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8 min 1 sec

TBT: After 1,700 Years, I Outsourced Christmas

In this week’s Throwback Thursday segment, hear how the North Pole’s most iconic founder finally pivoted from production to licensing—earning passive income while keeping the magic alive.

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What It's About

The North Pole’s founder shuts down production and turns Christmas into a licensing business.

Notes from Chris

Episode 3281
It comes from someone with a very long track record in logistics, manufacturing, international delivery… and joy. For over 1,700 years, he’s been at the helm of a vertically integrated enterprise, best known for its high seasonal volume and elf-powered production.

But all things change—even in the North Pole.

In this special episode, we hear from Santa Claus himself. That’s right: the big man has made a business pivot. After centuries of overseeing toy creation from the top down, he’s stepped back from manufacturing entirely. The elves? They unionized. And Santa? He says it was time.

Now, he licenses his image, name, and “Santa Approved” seal to small, independent toymakers across the globe. They bring the creativity and craftsmanship. He brings the magic. The result: passive income, less stress, and a sustainable model for the next generation.

Let’s hear how it happened—and what Santa learned while building out Notion workflows and negotiating licensing deals with crafters in Belgium and Brooklyn.

Listen to today's episode to hear more...

 
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Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

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To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau