Creator Playbooks

Get a breakdown of Rachel’s frameworks in my free newsletter: ⁠https://bit.ly/4bcKHi9⁠Apply to work with me: ⁠https://bit.ly/4kYIjiy⁠ Rachel Harris is a multi award-winning industry leader, content creator, entrepreneur and practice owner. She runs a multi seven-figure accounting firm and has built a personal brand (@accountant_she) that drives £100k worth of leads each week from socials.In this episode, Rachel breaks down the exact playbook behind her growth. From viral posting formulas, failing faster, her pre-posting checklist and post-mortem analysis, monetising content with digital products, affiliates and brand deals and so much more. Listen on your podcast player: ⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/creatorplaybooks⁠Follow Callum on socials:Instagram - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thecallumc/⁠LinkedIn - ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/callummcdonnell⁠Produced by 7xContent - make your own podcast with us: ⁠https://bit.ly/4kYIjiy⁠Follow Rachel:Instagram - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/accountant_she/⁠Timestamps:00:00 Intro + Rachel’s lead numbers from socials01:00 Rachel’s background + personal brand vs accounting firm profits02:15 Step 1: build a product worth talking about (reputation + reviews)03:20 Why professional services is a “blue ocean” on socials05:10 The reality of growth: 1 year posting daily to hit 4k followers06:25 The inflection point: “fail time” + weekly research + reactive planning08:10 Micro testing: makeup, tripod vs handheld, mic, production level09:45 The viral playbook: M&S sandwich x HMRC hooks + data-led creativity13:15 Pre-post checklist: point of the video, emotion, hooks, clarity15:30 Post-mortems + building the content playbook over time16:30 Seasons + evergreen topics + series ideas18:10 Feedback loops: call language analysis + 30-day series that gained 125k20:10 Trust timeline: average 18 months from follow to becoming a client21:10 Daily content + authenticity + disrupting “professional services” norms23:20 Rachel’s weekly schedule: analysis, strategy blocks, long-form filming29:10 The weekly scorecard: revenue-first metrics (no vanity metrics)35:00 Tightrope: leads you want + values-based filtering38:00 Funnel walkthrough: link-in-bio segmentation + nurture sequences42:40 Monetisation overview: affiliates, speaking, brand deals47:00 Digital products + community-led podcast + ascension model55:00 Recurring revenue and pitching brands proactively58:00 Advice: embarrassment, scalability, and building infrastructure01:02:20 Best business lesson: “make sure everyone gets laid” (curation)01:07:10 Team setup + what Rachel still edits herself01:09:00 ICP research: polls, surveys, and asking your audience01:12:00 Opportunities: PM interviews, PR, and asking for intros01:15:00 What’s working now: long-form value, short-form hooks + funnel

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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

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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

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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

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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