What happens when you mix Olympic-level excellence with modern digital marketing? You get a masterclass in online business building.
Today's case study breaks down how one athlete's transition to digital entrepreneurship offers valuable lessons for anyone looking to grow their online presence.
From Olympic Heights to Online Business Success
Meet Stephen McCain – an Olympian who's brought his championship mindset into running an online business and helping people change their lives.
After competing at the highest levels of gymnastics, Stephen navigated the challenging transition that many athletes face: reinventing himself beyond sports. He turned this personal journey into professional expertise, and has become a respected voice in health optimization and longevity science.
Today, Stephen runs an impressive business that includes online coaching, live events, affiliate partnerships, and a co-founded longevity clinic. But what makes his story particularly valuable for business owners like you? It's how he's strategically built each part of his business to strengthen the others and created a model that serves clients at every level while generating multiple revenue streams.
6 Smart Business Lessons from Stephen McCain
In his conversation with Tony, Stephen broke down exactly how he turned his expertise into a sustainable online business. From taking bold steps in content marketing to his smart take on affiliate partnerships, his insights offer practical lessons for anyone looking to monetize their knowledge online. Here are the key takeaways from our discussion
1. Your Life Experience is Your Business Advantage
Every business journey starts from somewhere, and often it's in unexpected places. Stephen's story shows how personal experience can become a professional advantage. After his Olympic career, he faced significant challenges – "I had no purpose in life, I was drinking a lot, I was just really abusing my body," he shared. But, instead of letting this setback define him, he used it as a foundation for transformation.
Stephen McCain
"I decided that I was going to rebuild myself and I was going to be a new Olympian, which was the noncompetitive version of an Olympian -- a nonprofessional athlete.
And then I spent the last 15 years going really heavy into health optimization and longevity."
Stephen went all in on optimizing his body and learning about the future trends in health. And now, as the 50-year-"young" man he is, focuses on sharing all his knowledge with other people. It took going through his own journey of personal struggle and growth to get to this level of experience, and now more lives are benefiting as a result of it.
The lesson is clear: Your personal journey has professional value. The challenges you've overcome and the knowledge you've gained along the way aren't just part of your story – they're potential solutions for others facing similar situations. Success often comes from recognizing how your unique experience can serve others.
2. Take the Wheel: Master Your Business Tools
Building a business website doesn't have to mean expensive developers or trying to learn how to code. For Stephen, Thrive Suite turned the daunting task of website creation into a practical business asset.
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"I didn't want to rely on somebody else and pay for somebody and then be beholden to them."
-- Stephen McCain
Stephen started off with a different tool before he started his journey with Thrive Themes. And while the tool helped him build a good website, he felt like a few things were missing.
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“That (previous) stack didn’t really work well in terms of marketing. It didn't have the in and out functionality that I really like. For example, if I wanted to add a feedback form to my website, that tool just didn't have what I needed.
And then I found Thrive Themes and I was like, 'Wow, this thing does everything!'"
-- Stephen McCain
Our tools gave Stephen the design freedom he needed to create a website that could collect leads, drive sales, promote his brand, and so much more.
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"It was important for me to customize the look of my website. And now, using Thrive Theme Builder and Thrive Architect, I get excited when I open up a blank page. I get to totally create something like an artist."
-- Stephen McCain
You deserve to feel excited when you think about working on your website. Your tech stack should provide you with everything you need to run your online business efficiently – and without having to constantly purchase more tools to add to the stack.
Stephen enjoys building and updating his online platforms because he doesn’t feel restricted – and you deserve to feel the same way about your business website.
3. Give First, Profit Later: Create Content That Matters
What if I told you to ungate one of your most popular lead magnets and make it available for free. No exchange for contact details. Nada.
You'd probably raise an eyebrow, or two, at me right?
Well, Stephen took a similar bold approach to one of his most valuable digital assets and it paid off immensely. Great content marketing flips the traditional sales funnel on its head. Stephen demonstrates this with his approach to lead generation, where he prioritizes value over immediate list-building.
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"I have this Ultimate Guide to Smart Fitness and it's very in-depth. I don't gate it. Instead of asking for emails upfront, I've made it available for download and just tell people to download it if they want to read it later.
And because the guide is so complete, almost everyone ends up giving me their email address anyway."
-- Stephen McCain
He's also made this strategy work well at speaking events too. "I can talk about this guide and I can mention something. I can say, you can just go to my website and it's there." No hard sell, no pressure tactics. Just valuable content that stands on its own merit, building both his audience and credibility simultaneously.
Now, you don't have to go and start offering your lead magnets for free. No.
But you can use Stephen's experience to evaluate your current offers and make sure you're offering maximum value on all of them. And don't just depend on your website for promoting these digital assets. Speak about them at your webinars, share posts on social media, and add a few quotes in your emails.
The goal is to lead with value and make sure your audience is benefiting from your content as much as possible. In turn, most of them will naturally feel compelled to support your brand -- because they trust you.
4. Power Your Growth Through Multiple Channels
When it comes to diversifying your income, it’s always best to find ways to work smarter instead of harder.
Stephen's story reveals a brilliant way to build a business where each part strengthens the others, creating stability and growth at the same time. Instead of running separate income streams that compete for his attention, he's created a system where each part of his business naturally feeds into the others. The result? A more stable income and happier clients who get value at every touchpoint.
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"I provide educational materials and I'm affiliated with a lot of products -- I do a lot of affiliate sales. I have private clients that come to me for coaching on all aspects of health (building muscle, weight loss, etc.). I have live events where we offer a suite of services.
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-- Stephen McCain
As you can see, Stephen's business has a number of branches. But here's what makes it work: everything connects. His coaching informs his product recommendations, his live events feed into his private practice, and his online content supports it all.
Multiple streams of income doesn't necessarily mean setting up different types of businesses. You can create a variety of products and services that are all related to your main business. For example, if you have online courses that teach people how to manage their finances, you could add books, live trainings, and paid speaking events as additional income channels in your business.
The goal here is to work smarter and get the most out of the hours you're already using.
5. Affiliate Marketing Hack: Become Your Industry's Trusted Expert
Affiliate marketing comes up quite a few times in Stephen's interview and it's easy to see why.
He's managed to turn this business strategy into a natural part of his business -- and you can do the same thing, too. The key to succeeding in affiliate marketing, however, involves going above and beyond what everyone else is doing.
While most people just drop links and hope for commissions, Stephen shows how to transform affiliate partnerships into a valuable part of your customer service.
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"I have my finger on the pulse of this entire industry, and I reach out to all the manufacturers and people involved. I actually know all of them now.
And so, I just become an affiliate. And then a lot of times I'll do a podcast with these manufacturers and product creator and we'll talk about their business and products. And, you know, if someone's willing to listen to 45 minutes of this discussion, there's a high chance they'll make a purchase."
-- Stephen McCain
Stephen's strategy works because it prioritizes customer success over quick sales. He combines deep product knowledge with genuine support and this is the perfect way to win over a customer's trust. And, as a result, he manages to transform one-time purchases into long-term relationships.
The takeaway? Don't just sell products – become the expert your audience trusts for solutions. Build real relationships with creators and businesses, know your products inside out, and focus on adding value beyond the sale. When you truly help people succeed, the commissions follow naturally.
6. Scale Through Smart Systems and Structure
Trading time for money is a trap many business owners fall into. You work harder, take on more clients, but never quite break free from the hours-for-dollars cycle. Stephen's evolving his business model to solve this common problem, focusing on systems that deliver more value to more clients.
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"I'm starting to systematize (my business). And I have the confidence now to stand and sell a high ticket product because I know the value of what I offer."
-- Stephen McCain
His strategy isn't just about charging more – it's about delivering better results. He's creating focused, completion-friendly courses rather than overwhelming content dumps.
What makes this work is his proven track record of results. "This has a massive impact on the value of your life," he states. By combining systematic delivery with high-touch coaching, he can maintain quality while serving more clients effectively.
The lesson here? Don't just raise your prices – build systems that justify them. Create structured solutions that deliver consistent results, and you'll be able to scale your impact without sacrificing quality. Your confidence in charging premium rates will come naturally when you know your system works.
It's Your Turn Now
There's a lot to take away from this case study — and this is just the written summary. You can watch the full conversation between Stephen and Tony right here:
Stephen's journey to becoming an expert in health, wellness, and longevity -- after a successful run as an Olympic gymnast -- is very inspiring. His intentional approach to his business has provided a lot of lessons that entrepreneurs in all fields can benefit from.
For Stephen, Thrive Suite helped them create a professional online presence that resonates with their customers. It's become a key part of his success story and has allowed him to build a standout platform all by himself.
Start Your Journey with Thrive Suite
You can do the same thing, too. Starting with building a website that puts your business in the best light.
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