Creator Playbooks

Callum Mcdonnell
  • 0.0 (0)
  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Stories behind some of the world's best creators & entrepreneurs. Hosted by Callum McDonnell. Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQtecnleIYyODepmiC-c7PQ

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    Best Selling Author: How to Build A $1Million+ Personal Brand

    Get a breakdown of Simon's frameworks in my free newsletter: https://bit.ly/4cc9Ryu Apply to work with me: https://bit.ly/3OXzZn0 Simon Alexander Ong is a bestselling author (Energize, Penguin), keynote speaker and one of the world's leading personal development coaches. He left a six-figure finance career in 2017 to build a coaching practice from scratch, and has since grown a YouTube channel to 130,000 subscribers in under 12 months, a viral video with nearly 4 million views, a Sunday Times bestselling book, and a global speaking career. In this episode, Simon breaks down the exact playbook behind every part of his business. From landing his first coaching client to engineering a viral YouTube video, getting a Penguin book deal, and commanding premium speaking fees. Listen on your podcast player: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/creatorplaybooks Follow Callum on socials: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thecallumc/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/callummcdonnell Produced by 7xContent - make your own podcast with us: https://bit.ly/3OXzZn0 Follow Simon: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/simonalexanderong/ LinkedIn - https://uk.linkedin.com/in/simonalexanderong YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@simonalexandero Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction to Simon Alexander Ong 01:00 Why Simon left a six-figure finance career 03:00 The journey from the head to the heart05:00 Going full-time into coaching in 2017 08:00 Warren Buffett's #1 most important skill in business 09:30 How Simon got his first coaching clients 13:00 The Third Door framework and how to use it practically 17:00 How speaking grew organically from coaching 22:00 Building a personal brand before social media 28:00 How to answer "what do you do?" with a story 32:00 The YouTube strategy: outlier videos explained 40:00 How the "I'm 40" video happened (and nearly didn't) 48:00 Why it ranked 9/10 for 3 days then hit 1.5M views 52:00 Ad revenue breakdown and YouTube monetisation strategy 55:00 LinkedIn content strategy: hero, educational and interactive 01:00:00 What Simon's business looks like today 01:05:00 What's possible in coaching at every level 01:10:00 How to land speaking gigs and what fees are realistic 01:14:00 The truth about book deals and why royalties aren't the point 01:18:00 How to write a book (and why marketing is 50% of the job) 01:19:00 The James Bond opening — how to hook any audience 01:24:00 Simon's favourite coaching questions 01:27:00 The stories we tell ourselves and how to rewrite them 01:30:00 Why "making it" is a trap — and what to focus on instead

    1h 36m

  2. 11 FEB

    How Anyone Can Sell a Business for Millions | $28M Founder Timo Armoo

    Get a breakdown of Timo's frameworks in my free newsletter: https://bit.ly/48JKUaa Apply to work with me: https://bit.ly/4rMKKXM Timo Armoo has built, scaled, and sold multiple companies. From his first exit at 17 to selling Fanbytes for tens of millions, brokering major media and data acquisitions and now investing through his own fund. In this episode, Timo breaks down what actually goes into building companies that are worth buying, drawing directly from the wins, failures and decisions that shaped his career. We cover how to build founder-level self-belief, why inexperience can be a competitive advantage, how to manufacture luck through networks and value creation, plus how to choose markets and customers that compound growth. Timo shares his framework for going from £0 to £1M+ per month, how to price and sell to wealthy customers, when not to raise capital, how to hire without killing momentum and how to turn a services business into a sellable asset. Listen on your Podcast Player: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/callum-mcdonnell Follow Callum on socials: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thecallummc/ Tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@heycallum Twitter - https://twitter.com/McdonnellCallum LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/callummcdonnell/ Produced by 7xContent - make your own Podcast with us here: https://www.7xcontent.com/ Follow Timo:Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/timarmoo/ Timestamps (accurate + true to transcript): 00:00 Introduction and Early Exits 00:42 Building Fanbytes: The Big Breakthrough 01:12 Subsequent Ventures and Brokering Deals 02:16 The 11 Cheat Codes to Life and Business 03:50 Cheat Code 1: The Stories We Tell Ourselves 11:02 Cheat Code 2: Inexperience as a Superpower 12:21 Cheat Code 10: How to Get Lucky 47:17 Cheat Code 3: Make It Easy to Win 48:55 The Power of Belief in Sales 49:12 The Moral Duty to Sell 49:25 Dan Kennedy's Fire Door Story 50:54 Psychological Barriers in Business 51:48 Cheat Code: It's Not That Deep 52:22 Emotional Investment in Business 57:29 Raising Funds and Investor Relations 01:00:37 Hiring Philosophy and Strategies 01:07:16 The Role of Technology in Business 01:13:54 Building and Leveraging Personal Brands 01:20:11 Timing and Strategy for Selling Your Business 01:30:11 The Emotional Rollercoaster of Selling a Business 01:33:44 Final Reflections and Advice

    1h 40m

  3. 4 FEB

    How James Smith Makes $1M+ Per Month From Social Media

    Get a breakdown of James' frameworks in my free newsletter: https://bit.ly/48JKUaa Apply to work with me: https://bit.ly/48sQY8d James Smith is one of the few creators willing to say the quiet part out loud. Despite building an audience of over 4 million followers and generating more than a billion views, James explains how chasing virality nearly destroyed his business and why deliberately stagnating his follower growth, ended up doubling (nearly tripling) his income. From seven-figure coaching businesses and bestselling books to a fast-scaling drinks brand and high-leverage mentorships, James breaks down what actually makes creator businesses work behind the scenes. In this episode, we dive into the real economics of content creation and how to turn content into clients; instead of clout. We also unpack James’ philosophy on strong opinions, calling out bad actors, audience capture and the psychological cost of fame. This is one the most honest conversations about money, status and content you’ll hear. Listen on your podcast player: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/creatorplaybooks Follow Callum on socials: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thecallumc/ TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@heycallum X - https://x.com/mcdonnellcallum LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/callummcdonnell Produced by 7xContent - make your own podcast with us: https://www.7xcontent.com Follow James: LinkedIn - https://www.instagram.com/jamessmith/ Timestamps (accurate + true to transcript): 00:00 Introduction to James Smith's Success 00:38 James Smith's Content Creation Strategy 01:38 Building a Lifestyle Business 04:37 Monetizing Content and Business Ventures 07:25 The Importance of Client-Centric Content 14:55 Pricing Strategies for Coaches and Trainers 25:25 The Value of High-Quality Mentorship 27:53 James Smith's Social Media Journey 30:03 The Illusion of Vanity Metrics 32:19 The Allure of Status in Content Creation 34:40 The Complex Ecosystem of Content Creation 37:55 Balancing Fame and Privacy 50:06 The Ethics of Calling Out Competitors 55:19 Chaos in Content Creation 01:02:18 The Importance of Being Able to Speak Off the Cuff 01:02:32 The Benefits of Scripting vs. Improvisation 01:02:45 Live Events and Audience Engagement 01:02:54 The Hypothetical Bird Becky and Utility of Deprivation 01:03:36 The Impact of Alcohol on First Dates 01:04:33 Creatine Video and Audience Engagement 01:04:53 Balancing Scripting and Improvisation 01:05:49 YouTube Strategies for Content Creators 01:11:25 Instagram vs. YouTube: Platform Differences 01:15:53 Building a Content Creation Team 01:22:26 Launching Nut Tonic: From Idea to Execution 01:28:36 Future Goals and Strategic Investments 01:29:56 Conclusion and Future Discussions

    1h 31m

  4. 28 JAN

    World’s No 1 LinkedIn Expert: How To Grow a Personal Brand FAST in 2026

    Get a breakdown of Josh’s LinkedIn frameworks in my free newsletter: https://bit.ly/48JKUaa Apply to work with me:https://bit.ly/48sQY8d Josh Sanders is the Head of Content for Chris Donnelly, where he helped scale one of the fastest-growing personal brands in the world from 0 to 3M+ followers across platforms and a 0-250,000 subscriber newsletter in under two years, then engineered the systems that turned that attention into a $10M+ education business. In this episode, Josh breaks down the data-backed LinkedIn growth playbook behind that rise. We cover how to grow a personal brand on LinkedIn in 2026, how to turn views into customers using offers, funnels, and attribution, why “don’t chase, attract” is the most effective creator strategy, how newsletters compound audience growth, and what most creators misunderstand about monetisation. Unlike most LinkedIn advice, Josh’s insights are backed by large-scale dataset reviews, rigorous testing, and real revenue outcomes. This is one of the most practical LinkedIn and creator growth masterclasses ever recorded. Listen on your Podcast Player: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/callum-mcdonnell Follow Callum on socials: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thecallummc/ Tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@heycallum Twitter - https://twitter.com/McdonnellCallum LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/callummcdonnell/ Produced by 7xContent - make your own Podcast with us here: https://www.7xcontent.com/ Follow Josh:LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshejsanders/ Timestamps (accurate + true to transcript)00:00 Introduction to Explosive LinkedIn Growth 00:21 Meet Josh Sanders: Content Mastermind 00:36 The Power of LinkedIn for Business Growth 02:32 Setting Clear Goals and Content Pillars 09:23 Optimizing Your LinkedIn Profile 17:21 Engaging with Your Network and Building Relationships 25:57 Creating High-Impact Content 28:10 Analyzing and Adapting Content Strategies 45:50 Leveraging Lead Magnet Posts for Engagement 46:56 Driving Conversations and Engagement on LinkedIn 49:35 Crafting Effective Hooks and Content Structure 51:47 The Science Behind High-Performing LinkedIn Posts 58:06 Tracking Performance Metrics on LinkedIn 01:03:55 Building and Scaling a Creator Accelerator Business 01:07:23 Creating a Cohort-Based Program for Maximum Impact 01:12:45 Marketing Strategies and Community Building 01:28:10 Finding the Right Team and Incentivising Growth 01:30:34 Conclusion and Next Steps

    1h 31m

  5. 24 JAN

    Personal Update & Plans For 2026

    Email me callum@7xcontent.com with 3 reasons / ideas / examples of your work if you’d like to work with me in 2026. Apply to work with me here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/7xcontent/jobs/ Join Callum for a candid start-of-year business and life update, breaking down exactly what happened behind the scenes of Creator Playbooks and 7x Content in 2025. This episode covers real podcast performance numbers, what worked, what didn’t and how one underperforming YouTube episode went on to generate £250k in closed business. Callum also shares the evolution of the agency, from scaling end-to-end podcast production and chart-topping client launches to hiring from his audience and raising personal standards as a founder. Listen on Your Podcast Player:⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/creatorplaybooks⁠ Follow Callum on socials: Instagram – ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thecallumc/⁠ TikTok – ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@heycallum⁠ X – ⁠https://x.com/mcdonnellcallum⁠ LinkedIn – ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/callummcdonnell⁠ Produced by 7xContent – make your own Podcast with us:⁠ https://www.7xcontent.com

    16 min

  6. 10/12/2025

    Meet The Man Behind The Sidemen's $100M Empire

    Get a breakdown of Jordan’s content engineering frameworks in my free newsletter: https://bit.ly/4pLrw4d Apply to work with me: https://bit.ly/3MsFlWe Jordan Schwarzenberger is the manager behind The Sidemen — one of the biggest creator groups on the planet, with over 10 billion views and a content empire that extends into restaurants, vodka brands, trading cards, a membership platform, and more. In this episode, Jordan breaks down the systems, strategies, and business models behind The Sidemen’s explosive rise. We cover how The Sidemen built a 2-billion-views-per-year YouTube machine, the real economics behind content businesses, the future of creators, how to think commercially about your channel, why most creators are stuck, and why the next era of content isn’t production — it’s engineering. This is one of the most detailed creator masterclasses ever recorded. Listen on Your Podcast Player: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/creatorplaybooks Follow Callum on socials: Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/thecallumc TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@heycallum X – https://x.com/mcdonnellcallum LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/callummcdonnell Produced by 7xContent – make your own Podcast with us: https://www.7xcontent.com Follow Jordan: Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/jordanschwarz LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanschwarzenberger Website – https://www.jordanschwarz.com Timestamps: 0:00 – Introduction: The next era is content engineering 1:37 – When Jordan realised creators were different 5:04 – Why YouTube is the engine room of the creator economy 8:41 – Anyone can win on YouTube: the democratization of reach 9:49 – How Jordan first identified the opportunity with The Sidemen 12:20 – Building the business: the original strategy & 15 focus areas 14:13 – Alcohol brand, restaurant, trading cards & Side+ — choosing what to build 17:20 – Launching Sides, XIX Vodka & Best Cereal — the real challenges 22:20 – Why Side+ (membership) is their most successful business 23:48 – The economics of creator brands & realistic conversion rates 28:40 – Joint ventures, partnerships & structuring creator businesses 33:46 – Long-term thinking: why creators won’t see returns for years 36:11 – Diversifying creator income & building financial resilience 41:05 – Why most UK creators are stuck — and the algorithm trap 43:21 – How to think commercially: audiences, niches & advertising lanes 47:15 – Why YouTube should be your primary platform 49:59 – Do creators need managers? (Jordan’s honest take) 53:47 – High-volume content, storytelling & what makes content “good” 55:58 – The three S’s: Stop, Stay, Satisfy — Jordan’s content framework 1:01:34 – The importance of analysing content like an engineer 1:03:29 – The monoculture collapse & how algorithms changed everything 1:08:07 – Instagram vs TikTok vs YouTube: where the real value is 1:13:37 – Why traditional TV talent struggle to transition to YouTube 1:17:55 – Final insights + why we’re still early in the creator wave

    1h 18m

  7. 19/11/2025

    Content Isn't Hard. It's Misunderstood.

    Get a breakdown of my content systems in my free newsletter: https://bit.ly/3LJKSre Apply to work with me:https://bit.ly/4o4iD3M I've spent the last 4 years working with some of the world's biggest creators and meeting the creators behind Alex Hormozi, GaryVee, Steven Bartlett and many more. I’ve seen the same mistakes again and again - mistakes that are easy to fix but cost creators months (or years) of progress. In this episode, I break down the eight biggest things holding most creators back: the goals problem, the views trap, content without systems, bad brand positioning, weak storytelling, platform misunderstanding, tracking the wrong metrics, and wasting time in the wrong places. If you create content, lead a brand, or want to build an audience that actually converts - this episode will save you a world of pain. Listen on Your Podcast Player:https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/creatorplaybooks Follow Callum on socials: Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/thecallumc/ TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@heycallum X – https://x.com/mcdonnellcallum LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/callummcdonnell Produced by 7xContent – make your own Podcast with us: https://www.7xcontent.com Timestamps: 0:00 – Introduction 0:25 – Mistake #1: Creating content with no goal 2:52 – Mistake #2: Why low-view content can be your most valuable 3:50 – Mistake #3: Turning your content into a system 5:52 – Mistake #4: Brand = consistent association 6:42 – Mistake #5: Don’t seek the spotlight — become one 9:58 – Mistake #6: Why you must live and breathe your platform 11:37 – Mistake #7: Track only the metrics that matter 13:01 – Mistake #8: Wasting time on the wrong platforms

    17 min

  8. 29/10/2025

    How To Actually Build a Global Brand And Sell It (In Just 7 Steps) | Ben Branson | Seedlip

    Get a breakdown of Ben’s brand-building frameworks in my free newsletter: https://bit.ly/4noPRuk Apply to work with me:https://bit.ly/4oDmAgx Ben Branson is the founder of Seedlip - the world’s first non-alcoholic spirit. In this episode, Ben shares how he built a completely new drinks category from his kitchen and turned it into a global brand stocked in 40+ countries and acquired by Diageo. We cover how Seedlip went from an idea in a small kitchen to a movement changing the drinks industry, the creative philosophy that drives Ben’s work, how he blends art and science in brand building, and what’s next for his ventures like Seasn and Sylva. If you’re a brand builder, founder, or creative entrepreneur, this is a masterclass in vision, purpose, and originality. Listen on Your Podcast Player:https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/creatorplaybooks Follow Callum on socials: Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/thecallumc/ TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@heycallum X – https://x.com/mcdonnellcallum LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/callummcdonnell Produced by 7xContent – make your own Podcast with us:https://www.7xcontent.com Follow Ben: Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/seedlip_ben LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/benbranson YouTube (podcast) – https://www.youtube.com/@hidden20charity Timestamps: 0:00 – Introduction 1:34 – The origin story: how Seedlip began in a kitchen garden 6:12 – Turning a personal experiment into a global drinks brand 11:25 – Naming, storytelling, and the design philosophy behind Seedlip 17:18 – What it takes to pioneer a new category in the drinks world 23:05 – The moment a huge company came knocking 29:42 – Staying true to purpose after acquisition 35:26 – The power of restraint: branding lessons from simplicity 41:15 – Building brands with emotion and authenticity 48:10 – Launching the next generation of purpose-led products 55:42 – The tension between creativity and commercial success 1:03:38 – What Ben learned from failure and iteration 1:12:06 – Designing for meaning, not just marketing 1:20:14 – The impact of nature, art, and ritual on creative thinking 1:28:45 – What founders get wrong 1:36:22 – The future of non-alcoholic culture and conscious consumption 1:42:49 – Final lessons

    1h 45m
See All (46)

About

Stories behind some of the world's best creators & entrepreneurs. Hosted by Callum McDonnell. Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQtecnleIYyODepmiC-c7PQ

Information

  • Creator
    Callum Mcdonnell
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    46
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Callum Mcdonnell
  • Show Website
    Creator Playbooks