His Leg Got Amputated. Now He Runs 6 Side Hustles.

#834 Most people see obstacles — Bart Merrell sees income streams! In this episode, host Brien Gearin sits down with Bart Merrell — the Side Hustle Samurai — to explore how everyday experiences can be turned into income streams. Bart shares his unconventional journey from aspiring FBI agent to serial entrepreneur, with ventures spanning bungee towers in Japan, vehicle importing, dog training, and even monetizing his own leg amputation through a prosthetist retainer arrangement. He breaks down his simple but powerful framework for identifying side hustle opportunities — asking "what do I like to do, what do I need to do, and what am I already doing?" — and explains why the "need to do" category is the most overlooked. Bart and Brien also dig into the role of mindset, mentorship, and knowing when to quit, before turning to how AI is dramatically lowering the barriers to starting a business! What we discuss with Bart: 0:00 The Monetization Mindset 2:46 From FBI Dreams to Bungee Jumps in Japan 9:33 Turning Dog Training Into a Business 13:47 The Bus Driver's 3 AM Breakthrough 18:04 Monetize Your Mindset: How to Think Like an Entrepreneur 22:50 What Happens When Life Happens 25:58 Saddling George: Knowing When to Persist or Quit 31:58 Monetizing What You Already Do 36:36 AI Opens a Whole New World of Side Hustles 42:39 The Founding Fathers on AI and Opportunity Thank you, Bart! Check out Bart Merrell at ⁠BartMerrell.com⁠: https://bartmerrell.com/ Take the free ⁠⁠$1k Blind Spot Assessment⁠⁠: https://ai.bartmerrell.com/blindspot Follow Bart on ⁠Facebook⁠: https://www.facebook.com/bart.merrell, ⁠LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bart-merrell-2440148/⁠, and ⁠YouTube⁠: https://www.youtube.com/@BartMerrell-SideHustleSamurai To get access to our FREE Business Training course go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MillionaireUniversity.com/training (https://www.millionaireuniversity.com/training)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. And follow us on: Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/millionaire_university_mu/) Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MillionaireUniversityMU/) Tik Tok (https://www.tiktok.com/@millionaireuniversity_mu?lang=en) Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyG31bPcrqhbjvGsuz-JaXw) Twitter (https://twitter.com/Millionaire_Uni) To get exclusive offers mentioned in this episode and to support the show, visit millionaireuniversity.com/sponsors (https://www.millionaireuniversity.com/sponsors) . Want to hear from more incredible entrepreneurs? Check out all of our interviews here (https://www.millionaireuniversity.com/podcast) ! #entrepreneurship #startabusiness #startasidehustle #businessideas #sidehustleideas #sidehustles