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People are surprised to learn that Mari Murdock, 36, is a professional game master, a role in which she organizes and narrates tabletop roleplaying games like Dungeons & Dragons. Dungeons & Dragons is an open-ended tabletop game in which the narrative is shaped by the players' choices, whether that's through combat, puzzles or negotiation. But as Murdock played tabletop games through the 2010s, she grew more confident in the skills it takes to run a good game. The timing was fortuitous, as tabletop gaming became more popular during the pandemic. For Murdock, gaming allows you to immerse yourself in "a pretend situation where you are imagining that you are someone else.

Persons: Mari Murdock, Graham Merwin, Murdock, — it's, Scott, Murdock's, Mari, she'd, Dax Levine, —, Levine, Max, we've, it's Organizations: CNBC, Westminster University, Brigham Young University, Hawaii, BYU, Dragons, Guinness World Records, &, PayPal, Hulu, Spotify, Amazon Prime, Max Insurance, Relief Society Locations: Utah, Salt Lake City, Michigan, Hawaii, Japan, Scott, Provo , Utah

☆ Living on $37K a year playing Dungeons & Dragons in Salt Lake City
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Mike Winters | Raffi Paul | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

This is an installment of CNBC Make It's Millennial Money series, which profiles people across the globe and details how they earn, spend and save their money.

Organizations: CNBC

One of their friends in Missouri had mailed them meat sticks made by Kevin Western, a Greentop local who made the snacks for fun and sold them around town. In December 2012, Maldonado and Ali started selling Chomps' first product — the original beef jerky stick — on its website. Trader Joe's placed an initial order for a million meat sticks to stock in over 400 stores. Chomps started selling meat sticks in Trader Joe's, its first national retailer, in July 2016. Building a jerky empireOnce Chomps started selling its sticks in Trader Joe's, other stores quickly followed, including Whole Foods, Target and Walmart.

Persons: Pete Maldonado, Maldonado, Rashid Ali, Slim Jims, Maldonado craved, Ali, Chomps, Here's, — Maldonado, Kevin Western, Gene Woo Kim Maldonado, you'll, —, Joe's, Rashid, Clint Boland Organizations: Facebook, taco, Whole Foods, Target, Walmart, CNBC Locations: Chicago, Long, Greentop , Missouri, Missouri, Greentop, Naples , Florida, U.S, Joe's, Naples

☆ Chomps: How we turned $6,500 into a business bringing in close to $250 million
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Raffi Paul | Morgan Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailChomps: How we turned $6,500 into a business bringing in close to $250 millionLooking to make a healthier-for-you meat snack, friends Pete Maldonado and Rashid Ali together put forth $6,500 to launch their "side hustle" back in 2012. After four years, Trader Joe's began selling their products and sales significantly grew. In 2023, Pete and Rashid's once side-hustle has brought in nearly $250 million in retail sales.

Persons: Pete Maldonado, Rashid Ali, Joe's, Pete, Rashid's

Sal Khan, 31, earns $220,000 a year and lives with his parents in Houston. "I do think my relationship now has been the best with my parents than it has been before," Khan tells CNBC Make It. But that won't be the end of his living arrangement with this parents: Khan hopes to move his parents to his new home, too. The bulk of his savings are earmarked for more down payments on properties, Khan says. Sal Khan hopes that sharing his story will dispel the stigma about living with parents as an adult.

Persons: Sal Khan, Khan, Erik Mauck, that's, it's, Khan's, Nina Nguyen, Krishnan, Khan didn't Organizations: CNBC, Ohio State University, Bay Area, Costco, Gas, Wealthfront Locations: Houston, Pakistan, U.S, Bay, Chicago, Texas, California, Arizona, Florida

☆ Living on $220K a year—and rooming with my parents
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Raffi Paul | Jennifer Liu | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailLiving on $220K a year—and rooming with my parentsSal Khan, 31, moved from California to Texas to live with his parents during the 2020 pandemic. They insisted on not charging him rent. He saw this as an opportunity to build a stronger relationship with his parents, save money and potentially purchase his own property in the future. Now, almost four years later, he has been able to save over $200,000 and has a real estate portfolio consisting of four properties across the U.S.06:32 27 minutes ago

Persons: Sal Khan Locations: California, Texas

Vita Coco started with a leap of faith, a $75,000 investment and "several" maxed-out credit cards. Today, the bestselling coconut water company is worth $1.1 billion. They paid mostly with Kirban's money, which he'd obtained by founding and running a real estate software business after dropping out of college. That software business still exists, and Kirban still helps run it on the side, he says. It was only the beginning of Vita Coco's long journey to financial success, with more stumbling blocks along the way.

Persons: Vita Coco, Michael Kirban, Ira Liran, Liran, Kirban, There's, he'd, hadn't, Vita Organizations: Southern, U.S, CNBC, U.S . Food, Drug Administration Locations: Manhattan, Brazil, U.S, Bahamas

☆ Vita Coco: My billion-dollar coconut water company
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Raffi Paul | Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailVita Coco: My billion-dollar coconut water companyAfter a chance encounter with two Brazilian women in a New York bar in 2003, hearing about the tasty beverage they missed from back home, Michael Kirban and his friend Ira Liran wanted to introduce coconut water to the U.S. market. They co-founded Vita Coco the following year, initially investing $75,000 to launch the product in the U.S. Twenty years later, the company is worth more than $1 billion.

Persons: Michael Kirban, Ira Liran, Vita Coco Organizations: U.S Locations: New York, U.S

With his rental earnings and increased salary, Vij was able to buy more rental properties in southern Ontario. Investing in rental propertiesVij's first rental property was a two-story detached home with seven rentable rooms, two miles away from McMaster's main campus. Otherwise, whatever money Vij made from his job and rental property went straight into savings for more rental properties. "I want to own as many assets as possible that generate cash flow and use any extra cash to buy more assets." In 2023, Vij broke even on his rental properties.

Persons: Karun Vij, Vij, —, I'd, Karun, Jeremy Applebaum, I'm, Seema, Vij Vij, He's Organizations: CNBC, aha, McMaster University, McMaster, Fortune, Fiverr Savings, Spotify, Amazon Prime, Google, Walt Disney Locations: Hamilton , Ontario, Canada, McMaster's, Cambridge, Ontario, Chicago, Brampton , Ontario, Toronto, Mississauga, Hamilton, Milton , Ontario, Windsor , Ontario

☆ Year & own four rental properties worth $2.3 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Raffi Paul | Mike Winters | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailI owned four properties worth $2.3+ million at age 33For his day job, Karun Vij earns $183,000 as a regional sales manager for an automation supplier. But before the age of 33, he has also amassed four properties, worth over $2.3 million. His ah-ha moment came about in college, when he realized the value of buying up student rentals -- and he doesn't plan to stop any time soon. 07:29 3 hours ago

Persons: Karun Vij

Here's how Kurtz built up Mike's Hot Honey from just a hobby into a company poised to bring in more than $40 million over the next year. This might be the life for me'A college-aged Kurtz in Brazil, where he found the inspiration for Mike's Hot Honey. Some like it hotKurtz working at Paulie Gee's in August 2010 with bottle of Mike's Hot Honey in hand. "I'd be in there from midnight till six in the morning just bottling, capping and labeling bottles of Mike's Hot Honey." Over three funding rounds, Mike's Hot Honey raised $12 million.

Persons: Mike Kurtz doesn't, Franzen, Quentin Tarantino's, Kurtz, Raffi Paul, Mickey Todiwala, Larry Raymond, Larry, Mike Kurtz, Paulie Gee's, Paulie Gee, Matt Beaton, Beaton, Beaton's Organizations: CNBC, Foods, UMass Amherst Locations: Brazil, Greenpoint , Brooklyn, New York City, New York, what's, U.S

☆ How I built Mike's Hot Honey into a $40 million-a-year business
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Nicolas Vega | Raffi Paul | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailHow I built Mike's Hot Honey into a $40 million-a-year businessAfter years of creating and perfecting his hot honey recipe at home, Mike Kurtz brought in a bottle to show his boss, Paulie Gee, while serving as his pizza apprentice. Paulie loved it, and the unique topping quickly became a hit. From there, demand grew and what had started as a hobby for Mike, suddenly picked up steam and is now a full-blown company bringing in $40 million a year.

Persons: Mike Kurtz, Paulie Gee, Paulie

The business works with more than 300 family farms across the country, and can process up to six million eggs per day. Vital Farms eggs can cost anywhere from $6 to $10 per dozen, multiple times the national average. From Whole Foods to 24,000 storesIt took two years for Vital Farms to turn its first operating profit. Those factors are expensive, and Vital Farms has to convince farmers that the costs are worthwhile. Vital Farms can process up to 6 million eggs per day at the brand's central processing facility in Missouri.

Persons: Matt O'Hayer, he's, O'Hayer, John Mackey, Mackey, It's, Russell Diez, Canseco, Diez, — Organizations: Vital, Rhode, CNBC, Foods, Vital Farms, American Society for, Albertsons, Kroger, Walmart, Care, People, Animals, PETA, Cal, Research Locations: Austin , Texas, U.S, Houston, Austin, Midwest, Publix, Target, O'Hayer, Missouri, Maine

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailHow Vital Farms turned 27 acres into a $450 million egg empireA self-described "serial entrepreneur," Matt O'Hayer says he's initiated "about 50 businesses" in his lifetime. In 2007, he established Vital Farms, a network of family-run farms dedicated to producing high-quality, pasture-raised eggs. With 27 acres of land and 20 Rhode Island Red hens on a farm near Austin, Texas, Matt's vision came to life: Today, the business has a market capitalization of more than $450 million.

Persons: Matt O'Hayer, he's Organizations: Rhode Locations: Austin , Texas

"I was literally living under the poverty line for like four years, but it was a good experience," he says. Hassam Sheikh, 33, earns about $250,000 per year as an AI research scientist. In May 2020, Sheikh began an internship at Intel Labs that would, about seven months later, turn into a full-time gig as a research scientist. In addition to his $187,000 annual base salary, Sheikh receives bonuses and stock compensation which, in 2023, have him on track to earn about $250,000. When he's not working on machine learning, he's likely working around the house.

Persons: Hassam Sheikh's, didn't, Sheikh, —, Hassam Sheikh, Clint Boland, I've, hasn't, Deborah Donatella, Diana Wintour —, Sheikh stashes, he's, it's, there's Organizations: CNBC, University of Central, Intel Labs, University of Lahore, University of Manchester, Intel, UCF, Amazon Music, Walmart, Home, Michelin Locations: Orlando , Florida, University of Central Florida, That's, Lahore, Pakistan, Orlando, United States

☆ I save half of my $250,000 a year salary as an AI scientist
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Ryan Ermey | Raffi Paul | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailI save half of my $250,000 a year salary as an AI scientistHassam Sheikh, 33, lives in Orlando, Florida, and earns around $250,000 a year working as an AI research scientist. He owns a 6-bedroom home and two cars, and plans to save over half of his salary. 08:30 28 minutes ago

Persons: Hassam Sheikh Locations: Orlando , Florida

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailHow Hawk-Eye replaced hundreds of line judges at the U.S. OpenSince 2022, the U.S. Open has had no line judges. Instead, the tournament uses Hawk-Eye Live, an electronic line calling system, to judge whether a ball is in or out. In 2011, Sony purchased Hawk-Eye and the company has grown since then. Hawk-Eye covers the majority of tennis tournaments on the WTA and ATP tours and has a presence in the MLS, NFL, WNBA and soon the NBA. CNBC traveled to the U.S. Open to speak with the Hawk-Eye team to understand how it works in tennis and other major sports.

Organizations: U.S, U.S ., Sony, WTA, MLS, NFL, WNBA, NBA, CNBC

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