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Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailJustin's: How I built a peanut butter company and sold it for $281 millionJustin Gold got his homemade nut butters into Whole Foods, but still couldn't turn a profit — until a mountain biking ride inspired a new product that put Boulder, Colorado-based Justin's on the map. For more on how Denver and Boulder have rebuilt themselves as centers of business and industry, check out CNBC's primetime special, "Cities of Success: Denver & Boulder," premiering Thursday, April 11 at 10pm ET/PT.

Persons: Justin Gold Organizations: Denver & Locations: Boulder , Colorado, Denver, Boulder, Success, Denver & Boulder

"I'm on a mountain bike ride right here in Boulder, [Colorado], and I'm eating an energy gel [packet]," Gold told CNBC in a recent interview. "And I was curious why you couldn't put peanut butter or almond butter in that same type of squeeze pack and have an on-the-go, plant-based protein experience like an energy bar." Gold had been selling nut butters at a popular farmer's market in Boulder for two years by that point. But at the time, consumers still gravitated toward a handful of traditional peanut butter brands. Almond butter wasn't particularly popular yet, much less the flavor combinations Justin's was selling, like maple almond or chocolate hazelnut.

Persons: Justin Gold, Gold, He'd, Almond, Justin's Organizations: CNBC, Foods, Hormel Foods, SEC Locations: Boulder, Colorado

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via Email25-year-old earns $11K/month working three jobs while training for the Olympic trials25-years-old Jake Spotswood is training for the pole vault in the 2024 Olympic trials. At the same time, he's working as an IT analyst from 9-5 and as personal trainer and volunteer assistant coach for George Mason University's track and field team. Jake also posts sponsored online content to his 90K followers on Instagram and TikTok. Jake says he's able to balance all of these plates by sticking to a meticulous schedule every day. Even while training, he expects to earn over $100K in 2024.

Persons: Jake Spotswood, George Mason University's, Jake, he's Locations: Instagram

☆ 25-year-old earns $11,000 a month while training for the Olympic trials: With a 'non-revenue generating sport, you have to get creative'
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Annie Probert Zachary Green | Annie Probert | Zachary Green | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Add to that the sponsorships funding his pole vaulting season and a growing online personal training business, and Spotswood anticipates earning around $11,000 a month. "I just went home to my parents and was like, 'Where can I do pole vaulting?'" Spotswood first fell in love with pole vaulting in seventh grade and has since embarked on a 12-year career in the sport. Olympic hopefulAfter graduating from Virginia Tech, Spotswood decided to focus exclusively on professional pole vaulting and hopes to qualify for the Olympic trials in June. Looking aheadAfter 12 years of pole vaulting, 2024 is likely Spotswood's last dance.

Persons: Jake Spotswood, Spotswood, Enrique Huaiquil Spotswood, redshirting, Enrique Huaiquil, he's, George Mason, Jake Spotswood Spotswood, He's, George Mason's, I'm, I've Organizations: CNBC, George Mason University, Virginia Tech, University of Alabama, SEC, Alabama, ACC Championships, George, NCAA, Insurance Locations: Fairfax , Virginia, Fairhope , Alabama, U.S, Paris, Fairfax

The consulting firm offers a variety of services for mostly residential projects, including architectural and interior design. In 2023, Juntero worked with about 60 clients and brought in $414,000 in revenue — all while Okwulehie maintained her full-time job at Port Authority. Last year, Okwulehie earned a roughly $126,000 salary from Port Authority and paid herself $37,500 from Juntero. Zach Green | CNBC Make ItIn 2017, she took on the role of architect at Port Authority, working her way up to senior architect in 2022. "I still see myself working at Port Authority full-time," she says.

Persons: Chisom Okwulehie, Ikenna, Okwulehie, Zach Green, John F, Juntero, Perkins Eastman, Harrison, Slack, it's Organizations: CNBC, Port Authority of New, Port Authority, Kennedy International, Nigerian, Columbia University, San Francisco Bay Area, San Francisco High School of, Arts, University of Southern, New, San Francisco Airport, Amazon Prime, federal Public Service Locations: Port Authority of New York, New Jersey, Cliffside Park , New Jersey, Port, New York, Harrison , New Jersey, Juntero, New York City, San Francisco Bay, Harrison, University of Southern California, China, Texas, Upper Nyack , New York, United States

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailMy side hustle brings in $400K a year—how I spend my moneyChisom Okwulehie was gifted at drawing from a young age. She decided to turn her artistic instincts toward a more profitable line of work, studying architecture and public planning in college. Today, the 35-year-old mother of two earns about $163,000 a year working as an architectural designer for the Port of Authority for New York and New Jersey and running her own interior design side business for private clients, Juntero. 07:38 an hour ago

Persons: Okwulehie Organizations: Port, Authority Locations: New York, New Jersey

☆ Harvard-trained etiquette expert: The 3-word response for when someone is rude to you—and more tips for handling awkward situations
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-05 | by ( Aditi Shrikant Zachary Green | Aditi Shrikant | Zachary Green | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

It's in these moments, though, that Harvard-trained etiquette expert Sara Jane Ho sees herself as a resource. "If a friend is rude to you in a social setting, I like to use a three-word answer: 'Are you okay?'" If a friend is rude to you in a social setting, I like to use a three-word answer: "Are you okay?" Sara Jane Ho Etiquette Expert2. Sara jane Ho Etiquette Expert5.

Persons: Sara Jane Ho, Ho, Sarita, Drew Barrymore, you've, that's, Alison, Sara jane Ho Organizations: Harvard, Netflix, Drew Barrymore Show, CNBC Locations: Shakespeare's

Rodriguez and her four siblings grew up working on the farm and selling its products at farmers markets back in the city. Farm to operating tableThough she's close with her family, it was difficult breaking the news to her parents that she didn't want to continue working on the farm beyond high school, Rodriguez says. Her parents helped some, and she applied for scholarships, allowing Rodriguez to earn her bachelor's without taking on student debt. In fact, working with patients is one of the highlights of her work. How she spends her moneyEven after paying off her debt, Rodriguez has continued to save around 50% of her income.

Persons: Rodriguez, Chabely Rodriguez, Liam Mays, hasn't, CAAs, Andrea Desky, they're, undergrad, hustled, Donald Trump, I've, Gene Kim, HBO Max, she's Organizations: CNBC, CAA, Brooklyn College, District of Columbia, Nova Southeastern University, Housing, HBO, Toyota Corolla, YouTube Locations: Tampa , Florida, New York, Mexico, Brooklyn, Florida, Fort Lauderdale , Florida, anesthesiology, Costa Rica

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailMaking $210K working at a hospital—without med schoolGrowing up working on her parents' farm in upstate New York, Chabely Rodriguez always wanted more for herself. She wanted to go into medicine but was concerned of the high costs of medical school. Then she learned about becoming an anesthesiologist assistant, which only requires a master's degree. She's now making more than $200,000 a year in the profession and has paid off all her student loans. She hopes to work fewer hours in the next few years and devote more time to traveling the world.

Persons: Chabely Rodriguez, She's Locations: New York

The husband-and-wife duo started with an ice cream push cart before opening their first Ample Hills shop in Brooklyn, New York, in 2011. At its height, Ample Hills was valued at $40 million, with 13 scoop shops and an online store that shipped ice cream nationwide. But a year later, they opened a new Brooklyn ice cream shop called The Social. Here's how Smith and Cuscuna built a $40 million ice cream company, slowly lost it all and quickly started rebuilding again. 'The real impetus was just that joy'Opening an ice cream shop was risky.

Persons: Brian Smith, Jackie Cuscuna, Smith, Cuscuna, Zachary Green, Brian, Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey, Bob Iger, —, They've, Lisa Teach Organizations: Schmitt Industries, CNBC, Syfy, Disney, Walt Disney Locations: Brooklyn , New York, Brooklyn, Orlando , Florida, New York, California, Florida

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWe lost a $40M ice cream business—how we're rebuildingBrian Smith and Jackie Cuscuna's ice cream company, Ample Hills Creamery, was a runaway success. A few years after they launched in Brooklyn, New York, they were endorsed by Oprah Winfrey and opened a shop at Walt Disney World. Then, in 2020, the company declared bankruptcy. Six months later, Smith and Cuscuna filed for personal bankruptcy. Now they're trying again — with new investors and a bevy of lessons learned from failure.

Persons: Brian Smith, Jackie Cuscuna's, Oprah Winfrey, Smith, Cuscuna, they're Organizations: Walt Disney Locations: Brooklyn , New York

In 2018, she started her Instagram @cookingwithfiona, specifically to post instructional cooking videos she'd filmed for her daughter. Fiona Afshar makes $129,000 per year, primarily from selling colorful pasta boxes out of her home kitchen in Malibu, California. Shortly after she started her Instagram account, she started making pasta from chef Thomas Keller's tutorials — and her followers ate it up. A homegrown businessIn 2020, Afshar started hosting virtual pasta-making classes for $35 per person. "Fiona's Pasta, Cooking with Fiona, it's more of a passion," Afshar says.

Persons: Fiona Afshar, Afshar, there's, Tristan Pelletier Five, Tristan Pelletier, Ali, Thomas Keller's, Afshar's, Ssense, They'd, Fiona, it's Organizations: CNBC, Gucci Locations: Iran, Malibu , California, California, Afshar

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailI bring in $129K a year making 'Gucci' pasta in my kitchenAfter her oldest daughter went to college, Fiona Afshar found creative fulfillment in cooking, especially in making homemade pasta. Five years later, at the age of 57, Afshar now has more than 475,000 followers on Instagram who watch her videos of making pasta in a rainbow of vivid colors, shapes and patterns. In 2022, through branding deals with fashion companies like Gucci, virtual cooking classes, and online sales of her homemade pasta, Afshar brought in about $129,000.

Persons: Fiona Afshar, Afshar, Instagram Organizations: Gucci

Walk into Cesar Villavicencio's three-bedroom apartment in Washington Heights, New York City, and you might think he had two roommates. Villavicencio graduated in 2009, and, like many aspiring Broadway stars, packed his bags for New York City. But in drag, Villavicencio found empowerment that had eluded him. Zachary Green and Lauren Shamo | CNBC Make ItWhen it comes to getting in drag, Villavicencio's costs, just like his income, can be variable. In addition to five weekly shows, Villavicencio performs as Pixie at a residency in Fire Island and at corporate engagements.

Persons: Cesar Villavicencio's, Pixie Aventura, Villavicencio, I'm, Cesar Villavicencio, Zachary Green, Lauren Shamo, John Leguizamo, Vegas Dion, Payless, Cesar Villavicencio Villavicencio, Aventura, let's, I've, he's, Elham, Max, isn't, It's, She's, Pixie Organizations: CNBC, Miami, YouTube, Otterbein University, Salvation Army, Broadway, West, Cornell Medicine, Nursing, New, Fire, Apple, Max Locations: Washington Heights , New York City, Villavicencio, New York, Fire, South Florida, Westerville , Ohio, Columbus, New York City, Aventura, Villavicencio's New York, homebuying

This is an episode of CNBC Make It's Millennial Money series, which profiles people across the globe and details how they earn, spend and save their money. What's your budget breakdown? Share your story with us for a chance to be featured in a future installment.

Organizations: CNBC

☆ Bringing in $420K a year as a recent U.S. citizen
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Zachary Green | Megan Sauer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailBringing in $420K a year as a recent U.S. citizenEddie Nuñez left Lima, Peru at 14 years old for the United States. He made it to Virginia, but 7 years later he was arrested by border patrol and placed in detention. Eddie eventually represented himself before an immigration judge and won asylum. Today, he's a U.S. citizen with a wife and two children. He and his wife earn $420,000 a year from Eddie's work as an IT specialist, their snowplow business, seven rental properties, and his wife's at-home daycare business.

Persons: Eddie Nuñez, Eddie Locations: Lima, Peru, United States, Virginia, he's

☆ 23-year-old's food businesses bring in $650,000 a year: 'I’m a brown kid with tattoos and no college education, and I’m doing it'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Ashton Jackson Tom Huddleston Jr. Zachary Green | Ashton Jackson | Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

[Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that Nico Vergara worked at Zeds Real Fruit Ice Cream before launching his business. And it all started with a small New Zealand-style "real fruit" ice cream cart in Portland, Oregon. Vergara helped manage a business, Zed's Real Fruit Ice Cream, that used the machine before starting his own in 2021. Most of that revenue — $473,000 — came solely from Nico's Ice Cream. One piece of equipment was particularly important: the ice cream blender, made by a Hope, New Zealand-based company called Little Jem.

Persons: Nico Vergara, Vergara, he'd, Jem Organizations: CNBC, Cream, Apple Locations: New Zealand, Portland , Oregon, Portland, Oregon, Washington, Mexican, Zealand, Hope , New Zealand

Today, Nico's Ice Cream includes two brick-and-mortar locations in Portland and pints sold in about 60 grocery stores across Oregon and Washington. Within a year, one ice cream cart became two brick-and-mortar locations, a Mexican restaurant and a cafe that closed almost as quickly as it opened. Most of that revenue — $473,000 — came solely from Nico's Ice Cream. One piece of equipment was particularly important: the ice cream blender, made by a Hope, New Zealand-based company called Little Jem. Vergara, working at one of his two Nico's Ice Cream locations.

Persons: Nico Vergara, Vergara, he'd, Jem Organizations: Zealand, CNBC, Cream, Apple Locations: New Zealand, Portland , Oregon, Portland, Oregon, Washington, Mexican, Zealand, Hope , New Zealand

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailHow I turned my love of 'real fruit' ice cream into $650K in salesIn 2021, Nico Vergara sank all the money he earned playing the stock market and working in the service industry into an ice cream cart. He planned to sell a special kind of ice cream blended with real fruit and open a shop in his hometown of Portland, Oregon. Now, Nico's Ice Cream has two brick-and-mortar locations in Portland, helping Vergara also open a restaurant, Nico's Cantina. At the age of 23, he's bringing in $650,000 in annual sales from all of his ventures.

Persons: Nico Vergara, Vergara Locations: Portland , Oregon, Portland

Her mother Sarah — a former deli shop owner — was bored with retirement and had decided to open an ice cream shop in Bethesda, Maryland. "To be honest, at first I was like, 'ice cream shop?'" Running the ice cream shopDespite Sarah's Handmade Ice Cream successful grand opening, it took over six months for the business to become "a well-oiled machine," Park says. Instead, Park and her mother donate ice cream to local nonprofits and community organizations, which has attracted loyal customers in the Bethesda area. Within a few months of opening the first store, Park realized the business didn't have to be limited to just "a mom-and-daughter shop."

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.

☆ This couple spent $48,000 to convert their Portland, Oregon, home to 'net zero': 'The future is efficient and renewable'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Zachary Green Celia Fernandez | Zachary Green | In Zachary-Green-News | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

When Ryan Shanahan, 41, decided to buy a house in Portland, Oregon, he knew from the start that he wanted his future home to be "net zero." To be net zero is to cut greenhouse gas emissions to as close to zero as possible, with any remaining emissions reabsorbed from the atmosphere, by oceans and forests, for instance, according to the United Nations. "My mantra is that the future is efficient, electric, and renewable," Shanahan tells CNBC Make It. To buy the house, Shanahan took advantage of a $15,000 forgivable loan from Oregon's Down Payment Assistance program. Shanahan purchased the house because it had design features needed to help reach his goal of making the house net zero.

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailTurning My Home Zero Energy For $48K In Portland, ORWhen Ryan Shanahan bought his home in Portland, OR in 2014, he dreamed of turning it into a net-zero house--one that would produce at least as much energy as it consumed in the course of a year. But retrofitting an over one-hundred-year-old structure into a eco-friendly building seemed like too much to hope for. But by 2020, he and his wife, Megan Milligan, had fully converted their home to net-zero, producing so much solar energy that their yearly electricity bill dropped from $1,100 to $285.

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailHow this 24-year-old became the U.S. Barista ChampionFrom the time she was 16 years old, Morgan Eckroth loved coffee — not just the taste, but the art of serving it. Since then, her life has been wholly coffee-centric: from working as a barista to making TikTok videos of latte art and sketches based on her experiences working in coffee houses. In 2022, Eckroth entered the U.S. Barista Championship tournament and emerged as that year's champion. And she says she has more to say about coffee at this year's competition.

Last year, Eckroth won the U.S. Barista Championships and placed second at the World Barista Championships. "I've experienced my biggest moments of growth, both professionally and also personally, emotionally ... in competition," Eckroth says. Here's how she turned her love of coffee into a six-figure career — and what it even means to be a competitive barista. On the competition grindA year after Eckroth started as a barista, she found a YouTube video of a competitive routine at the U.S. Barista Championships. Eckhart says she spent 170 hours over two months practicing for the 2022 U.S. Barista Championships.

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