SHS058: How To Make Money With A Podcast in 2026 With The CEO Of PodUp Nathan Gwilliam!
Intro
What if your content…
👉 Wasn’t just something you posted…
👉 But the foundation of a real business?
In this episode, Elijah Bilel sits down with Nathan Gwilliam to break down how creators can go beyond just making content…
👉 And actually build businesses around it.
This conversation is especially valuable for anyone serious about turning their content into income.
Intro to Nathan Gwilliam
Nathan Gwilliam is a serial entrepreneur who has:
Built and sold three companies
Created and scaled multiple digital ventures
Helped generate millions in revenue for businesses
Built platforms reaching hundreds of millions of users
His latest venture, PodUp, is focused on helping creators:
👉 Build, grow, and monetize their podcasts using AI-powered tools
👉 Check out Nathan’s platform PodUp Here
Episode Overview
In this episode, we break down:
Why most creators never make real money
The biggest mistake people make with monetization
How to turn content into a business
Why ads are NOT the best revenue stream
How to structure your content for long-term income
The mindset of a true “creator” vs just a content producer
Listen to the Episode
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If you’ve been watching content and thinking about becoming a creator yourself…
👉 The real question is: how do you actually turn this into something that makes money?
When Elijah first started, he had just one channel.
Since then, he’s built:
Multiple YouTube channels
Channels inside the YouTube Partner Program
A podcast that expands his network
A brand like The Veggie Outers
And income streams that led into things like real estate and Airbnb
A big part of that growth came from being inside Awesome Creator Academy.
It’s not just about posting videos…
👉 It’s about learning how to turn content into a real business.
Inside, you’ll find:
Hundreds of hours of training on the creator economy
Live office hours where you can get your questions answered
Guidance on building, monetizing, and scaling your content
If you’re serious about turning content into something bigger than just views, you can check out Awesome Creator Academy Here
The Problem: Most Creators Never Build a Business
One of the biggest themes in this episode:
👉 Creating content is NOT the same as building a business
What Most People Do
Post content
Hope for views
Rely on ad revenue
The Issue
👉 That’s not a reliable income strategy
Nathan’s Perspective
Creators who succeed:
👉 Think beyond content
👉 They build systems around it
Key Takeaway
👉 Content is the entry point… not the business
Why Ads Are One of the Worst Ways to Monetize
This part hits hard—especially if you’ve experienced it yourself.
What Most People Think
👉 “I’ll make money from ads”
Reality
👉 Ads are one of the weakest monetization methods
Why
You don’t control them
Revenue can fluctuate
Platforms can limit earnings
Real Example
Elijah shares how ad revenue can drop dramatically due to platform issues—sometimes by 60–70% or more
Nathan’s Solution
👉 Replace ads with your own offers
Key Insight
👉 You should be your own biggest advertiser
The Creator vs Business Owner Mindset
Nathan introduces a powerful idea:
“Incurable Creator”
What That Means
You’re always building
Always creating
Always evolving
But There’s Another Layer
👉 Creating content
👉 AND creating businesses
Key Takeaway
👉 The real opportunity is stacking both
How to Actually Make Money From Content
Nathan breaks this down clearly:
There Are MANY Ways to Monetize
He mentions:
👉 At least 24 different ways to monetize a podcast alone
But Most People Only Think About One
👉 Ads
Better Options Include
Selling your own products
Offering services
Building offers around your audience
Key Insight
👉 Monetization is a skill—not an accident
Why Structure and Systems Matter
Nathan’s daily workflow shows something important:
He Doesn’t Do Everything Himself
Works with teams
Delegates execution
Focuses on strategy
His Day Is Structured
Meetings
Team coordination
Content and product development
Key Takeaway
👉 Systems create scale
The “Big Rocks” Principle (Time Management That Works)
One of the most valuable lessons from the episode:
The Concept
You have:
Big rocks (important tasks)
Small rocks (less important tasks)
Sand (busy work)
Most People Do This
👉 Start with the small tasks
The Problem
👉 There’s no room left for what matters
The Solution
👉 Schedule your most important work FIRST
Key Insight
👉 If it’s not scheduled, it doesn’t get done
Why Jobs Should Be About Learning, Not Just Money
Nathan shares a different way to think about jobs:
Most People Work For
👉 Paychecks
Better Approach
👉 Work for skills
What He Did
Chose roles based on learning opportunities
Worked with people smarter than him
Used jobs as education
Key Takeaway
👉 Skills compound more than income early on
The Bigger Lesson From This Episode
This episode makes one thing clear:
Content Alone Is Not Enough
To Win, You Need
Monetization strategy
Systems
Offers
Business thinking
Because at the end of the day
👉 Views don’t equal income
👉 Strategy does
Final Thoughts
If you take anything from this episode, let it be this:
👉 Don’t just be a content creator
👉 Be a business builder
Because the people who win long-term…
👉 Are the ones who turn attention into income