Podcast Summary: SOLO | Make Money by Mastering Influence

Podcast: Travis Makes Money
Host: Travis Chappell
Date: February 10, 2026

Episode Overview

In this solo episode, host Travis Chappell explores the crucial role of influence in increasing your income and creating your ideal life. Drawing on his extensive experience in podcasting, business, and personal development, Travis breaks down how anyone—regardless of their current status—can actively build influence through three key strategies. Rather than focusing on extreme cost-cutting or relentless billion-dollar ambition, Travis emphasizes actionable steps to become someone others want to follow, learn from, or help. The episode is rich with practical advice, vibrant anecdotes, and honest reflections that demystify the journey to becoming more influential and valuable.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Influence is Essential for Making More Money

(00:55 – 03:20)

• Travis explains that influence is a non-negotiable asset for entrepreneurs and anyone wanting to excel in business—and, by extension, make more money.
• The concept stems from his own journey, describing how influence opens doors and creates opportunities beyond what saving alone can do.
• Influence is especially vital if you're pivoting into business, sales, coaching, or the digital world.

"If you're starting to get into business ... influence is something that you cannot avoid. You have to become a person of influence."
— Travis Chappell (03:12)

2. Three Keys to Gaining Influence

A. Become a Person of Interest

(03:22 – 12:05)

• Travis recounts advice from networking expert Ivan Misner: "Be interested, not interesting." He notes this is helpful, but feels it's incomplete for today’s world.
  • Many failed networking events revolve around people being self-focused, simply trying to impress and move on.
• However, he realized when running his podcast guest booking agency that being interesting is just as important.
  • Notable guests land spots on top podcasts because they’ve done something unique, remarkable, or impressive.
  • When pitching guests, Travis's team compiled “badass bullets”—accomplishments and stories that would immediately grab hosts’ attention.
• Becoming genuinely interesting through diverse life experiences (e.g., running ultra-marathons, visiting every NFL stadium, tackling big projects) naturally attracts influence.

"If you have interesting things and you gain influence by the very nature of the interesting things that you've done, because you have become a person of interest..."
— Travis Chappell (10:51)

• The lesson: Focus on doing cool, notable things—professionally or personally—that make your story compelling.

B. Become a Person of Value

(12:10 – 17:48)

• Travis argues the "obvious" way to gain influence is by consistently providing value to others.
• Value isn’t limited to profound business wisdom—it can be entertainment, community, mentorship, or practical help.
  • Example: Gary Vaynerchuk has built immense influence through relentless, free value.
  • The same scale works at micro-levels: if you help even one person and positively affect their life or business, you begin to build influence.
• Value delivered, whatever the form, is exchanged for trust and the right to be listened to in the future.

"If you don't have any value to offer and you're not actually actively offering value to other people, you're going to find building influence to be really difficult."
— Travis Chappell (15:23)

• Even A-list entertainers and athletes are influential because they provide value in the form of enjoyment, inspiration, or motivation.

C. Become a Person of Consistency

(17:49 – 20:00)

• Influence compounds over time; consistent action and presence solidify your credibility.
• Frequency, not just duration, is critical—the more often you show up via content, support, or connections, the more you are trusted.
  • Example: A social media follower who sees your posts a hundred times a year will trust and value your voice.
• Long-term trust comes from repeatedly showing up, which ultimately brings influence and opportunity.

"Not to mention the consistency piece in and of itself makes you a more trustworthy person because you continue to show up every single day ... And that by itself is going to earn trust and influence over time."
— Travis Chappell (19:19)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On networking evolution:
  "Once you start assigning the word networking to something, you start getting into this weird world of like, you know, quid pro quo type BS that only worked in this sort of like 1980 version..." (05:12)
• On life experience as value:
  "How can you round out your whole life story to make you seem like a more interesting person to be around? An interesting person to connect with? An interesting person to have done stuff with?" (09:48)
• On delivering value at every level:
  "Whether we're talking about somebody who's got a, you know, a thousand followers, ten thousand followers... if you’ve actually given value... that person is somebody who you have, quote, unquote, influence over." (13:41)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Overview of Solo Episodes & Travis's Learning Philosophy: 00:28 – 02:30
• The “Person of Interest” Paradox: 03:22 – 12:05
• Building a Podcast Guest Booking Agency – Why Being Interesting Matters: 06:51 – 11:10
• How Unique Stories & Accomplishments Attract Influence: 08:40 – 12:05
• Defining & Delivering Value: 12:10 – 16:25
• Long-Term Influence and Consistency: 17:49 – 20:00

Actionable Takeaways

• Examine your own story—set goals to do things that are genuinely fascinating, whether inside or outside your field.
• Look for ways to add value in all interactions, big or small.
• Commit to consistency—publish frequently, show up repeatedly, and nurture connections over time.

Travis closes with a reminder: Becoming influential is not about superficial tricks but about embodying interestingness, value, and reliability. Do this, and the money—and opportunities—will follow.

"Three quick ways to gain more influence this year. That's it for today's episode. Thanks for tuning in. We'll catch you guys on the next one. Peace." (20:01)