The Get Paid Podcast: The Stark Reality of Entrepreneurship and Being Your Own Boss

Hosted by Claire Pelletreau

Business Entrepreneurship

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367

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May 2026

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About the show

Claire Pelletreau was just starting to grow her side business as a Facebook ad and marketing consultant when her full-time job disappeared. Desperate to land enough clients just to pay the bills, she was disappointed at how difficult it was to find real tactical advice that would help actually her get paid month to month. The Get Paid Podcast is Claire's attempt to pull back the curtain on the reality of running an online business. All these people pulling in "six figures" - how are they ACTUALLY doing it? What kind of money do they take home after expenses? What are those expenses, anyway? Are they truly "solopreneurs" or are they supported by a team? What does that team do for them? How are they marketing their offerings and growing their lists? How long did it take to get to where they are? You'll discover how different entrepreneurs get paid and what it costs them to bring in that money.

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60 recent

May 29, 2026Episode 36448 min

Jason Zook (Part 1): Walked Away From a $30K/Month Business On Purpose

Jason Zook and his wife Caroline spent eight years building Wandering Aimfully into a coaching program doing over $30,000 a month in recurring revenue. Then they shut it down — on purpose — at the peak. In Part 1 of this conversation, Jason walks Claire through how he and Caroline started working together (it involves lion makeup), the pricing shift that took them from $5K to $30K a month, the "enough number" exercise that's been guiding their business for years, an important apology, and the decision to close it all. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Stay tuned for Part 2, where things get... messier. This Week on the Get Paid Podcast: How Caroline pitched herself into Jason's business (and the lion makeup that started it all) The pricing model shift that more than doubled their recurring revenue and gave them a multi-year run Why they shut down a $30K+/month business at its peak — and the 20-month plan that gave them the runway to do it The "enough number" exercise Jason swears every business owner should do (and the link to his full breakdown) The side project that's quietly done $1.5M while helping course creators earn over $30 million A first taste of Jason and Caroline's experiments in vibe coding — including the $20 pre-launch vote that funded their newest app idea About Jason Zook: Jason Zook has been building businesses online for nearly 20 years. He's the co-founder of Wandering Aimfully (a now-retired coaching program that brought in $2.5M in total revenue) and Teachery, a course platform that's done $1.5M as a side project while helping creators earn over $30 million. Jason and his wife Caroline recently launched two new vibe-coded apps and live in Portugal with their daughter Leon. Mentioned in this podcast: Wandering Aimfully Enough Number breakdown — wanderingaimfully.com/330 Teachery — Jason's course platform - https://www.teachery.co/ Now it's time to GET PAID.

May 21, 2026Episode 3651 hr 6 min

Ellen Yin: Why I Retired My Best-Selling Program

Claire met Ellen Yin at a conference last year — and despite Ellen's podcast Cubicle to CEO crossing over a million downloads, Claire had never heard of her. Months later, Claire stumbled onto one of Ellen's offers on Instagram and bought it without thinking twice. "Take my money," she said! In this episode, Ellen shares how she built Cubicle to CEO into a media company, the brand partnership structure that has her landing campaigns with Fortune 500 names like Uber and Amazon, and the bespoke offer she launched right before Black Friday that brought in 28 partners. This Week on the Get Paid Podcast: The decision Ellen made in 2022 that completely changed how her business makes money What it actually means when Ellen says her podcast IS the product (not a marketing channel) The minimum budget Ellen requires to even consider a brand partnership — and what brands get at the higher end Why Ellen stopped publicly sharing her annual revenue after five years — and the number she tracks instead now About Ellen Yin: Ellen Yin is the founder of Cubicle to CEO, a media and education company best known for its top-ranked podcast of the same name. Cubicle to CEO has served over 14,000 students, partnered with Fortune 500 brands like Uber, Amazon, ADP, and Indeed, and crossed over a million downloads on the show. Ellen is also a speaker and one of the most financially transparent founders in the online business space. Mentioned in this podcast: Cubicle to CEO Cubicle to CEO Podcast (premium subscription) Revenue Report Files (Ellen's private podcast feed of five years of public income reports) Dielle McMillan — forthe23percent.com Now it's time to GET PAID.

April 17, 2026Episode 36427 min

What Sponsoring Gave Me That Attending Never Did

Claire just got back from Miami, where she sponsored Dielle Charon''s Millionaires of Color conference for the first time — and she's sharing the WHOLE story. The stress spiral, the question she asked Dielle that completely changed how she showed up, and the unexpected moment that made every dollar worth it. Plus: her best tips for getting an actual ROI out of any in-person event — whether you're a sponsor, going solo, or still on the fence about live events. This Week on the Get Paid Podcast: Why Claire said "I'm never doing this again" at least three times before she even got to the airport What sponsoring gave her that two years of attending never did Claire's exact tip for making networking feel effortless at any event (she's been using this one since 2014) The two women at the conference who met as strangers last year and are now besties with businesses that took off Mentioned in this podcast: Dielle Charon — forthe23percent.com Everything Sales and Money (Dielle's membership) Craft + Commerce by Kit — kit.com/conference (June 10–13, Boise, Idaho) Episode: How My Brain Sabotaged My Business for Eight Plus Years (for more conference tips!) Now it's time to GET PAID Thanks for tuning into the Get Paid Podcast! If you enjoyed today's episode, head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe, rate, and leave your honest review. Connect with me on Facebook, YouTube, andInstagram, visit my website for even more detailed strategies, and be sure to share your favorite episodes on social media.

April 3, 2026Episode 3631 hr 11 min

Vix Meldrew: Turning Around a Launch Flop and Ending With 82 New Clients

Vix Meldrew is one of those people who has actually lived multiple internet lives — and somehow turned all of it into a business that sells memberships and group programs at scale. In this episode, Vix breaks down how she went from being a sex + dating blogger (while teaching primary school!) to building a membership with hundreds of members… and then making the decision to close it when Reels changed everything. We talk audience growth, offer evolution, what happened during a launch that started as a total flop (two sales on day one) and how she turned it around, and the real behind-the-scenes of building a business while going through IVF, pregnancy, and postpartum. This Week on the Get Paid Podcast: The unexpected origin story behind Vix's business (and why she had a pseudonym) How she grew a membership fast — and what made her community so hot early on How Reels changed everything (and why she shut down recurring revenue) The launch that started with a faceplant… and the pivot that saved it The organic growth strategy she's using now (and why it's not "post more") What motherhood + postpartum actually did to her business ambition and capacity About Vix Meldrew: Vix Meldrew helps course creators, coaches, and membership owners grow their audience and sell their offers through organic marketing and launches. She's the creator of Volume (focused on audience growth) and Sales Spice (focused on scaling courses, memberships, and group programs through launches and organic funnels). Mentioned in this episode: Get Paid Marketing (GPM) Connect with Vix: Instagram: @vixmeldrew Website: vixmeldrew.com Volume: vixmeldrew.com/volume Sales Spice: vixmeldrew.com/sales-spice Now it's time to GET PAID

March 26, 2026Episode 3621 hr 21 min

Joe Sanok: Sold $80K Before He Built the Offer

Joe Sanok started a podcast in 2013, when almost nobody in his niche was doing it. Today, Practice of the Practice generates close to a million dollars a year through podcast sponsorships, a membership community, consulting, and done-for-you podcast launch services. In this episode, Joe breaks down how he validated one of his highest-ticket offers by asking 15 people three questions, then sending a single email that brought in nearly $80,000 in signed contracts within 24 hours—before he had even built the delivery team. This Week on the Get Paid Podcast: How Joe used 3 questions to validate a high-ticket offer and sell nearly $80K before building it How Practice of the Practice grew into a near-million-dollar business through sponsorships, membership, and consulting Why Joe's membership model removes extra buying decisions and lets clients level up without friction How Joe built a podcast system that lets him record and walk away while his team handles the rest Why he tracks positive exits and negative exits inside his membership How Joe structures his schedule so he mostly works Tuesday through Thursday About Joe Sanok: Joe Sanok is the founder of Practice of the Practice, a business that helps therapists in private practice grow through community, consulting, and education. He's a former marriage counselor, the host of a podcast with more than 1,300 episodes, and the author of Thursday Is the New Friday and Dating After Betrayal. Joe lives in northern Michigan and leads a team based across the U.S. and South Africa. Mentioned in this podcast: Practice of the Practice https://practiceofthepractice.com/ Podcast Launch School https://podcastlaunchschool.com/ Now it's time to GET PAID Thanks for tuning into the Get Paid Podcast! If you enjoyed today's episode, head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe, rate, and leave your honest review. Connect with me on Facebook, YouTube, andInstagram, visit my website for even more detailed strategies, and be sure to share your favorite episodes on social media.

March 16, 2026Episode 36120 min

5 Clear Warning Signs That It's Time To Fire Your Ad Agency

If you hired an ad agency to save time and make more money… but you're still doing the creative, still managing the process, and still feeling unclear about what's actually working? This episode is for you. In today's episode, Claire shares five warning signs it might be time to cut ties with your ad agency or consultant — even if they've been with you for a while, even if you like them, even if they've "helped in past launches." Some of these red flags are obvious. One of them is hiding in plain sight inside Ads Manager. And one of them is the reason a lot of businesses end up paying for "support" that actually slows them down. If you want a faster, simpler, more profitable relationship with ads — this is the listen. This Week on the Get Paid Podcast: The un-subtle Ads Manager clue that tells you your agency is running an outdated setup The timeline standard that should never be missed when you're running ads for a live event The "quiet leak" that drains budget (and why it's a bigger deal than most people realize) The ROI question you should be asking (but probably aren't) The one factor that determines whether outsourcing ads is smart… or just expensive Mentioned in this episode: Get Paid Marketing (GPM): clairepels.com/waitlist Now it's time to GET PAID

March 13, 2026Episode 36020 min

5 Ways Made Up Funnel Math Stole Your Sales

If you've ever looked at one number in your ad dashboard, felt your stomach drop, and turned the whole thing off — this episode might sting a little. In this solo episode, Claire breaks down what she calls made up funnel math — the sneaky way smart business owners decide their funnel is "dead" or "not profitable" based on vibes, one scary metric, or incomplete tracking. The worst part? It usually kicks off the same cycle: panic, shut it down, buy another training, start from scratch… even when the funnel was already making money or one tweak away from it. Claire walks through the five most common places this shows up, shares real examples from her own ads and client funnels, and explains what to actually look at before you touch that off switch. This Week on the Get Paid Podcast: The "panic metric" that makes people shut off profitable ads — and what to track instead Why judging your funnel by front-end sales alone will mislead you every time The difference between a volume problem and a conversion problem (and why mixing them up changes your entire next move) Why "testing new audiences" is almost always the wrong answer right now Mentioned in this episode: Get Paid Marketing (GPM) — clairepells.com/waitlist Absolute FB Ads - https://clairepells.com/afa-evg Instagram: @clairepells - https://www.instagram.com/clairepells Crime 101 (movie — for the car chase girlies) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5y-cziwmMw Now it's time to GET PAID

March 11, 202647 min

Chris Donohoe: $40K From One Funnel (and He's Just Getting Started)

Chris Donohoe went from blue-collar Florida to Cornell on a diving scholarship — and then into the world of corporate consulting, where he realized the people making great money weren't superhuman. They just had a profitable skillset and a repeatable way to sell it. Now Chris helps consultants, freelancers, and coaches create real cashflow in their businesses. But when he decided to walk away from corporate revenue and go all-in on a scalable coaching offer, the transition was anything but smooth. In this episode, he shares how he turned a "Frankenfunnel" into a real sales system inside Get Paid Marketing. We talk about his shift from guessing to testing, why he chose free workshops over paid ones (and the long-game math behind that decision), and what it actually looks like to sell with conviction when only 10 people show up to your live sales event This Week on the Get Paid Podcast: What corporate consulting actually is — and the "Wizard of Oz moment" that changed how Chris saw the whole industry Exactly how he he replaced 60% of his income when he walked away The emotional low point that led him to GPM — and what shifted after one conversation How he thinks about lead volume and conversions at the same time (long game + short game) How the GPM structure without rigidity allowed Chris to co-create a killer strategy instead of following a formula About Chris Donohoe: Chris Donohoe is a business coach and consultant who has sold over $2.5 million using word-of-mouth sales and marketing — everything from $19 workshops to $500,000 Fortune 100 consulting projects. Now he teaches consultants, coaches, and advisors to create cashflow in their businesses the simplest way possible so they can have the financial freedom to live life on their own terms. His podcast, Make Money as a Consultant, is where he talks openly about the lessons most coaches won't say out loud. Connect with Chris: Website: chrisdonohoecoaching.com Instagram: @chris_donohoe_ Podcast: Make Money as a Consultant Mentioned in this episode: Get Paid Marketing (GPM) — clairepels.com/waitlist Go Independent - chrisdonohoecoaching.com/go-independent-337075 Grow Independent - chrisdonohoecoaching.com/grow-independent-795949 Now it's time to GET PAID

March 10, 2026Episode 3581 hr 3 min

Kathy Cruz: The Planner Launch That Hit from a "Crappy" Video Ad

Kathy Cruz is the founder of Savvy Shopkeeper, where she helps brick-and-mortar retail owners grow with stronger systems, clearer decision-making, and real financial confidence. In this episode, Kathy shares what happened when she joined Get Paid Marketing and finally started running ads with a real plan — starting with a time-sensitive planner launch that became her best one yet. We talk about what made the ads work (even when the creative wasn't perfect), why she's willing to break even on a front-end offer, and how one product can quietly become the trust-builder that drives bigger conversions later. This Week on the Get Paid Podcast: The simple ad test that helped Kathy make this her best planner launch yet Why "perfect creative" isn't the goal — and what mattered more How she uses a planner as a trust-builder (not just a product) The membership decision that makes her community feel safe How her framework helps store owners stop making emotional decisions and start using real data About Kathy Cruz: Kathy Cruz is the founder of Savvy Shopkeeper, where she supports independent brick-and-mortar retailers through practical strategy, coaching, and education. She's also the host of the Savvy Shopkeeper Retail Podcast and leads Master Shopkeepers, a mastermind and peer community for store owners who want to grow with stronger systems and smarter planning. Mentioned in this episode: Get Paid Marketing (GPM) clairepells.com/getpaid Savvy Shopkeeper (website) https://savvyshopkeeper.com/ Master Shopkeepers https://savvyshopkeeper.com/master-shopkeepers/ Savvy Shopkeeper Retail Podcast https://savvyshopkeeper.com/podcast/ Now it's time to GET PAID

March 5, 2026Episode 35749 min

Lindy Alexander: 100s Of New Clients With 1 Funnel Tweak

Lindy Alexander avoided ads for years because they felt "icky"… until she joined Get Paid Marketing and realized her results didn't require more complexity — they required less friction. In this episode, Lindy shares what shifted when she simplified how people bought (including one tiny change that made a bigger difference than she expected), and how GPM is different from any other program she joined. This Week on the Get Paid Podcast: The belief Lindy had about ads that kept her avoiding them (and what changed her mind) The small funnel adjustment that helped increase low-ticket conversions What she did differently inside GPM that led to a $50K+ launch without a live webinar The behind-the-scenes reason she almost didn't join (and what surprised her once she did) Why GPM felt "like an iceberg" after she got inside About Lindy Alexander: Lindy Alexander is a multi-award-winning freelance travel writer who has written for major Australian and international publications including Travel + Leisure, AFAR, The Telegraph, The Guardian, and The Sydney Morning Herald. After 10 years as a social worker, she transitioned into freelance journalism and later specialized in travel writing. She's the founder of The Freelancer's Year, a blog and online writing course hub for aspiring and established freelance writers who want to break into travel writing and land regular commissions. Mentioned in this episode: Get Paid Marketing (GPM): clairepells.com/waitlist The Freelancer's Year (website): thefreelancersyear.com Instagram: @thefreelancersyear Instagram: @lindyalexanderwriter Travel Writer Accelerator (TWA): https://thefreelancersyear.com/courses-resources/ttwa-apply/ Now, it's time to go get yourself paid Thanks for tuning into the Get Paid Podcast! If you enjoyed today's episode, head over toApple Podcasts to subscribe, rate, and leave your honest review. Connect with me on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram, visit my website for even more detailed strategies, and be sure to share your favorite episodes on social media. Now, it's time to go get yourself paid.