# HIBT Lab! The Financial Diet: Chelsea Fagan

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2022-07-14
- Length: 39m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-07-14-hibt-lab-the-financial-diet-chelsea-fagan

## Summary

Chelsea Fagan, founder and CEO of The Financial Diet, explains how she transformed a personal Tumblr blog into a sustainable multimedia business focused on personal finance for women. She details the company's revenue streams, including ticketed events, YouTube sponsorships, and branded content, while emphasizing her strict ethical red lines against promoting crypto or weight-loss products. Fagan also discusses her deliberate choice to reject venture capital to preserve employee well-being, implementing a four-day work week and equitable pay structures to prioritize sustainability over aggressive growth.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-07-14-hibt-lab-the-financial-diet-chelsea-fagan#t=0) Introduction: Chelsea Fagan and The Financial Diet
- [1:35](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-07-14-hibt-lab-the-financial-diet-chelsea-fagan#t=95) Fagan's Early Financial Struggles and Debt
- [6:37](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-07-14-hibt-lab-the-financial-diet-chelsea-fagan#t=397) From Thought Catalog to Starting the Blog
- [14:37](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-07-14-hibt-lab-the-financial-diet-chelsea-fagan#t=877) Pivoting to Video with Hank Green and Complexly
- [24:24](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-07-14-hibt-lab-the-financial-diet-chelsea-fagan#t=1464) Revenue Streams: Events, YouTube, and Sponsorships
- [26:19](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-07-14-hibt-lab-the-financial-diet-chelsea-fagan#t=1579) Ethical Red Lines and Brand Partnerships
- [29:05](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-07-14-hibt-lab-the-financial-diet-chelsea-fagan#t=1745) Company Culture, Pay Equity, and the 4-Day Work Week
- [31:24](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-07-14-hibt-lab-the-financial-diet-chelsea-fagan#t=1884) Rejecting Venture Capital for Sustainability
- [37:55](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-07-14-hibt-lab-the-financial-diet-chelsea-fagan#t=2275) Views on Capitalism and Future Outlook

## Topics

- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)
- [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- The Financial Diet (company)
- Thought Catalog (company)
- Complexly (company)
- Hank Green (other)
- John Green (other)
- Intuit (company)
- Mint (product)
- QuickBooks (product)
- Robinhood (company)
- Morning Brew (company)
- Insider (company)

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- [290 - Taylor Foxman is the master connector for CPG's!](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2024-09-26-290-taylor-foxman-is-the-master-connector-for-cpgs) (People of Packaging)
- [Founder Feature: Dina DiCenso of RIND](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2025-06-06-founder-feature-dina-dicenso-of-rind) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
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- [34: Goals and Plans for 2018](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2018-01-24-34-goals-and-plans-for-2018) (Thoroughly Considered)

## Citing this page

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