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HGTV’s Fixer Upper put Chip and Joanna Gaines on the map, and they grew their Magnolia business based in Waco, Texas, following the success of their TV series. Chip recently reflected on the humble beginnings of Fixer Upper. He said HGTV initially told him and Joanna that the show was a firm “no” for the network.

Chip Gaines said HGTV initially gave him and Joanna Gaines a firm ‘no’ to ‘Fixer Upper’

Chip and Joanna Gaines from 'Fixer Upper' sitting next to each other laughing during an interview
‘Fixer Upper’ stars Chip and Joanna Gaines | Nathan Congleton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images

Chip and Joanna Gaines weren’t immediately successful in their quest to turn their house-flipping ventures into a hit TV series. While speaking at the Qualtrics X4 summit in March 2023, Chip spoke about his and his wife’s early difficulties. He explained that HGTV didn’t want to give them Fixer Upper.

“The network was like, ‘No, no, no, no, no, yes,'” Chip shared, according to KSL News. “And that fourth or fifth ‘no’ that turned into a ‘yes’ is sort of how this whole thing started.”

Joanna said Chip’s “all-in” attitude is a big reason they got the network and their Magnolia business off the ground. “When you’re married to a guy like this, it kind of just rubs off on you,” Joanna shared at the summit. “So, as these opportunities were coming and they were aligning with our dreams and our visions and our values and it became these passionate things that we could get behind, it was like, ‘Why not go all-in?'”

“The network was her thing, the magazine was her thing,” Chip added. “Jo has been a steady hand over our last 10, 12 years of really building this thing out.”

He said there wasn’t much strategy involved in growing Magnolia

Chip and Joanna Gaines experienced much growth and wealth thanks to their Magnolia business. And Chip told the Kennebec Cabin Company podcast that there actually wasn’t much strategy involved in growing Magnolia through the years.

“There was no strategy,” Chip said.

He then offered advice to others who hope to grow their own companies. “First of all, my advice is hurry up and make a boat load of mistakes. Try everything in the book. Screw up. Tell people you’re sorry, learn how to honest, learn how to show up on time.”

Joanna Gaines has different advice when it comes to business success. “This business isn’t gonna run me. I’ve gotta run this business,” she shared in an interview with The 360 Blog from Salesforce. “For me, it was making really key shifts. It was taking off half the week to be home, meaning I have to kill it when I’m at the office. … But, in that, knowing I had space for home to create and to cook and do all the things that really bring me life.”

Why did Chip and Joanna Gaines leave ‘Fixer Upper’?

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While Chip and Joanna Gaines started their empire with HGTV’s Fixer Upper, they stepped away from the series to pursue their other endeavors.

“The show was limiting our involvement in what was taking place here in this office,” Joanna shared with Inc. “We were pouring so much time into doing this thing that had to fit in this format, and it was a conflict with our growing business.”

“As things started getting complicated, we made a bet on what Jo and I have always bet on. We bet on ourselves,” Chip continued. “We knew there was a real chance that everything else would go away without the show. But would it be a complete kick in the pants to end up operating a great construction company in Waco? No. I’d be honored. And, as soon as we accepted that, much greater opportunities started presenting themselves.”

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