Be the expert: Adam’s first podcast earned $37 in ad revenue in the first three years. He then realized he shouldn’t be interviewing other experts but showcasing his expertise.
Invest the time: In 2019, Adam sold his gym business to be a full-time content entrepreneur and operate two content tilts (fitness and podcasting schools).
Expand your revenue streams: Adam started with a $79-a-month membership program for Podcasting Business School. In response to audience requests, he’s added higher-priced online courses, short-term consulting programs, and more.

The Story of Adam Schaeuble

As a standout high school basketball player, Adam Schaeuble pursued a kinesiology (human movement) degree at Indiana University.

Adam became interested in strength conditioning, powerlifting, and Scottish Highland games at college. He gained 25 to 30 pounds a year to stay competitive, but his weight got out of control by graduation in 2003.

“I could bench press over 500 pounds, but tell me to walk up a flight of stairs? No way! I didn’t really care about my health. I was just concerned with how do I get strong,” Adam says.

Five years after working as a strength coach, he began his weight loss journey, losing over 100 pounds in two years. Adam became a weight loss coach. In 2012, he launched a fitness boot camp and opened a gym in his hometown of Bloomington, Indiana.

Attempting to find his ‘underwear money’

In 2015, Adam had an aha moment that led him to his content business.

He heard podcast entrepreneurs like Tim Ferris make what Adam calls “underwear money” – ad revenue from products like underwear and healthy drink supplements. So he launched The Million Pound Mission, a podcast to help listeners lose weight.

“I kind of went all in. Step one: Launch a podcast. Step two: Become famous. Step three: Make underwear money,” Adam explains.

Unfortunately, despite consistently producing the podcast and growing a substantial listener base, Adam made $37 in the first three years.

So, he created a course and promoted it during his podcast. But no one bought it. “I had to take a step back from the courses and everything. I was like, ‘I can’t compete with these big fitness gurus who have massive followings and massive teams.’ I realized I needed to be more hands-on.”

Be the expert; don’t showcase other experts

Adam used that aha moment to develop a strategy for attracting an audience to his podcast who also wanted to work with him.

He followed a two-thirds content rule—two-thirds of his podcast episodes positioned him as an expert, often showcasing his coaching talents. This was a change from his original podcast strategy, which involved interviewing others, which he realized only positioned them as experts.

In January 2018, Adam started a membership program for fitness and weight-loss coaching. The $79 monthly fee included one-on-one and group coaching and a range of online resources. He succeeded in transforming podcast listeners into paying clients.

Adam sold his brick-and-mortar gym in 2019 to become a full-time content entrepreneur.

Go where the audience is

The podcast grew to over 20K monthly downloads. Now a credible voice in the fitness and podcasting space, Adam was invited as a guest on other podcasts. These creators also asked him how he built his podcast and converted listeners into paying clients.

“These people are willing to pay a whole lot more (unfortunately) to build their business than they are to save their life via weight loss. I [could] make $97 a month from weight loss or $2K a month for business consulting,” Adam says.

He started Podcasting Business School in late 2019, providing consulting services and hosting a new podcast to attract clients. And in 2021, he sold the fitness brand.

Grow multiple revenue streams

Adam first sold memberships to the Download Growth Club for Podcasting Business School. Podcasters paid $97 monthly to learn how to increase downloads and grow their audience. Membership includes workshops, coaching calls, and a community of like-minded creators. About 50 super members are among the 80 to 100 people who regularly attend the activities.

Download Growth Club members and other podcast listeners also wanted one-on-one time with Adam. He created the Podcasting Business Accelerate, a six-week intensive program that combines one-on-one coaching with course materials to help students convert podcast listeners into clients.

Later, he started the Podcast Launch Blueprint, which provides step-by-step guidance on setting up and promoting a podcast. The DIY version is $797, and the done-for-you option is $4K.

In 2023, Adam created an evergreen offering, The Limited Series Podcast Funnel Blueprint. To market it, he recorded 21 episodes of Podcast Monetization Tips for Online Coaches and Service Providers. He intentionally incorporated well-searched keywords into the title.

He released it on a Thursday without any announcements or promotions. By Tuesday, he had $6K in new clients.

Adam turned that success story into a new lesson for podcaster entrepreneurs – how to use a limited series as a lead magnet.

At the beginning of the year, Adam developed his high-ticket coaching program 6-month Online Business Academy. The mastermind course encompasses six modules and three hours of flexibly scheduled one-on-one coaching. Each cohort includes up to 20 people at $5K per student.

Adam also offers a 14-day consulting program. Clients book a 30-minute consultation followed by 14 days of unlimited question-and-answer support through the Voxer app and a 15-minute call at the conclusion.

As part of his marketing, Adam writes and sends a conversationally written newsletter every Thursday to 3K subscribers. He previews that week’s podcast and shares something he did not mention on the show or what else he is doing or geeking out on. It earns a 70% open rate.

Advice for content entrepreneurs

Adam has seen both the negative and positive returns of content entrepreneurship. For other podcasters or content creators, he offers this advice:

Give yourself a year to figure it out. Commit to releasing weekly content to give yourself the best shot at determining whether podcasting will work for you.

Think about the audience. Create content products they actually need, not what you think they need. Focus on your ideal customer’s main pain point for your first offer.

Be accessible. Content creators with smaller audiences should take advantage of that and be easily accessible to them. Big brands and big influencers have gatekeepers and can seem untouchable. You can become the “people’s champion” by providing great content and showing up in abundance to connect with your audience.

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