The UpFlip Podcast

Matt DuBoise barely made it out of high school. In 2008, broke and struggling to find work, he pulled scrapped wood out of a construction dumpster to build a small chicken coop for his backyard. On a whim, he listed it on Craigslist for $225—and it sold in 30 minutes. The next one sold for $2,000.Fast forward almost 20 years, Carolina Coops is a 7-figure global manufacturing empire that builds premium enclosures for clients all over the world—including a nearly half-million-dollar custom coop for Mike Tyson.In this incredibly raw and unfiltered episode of the UpFlip Podcast, Matt sits down with Ryan Atkinson to expose the brutal realities of entrepreneurship that nobody else wants to talk about. He opens up about surviving employee sabotage, going to CEO anger management, and why experiencing devastating hardship is the only true indicator that you are pushing hard enough to succeed.If you are tired of fluffy business advice and want the absolute unvarnished truth on how to hire, lead, and scale a massive operation from zero, this episode is a must-listen.🎙️ What You’ll Learn in This Episode:The Craigslist Catalyst: How Matt turned a free pile of dumpster wood into a $225 sale, and how he scaled that exact model into a 7-figure global brand.The "Tape Measure" Test: Matt’s ruthless 3-day tryout and 90-day probation framework to instantly filter out liars, identify bad attitudes, and hire elite talent.The 80/100 Rule: Why expecting your employees to care as much as you do is a trap, and why accepting that "their 100% is your 80%" will make you a radically better leader.The Dark Side of Scaling: A shockingly honest look at the emotional toll of running a business, overcoming extreme burnout, and why you must embrace the endless cycle of business problems.Stop "Testing" Ideas: Why the concept of "low-cost market testing" is a myth, and why true entrepreneurs create the vacuum and simply execute.Tags: Furniture Business, Niche Markets, Chicken Coops, Business Leadership, Business GrowthResources:Grow your business today: https://accelerator.upflip.com/assessment  Follow our second channel here: https://next.upflip.com/spotify Connect with Matt: https://www.instagram.com/carolinacoops/?hl=en

Brian Driscoll started his digital marketing career charging just $10 an hour to run campaigns from a desk, teaching himself SEO through trial and error. Today, he runs Motivated Leads, a multi-million dollar lead generation agency that specializes in finding highly qualified customers who are ready to buy right now.In this tactical episode of the UpFlip Podcast, Brian sits down with Ryan Atkinson to reveal his exact blueprint for turning Facebook ads into a predictable revenue engine. He breaks down why "spraying and praying" with your marketing budget is a guaranteed way to go broke, and how to dial in your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) to attract top-tier leads.Whether you're a home service business, a real estate investor, or a B2B agency, Brian drops massive value on how to use AI to generate high-converting video ads, the exact landing page layout that maximizes mobile conversions, and how to use GoHighLevel and Claude AI to automatically disqualify bad leads before they ever hit your calendar.What You’ll Learn in This Episode:The AI Ad Hack: How to use cheap AI tools to generate highly profitable Facebook video ads at scale (and why an AI-generated grandma is currently crushing his ad account).Mobile-First Landing Pages: The exact layout you need to skyrocket conversions. Learn why you must remove toolbars, place your hook and form at the top, and why long VSLs (Video Sales Letters) kill B2B conversions.The Lead Filtering System: How to use GoHighLevel surveys and conditional logic to automatically disqualify bad leads so your sales team only talks to qualified prospects.The 2-Step Sales Process: Why you should separate your lead managers (who qualify and disqualify) from your closers (who handle objections and secure the deal) to maximize ROI.The $25/Day Testing Strategy: The minimum budget you need to start running profitable Facebook ads, and why you absolutely must commit to a 60-day testing window to see real results.Tags: Digital marketing, Tech Ventures, Home Services, Facebook Ads, AI Resources:The only thing worse than never starting a business… is starting the wrong one. That’s why we created the UpFlip Assessment. It’s a free tool that matches you with business ideas based on your skills, budget, experience, goals, and the kind of work you actually want to do. The results are scary accurate. Click the link in the show notes to see your best-fit business ideas in seconds — for free.Grow your business today: https://accelerator.upflip.com/assessment  Follow Our Second Channel Here: https://next.upflip.com/spotify Connect with Brian: https://www.instagram.com/motivated_leads/?hl=en

In 2019, Caleb was completely broke, living in a one-bedroom apartment, and trying to support his wife through law school on a single nonprofit salary. Armed with just $500 in leftover birthday money and a beat-up Prius, he started scouring yard sales and thrift stores for items with low perceived value.Fast forward to today, Caleb is the founder of Quick Flips—a massive video game reselling operation that includes a retail store, a private Amazon FBA network, and a 30-person team. The company is currently pulling in up to $600,000 a month in revenue and is on track to hit $10 million this year.In this episode of the UpFlip Podcast, Caleb sits down with Ryan Atkinson to break down the exact blueprint for turning a weekend side hustle into an eight-figure empire. He reveals why pawn shops are a massive goldmine for underpriced games, how to negotiate bulk deals to guarantee your profit margins, and the exact steps you can take this weekend to start your own flipping business from scratch.🎙️ What You’ll Learn in This Episode:The "Low Perceived Value" Strategy: Why starting with unsexy, ignored items (like used books or electrical breakers) is the fastest way to build your initial bankroll without facing stiff competition.Pawn Shop Arbitrage: How to exploit the gap between pawn shop sticker prices and Amazon FBA market value by negotiating clever bulk-buy discounts.The "Quick Nickel" Mindset: Why pricing your items 5% below market value to guarantee rapid sell-through will mathematically beat holding out for top dollar every single time.The $5,500 Flip: The story behind Caleb's most profitable flip ever (a graded copy of Wolverine on the NES) and how to spot rare, high-ticket collectibles.The 3-Step Beginner's Blueprint: The exact three things you need to do this weekend to launch your reselling side hustle using nothing but cash and the eBay app.Tags: Side hustle, Retail Goods, Startup, Passive income, Retail Goods, Video Game ResellingResources:If you’ve been putting off starting a business… good. Because before you jump into an idea that worked for someone else, you should figure out what kind of business actually fits you. That’s why we created the best Assessment there is. It’s a free tool that asks about your skills, experience, budget, goals, location, and preferences — then matches you with business ideas that make the most sense for YOU. The results are scary accurate. Click the link in the show notes to see your best-fit business ideas in seconds — for free.Grow your business today: https://accelerator.upflip.com/assessment  Follow Our Second Channel Here: https://next.upflip.com/spotify Connect with Caleb: https://www.instagram.com/quickflipsvideogames/?hl=en

Kim Hatch was at rock bottom. After seven grueling years working as a police officer in a domestic violence unit, she lost her job and found herself navigating a brutal divorce. She needed to completely reinvent her life—but she never expected that salvation would come in the form of a septic tank.With zero industry experience (admitting she "didn't even know where poop went") and a single $100,000 used truck, Kim launched Turner Septic Services. Her first job took her four hours and left her in tears. Today? Her team completes 18 jobs a day, pumps up to 400,000 gallons a month, and generates up to $200,000 a month in peak-season revenue.In this episode of the UpFlip Podcast, Kim sits down with Ryan Atkinson to share her unbelievable "zero-to-hero" story. She breaks down exactly how she disrupted a dinosaur industry by combining grueling hard work with modern technology—like outfitting her trucks with Starlink satellite internet and using heating mats to thaw frozen ground in -30 degree blizzards.If you want to know what it really takes to survive the school of hard knocks and build a highly profitable blue-collar business, this episode is a masterclass in resilience and innovation.🎙️ What You’ll Learn in This Episode:The Ultimate Pivot: How to push past imposter syndrome and launch a highly profitable service business in an industry you know absolutely nothing about.Tech in the Trenches: How Kim uses Starlink, digital reporting software, and iPads to dominate older, tech-resistant competitors.The "Mini-Truck" Strategy: Why Turner Septic custom-built a specialized 1,400-gallon 4x4 truck to service mountain-top clients that no other company could reach.Surviving Seasonal Dips: The reality of managing extreme revenue swings (from $200K months in summer to $30K months in winter) and how to keep your crew on payroll year-round.Redefining Customer Service: Why sending detailed, empathetic, photo-heavy invoices is the ultimate hack for driving 5-star reviews and real estate referrals.Tags: Home Services, Service & Consulting, Side Hustle, Business Growth, Social Media MarketingResources:The only thing worse than never starting a business… is starting the wrong one. That’s why we created the UpFlip Assessment. It’s a free tool that matches you with business ideas based on your skills, budget, experience, goals, and the kind of work you actually want to do. The results are scary accurate. Click the link in the show notes to see your best-fit business ideas in seconds — for free.Grow your business today: https://accelerator.upflip.com/assessment Follow Our Second Channel Here: https://next.upflip.com/spotify Connect with Kim: https://www.tiktok.com/@turnerseptic

Gianni Santino was exhausted. As a police officer in Connecticut working up to 80 hours a week, he had barely any time for his family. After a failed attempt at real estate investing left him buried in COVID-related evictions, Gianni stumbled upon a goldmine hidden in plain sight: a sketchy ATM inside a gentlemen's club that was quietly printing thousands of dollars a night in surcharge fees.Realizing you didn't need to be a bank to own an ATM, Gianni bought his first machine, loaded it with the last $500 he had, and watched the passive income start rolling in. Today, Gianni has retired from the police force and runs a massive network of nearly 100 ATMs from his laptop in Miami, generating over $40,000 a month in revenue.In this episode of the UpFlip Podcast, Gianni sits down with Ryan Atkinson to reveal the exact blueprint for starting your own highly profitable ATM side hustle. He breaks down the startup costs, the best (and worst) locations to target, and how to safely load and manage your machines working just a few hours a month.What You’ll Learn in This Episode:The $2,500 Startup Strategy: The exact machine brands you should buy (Hyosung and Genmega) and the truth about how much cash you actually need to load your first ATM.The "Donut" Pitch: Gianni’s foolproof, low-pressure sales tactic for getting cash-only business owners (like barbershops and dispensaries) to let you place an ATM in their store for free.Avoiding the Gym Trap: Why high-foot-traffic areas like gyms are terrible for ATMs, and the specific high-demand locations you should target instead.Safety & Security Protocols: How to make yourself a hard target. Gianni reveals his 2-minute loading rule, why you should never load a machine during business hours, and the critical importance of bolting your ATM down.Why Cash is Still King: Debunking the myth of a "cashless society" and why the closure of local bank branches is actually creating a massive opportunity for independent ATM operators.Tags: Side hustle, Entrepreneurship, Passive income, ATM business, StartupResources:If you’ve been putting off starting a business… good. Because before you jump into an idea that worked for someone else, you should figure out what kind of business actually fits you. That’s why we created the best Assessment there is. It’s a free tool that asks about your skills, experience, budget, goals, location, and preferences — then matches you with business ideas that make the most sense for YOU. The results are scary accurate. Click the link in the show notes to see your best-fit business ideas in seconds — for free.Grow your business today: https://accelerator.upflip.com/assessment Follow Our Second Channel Here: https://next.upflip.com/spotify Connect with Gianni: https://www.instagram.com/atmoperations/