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On Your Terms®

Sam Vander Wielen

A podcast for online business owners who refuse to choose between revenue and a real life. Most business advice tells you to hustle harder, post more, and "always be on." I'm here to tell you that's BS—and I have the multi-seven-figure business to prove it. I'm Sam Vander Wielen, and I've built a thriving online business while protecting my mornings, unplugging at night, and actually living the life I built my business for.
Every week, I share the marketing strategies, legal foundations, and lifestyle boundaries that keep my business profitable without stealing my peace. Whether you're building your first six figures or scaling past seven, this show will help you grow your revenue without sacrificing your presence, your sleep, or your sanity.

Because success isn't just about how much you make—it's about having the freedom to actually enjoy your life.

New to my world?

I’m a lawyer-turned-entrepreneur who built an 7-figure digital product business helping thousands of founders legally protect and grow their online businesses. These days, I’m here to share not just the legal clarity but the lessons, stories, and strategies that make business and life more fulfilling. I'm the author of the best-selling book, When I Start My Business, I'll Be Happy, and a weekly newsletter called Sam's Sidebar. Originally a proud Philly girl, I now live ON Long Island with my husband, Ryan, and bernedoodle/velcrodog, Hudson.

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  • 24 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 28 min
  • English

Episodes 24

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  • #285
    April 20 · 38 min

    285. The Step Everyone Skips Before They Launch

    You've watched other people's launches from the sidelines. The big revenue numbers, the sold-out offers, the "We Hit Our Goal in 24 Hours" Instagram stories. You want that too. And so you try. You do all the launch things. But something's off. The sales trickle in slower than you hoped, or it's just... crickets. And you start wondering if it's your emails, your offer, your timing, or honestly, if it's just you. Here's the truth: it's probably none of those things. The real issue is happening way before launch week ever starts. In this episode, I'm breaking down exactly what that is and what to build instead, so that your next launch has actual chompers waiting for it. (And yes, I'll explain what chompers means. Stick with me.) In this episode, you'll hear… Why copying someone else's launch strategy, webinar slides, or email subject lines will not get you the results you're looking for What "chompers" are, why you need them, and how to build a community full of people who are ready to buy How to identify where your ideal customer sits on the problem and solution awareness scale, and why it changes everything about your marketing The three things you need to have in place to actually build an audience full of buyers, not just followers Why realistic conversion rates matter, and how to set expectations so you can grow your business without burning yourself out Click here to find the full show notes and transcript for this episode. EPISODE RESOURCES: Get Sam’s free weekly newsletter, Sam’s Sidebar Grab Sam's book When I Start My Business, I'll Be Happy and join the Live Book Club Call (purchase book by April 29th to get your invite) If you have a question you’d like Sam to answer on a future podcast episode, you can submit it here. Click here to be notified when new episodes of On Your Terms® come out CONNECT: Get Sam's weekly newsletter, Sam's Sidebar Follow Sam on Instagram Follow Sam on YouTube Subscribe to Sam's Substack, Beyond Business Take Sam's free legal workshop "5 Steps to Legally Protect & Grow Your Online Business" DISCLAIMER

  • #284
    April 13 · 27 min

    284. My Best Kept Secret That Feeds My Content, Testimonials, and $500k Launches

    Automation is great — until it makes people forget there's a real human behind your business. In this episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on the tool I've been quietly using to generate content ideas, boost webinar show-up rates, and collect testimonials, all while making my audience feel personally connected to me. It contributed to a $500K launch, and I'm walking you through exactly how I use it for content, sales, and social proof. In this episode, you'll hear… What VideoAsk actually is and why it's more like FaceTiming your audience than filling out a form How I'm using it to generate content ideas directly from my audience (in their own words) The exact funnel I built to improve webinar show-up rates and make my workshop better in real time How I'm collecting video testimonials that I can use in ads, social content, and more Why building in "surprise and delight" moments is one of the highest-return investments you can make in your marketing Click here to find the full show notes and transcript for this episode. EPISODE RESOURCES: Get Sam’s free weekly newsletter, Sam’s Sidebar Grab Sam's book When I Start My Business, I'll Be Happy and join the Live Book Club Call (purchase book by April 29th to get your invite) If you have a question you’d like Sam to answer on a future podcast episode, you can submit it here. Check out VideoAsk (affiliate link) Click here to be notified when new episodes of On Your Terms® come out CONNECT: Get Sam's weekly newsletter, Sam's Sidebar Follow Sam on Instagram Follow Sam on YouTube Subscribe to Sam's Substack, Beyond Business Take Sam's free legal workshop "5 Steps to Legally Protect & Grow Your Online Business" DISCLAIMER

  • #283
    April 6 · 30 min

    283. How I Actually Decide What to Send My Email List (Even When I Have No Idea)

    If you've ever opened a blank document to write your newsletter and immediately closed it again, this one's for you. I've been sending my weekly newsletter, Sam's Sidebar, consistently for years, and in this episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on exactly how I decide what to write every single week. Including the time I scrapped a completely finished email the morning it was supposed to go out, wrote something raw and real in about five minutes, and watched my inbox light up with replies all day long. This is the behind-the-scenes process I use to make email feel less like a chore and more like one of the most powerful, reliable tools in my business. In this episode, you'll hear… Why I always start by zooming out on my business before I write a single word How to reverse engineer your email from your call to action so everything you write actually has a point Why your call to action doesn't always have to be a sale (and what to do between launches) The one habit that makes finding topics infinitely easier, even when your brain is totally blank How I turned a frustrated, throw-it-all-out moment into one of my most-responded-to emails ever Click here to find the full show notes and transcript for this episode. EPISODE RESOURCES: Get Sam’s free weekly newsletter, Sam’s Sidebar Get your copy of Sam's book When I Start My Business, I'll Be Happy If you have a question you’d like Sam to answer on a future podcast episode, you can submit it here. Click here to be notified when new episodes of On Your Terms® come out CONNECT: Get Sam's weekly newsletter, Sam's Sidebar Follow Sam on Instagram Follow Sam on YouTube Subscribe to Sam's Substack, Beyond Business Take Sam's free legal workshop "5 Steps to Legally Protect & Grow Your Online Business" DISCLAIMER

  • #282
    March 30 · 37 min

    282: The End-of-Quarter Habit That Will Change How You Run Your Business

    Q1 is officially in the books — so before you barrel headfirst into Q2, let's actually stop and take stock of how it went. In this episode, I'm walking you through the end-of-quarter check-in I use in my own business — one that covers both your stats and your vibes — so you can go into the next quarter with one clear focus, a simple plan, and a lot less "why does running this business feel so chaotic?" energy. We'll talk about how to look at your numbers without spiraling into a shame spiral, how to figure out whether you have a leads problem or a sales problem (because the answer totally changes your Q2 plan), and why the things that are draining you in your business are probably directly connected to what's not working in your data. I'm also sharing my personal Q1 gap year update — what's working, what's not, the mastermind I very painfully said no to, and the morning routine that finally helped me get my writing practice off the ground. In this episode, you'll hear… How to review your Q1 stats without spiraling into a shame spiral (the "curious scientist" approach is a game-changer) Why picking one single focus for Q2 will get you further than 16 half-finished goals ever will The "vibes check" — how to honestly assess how this quarter felt and what that means for Q2 Why what's draining you in your business might be directly connected to what's not working in your stats My personal Q1 gap year update, including the mastermind I painfully said no to, the morning writing routine that finally clicked, and why "gap year" does NOT mean I'm sitting on a beach doing nothing Click here to find the full show notes and transcript for this episode. EPISODE RESOURCES: Get Sam’s free weekly newsletter, Sam’s Sidebar Sam's Substack post: Taking a Gap Year as an Entrepreneur: My Year of Letting Go in 2026 Sam's Substack post: I called it a gap year—and everyone heard “year off.” Check out The Brick (affiliate link) Kit what I use to build my email list, send emails to my list, and create opt-in forms & pages (affiliate link) If you have a question you’d like Sam to answer on a future podcast episode, you can submit it here. Click here to be notified when new episodes of On Your Terms® come out CONNECT: Get Sam's weekly newsletter, Sam's Sidebar Follow Sam on Instagram Follow Sam on YouTube Subscribe to Sam's Substack, Beyond Business Take Sam's free legal workshop "5 Steps to Legally Protect & Grow Your Online Business" DISCLAIMER

Showing 21–24 of 24 episodes