How to Turn a Side Hustle Into $1M a Month: Eric Michael

How Two Brothers Built a $250K-a-Month Card Game: Cody & Brandon

🔑Ready to learn how to invest in Airbnb, hassle-free? Fill out this form and our BNB Turnkey Team will reach out to you: https://e0jcghoxv59.typeform.com/to/t4BDOZGN Welcome to The Elliott Caldwell Podcast On Successful DNA — the show where driven individuals break down the habits, experiences, and mindset behind building something real. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, or someone chasing your next level, this podcast uncovers what it actually takes to turn momentum into long-term success. Cody and Brandon are two of the founders behind How Deep Will You Go, a connection card game built to help people move beyond surface-level conversations and discover the deeper parts of one another. What began as a series of college street interviews grew into a viral content brand, a community of millions, and a physical product that has reached more than 100,000 customers. In this episode, Cody and Brandon reveal how they turned audience demand into a business generating roughly $250,000 per month and shipping around 7,000 games a month. They break down how a video with millions of views validated the product, why they collected emails before launching, and how preorders allowed them to purchase their first inventory without outside funding. Their first official launch generated approximately $10,000 within minutes and sold out within hours, proving that the market was ready. Their journey was far from perfect. The brothers share how a broken purchase link nearly derailed their first launch, how incorrect shipping information forced them to cancel roughly $10,000 in TikTok Shop orders, and why learning to slow down became one of their most important business lessons. They also explain the decision to stop fulfilling orders from their living room, hire a third-party logistics company, invest more aggressively in advertising, and build the infrastructure required to scale. Behind the numbers is a powerful personal story. Cody and Brandon open up about entering foster care as children, being adopted before the triplets were separated, reconnecting with their biological mother as adults, and choosing entrepreneurship over a free college education. They discuss how hardship, self-belief, brotherhood, and a refusal to accept limiting circumstances shaped their ambition. This is a raw conversation about product-market fit, viral content, ecommerce, cash flow, inventory, resilience, and what happens when you create space for something bigger. 📲 Follow Elliott  ‼️IG: @elliottcaldwell https://www.instagram.com/elliottcaldwell/ [https://www.instagram.com/elliottcaldwell/]   🏡 Follow The Rise Collective: @the_rise_collective_ https://www.instagram.com/the_rise_collective_/ [https://www.instagram.com/the_rise_collective_/]  🌐 More about The Rise Collective: https://rise-collective.com/ [https://rise-collective.com/]   🔑 Explore BnB Turnkey: https://bnb-turnkey.com/ [https://bnb-turnkey.com/]   📩 Subscribe to the STR Report newsletter: https://thestrreport.com/ [https://thestrreport.com/]   📲 Find Our Guests https://www.instagram.com/indicody/ [https://www.instagram.com/indicody/] https://www.instagram.com/xbrandonrode/ [https://www.instagram.com/xbrandonrode/] https://www.instagram.com/howdeepwillyougo/ [https://www.instagram.com/howdeepwillyougo/]

Why Leaving Your Comfort Zone Changes Everything: Giacomo Sanvitale

🔑Ready to learn how to invest in Airbnb, hassle-free? Fill out this form and our BNB Turnkey Team will reach out to you: https://e0jcghoxv59.typeform.com/to/t4BDOZGN Welcome to The Elliott Caldwell Podcast On Successful DNA — the show where driven individuals break down the habits, experiences, and mindset behind building something real. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, or someone chasing your next level, this podcast uncovers what it actually takes to turn momentum into long-term success. Giacomo Sanvitale left Italy at 20 years old with a dream, a soccer career, and no guarantee that any of it would work out. Raised by a single mother outside of Milan, he grew up watching her work multiple jobs and eventually take the risk of starting her own business. That same willingness to step outside the expected path would eventually lead Giacomo from Italy to Switzerland, Missouri, Oregon, Florida, and ultimately Tampa as he chased soccer, content creation, and a bigger vision for his life. In this episode, Giacomo opens up about what it really means to leave your comfort zone, start over in a new country, navigate loneliness, battle anxiety, recover from career-threatening injuries, and keep moving forward when doors repeatedly close. He shares why he believes American culture gives people permission to take risks, how growing up in Italy shaped his perspective on relationships and community, and why European soccer culture develops talent so differently from the United States. Giacomo also breaks down why he started creating content before it was considered cool, how filming his soccer journey led to a viral YouTube video, and why he has always been drawn to doing the things other people are too uncomfortable to try. From filming alone in Missouri so his mother could see his life to building an audience while being unable to legally make money because of visa restrictions, his journey is a lesson in patience, sacrifice, creativity, and staying committed when nobody sees the full story. At the heart of Giacomo’s journey is an intense refusal to settle for an average life. He talks honestly about growing up without knowing his father, feeling responsible for changing his family’s future, struggling financially while appearing successful online, and learning that humility, honesty, and perseverance are the qualities that truly define successful people. This is a raw conversation about immigration, ambition, identity, loneliness, resilience, content creation, relationships, and what happens when you decide that leaving your comfort zone is the only way to build the life you truly want. 📲 Follow Elliott  ‼️IG: @elliottcaldwell https://www.instagram.com/elliottcaldwell/ [https://www.instagram.com/elliottcaldwell/]   🏡 Follow The Rise Collective: @the_rise_collective_ https://www.instagram.com/the_rise_collective_/ [https://www.instagram.com/the_rise_collective_/]  🌐 More about The Rise Collective: https://rise-collective.com/ [https://rise-collective.com/]   🔑 Explore BnB Turnkey: https://bnb-turnkey.com/ [https://bnb-turnkey.com/]   📩 Subscribe to the STR Report newsletter: https://thestrreport.com/ [https://thestrreport.com/]   📲 Find Our Guest: https://www.instagram.com/giacomosanvitale/?hl=en [https://www.instagram.com/giacomosanvitale/?hl=en]

How To Handle Hate, Fame, And Pressure: Sean McLaughlin

🔑Ready to learn how to invest in Airbnb, hassle-free? Fill out this form and our BNB Turnkey Team will reach out to you: https://e0jcghoxv59.typeform.com/to/t4BDOZGN Welcome to The Elliott Caldwell Podcast On Successful DNA — the show where driven individuals break down the habits, experiences, and mindset behind building something real. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, or someone chasing your next level, this podcast uncovers what it actually takes to turn momentum into long-term success. Sean McLaughlin is a reality TV personality, sales professional, and Bachelor Nation alum who has appeared on The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise. In this episode, Sean pulls back the curtain on what reality TV is actually like, from living in the Bachelor mansion to dealing with producers, edits, hate comments, fake audio moments, and the pressure of being watched by millions. He breaks down what is real, what is produced, and why the most genuine reactions often happen inside the most unnatural environments.  Sean also shares the story behind his path before television, growing up in a small town in upstate New York, playing hockey and baseball, moving through college, interning at Barstool Sports, and building a career in software sales. He opens up about his work ethic, the lessons he learned from his father’s career in politics, and how developing thick skin early helped him handle public criticism once he stepped into the spotlight.  At the heart of Sean’s story is a message about authenticity, perseverance, and saying yes to opportunities before you know where they will lead. From reality TV strategy and modern dating to sales, social media, future shows, and the importance of not comparing yourself to others, this episode is a raw and funny look at what it takes to stay grounded when life suddenly changes. 📲 Follow Elliott  ‼️IG: @elliottcaldwell https://www.instagram.com/elliottcaldwell/ [https://www.instagram.com/elliottcaldwell/]   🏡 Follow The Rise Collective: @the_rise_collective_ https://www.instagram.com/the_rise_collective_/ [https://www.instagram.com/the_rise_collective_/]  🌐 More about The Rise Collective: https://rise-collective.com/ [https://rise-collective.com/]   🔑 Explore BnB Turnkey: https://bnb-turnkey.com/ [https://bnb-turnkey.com/]   📩 Subscribe to the STR Report newsletter: https://thestrreport.com/ [https://thestrreport.com/]   📲 Find Our Guest: https://www.instagram.com/seanymclaughlin/ [https://www.instagram.com/seanymclaughlin/]

How One Run Turned Into A Movement For America: Pure Joy McCoy

🔑Ready to learn how to invest in Airbnb, hassle-free? Fill out this form and our BNB Turnkey Team will reach out to you: https://e0jcghoxv59.typeform.com/to/t4BDOZGN Welcome to The Elliott Caldwell Podcast On Successful DNA — the show where driven individuals break down the habits, experiences, and mindset behind building something real. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, or someone chasing your next level, this podcast uncovers what it actually takes to turn momentum into long-term success. Pure Joy McCoy is the founder of Unify USA and the viral creator behind a fast-growing patriotic movement built around faith, purpose, community, and running with the American flag. In this episode, he shares how one prayer in the back of his truck turned into a 22-mile run, a viral video, and a mission that has reached hundreds of thousands of people online. What started as a personal search for direction quickly became a nationwide movement centered on bringing people together, restoring hope, and reminding Americans that the flag should unite more than it divides.  Pure Joy opens up about growing up in a military family, the leadership lessons he learned from his father, the belief his mother poured into him, and how his relationship with Jesus became the foundation for everything he is building. He breaks down the early days of going viral, the backlash that came with it, the craziest reactions he has received while running, and why he refuses to let the movement become purely political. From getting spit on and attacked to seeing children’s eyes light up when they see the flag, Pure Joy explains why he believes there is still hope for America. At the heart of this conversation is a message about faith, discipline, and choosing to become the same person every day. Pure Joy shares the non-negotiables that have shaped his growth, including setting floors instead of ceilings, running every day, giving compliments, staying physically active, and using joy as a tool to impact people. He also explains the vision behind Unify USA, how he and his brother are growing the brand, why community events matter, and what it means to build something that outlives social media momentum. This is a powerful conversation on purpose, patriotism, leadership, faith, and what it really takes to turn a simple act of obedience into a movement that brings people together. Learn more about Unify USA here: https://unifyusa.shop/ 📲 Follow Elliott  ‼️IG: @elliottcaldwell https://www.instagram.com/elliottcaldwell/ [https://www.instagram.com/elliottcaldwell/]   🏡 Follow The Rise Collective: @the_rise_collective_ https://www.instagram.com/the_rise_collective_/ [https://www.instagram.com/the_rise_collective_/]  🌐 More about The Rise Collective: https://rise-collective.com/ [https://rise-collective.com/]   🔑 Explore BnB Turnkey: https://bnb-turnkey.com/ [https://bnb-turnkey.com/]   📩 Subscribe to the STR Report newsletter: https://thestrreport.com/ [https://thestrreport.com/]   📲 Find Our Guest: https://www.instagram.com/purejoymccoy/ [https://www.instagram.com/purejoymccoy/] https://www.tiktok.com/@purejoymccoy?lang=en [https://www.tiktok.com/@purejoymccoy?lang=en]

How To Escape Corporate America: Brandon Bartoldi & Mike Evans

🔑Ready to learn how to invest in Airbnb, hassle-free? Fill out this form and our BNB Turnkey Team will reach out to you: https://e0jcghoxv59.typeform.com/to/t4BDOZGN Welcome to The Elliott Caldwell Podcast On Successful DNA — the show where driven individuals break down the habits, experiences, and mindset behind building something real. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, or someone chasing your next level, this podcast uncovers what it actually takes to turn momentum into long-term success. Brandon Bartoldi and Mike Evans are the leaders behind Prosper Firm, a multi-dimensional financial services platform helping real estate investors, business owners, and home buyers access capital through private lending, hard money, residential mortgages, business financing, and strategic partnerships. In this episode, Brandon and Mike break down how Prosper Firm grew from a real estate financing idea into a major capital platform, why they chose relationships over transactional deals, and how they became trusted connectors between people who need capital and the sources that have it. This conversation goes deep into the real side of entrepreneurship: getting laid off, leaving corporate America, building through COVID, learning who to trust, scaling a team, creating referral partnerships, and understanding why the “safe” job is not always as safe as people think. Brandon shares how he went from Penn State, network marketing, corporate leadership, private equity, and real estate investing to launching Prosper Firm in 2019. Mike opens up about dropping out of college, starting as a bank teller without fully understanding credit cards, working his way up in mortgage operations, getting laid off during the mortgage market shift, and eventually joining Brandon to help lead Prosper’s private lending and mortgage divisions. At the heart of this episode is a powerful lesson on direction. Brandon explains why general ambition can create anxiety, why specific ambition creates momentum, and why success requires work ethic, vision, trust, and the willingness to move before the timing feels perfect. Mike shares why vision, visualization, and a “no Plan B” mentality became non negotiables in his own career. Together, they unpack what it really takes to build something that lasts, especially when markets shift, partnerships evolve, and pressure gets real. This is a raw, tactical, and motivating conversation for anyone trying to leave corporate, build a business, invest in real estate, raise capital, or turn uncertainty into opportunity. 📲 Follow Elliott  ‼️IG: @elliottcaldwell https://www.instagram.com/elliottcaldwell/ [https://www.instagram.com/elliottcaldwell/]   🏡 Follow The Rise Collective: @the_rise_collective_ https://www.instagram.com/the_rise_collective_/ [https://www.instagram.com/the_rise_collective_/]  🌐 More about The Rise Collective: https://rise-collective.com/ [https://rise-collective.com/]   🔑 Explore BnB Turnkey: https://bnb-turnkey.com/ [https://bnb-turnkey.com/]   📩 Subscribe to the STR Report newsletter: https://thestrreport.com/ [https://thestrreport.com/]   📲 Find Our Guests: https://prosperfirm.com/ [https://prosperfirm.com/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prosperfirm [https://www.instagram.com/prosperfirm]https://www.instagram.com/hardmoneymikepgh [https://www.instagram.com/hardmoneymikepgh]https://www.instagram.com/b.bartoldi [https://www.instagram.com/b.bartoldi]