The UpFlip Podcast

Dan Blaker was trapped in a sales job he despised while struggling to manage his mother's vacation rental with unreliable cleaners. Searching for an escape, he stumbled upon MaidThis, a cleaning franchise specializing in short-term rentals. With no entrepreneurial background, Dan took a huge risk, securing a personal loan with his mother's help to buy in and start his side hustle.

The beginning was a grind of late-night trai...

Ty McBride comes from a long line of builders, but his grandfather urged him to forge his own path. Ty initially chased success by landing massive historic preservation contracts, only to find himself running a high-stress, low-profit “train wreck.” A sudden pivot during the pandemic pushed him back to his local community, where listening to his neighbors revealed a massive, unsolved problem: wood rot. This discovery led him to bui...

Aubrey Janik was stuck with a Jeep she didn’t like. When a friend mentioned renting his car on Turo, she listed it that same night. That impulse decision grew into a massive car-sharing business with a 34-vehicle, self-funded fleet that now generates up to $40,000 a month in revenue.

What started as a side hustle became a lesson in smart asset acquisition. Aubrey mastered sourcing cars from Facebook Marketplace with a simple but bri...

Imagine going from working warehouse shifts to keep your family afloat to owning a portfolio of over 140 rental units and multiple laundromats. That’s Brandon Schlichter's real-life story, and it’s one you have to hear. He found a secret most online gurus miss: while everyone’s chasing the same digital dreams, real wealth is hiding in 'boring businesses' with way less competition.

In this chat with our host Ryan Atkinson, Brandon ge...

Eric Barstow graduated with an economics degree, seemingly destined for Wall Street. Instead, he stuck with the painting business he started in college—a side hustle that was already generating $110,000 a year while he worked only five to ten hours a week. Realizing the massive opportunity and low competition in the home service space, Eric leaned in. Today, he is the co-founder of National Painting Group, projecting $35 million th...

Alex Smereczniak's entrepreneurial journey began in college, where he scaled a simple laundry service into a $300,000 a year business with a single, brilliant marketing hack. That early success was so powerful that he walked away from a prestigious corporate job after just 18 months, convinced the 9-to-5 was a broken system. His next venture led him into the world of franchising, where he uncovered its dark side: an industry fi...

Joseph Lambert was just 17 when a single four-hour junk removal job netted him $1,600 in cash. While his friends were focused on college applications, Joseph saw a different path—a simpler, more scalable business model that others overlooked. That one job was the spark that ignited a multi-million dollar enterprise, growing into a $1 million-a-month operation before he was old enough to legally drink.

In this episode, Joseph sit...

Kason Knight was a successful mechanical engineer in the oil and gas industry when a sharp downturn hit. His job vanished overnight, leaving him with a newborn daughter and a mortgage to pay. Instead of returning to the corporate world, Kason doubled down on a side hustle he'd started with a single 3D printer in the corner of his kid's playroom.

That small bet turned into ISOLIDS, a massive 3D printing company that now o...

Dan Nikas went from chasing criminals as a police detective to building a multi-million dollar e-commerce brand. After a sudden medical retirement at 36 upended his life, he was left with a family to support and no backup plan. With zero experience, he pivoted to e-commerce and scaled his clothing brand to over $4 million in revenue in just one year, proving that a relentless work ethic can overcome any lack of experience.

In this e...

This isn't a story about shortcuts. Brian’s big break didn’t come from an investor pitch; it was earned through years of hard work in a coffee shop. When his boss and future partner faced a crisis, Brian’s loyalty and commitment proved more valuable than any business plan. He was offered a co-founder position not because of what he had or because of his entrepreneurship experience, but because of who he is - someone with high i...

Frank built a viral food business by brilliantly combining two existing ideas: classic macaroni and cheese and the hyper-efficient, customizable Chipotle ordering model. This single strategy became the cornerstone of his success in the crowded restaurant industry.

In this episode, Frank joins host Ryan Atkinson to share his complete playbook for modern entrepreneurship. He breaks down why speed is your greatest asset and reveals...

Myron Golden once earned just $6.25/hour as a garbage collector. Today, he’s an eight-figure business owner who has built a media empire with over 1.1 million YouTube subscribers and has taught thousands of entrepreneurs his secrets to business growth. Making him highly regarded as one of the best business coach in the world. 

In this deep-dive interview with Ryan Atkinson, Myron unpacks how applying biblical principles to his busin...

What does a CEO from the hundred-million-dollar corporate world know about running a small screen printing shop? As it turns out, everything.

Dan Frank left a career in global logistics to acquire a local print shop, convinced that elite business principles in efficiency and productivity could transform small businesses into multi-million dollar companies. His theory was put to the ultimate test when the pandemic hit six months late...

Jason Creel launched his lawn care business with nothing but a beat-up mower and the relentless drive to outwork everyone. He forged that grit and determination into one of Alabama's most trusted weed control companies, proving you don’t need a pile of cash to build a six-figure enterprise. His journey provides the ultimate blueprint for anyone ready to stop dreaming and start building.

In this can't-miss interview, Jason jo...

Zech Osburn decided the traditional college path wasn't for him and instead, chose the path of entrepreneurship to build something of his own. At just 18 years old, he turned a simple lawn care and power washing side hustle into a thriving six-figure business in only eight months. It’s a story that proves with a clear vision and a strong business mindset, you don’t need a huge budget to achieve incredible business growth.

So, how di...

Dan Uyemura, founder of the top-rated gym software company PushPress, joins Ryan Atkinson on The UpFlip Podcast to share his journey of building a successful SaaS business. As a former internet engineer and gym owner, Dan intimately understood the need for better software development in the fitness industry, leading him to create PushPress. This episode dives into the core challenges and triumphs of building a software company from...

Joseph Woodbury had his future planned out. With a prestigious job lined up at Bain & Company after college, he was on the fast track to a secure, high-paying career. That all changed when his co-founder came to him with a simple yet groundbreaking idea born from a personal frustration: Why pay a fortune for a commercial storage unit miles away when there are empty garages, sheds, and driveways in every neighborhood? Joseph dec...

William Milliken traded a successful digital marketing career to work on a poop scooping business. Sounds crazy, right? Think again. He turned a $1,000 bet on a Pooper Scooper business into a seven-figure empire, landing an unbelievable 350 recurring clients in his first three months. 

In this interview with Ryan Atkinson, William holds nothing back. He gives you the exact blueprint for a low-cost, high-margin business that generate...

Heath Andre is no stranger to the grind, but he's turned his hustle into a masterclass in building a thriving junk removal powerhouse. From the ground up, Heath built a business that not only delivers a valuable service but also prioritizes long-term success through exceptional customers retention. This isn't just about hauling away unwanted items; it's about smart business strategy and a relentless business mindset tha...