What happens when you get everything you worked for and it still isn't enough? That's exactly where this week's guest, Sam Vander Wielen, found herself. Sam spent years building a career as an attorney, only to discover that the title, the salary, and the respect that were supposed to make her happy left her miserable instead. So she walked away and built a business from scratch — one that's since made over $10 million from a single digital product. In this episode, Sam and I dig into what she calls "the happiness trap": the belief that once a certain thing happens, we'll finally feel happy, worthy, or at peace. We talk about why that belief rarely holds up, even when the thing you were chasing actually comes true, and what to do instead if you're waiting for "someday" to start feeling better about your life.

If this conversation has you thinking about finally starting the business you've been sitting on, my free Small Business 101 course walks you through exactly how to get started: https://gillianperkins.com/free-training-small-business-101/

In This Episode, I Cover:

• What the "happiness trap" is, and why almost all of us fall into it without realizing it
• Sam's story of chasing a law career for the status and security, only to find it made her miserable
• Why even wild success in her own business didn't automatically deliver the happiness she expected
• The reason we tend to revert to the same baseline of happiness no matter how much our circumstances change
• How negativity bias explains why one nasty comment can undo ninety-nine kind ones
• The "arrival fallacy," and how it can trap you twice — once chasing a career, then again chasing the business meant to replace it
• Sam's practical steps for building happiness now instead of waiting for "someday," including her "five-second rule" for trying new hobbies
• Why Sam believes it isn't your job's — or your business's — job to make you happy
• Her advice for anyone sitting on a business idea right now, and how to find out if people actually want it before you build it

Connect with Sam Vander Wielen:

When I Start My Business, I'll Be Happy: https://www.samvanderwielen.com/book/

On Your Terms: https://www.samvanderwielen.com/podcast/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samvanderwielen/

Free live class (her last one of 2026, Monday, October 19) on how to start an online business legally, plus what's changing with AI disclosure policies and ADA website lawsuits — sign up for free access and the replay here: https://samvanderwielen.samcart.com/referral/oct-live/rOhbxf8KbgOnMbqq

Free Resources to Grow Your Online Business:

$100K Method (free audio course): https://www.gillianperkins.com/100k-method-signup

Small Business 101 (free course): https://gillianperkins.com/free-training-small-business-101/

Work with Gillian Perkins:

Startup Society: https://startupsociety.com

$100K Mastermind: https://gillianperkins.com/100k-mastermind

Connect with Gillian:

Website: https://gillianperkins.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/gillianzperkins/

I used to believe raising my price would scare buyers off. Then I tried raising them, and... my conversion rate went from 6% to 13%!

This episode breaks down what happened during our second $100K Mastermind launch. Second launches are usually the weakest, because they don't have the hype of a first launch or the momentum of the launches that come after - and I've definitely experienced that! But this one broke that pattern. In fact, it became my best launch to date, netting $164,464.40 in just two weeks! So, today, I'm excited to walk through exactly how we made it happen.

In This Episode, I Cover:

• Why raising my price increased my conversion rate instead of hurting it
• Why people tell you your product is "too expensive" (because that's rarely the real reason they don't buy)
• A simple addition to our offer that made it almost impossible to say no to
• Why I didn't send a single email to my full list for this launch
• The one number thing that separates webinars that convert from those that just falls flat
• What happened when we got 4,000 people registered for two webinars

FREE Resources to Grow Your Online Business:

The $100K Method (free audio course): https://www.gillianperkins.com/100k-method-signup

Small Business 101 (free course): https://gillianperkins.com/free-training-small-business-101/

Work with Gillian Perkins:

$100K Mastermind: https://gillianperkins.com/100k-mastermind

Startup Society: https://startupsociety.com

Connect with Gillian:

Website: https://gillianperkins.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gillianzperkins/

Screenshot this episode, share it to your Instagram Stories, and tag @gillianzperkins. I love seeing which lessons resonate most.

Until next week, stay focused and take action!

I put all my effort into building an amazing course and thought that alone would be enough. Well, it wasn't- and it cost me a year or two of spinning my wheels before anything sold.

In this episode, I'm breaking down everything I wish I knew before I ever tried to sell an online course. After almost ten years of doing this (eight of them actually profitable), I've learned the hard way what makes some courses actually sell while others just sit there. This one's for anyone who has an online course idea, is building one right now, or already has one that isn't converting the way they hoped.

In This Episode, I Cover:

• Why a great course is almost never enough to make it sell on its own
• The real reason people buy a course (and it's NOT the content inside it)
• Why cramming in more modules and bonuses usually backfires
• Why pricing based on your hours of video is quietly costing you money
• The uncomfortable truth about giving away your best material for free
• Why your first launch is guaranteed to teach you more than it earns you
• The one thing that can quietly wipe out your course business's profit margins

FREE Resources to Grow Your Online Business:

Free Audio Course ($100K Method): https://www.gillianperkins.com/100k-method-signup

Small Business 101 (Free Course): https://gillianperkins.com/free-training-small-business-101/

Work with Gillian Perkins:

$100K Mastermind: https://gillianperkins.com/100k-mastermind

Startup Society: https://startupsociety.com

Connect with Gillian:

Website: https://gillianperkins.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gillianzperkins/

Screenshot this episode, share it to your Instagram Stories, and tag @gillianzperkins — I love seeing which lessons resonate most.

Until next week — stay focused and take action.