Episode 15: Profitable Side Hustle vs Full-Time Job I Love - Which Path Should I Choose? (Dad of 4)

TJ Newell is living every parent entrepreneur's dream scenario - and it's more complicated than you think.

Here's his situation: His design agency Mocky is pulling in 4 figures monthly working just 3 hours a day. He's got 5 solid clients, great margins, and 50+ warm referrals ready to convert. The path to replacing his income is crystal clear.

But here's the twist: He genuinely loves his full-time job at Bradley Mountain. He walks to work in our shared small town, builds culture with his closest friend, and finds deep fulfillment in the work.

The challenge? Choosing between scaling a profitable business that could set his family up financially or staying committed to work that feeds his soul - even if it means leaving money on the table.

What You'll Learn:

• How TJ built a profitable design agency in just 3 hours a day
• Why constraints actually create more sustainable businesses
• The real reason most entrepreneurs struggle to delegate sales
• How to systematize fulfillment when you're capacity-constrained

• The psychology behind "analysis paralysis" when both options are good
• Framework for making major life decisions as a parent entrepreneur
• 
  

The Reality: Sometimes the hardest decisions aren't between good and bad, but between two different types of fulfillment. TJ's story challenges the typical "quit your job to chase your dreams" narrative.

Perfect for: Parent entrepreneurs weighing side hustle vs full-time work, anyone struggling with "good problem" decisions, designers/creatives building service businesses, parents trying to balance multiple priorities.

You can find TJ & Mocky Design at:https://www.mockycreative.com/

They help "...sales Individuals and teams reduce time-to-close with quick-turn mockups"

Got questions about balancing profitable side hustles with fulfilling work?📧 Email: ⁠parentreneur@gmail.com⁠📞 Voicemail: (615) 628-7196

Topics: Side hustle scaling, design agency business model, parent entrepreneur decisions, work-life integration, small town entrepreneurship, constraint-based business building

Music by FASSounds from Pixabay

Episode 14: From Addiction to Pastor to Startup Founder: A Device That Could Change Potty Training Forever

From a rough upbringing battling addiction to finding faith as a pastor to now launching Gammit Tech, Troy Fink's story proves it's never too late to start over.

But here's what makes his journey unique: He's not just changing his own life. He's solving a problem every parent faces with a potty training device that could revolutionize how kids learn this crucial milestone.

The challenge? Balancing being a full-time employee, pastor, while raising 3 kids, AND getting a startup off the ground.

What You'll Learn:

-How Troy went from addiction to finding his faith and purpose

-The "aha moment" that sparked his potty training device idea

-Why he calls entrepreneurship "redemptive" after his past struggles

-The real process of getting the Loovy manufactured and patented

-How he manages time between pastoral duties, family, and startup life

-Startup funding vs crowdfunding-

Practical advice for juggling multiple responsibilities while building a business

The Reality: Troy proves that your past doesn't define your future, and the problems you've solved in your own life often become your greatest business opportunities.

Whether you're a parent struggling with potty training, someone looking for redemption through entrepreneurship, or juggling multiple roles while chasing a dream - Troy's story will inspire and challenge you.

Perfect for: Parent entrepreneurs with demanding schedules, anyone seeking redemption through business, parents looking for innovative solutions, pastors/ministry leaders considering entrepreneurship.

You can find Troy & his product, the Loovy, at:

@gammittech

www.goloovy.com

@goodfinking

@pastortroyfink

Got questions about balancing multiple roles while building a business?📧 Email: parentreneur@gmail.com📞 Voicemail: (615) 628-7196

Topics: Redemptive entrepreneurship, hardware startups, potty training innovation, faith and business, time management, overcoming addiction, pastoral entrepreneurship, product development, manufacturing

-Episode 13: Make These 2 Financial Decisions Today or Never Start Your Business

Most aspiring parent entrepreneurs think they need perfect timing or tons of money to start a business.

The truth?

You need the RIGHT financial foundation, not the biggest one.

We made two critical financial decisions years before starting our businesses that made entrepreneurship possible - even after 4 layoffs in 2.5 years.

What You'll Learn:

-Why we didn't go crazy on budgeting (focused on increasing income instead)

-Our conservative investment strategy that created business freedom

-How we stayed "under" on houses, cars, and major purchases

-The HELOC strategy that gave us a safety net (with real numbers)

-Why most people find stability and stay stuck-How to leverage your skills for higher-paying jobs continuously

-The career progression that's possible even in terrible job markets

-Real calculations of what our spending could have been vs. what it was

The 2 Decisions:

-Conservative Spending - Always under what calculators suggested, buying what we could afford at half our income--Aggressive Income Growth - Continuously pursuing higher-paying positions and skill development

Perfect for: Aspiring parent entrepreneurs who feel financially trapped, anyone thinking they need to wait for "enough" money, people wanting to build business launch capital while employed.

The reality: You can't budget your way to wealth, but you can build the foundation for business freedom.

Got questions about preparing financially for entrepreneurship?📧

Email: parentreneur@gmail.com📞 Voicemail: (615) 628-7196

Topics: Financial planning, business preparation, conservative spending, income growth, parent entrepreneur finances, startup funding, business

Episode 12: The AI Future No One Talks About (Best-case to Worst-case Opportunities)

Everyone's either panicking about AI taking all our jobs or hyping it as the solution to everything. The truth? Neither extreme is right.

As parent entrepreneurs, we need a realistic view of what's actually coming and how to position ourselves for it.

What You'll Learn:

• The hidden AI opportunity everyone's missing (human-only businesses)
• Why AI may create more jobs than it destroys (history repeats itself)

• Why "computers + people" beats "computers replacing people"
• The new industries AI will create (like IT did for computers)
• Best-case scenario: How parent entrepreneurs win big
• Worst-case scenario: We all become creators (not as bad as it sounds)
• The real AI problems no one mentions (hint: it lies to you)

Key Takeaway: This isn't about fearing AI or blindly embracing it. It's about understanding the real opportunities and positioning your family's future accordingly.

Perfect for: Parent entrepreneurs wondering how AI affects their business plans, anyone tired of AI hype vs doom predictions, entrepreneurs looking for contrarian opportunities.

Bottom line: While everyone else is either running from AI or chasing every AI tool, smart parent entrepreneurs will find the opportunities others are missing.

Got questions about AI, entrepreneurship, or balancing business with family? We'd love to help! Send us your questions:📧 Email: parentreneur@gmail.com
📞 Voicemail: (615) 628-7196

Episode 11: 4 Kids, 2 Businesses, & a Time-Management Strategy to Manage It All

How do we actually run two separate businesses while raising four boys?

This episode breaks down our real, unfiltered daily schedule - from 6:50 AM wake-ups to late-night work sessions.

What You'll Learn:

-Our exact daily schedule managing 4 kids + 2 businesses

-How we tag-team parenting and entrepreneurship

-Why chaos actually prepares you for entrepreneurship

-How we structure our day

-How to pivot when the day doesn't go as planned

Key Takeaways:

This isn't about having it all figured out - it's about embracing the beautiful disorder and finding opportunity in the chaos. You'll hear about client calls with crying babies, toddlers turning living rooms into jungle gyms, and the reality that some days are smooth while others are complete mayhem.

We pass kids and responsibilities back and forth all day, work during naps, and strap curious toddlers to our backs while cooking dinner. This is what parent entrepreneurship actually looks like.

Perfect for:

Parent entrepreneurs wondering how others make it work, families considering starting businesses together, anyone trying to balance multiple priorities with young kids.

The bottom line: Parenthood doesn't disqualify you from entrepreneurship - it prepares you for exactly the kind of chaos that business throws at you.

Topics Covered: Daily schedules, time management, family business dynamics, working with babies, parent entrepreneur strategies,

Episode 10: From 4 Layoffs to $218k - The Non-Linear Path to Business Success

After getting laid off for the 4th time in 2.5 years as a dad of 4, I knew something had to change. This episode is the complete, unfiltered story of how I went from corporate instability to building a business that generated $218k in just 4.5 months.

What You'll Learn:

• The exact timeline from layoff #4 to business breakthrough
• Why my first business idea failed and what I learned from it
• The non-linear iteration process that led to finding the right business model
• What I did right vs. what I would do differently
• The specific mistakes you can avoid in your own journey
• How I validated a business model that was actually worth the effort

Key Takeaways:This isn't a "quit your job and get rich quick" story. It's about the messy, non-linear reality of building something while supporting a family. You'll hear about the false starts, the pivots, the moments of doubt, and the breakthrough that changed everything.

Perfect for: Parent entrepreneurs, anyone dealing with job instability, aspiring business owners looking for real (not Instagram-perfect) success stories.

Timeline covered: Corporate layoffs → initial business ideas → iteration and failures → finding the right model → 0 to $218k growth

Real lessons from real mistakes. No sugar-coating, just the truth about what it takes to build a business as a parent.

🔔 Subscribe now for weekly insights on parenting, entrepreneurship, and building a thriving family business! Have a question? Email us at ⁠parentreneur@gmail.com⁠ or leave a voicemail at (615) 628-7196 to join the conversation.

Savannah went from a stay-at-home mom with an idea to a magazine co-founder with hockey stick growth in record time. Here's exactly how she did it.What we cover in this episode:🚀 The 4-month timeline - How they moved from concept to launch so quickly📈 Things that don't scale - The manual, unscalable tactics that got their first few hundred subscribers⚡ Hockey stick growth - What changed to create exponential growth👩‍💼 Freelancer traps - How they got burned by a vendor and found an expert that helped them scale--Why doing things that don't scale is crucial in the beginning-The specific strategies that got their first subscribers-The pivot moments that led to explosive growthWhether you're thinking about starting a magazine, building an e-commerce business, or just want to see how a mom entrepreneur built something from scratch - this episode breaks it all down.Perfect for: Parent entrepreneurs, aspiring magazine founders, anyone interested in B2C business models, and those wanting real case studies of business growth.#TrulyCrunchyMagazine #ParentEntrepreneur #MomEntrepreneur #MagazineBusiness #HockeyStickGrowth #BusinessLaunch #EcommerceBusiness #ThingsThatDontScale #BusinessCaseStudy #ParentingAndBusiness #WellnessBusiness #DigitalMagazine #MomBoss #StartupStory #BusinessGrowth

In the Parentreneur Podcast, Episode 8You'll meet Savannah, the new co-host of the podcast!

She is Jake's wife, mother of 4 boys, and Co-founder of Truly Crunchy Magazine.

We talk in this episode about why it makes the most sense to bring her on, her unique experience, and what we're hoping to get out of this community.

🔔 Don't forget to subscribe for more real-talk about entrepreneurship, business growth, and building a life you love.You can submit your questions: parentreneur@gmail.com‪Or a VM to (615) 628-7196‬