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The Calum Johnson Show

How A 24 Year Old MAN Built A $20.1M Business From His Laptop @willchangelives

At 17 years old, Will was arrested on a Felony charge. He bounced back from that and built a 8 figure income through his digital businesses. In this episode, Will breaks down exactly how he did it.

WillguestCalum Johnsonhost

Jan 1, 20241h 23mWatch on YouTube

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CHAPTERS

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Chapter summaries

From Felon at 17 to Believing Business Was Possible
Calum frames Will's story and asks about the person he was at 17. Will describes growing up in a single-mom household with no business exposure, losing his basketball scholarship hope, and attending a networking event at 18 that showed him wealth was possible.
- •Will grew up with no business role models and thought you either worked a job or got a college degree
- •Basketball scholarship hopes ended when taller transfers arrived
- •A networking event at 18 showed him people his age succeeding
- •Will says you can only grow to what you've been exposed to
The Warehouse Grind and Choosing Change Over Staying the Same
Calum asks when the belief clicked. Will describes juggling the Amazon warehouse night shift with college, dropping out, and meeting local people in person who were succeeding. They discuss pain versus change and Will's view that inspiration or desperation forces change.
- •Will worked at the warehouse 6 PM to 4 AM while attending college during the day
- •Meeting people from his own area in person made success feel real
- •Calum cites the idea that change comes when the pain of staying the same exceeds the pain of change
- •Will says only inspiration or desperation forces change, and for 90% it's desperation
Dropshipping Bracelets and the First $10 That Changed Everything
Will explains how he dropped school, tried several resale models, and settled on Shopify dropshipping with a bracelet. The first $10 sale confirmed it worked, so he quit his job, paid for a coaching call, and later made his first $50K.
- •Half his paycheck went to Ubers to the warehouse
- •He tried flipping iPhones, cars, and sneakers before dropshipping stuck
- •He sold a $2 AliExpress bracelet after repeatedly seeing ads for it
- •His first $10 sale confirmed it worked and he quit his job
- •He spent his last paycheck on a coaching call with a more successful seller
Amazon Wholesale and the Scan Profit Starter Method
Calum asks for the easiest path to first dollars. Will explains Amazon Wholesale, which needs an LLC and a resellers permit, and a zero-capital method using the Scan Profit app to find discounted store products that sell for more on Amazon.
- •Wholesale means buying from well-known brands and selling on Amazon without ads, a website, or your own product
- •An LLC and a resellers permit are the two documents needed
- •The Scan Profit app shows Amazon pricing and profit for store products
- •Will says his 16-year-old brother made $5,000 a month with this method
How Amazon's Buy Box Works and Scaling to Direct Suppliers
Calum asks how sales reach a seller when others list the same product. Will explains the rotating buy box and FBA, then describes how students scale, from Terrell's $100K in 11 months to buying direct from brands.
- •Name-brand products have one listing and Amazon shares sales among sellers via the buy box
- •FBA lets sellers ship inventory to Amazon's warehouse
- •Terrell and his family made around $100,000 in 11 months scanning products in stores
- •Some students make over a million a year ordering directly from brands
- •Buying direct raises margins by cutting out the retailer
Product, Traffic, and Marketplace: Why Amazon Is a Hack
Will says e-commerce comes down to three things: product, traffic, and where people buy. He compares his Shopify bracelet business, where he had to create traffic, to Amazon, which handles traffic and the website.
- •The three elements are product, traffic, and marketplace
- •With Shopify he had to pay for Facebook ads to drive traffic
- •Amazon provides existing traffic and the website
- •Well-known brands already have built-in customers
Why Most Students Fail: Indecision and Shiny Object Syndrome
Calum asks what separates a Terrell from students who get no traction. Will says most people never act, and the difference is deciding it will work, citing W. Clement Stone's "Do it now" and shiny object syndrome. Calum adds that commitment builds step by step.
- •Will says the majority of students do nothing with the program
- •He says the same would hold for podcasting, stocks, or real estate
- •W. Clement Stone's "Do it now" phrase illustrates that delay is the problem
- •Will tells attendees to make a webinar their last one
- •Calum describes commitment as building incrementally
The Long Hallway: Focus, Saying No, and Scaling Through Relationships
Will describes his own detours into Airbnb, a moving company, and crypto, and compares success to a hallway with distracting side doors. Calum cites Steve Jobs on saying no, and Will explains how supplier relationships, networking, and credit take an Amazon seller from $100K to higher levels.
- •Will tried Airbnb, a moving company, and crypto/NFTs while running a business
- •Success is a long hallway and side doors slow you down
- •Calum shares a story about Steve Jobs focusing by saying no
- •Building supplier relationships lowers costs and opens referrals
- •More buying power comes from credit lines and business credit
Networking by Being Good at Something and Getting Good Through Failure
Calum asks about the frustration of having no track record. Will says the best networking hack is being an expert at something. He then explains that getting good means being bad first, describing a year of losing money on ads while working nights.
- •Experience with Shopify gave Will credibility with suppliers
- •Becoming an expert at one thing earns you a seat at the table
- •He lost money for a year while spending paychecks on ads
- •He saw losses as failing forward and learning
- •Calum calls this stretch the dark zone and cites Kevin Hart
Obsession and the $3,000 Phone Call From His Mom
Asked what kept him going, Will cites his mom, his obsession with learning, and the day she asked for $3,000 for surgery that he didn't have. That moment pushed him to buy her a house and car. They then discuss obsession and when Will knew he was different.
- •He spent two years locked in, watching e-commerce videos constantly
- •He reinvested earnings into courses, coaching, and ads
- •His mom needed $3,000 for surgery and he couldn't help
- •He later bought his mom a house and a car
- •He took a pay cut from $11 to $8 an hour for more learning time
- •Will compares obsession to bodybuilders and athletes
Commitment, Confidence as Stacked Evidence, and Evolving as a Person
Calum says commitment is the core ingredient, and Will says any path works if you commit. They discuss sacrifices like working on Halloween, confidence as accumulated evidence, and Will's view that the mindset shift must come before the income shift.
- •Will says his story could be swapped with stocks or bodybuilding
- •Calum describes giving up a Halloween night as proof of commitment
- •Confidence comes from past actions, and Calum cites Hormozi on stacking evidence
- •Will says you must become the person for the next level
- •He recommends Rich Dad Poor Dad and Think and Grow Rich before business
From $1M to $10M: Mentors, Impact, and Webinars
Asked what changed between $50K and tens of millions, Will credits getting into rooms with people at higher levels. A mentor challenged him to teach others, and a $7,000 event led him to follow advice to do webinars and read One to Many, producing his first million in education and then $10 million.
- •Will says exposure to people earning millions raised his own ceiling
- •A mentor asked whether he cared about impact as well as income
- •He spent $7,000 on an event and followed an Amazon-education seller's advice
- •He read One to Many and began hosting weekly webinars
- •His first education year brought $1 million and the second $10 million
Getting Mentors and Selling With Story
Calum says mentors are won through listening and applying advice, and Will adds that doing real work and paying shows seriousness. Will then explains that story sells more than features, and how he uses his felony-to-multimillionaire story in marketing.
- •People who pay pay attention, and paying signals seriousness
- •Having something going already makes mentoring easier
- •Calum says commitment shows in applying advice exactly
- •Will says story outsells features and benefits
- •His story connects to the financial freedom people want
What Freedom Means: Giving Back and Advice to Keep Going
Calum asks what financial freedom has meant, and Will talks about family, helping others, the Rich and Fit gym, and Terrell gaining time with his kids. Calum closes by asking what one thing someone struggling should focus on, and Will urges them to consider the consequences of quitting and the goal they work toward.
- •Will gets fulfillment from providing for his family and friends
- •He opened a gym and made his trainer Timmy co-owner
- •Terrell values the business for time with his family
- •Will says to weigh what quitting would cost relative to your end goal
- •He says that if the work leads to your goal, you're doing the right thing

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