Overview of The Fastest Way To Make $10,000 A Month | Chris Koerner
In this episode of The School of Greatness, Lewis Howes talks with serial entrepreneur Chris Koerner about the fastest, most practical ways to start making $10,000+ per month without waiting for perfect conditions, a big budget, or a formal business plan. The conversation centers on bias for action, selling before building, using AI and simple service businesses, and overcoming ego and fear of judgment. Koerner also shares powerful personal stories about resilience, his daughter’s lung transplant, and donating a kidney to a stranger—revealing how service, pressure, and hardship shaped both his life and business philosophy.
Core Business Lessons
Start with a customer, not a logo
Koerner argues that many people “play business” by getting an LLC, making a logo, and planning endlessly before finding a buyer.
- Find a customer first, even if it’s:
- a friend
- a family member
- a free beta tester
- Sell the offer before you fully build it.
- Learn and refine only after there’s proof of demand.
You do not need money to start a business
His biggest point: most businesses can be launched with little or no capital.
Examples he gave:
- Service businesses that require effort, not upfront inventory
- AI consulting using free tools and a basic understanding of prompts
- Reselling products on Facebook Marketplace and eBay
- Manual labor businesses like window washing, TV mounting, gutter cleaning, and task-based local services
The easiest path to $10K/month is usually unsexy
Koerner says the best opportunities often live in two extremes:
-
Hands-on, local, low-tech businesses
- plumbing
- HVAC
- window washing
- lawn care
- furniture flipping
- handyman work
-
AI-heavy, online, scalable businesses
- AI consulting
- content
- digital services
- prompt-based workflows for local businesses
His advice: avoid the “messy middle” that can be disrupted from either side.
Fastest Ways to Reach $10,000 a Month
1. Reselling
Koerner sees reselling as one of the most reliable ways to make money fast.
- Buy undervalued items locally
- Sell them where demand is higher
- Use platforms like:
- Facebook Marketplace
- eBay
- Craigslist
- Items can include:
- VCRs
- camcorders
- couches
- clothes
- toys
- games
He said the key is simply knowing where value is mispriced.
2. Local service businesses
He repeatedly emphasized that people underestimate how much money is available in simple service work.
Examples:
- window washing
- TV mounting
- furniture assembly
- house cleaning
- gutter services
- handyman tasks
These businesses can be started with:
- a tool bag
- a phone
- a profile on platforms like TaskRabbit, Thumbtack, Google Local Services, or Angi
3. AI consulting for small business owners
Koerner believes AI is the biggest untapped opportunity for everyday entrepreneurs.
His formula:
- Talk to a business owner
- Ask what slows them down
- Use ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, or similar tools to generate solutions
- Turn those into a simple service offer
He notes that many business owners know they need AI, but don’t know how to use it.
4. Sell before you build
He strongly recommends launching with a pre-sale or beta offer.
Examples:
- Free webinar with a paid offer at the end
- Bootcamp model
- Pre-selling a course before recording it
- Offering a service before the full system exists
This lowers risk and confirms demand.
Mindset That Separates Winners from Everyone Else
Bias for action
Koerner says the biggest entrepreneurial advantage is moving quickly.
- Ask questions and immediately act on them
- Compress the time between idea and execution
- Don’t sit on inspiration
- Momentum matters more than perfection
Fear of judgment, not fear of failure
One of the episode’s strongest themes is that people usually aren’t afraid of failing—they’re afraid of what other people will think if they fail.
- Pride keeps people stuck
- Ego prevents them from posting, selling, or starting
- Most people are too distracted to care anyway
His advice:
- “Post and ghost” — share, then don’t obsess over comments
- Let go of embarrassment
- Stop worrying about people from high school or social media judging you
Pressure can be productive
Koerner and Lewis Howes discussed Parkinson’s Law: work expands to fill the time/resources available.
Their takeaway:
- A little pressure can create urgency and creativity
- Artificial constraints can help you move faster
- Too much pressure can break you, but some pressure can unlock performance
Chris Koerner’s Personal Story and Resilience
Growing up poor shaped his money mindset
Koerner said he grew up poor, which gave him a persistent sense of scarcity and frugality.
- He still battles lifestyle creep
- He believes constraints can spark creativity
- He views money as a tool, not an identity
Mission work built resilience
He spent two years on a mission in Hungary and said it transformed him.
What it taught him:
- Rejection doesn’t kill you
- Repetition builds toughness
- Doing hard things when you don’t want to do them changes your identity
He also taught seminary classes at 5:25 a.m. for four years, which further trained him to act despite dread.
Family Crisis, Kidney Donation, and Service
His daughter’s lung transplant
One of the most emotional parts of the episode was Koerner sharing that his daughter had a rare lung disease and needed a double lung transplant.
- The family moved to Houston for specialized care
- They received a life-saving organ call
- The donor turned out to be a child named Sam, who had died suddenly
- Koerner described feeling deep gratitude toward the donor’s family
He and his wife both donated kidneys
After learning about living kidney donation, Koerner researched the risks and decided to donate a kidney to a stranger.
- He donated on the anniversary of Sam’s death
- His wife later donated one too
- He said the experience reinforced that we are here to serve others
His takeaway:
- Serving others is one of the best things you can do for yourself
- Helping people creates meaning, purpose, and joy
Money, Faith, and Giving
His philosophy on wealth
Koerner sees money as something to be used responsibly, not worshipped.
Key beliefs:
- Money is not the root of evil; the love of money is
- Wealth should help you do more good
- You should not let money make you arrogant or detached from others
Teaching his kids about money
He wants his children to learn:
- generosity
- self-sufficiency
- how to turn liabilities into assets
Examples:
- A car can become income through DoorDash or Turo
- A house can produce income through Airbnb
- Entrepreneurial skills are like “food storage” for emergencies
Lifestyle creep is a danger
Even with success, he says the temptation to upgrade constantly is real.
He tries to stay grounded by:
- giving to charity
- avoiding unnecessary luxury
- keeping his kids in a normal, hardworking environment
Notable Takeaways and Quotes
Standout ideas
- “Sell it before you have it.”
- “You don’t need money to start a business.”
- “It’s not fear of failure; it’s fear of what people will think.”
- “Bias for action.”
- “Chase the profit until you can afford to chase the passion.”
- “Be impatient with action, patient with results.”
- “Do things for the story.”
Three life truths Koerner would leave behind
- Be impatient with action, patient with results
- Be more bold and stop caring what people think
- Do things for the story
Final Thought
Chris Koerner’s message is simple but powerful: stop waiting, stop overthinking, and start serving people with something useful. Whether it’s a local service, a resale hustle, or an AI-powered offer, the path to $10K/month is usually less about complexity and more about speed, humility, and willingness to act before you feel ready.