Chip Gaines Explained How He Made Significant Money Before Joanna Gaines

Chip and Joanna Gaines are well-known for their HGTV series, Fixer Upper, as it helped launch them to success with their businesses in Waco, Texas. Not only did the couple flip homes, but they also built their Magnolia empire with merchandise, books, a cooking show, and a restaurant. Recently, Chip spoke about his success and explained how he made money before he met Joanna.

What did Chip Gaines do for a living before ‘Fixer Upper’?

Chip and Joanna Gaines could’ve never predicted their success with Fixer Upper. Chip graduated in 1998 with a marketing and business administration degree from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. While studying business, he created The Baylor Wash ‘N Fold — a business dedicated to doing laundry for college kids.

“The idea was, ‘who hates laundry more than college kids?’ No one,” Chip explained. “So, we came up with the idea to be these kids’ ‘mom away from home.’’

While speaking with the Kennebec Cabin Company, Chip also said he delved into landscaping in his 20s. “I refer a lot to the landscape business which introduced me to the home business. 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.”

He made significant money before marrying Joanna Gaines

Chip Gaines’ early success in his 20s helped pave the way for his career success later. While speaking to Kennebec Cabin Company, he mentioned he started making good cash before marrying Joanna Gaines.

“When I made that first little pot of money, I invested it in this little house, and I just renovated it,” Chip said. “This was pre-Jo and I. We were dating, but we weren’t married. And I bought these few little houses, and I was constantly renovating those in the evening and doing this day job during the day. But, when I flipped that first house and I basically made about on that first flip what I’d made the previous year in the lawn maintenance business, it kind of dawned on me like, ‘Hold on a second.’ I did this one flip in my spare time like a side hustle and I made about what I made last year on my entire income.”

After Chip realized the money he could make, he said he “got the bug” to continue.

What is Chip and Joanna Gaines’ net worth in 2023?

Celebrity Net Worth reveals Chip and Joanna Gaines’ net worth stands around $50 million in 2023. While they attained a lot of wealth from HGTV, their other revenue streams include all of their work with the Magnolia Network, Magnolia Realty, Magnolia Homes, the Hearth & Hand brand for Target, vacation rental properties, and their businesses associated with the Magnolia brand in Waco, Texas.

It’s unclear what Chip and Joanna Gaines plan to do next. But they gave a clue that fans will see changes.

“We’ve come a long way from where we started,” Chip wrote on the Magnolia blog. “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. … So, here’s to the past 20 years, and here’s to the next 20. … And don’t go anywhere — we’re just getting started.”

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