How Sam Vander Wielen Turned Her Legal Background into a Multi-Seven-Figure Digital Business
When Sam Vander Wielen walked away from her career as a corporate lawyer, she didn’t know she was stepping into a business idea that would one day serve over 4,500 entrepreneurs.
In fact, her first pivot—to health coaching—didn’t work out the way she hoped.
“I chased my passion,” Sam recalls, “but I didn’t feel connected to the work.” And that disconnect led her to her next big realization: business success doesn’t come from passion alone—it comes from solving a clear problem.
That problem became clear fast. As Sam was starting her coaching business, people kept asking her legal questions. She had no plans to offer legal services—but the market wouldn’t stop asking. She recognized a gap. “People needed legal clarity for their online businesses,” she said, “and I had the tools and experience to help.”
That’s when the Ultimate Bundle was born—a product that paired downloadable legal templates with clear, straightforward training to walk entrepreneurs through the setup of their business.
Sam launched in early 2017. And because she leaned heavily into SEO from day one, sales started rolling in almost immediately—often from people who found her through Google.
It wasn’t just smart marketing that fueled her growth. Sam listened deeply to her audience. Her initial course ideas gave way to what her customers were truly asking for: shorter, more specific trainings with legal templates they could plug in and use right away.
Along the way, she grew a lean team—starting with Leanne, who still supports the business today—and focused on scalable, evergreen content. Her email list now tops 47,000 people, and she’s expanded her reach through her podcast (On Your Terms), newsletter (Sam’s Sidebar), and her new book, When I Start My Business, I’ll Be Happy.
But success hasn’t come without hardship. During the early days of building her business, Sam lost both of her parents in close succession and underwent brain surgery. These painful experiences shaped how she approached her work—and her audience. “I had to slow down but make more,” she said. “That’s what pushed me to build systems and automation.”
Today, Sam encourages entrepreneurs to separate their identity from their business. “You are not your revenue—high or low,” she says. That mindset, she believes, is key to weathering the ups and downs of entrepreneurship.
If you’re building a business, Sam’s story is a blueprint for building something that works—not just financially, but emotionally, too. It’s about simplicity. It’s about strategy. And most importantly, it’s about trusting your gut.
