From UpFlip.
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From collecting golf balls as a resourceful 8-year-old to becoming a successful business owner, Chris Koerner’s journey is the epitome of the American Dream. Growing up in a struggling family, Chris learned early on that success comes from spotting opportunities and working relentlessly to seize them.
After returning from a church mission in Hungary at age 19, Chris dove headfirst into starting a business. Beginning with rental properties, he gradually built and sold various successful small businesses, including iPhone repair stores and wholesale operations. Today, he’s involved in over 75 businesses, showing the true spirit of a serial innovator.
What sets Chris apart isn’t just his business acumen; it’s his commitment to lifting other small business owners up. He now runs a unique program that funds and mentors university students with promising business ideas. His criteria? High energy, integrity, humility, and gratitude… the same values that fueled his own success.
In this episode, Chris shares raw insights about building a business from scratch, why passion isn’t always necessary for short-term success, and how his challenging childhood shaped his entrepreneurial journey. He also reveals his practical strategies for identifying profitable opportunities and building strong teams.
Resources:
🎓 Ready to build a business without employees? – https://links.upflip.com/the-subcontractor-startup-yt
🎓 Start or scale your business with the UpFlip Academy – https://links.upflip.com/4n7qaPZ
📕 FREE access to ‘137 most profitable businesses’ – https://links.upflip.com/4k3oF2P
🎙️ Follow the UpFlip Podcast – https://links.upflip.com/43UcX5S
📩 Join the UpFlip Newsletter – https://links.upflip.com/4edRkAT
👉 Follow Chris for more biz ideas- https://www.instagram.com/thekoerneroffice
Timestamps:
00:00 – Start
00:54 – 75 businesses in 15 years?!
01:08 – Types of businesses
01:51 – Perks of working from home
02:39 – The business that started it all
04:01 – Stay curious, stay unstoppable
04:50 – Point at anything, I’ll turn it into a biz!
06:59 – A future pickleball club
07:34 – Math behind an idea
08:18 – Chase the “what ifs”
09:15 – Predicting trends with John McAfee
11:18 – Fan blitz
14:16 – Brewing a seasonal business
16:13 – Flip every failure into a fortune
17:11 – Validate an idea (the proven way)
17:49 – Test it, nail it, scale it
18:59 – Sample tree trimming project
19:55 – Tree business margins
20:29 – From software to tree trimming
22:05 – Timing isn’t luck. It’s leverage!
22:58 – Ignorance is a superpower
24:40 – Drop the pride first (it’s okay!)
26:33 – Creative marketing… in a bar?!
27:37 – Thinking outside of the box
29:07 – So many ideas, so little time
30:53 – The hard way or the easy way?
31:52 – It wasn’t always a win
33:03 – An eye-opening mission
33:35 – Circumstances don’t decide, you do!
34:48 – Ideas on overdrive
36:08 – No fancy routines
37:41 – 2 different generations, one opportunity
38:29 – The “barbell” theory
39:40 – Partnerships don’t always work
40:54 – Book recommendation
41:26 – All or nothing kind of person
42:24 – Clarity beats complexity
43:16 – Find the one who thrives in chaos
44:55 – Incentivize your rockstars
46:14 – Red flags are there for a reason
47:24 – Things aren’t what they seem
47:54 – Rocks, pebbles, and sand
48:38 – The most overlooked strategy
49:54 – Use your patience wisely
50:30 – Outro
#business #smallbusiness #startingabusiness
