Travis Makes Money

In this episode of the Travis Makes Money Podcast, Travis and producer Eric sit down for a conversation about subscription fatigue, frustrating customer experiences, and a new policy in New York City designed to make canceling subscriptions easier. They discuss Mayor Zohran Mamdani's new click-to-cancel rule, share their own experiences trying to escape unwanted gym memberships and activity-tracking subscriptions, and explore why businesses that make it easy for customers to leave may actually be better positioned to earn their business again in the future. Along the way, they also talk about technology overload, the appeal of analog tools, and why sometimes simpler really is better. On this episode we talk about: New York City's click-to-cancel rule and how it aims to protect consumers from deceptive subscription practices Personal experiences with difficult cancellation processes at Planet Fitness and WHOOP Why forcing customers through surveys, retention offers, and unnecessary steps creates a poor customer experience How making subscriptions easy to cancel can build trust and increase the likelihood that customers return Subscription fatigue, technology overload, and the growing appeal of books, notebooks, journaling, and other analog alternatives Top 3 Takeaways Make it as easy to cancel as it is to sign up. If customers can subscribe with one click, they shouldn't have to navigate a maze of phone calls, surveys, and retention offers to leave. A straightforward cancellation process respects their time and autonomy. A frustrating customer experience can cost you future business. Making it difficult for customers to cancel may keep them paying temporarily, but it can leave them so frustrated that they refuse to return—even if they previously liked the product. Not every problem needs more technology. Subscriptions, apps, notifications, and connected devices can add unnecessary complexity. Sometimes simpler, more tactile alternatives like paper notebooks and journaling offer a welcome break from digital overload. Notable Quotes "No one should need 45 minutes of hold music to stop paying for something they never wanted." — Quoted by Eric from Mayor Zohran Mamdani's announcement "If a company can take your money with one click, you should be able to get your money back with one click." — Quoted by Eric from Mayor Zohran Mamdani's announcement "When I'm forced through all these hoops, I just go like, I'm never doing this again." — Travis, on frustrating subscription cancellation experiences Connect with Travis Chappell: Instagram: @travischappell Other: https://travischappell.com A Word from Our Sponsors: - The most successful business owners don't do it all themselves — they delegate. Upwork lets you build a team of highly skilled specialists for every function your business needs, so you can focus on what you do best and let experts handle the rest. Visit Upwork.com right now and post your job for free! - Scribe captures workflows as work happens and automatically generates step-by-step guides with screenshots and instructions, so no one has to sit down and write documentation from scratch. Learn more at scribe.how/tmm and mention Travis Makes Money for your first month of Scribe Capture free on select plans. - When you need a legal hand, visit LegalZoom. Go to LegalZoom.com to get started! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rakesh Kumar is a professor and John Bardeen Faculty Scholar in computer engineering at the University of Illinois and a renowned expert on semiconductors. His research has helped shape the chips powering the phones, tablets, and computers we use every day, and he has advised chip companies, startups, governments, and intelligence firms. In this episode, Rakesh breaks down the fascinating history of computer chips, explains how advances in chip technology have fueled the AI boom, and explores how quantum computing could transform everything from scientific discovery to cybersecurity. He is also the author of the upcoming book The Chip Age: How Semiconductors Became the World's Most Powerful Resource. On this episode we talk about: How computer chips work, why they're so revolutionary, and the history behind their invention Moore's Law and how the semiconductor industry has continually doubled the number of transistors on a chip The relationship between AI's growth, computing power, and the billions of dollars being invested in chip technology How quantum computing differs from traditional computing and when it could become commercially useful The potential impact of quantum computing on encryption, weather forecasting, drug discovery, and material science Top 3 Takeaways Technology advances when people turn ambitious goals into industry-wide priorities. Moore's Law began as an observation about transistor growth, but the semiconductor industry adopted it as a goal and worked collectively to keep pushing the limits of computing power. AI and semiconductors depend on each other. More powerful chips made modern AI possible, while AI's growing commercial potential is driving further investment in chip development. However, this feedback loop also raises the stakes if either industry fails to deliver. Quantum computing could unlock solutions to problems traditional computers struggle to solve. From discovering new drugs and materials to improving weather predictions, quantum computers could make complex scientific problems more tractable. But building useful, cost-effective systems remains a major engineering challenge. Notable Quotes "Think of a chip as essentially an electronic tiny brain." "Moore's Law, it was no law at all. It was just an observation that somebody made." "Science continues to be very hard." Connect with Rakesh Kumar: Other: Check out his book, The Chip Age: How Semiconductors Became the World's Most Powerful Resource. A Word from Our Sponsors: - The most successful business owners don't do it all themselves — they delegate. Upwork lets you build a team of highly skilled specialists for every function your business needs, so you can focus on what you do best and let experts handle the rest. Visit Upwork.com right now and post your job for free! - Scribe captures workflows as work happens and automatically generates step-by-step guides with screenshots and instructions, so no one has to sit down and write documentation from scratch. Learn more at scribe.how/tmm and mention Travis Makes Money for your first month of Scribe Capture free on select plans. - When you need a legal hand, visit LegalZoom. Go to LegalZoom.com to get started! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this two-part conversation, Travis Chappell dives into the nuanced decisions couples face around career, parenting, and societal expectations. Picking up from part one, Travis explores what it means to support a partner, balance personal ambition, and navigate cultural pressures around stay-at-home roles, both for women and men. This episode blends practical advice, personal anecdotes, and cultural commentary to help listeners rethink traditional expectations. On this episode we talk about: How couples can decide who stays home without feeling societal pressure The psychological dynamics and respect factors in modern household roles Lessons from Travis’s own family experience and experimentation over a decade The influence of feminism, tradition, and societal messaging on career and parenting choices Strategies for testing and adapting your life choices as circumstances evolve Connect with Travis Chappell: LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/travischappell⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/travischappell⁠ Other: ⁠https://travischappell.com⁠ A Word from Our Sponsors:- The most successful business owners don't do it all themselves — they delegate. Upwork lets you build a team of highly skilled specialists for every function your business needs, so you can focus on what you do best and let experts handle the rest. Visit Upwork.com right now and post your job for free! - Scribe captures workflows as work happens and automatically generates step-by-step guides with screenshots and instructions, so no one has to sit down and write documentation from scratch. Learn more at scribe.how/tmm and mention Travis Makes Money for your first month of Scribe Capture free on select plans. - When you need a legal hand, visit LegalZoom. Go to ⁠LegalZoom.com⁠ to get started!⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Celeste Durve is a founder, writer, and speaker exploring the intersection of emotional intelligence, personal development, and modern success. She is the founder and CEO of Viper, a national staffing, talent, and experiential advisory firm, and the creator of Smart is Sexy, a rapidly growing media platform and Substack community with more than 300,000 readers. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, Celeste built her business without a college degree or an entrepreneurial background, starting with unpaid internships and small event-staffing opportunities before growing into a multi-market company. In this episode, she shares how to create opportunities for yourself, validate business ideas, and build a life through execution rather than excuses. On this episode we talk about: How Celeste turned unpaid work into a business opportunity, starting with a $100 payment for her early event-staffing services. Why you don't necessarily need a college degree to succeed—and how to evaluate whether higher education makes sense for your goals. Why testing an idea with paying customers is more valuable than relying on surveys, assumptions, or AI-generated encouragement. How Celeste rebuilt her business after COVID and grew Viper into multiple markets while developing new experiential marketing programs. How Smart is Sexy grew to more than 300,000 readers by sharing honest, practical advice about personal responsibility, self-development, and execution. Top 3 Takeaways Create opportunities instead of waiting for permission. Celeste started by offering her services for free to gain experience and prove her concept. When an employer rejected her idea, she tested it independently with people in her network. You don't need someone else's approval to take the first step. Validate ideas through actual sales. Positive feedback doesn't necessarily mean people will pay for your product or service. Start small, find someone willing to buy, and use real customer feedback to refine your offering. Execution—not the idea itself—is what determines whether a business has potential. Build stability by taking ownership of your future. Celeste's desire for stability came from her upbringing and led her to build a business she could control. Entrepreneurship comes with uncertainty, but developing valuable skills, adapting to setbacks, and managing your finances can help you navigate the ups and downs. Notable Quotes “If nobody's offering you opportunity, it's up to you to create it.” “You're the only success is in execution and actually making a sale.” “I was always a big believer in not being just a victim to my circumstances.” Connect with Celeste Durve: Website: https://celestedurve.com/ Instagram: Celeste Durve, Smart is Sexy, Viper Other: Smart is Sexy on Substack A Word from Our Sponsors: - The most successful business owners don't do it all themselves — they delegate. Upwork lets you build a team of highly skilled specialists for every function your business needs, so you can focus on what you do best and let experts handle the rest. Visit Upwork.com right now and post your job for free! - Scribe captures workflows as work happens and automatically generates step-by-step guides with screenshots and instructions, so no one has to sit down and write documentation from scratch. Learn more at scribe.how/tmm and mention Travis Makes Money for your first month of Scribe Capture free on select plans. - When you need a legal hand, visit LegalZoom. Go to LegalZoom.com to get started! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Travis Makes Money, Travis sits down with his in-house producer to unpack how modern couples can navigate money, marriage, and identity when traditional gender roles are flipped or blurred. Drawing on Travis’s own journey with his wife Jackie—from dual incomes to traditional roles and back again—they explore what actually works for a relationship financially and emotionally, beyond cultural or religious expectations. On this episode we talk about: Growing up in patriarchal, religious environments and how that shapes money and marriage expectations How Travis and Jackie experimented with dual-income dynamics and evolving career goals The emotional impact on men when their partner earns more—and what that does to their sense of masculinity Why Travis and Jackie ultimately decided to return to more traditional roles and how it affected their finances and happiness How high-earning couples can creatively structure childcare, lifestyle, and work (nannies, travel, homeschooling, etc.) Top 3 Takeaways You cannot copy-paste “ideal” gender roles from culture or religion; you have to design a structure that actually works for your specific relationship and be brutally honest about it. Financial contribution is not the only measure of value in a relationship—clear communication about expectations, roles, and respect matters more than who brings in the bigger paycheck. Traditional roles often work well for many couples, but they should be a conscious, strategic choice based on strengths, earning power, and personal fulfillment—not just “the way it’s always been done.” Notable Quotes "We were doing this almost for the sake of combating traditional gender roles, but at the detriment of our own financial success and happiness." "My ability to earn so far outweighs her ability to earn with our current skill sets that it just doesn’t make sense for me to spend my time cleaning the house or worrying about dinner." "You have to be willing to say some of the quiet parts out loud if you want to find what’s really going to work for your relationship." Connect with Travis: LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/travischappell⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/travischappell⁠ Other: ⁠https://travischappell.com⁠ A Word from Our Sponsors:- The most successful business owners don't do it all themselves — they delegate. Upwork lets you build a team of highly skilled specialists for every function your business needs, so you can focus on what you do best and let experts handle the rest. Visit Upwork.com right now and post your job for free! - Scribe captures workflows as work happens and automatically generates step-by-step guides with screenshots and instructions, so no one has to sit down and write documentation from scratch. Learn more at scribe.how/tmm and mention Travis Makes Money for your first month of Scribe Capture free on select plans. - When you need a legal hand, visit LegalZoom. Go to LegalZoom.com to get started! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices