over decades, which fairly obvious that this is the truth here, but the, the Punchline is that maybe the reason that you're struggling with pursuing something that feels more meaningful or purpose driven is because your identity is so wrapped up in this other thing that you've been doing for so long. For context, the U.S. bureau of Labor Statistics finds American hold an average of 12.4 jobs between ages 18 and 54. So your identity has to be movable, it has to be shiftable, portable, and it's gotta be something that you can willingly engage in without losing that strong sense of self and without ditching all of the confidence. Because if you're transitioning to a different career, it's like you have your identity being challenged, yes, but you also have no confidence in that new thing. So if you get too wrapped up in your identity, then the confidence that you have and the thing that you do could be the thing that keeps you in the certainty rather than moving into the uncertainty. Because in your mind it's like, well, what am I more likely to be successful at? Well, I'm probably more likely to be successful in this thing that I've been doing for the last 20 years rather than pursuing this new venture, even if it doesn't bring me the fulfillment and the purpose that I'm really craving at this point in my life. And so we make these decisions based on this short term loop of gratification rather than kicking the can a little bit and saying yeah, but the pursuit, it's not even the accomplishment to me, it's the pursuit of the thing that brings you more fulfillment and purpose will ultimately make you happier over a longer period of time than the accomplishment of something that does not bring you any sort of meaning or purpose. So don't mistake some of these terms. Okay? Madam C.J. walker. Born to formerly enslaved sharecroppers, orphaned at 7, widowed at 20. She moved from laundress to launching her own own hair care line with $1.25 in savings and by her death employed roughly 40,000 people. Let that sink in for a second. Orphaned at 7, widowed at 20. Moved from a laundress to launching her own hair care line with a $25 in savings and by her death employed roughly 40,000 people. As the first self made American female millionaire, her identity was never just the thing that she did did. And if she allowed it to be the thing that she did, then she would have never started this company. She would have never become the first self made American female millionaire with a dollar and 25 cents in her pocket to start this when she got started. So it's never too late. People do this all the time. You see those examples of, you know, Colonel Sanders starting KFC when he was like 68 or something. It just, it's not too late. It's just that it's going to take some work to unravel the identity that you have in this thing that you've been doing forever if it's not something that drives the same level of purpose and fulfillment that it once, that it once gave you. So that's it for this episode of the show. Thanks so much for tuning in. Tuning in and yeah, don't let, don't, don't let your current sense of identity get too wrapped up in the thing that you do or you're going to find that it sort of acts as an anchor that holds you into that thing even if it's something that no longer serves you.
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That's it for this episode.
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Thanks so much for tuning in. Catch you on the next one. Peace.