Chip Gaines Says Making Money Before ‘Fixer Upper’ Was an ‘Addicting Process’
HGTV’s star couple, Chip and Joanna Gaines, have had their ups and downs. The couple struck gold with Fixer Upper, and they have a thriving business well in 2023. But they weren’t always so lucky. Here’s what Chip said about the “fun” and “addicting process” of starting to make serious cash.
What did Chip Gaines do before he met Joanna Gaines?
Chip and Joanna Gaines attended the same college, but they didn’t find fame and fortune until their Fixer Upper years. Chip got a marketing and business administration degree from Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and Joanna received a degree in communications from Baylor. Before Chip and Joanna met, Chip was in the landscaping business.
“I refer a lot to the landscape business which introduced me to the home business,” he said in an interview with the Kennebec Cabin Company. “I basically made a little bit of money in about a two-year span in my early, early 20s. I couldn’t have been 21, 22 years, kind of half still in college but kind of also starting this process of, ‘Man, I hate school and I want to get out of here as soon as I can.’ So, I started this business here in town.”
Chip then got going with home renovations and started making money he could live off of and invest.
Chip Gaines said making money turned into an ‘addicting process’
Chip Gaines spoke to Kennebec Cabin Company about how “fun” and addictive it can become to start making serious cash in his pre-Fixer Upper days. He said he couldn’t wait to leave school, and that was especially true when he found his footing outside the classroom and into contracting and fixing homes.
“As you start making that money, it’s fun,” Chip said. “It’s kind of an addicting process to kind of start feeling what it’s like to go and do something and bill it and get the money from it, and then you lose money on one of them and you’re kind of scratching your head like, ‘Where did I miss it? Where did I underestimate this job?’ You’re always trying to work that puzzle. And then to the contrary, you’re new. So when you bid a little high they’re going to go with somebody else.”
Chip explaining his process adds more context to his successful business and romantic partnership with Joanna Gaines. While Chip’s leaning into the fun of it all, Joanna’s behind him with the routines and organization.
The ‘Fixer Upper’ couple hinted at upcoming changes after 20 years of Magnolia
Chip and Joanna Gaines have had Magnolia for 20 years, and they’re ready for change. While the Fixer Upper couple continues to find great success in their business ventures, Chip hinted that fans should anticipate creative endeavors they’ve never seen before.
“We’ve come a long way from where we started,” Chip wrote on the Magnolia blog on Jan. 20, 2023. “Time is roaring past us, just like we’ve all been warned. The kids are growing up and the business went from that Little Shop on Bosque to what it is now. A network, books, a retail business, a place for people to come and visit. We’re so proud of it all. Truly.”
” … So, here’s to the past 20 years, and here’s to the next 20,” he continued. “Maybe you’ve been with us for a long time, or maybe you’ve just found us. Either way, we’re grateful for you. And don’t go anywhere — we’re just getting started.”
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