CNBC Make It

A Muslim immigrant from Gujarat, India, shares how he left a $300,000/year IT career to start Cousins Burger, a halal burger business. After a successful debut at a food festival selling out food for 500 people, he built what became a $4M/year business. The launch was a true family affair, with his mother, wife, and daughter all playing roles.

Victoria Baumann and her father Charlie Moreton run Victoria Essie Studio, a 3D-printed fidget toy business based in North Carolina that generated $428,000 in gross revenue in 2025. Victoria pivoted from teaching and jewelry-making to fidget toys, while Charlie contributes his 3D printing expertise while maintaining a full-time job as a network security engineer. The business grew organically without any loans, averaging 1,500 orders per month.

New Jersey and New York are set to host eight World Cup matches in 2026, including the final at MetLife Stadium, but disputes between New Jersey and FIFA over transportation costs are raising serious concerns about the tournament's financial burden on the state. While the event is projected to generate $3.3 billion for the local economy, economists warn that such figures are typically overstated, and New Jersey is already facing a $1.5 billion structural budget deficit. The core tension is that FIFA contractually owes $0 for transportation while making an estimated $11 billion from the tournament.

A laundromat owner explains the complexity of running a pickup and delivery service alongside a self-serve laundromat. They describe their financial structure, including loans, a sublease to a salon, and a 2024 salary of $66,000 from the business.

An entrepreneur describes the challenging process of developing and launching a physical landline phone product, from working with an Asian manufacturer to fulfilling orders in a tight timeframe. Despite costly decisions like air freighting inventory, they prioritized customer commitments and rallied a volunteer workforce to ship all phones within 24 hours.

The video outlines five diplomatic phrases for disagreeing with more powerful people in the workplace without being antagonistic. The speaker emphasizes framing disagreement as additive and collaborative rather than oppositional. It also covers specific situations where holding back feedback may be the wiser choice.

Michelle Young, 29, left a $250K software engineering career to open Watcha House, a matcha café in New York City, now earning $33K annually. Despite the dramatic pay cut, she reports significantly greater happiness and sense of purpose from the physical, community-oriented work. The transition required $200K in savings, personal sacrifices like taking on a roommate, and overcoming major obstacles including contractor disputes and flooding.

A resident living near Tokyo gives a tour of their Japanese apartment, which costs $483/month. The video highlights unique features of Japanese apartment living, including strict trash separation rules, a tatami room, and separate bathroom and toilet areas. The resident also shares monthly utility costs.

A 27-year-old woman describes how she purchased a $575,000 duplex in April 2025 by combining her $113,000 annual salary with $38,000 in social media income. She put $58,000 down and has spent approximately $15,000 on repairs and renovations, many of which she completed herself or with her mother.

A laundromat owner describes how they transformed their self-serve laundromat business by adding a pick-up and delivery service in April 2021. The business has grown to $475K annually, with wedding season being their peak period. They are also modernizing payment systems to move away from quarters entirely.

A job seeker shares their experience of a lengthy unemployment period following a 2023 layoff, ultimately turning to a reverse recruiting agency in 2025. After two months with the service, they secured a job offer in December 2025 and started in January 2026. The decision to use reverse recruiting was driven by frustration with ineffective independent job search efforts.

An Indian immigrant shares their experience of moving to Dublin, Ireland, covering their monthly living expenses and early explorations of the city. They split a 4,000 euro house with two roommates, paying 1,450 euros in rent, and recount discovering Dublin's landmarks and Guinness beer. The speaker reflects positively on their decision to relocate.

Cynthia Diaz, a 33-year-old private chef and culinary educator in NYC, earns $66K/year. Originally from the Dominican Republic, she transitioned to private chef work after the pandemic while pursuing a culinary arts degree. She values the creativity, work-life balance, and hands-on nature of her profession.

Ashley Terrell, a 2024 University of Hawaii graduate with multiple business degrees, struggled to find work in her desired field despite months of networking and applications. She ended up in retail and hotel jobs before being laid off, reflecting a broader trend affecting half of her graduating class. Her story illustrates the difficult job market facing recent college graduates in 2024-2025.

Shayda Frost and Timothy Amoui unexpectedly inherited a cemetery business and grew it to $6 million per year across four cemeteries. Despite having no industry experience — she in film, he in crisis PR — they modernized outdated operations and reinvested all profits back into the business. They view cemeteries primarily as spaces for the living, focused on community and heritage.

International students in the US are facing a dual crisis: a tough entry-level job market and increasing legal and policy uncertainty under the Trump administration. Many graduates are now developing backup plans to return home or move to other countries. The US risks significant economic consequences if it continues to lose this talent pipeline.

The transcript discusses 'doom jobbing,' a phenomenon where stressed job seekers compulsively refresh job sites and mass-apply to roles. Experts argue this approach is counterproductive, leading to more rejections and mental strain. Career coaches recommend targeted applications, networking, and setting boundaries around job search time.

The video advises against vague email closings like 'let me know your thoughts' when writing to executives, as these phrases lack urgency and specificity. Instead, it recommends techniques like binary choices, deadlines, and one-word reply prompts to make it easier for busy leaders to respond quickly.

A 51-year-old entrepreneur explains how her luxury protection dog business, S Fallen, was born out of personal safety concerns while living in Nairobi, Kenya. The company, now 20 years old, only became profitable in 2017 and has found its strongest footing in recent years by catering to ultra-wealthy post-COVID clients.

A content creator swapped their iPhone for a flip phone for 4 days after noticing their screen time exceeded 5 hours daily. The experiment revealed reduced social obligation, unexpected social connections, and less focus on personal appearance. While not a permanent solution, it prompted meaningful changes like disabling app notifications.