From Humble Beginnings to Fitness Icon: Rob Lipsett’s Blueprint for Standing Out

What makes you stand out and what sets you apart in such a crowded market?

First off, let’s talk about market saturation. When people complain about a saturated market, it’s usually the lazy ones who are afraid to compete. Saturation means there’s demand, and if you can’t rise to the top, maybe you shouldn’t be there. I chuckle to myself whenever I hear someone say the market is saturated.

Why should you listen to me? I don’t want to sound cocky, but I am the only person from my country who has lived a life like mine. I started in an industry that didn’t exist in Ireland—I was the first Irish fitness YouTuber. I saw people in America thriving with online coaching, building apps, selling e-books, and living a life of freedom, and I wanted that life too.

In Ireland, with its small population, standing out is tough. When you do something different, you get a lot of hate. The UK is similar in this respect. I faced a lot of criticism, even from my parents, when I dropped out of college and had no job. But this was the only thing I was passionate about, the only thing I was good at. I was the worst in my year academically, and I didn’t want to be tied to a 9-to-5 job.

I dedicated myself to this path because it was my only option, and now I stand out in this crowded marketplace.

Do you remember your first YouTube video?

It’s almost ten years since I started on YouTube—September 1st, 2014, to be exact. Back then, I was focused on Facebook, writing articles and posts, but I had no following at all. It’s funny how people assumed I had everything handed to me just because of my posh Dublin accent. They’d say things like, “Oh, you’re a daddy’s boy,” but in reality, my mom gave me a tiny boost by lending me her old YouTube camera when I had zero subscribers. Everyone starts from scratch.

I began by picking up the camera, figuring things out as I went along. I was also active on Facebook and maybe Twitter at the time. But the real impact comes from video content, like this podcast. Reading articles or looking at pictures doesn’t convey the same depth—you miss out on hearing someone’s voice and seeing their body language.

By the time you made your first video, were you also working as a personal trainer? Did you have some kind of income? 

At that time, I wasn’t working as a personal trainer. I was stuck in a 9-to-5 office job and also doing retail work, like folding clothes at Hollister and selling watches. I had no passion for those jobs and often got fired.

While working the office job for about six months, I was building my YouTube channel on the side. I’d work 9-to-5, then train from 8 to 9 PM, and spend my nights from 9:30 PM to 2 AM working on my fitness business. I couldn’t afford much, so I used an iPhone 5 to film and illegally downloaded editing software. My bank balance was always low, but I poured my energy into creating content and growing my business.

How did you go about learning the ropes? Were you reading books, taking courses, working with mentors, or mostly just figuring things out through trial and error?

To this day, YouTube remains the best learning resource. Whether you want to learn editing, photography, or marketing, you can find everything on there. You can watch content from Gary Vee, Grant Cardone, or even Tony Robbins—who people pay tens of thousands to see in person. YouTube offers full HD talks and is the most powerful search engine available.

When I was just starting out, I did take some courses and read a few books, but I found I learned best by listening and watching. During my 9-to-5 job, I’d listen to podcasts or YouTube videos while driving or doing cardio at the gym. It became the soundtrack to my life.

Even now, my girlfriend calls me “The Walking Podcast” because I’m always consuming content. I refer to it as “brainwashing yourself” with positive affirmations and information. That’s how I’ve learned the most.

For those of you building a YouTube channel or social media following and feeling frustrated with slow growth, how long did it take for you to gain traction after your first video? And what steps did you take to start seeing results, beyond just the compounding effect of time?

My channel is about to reach half a million subscribers. In the first year, I gained 19,000 subscribers, which was great but obviously just the beginning of the growth curve. YouTube is incredibly powerful because you can actually quit your job with as few as 10,000 subscribers. I know many fitness coaches with around that number who earn impressive incomes.

But are they making that money from YouTube ads alone? Or is the real value in having a loyal audience of 10,000 people, which they then use to sell products or services?

It’s not about the number of views, but what you do with them. For example, a million views on YouTube might earn you around $2,000 from ads. However, if you have a €30 e-book and sell 1,000 copies out of that million views, you’re looking at €30,000 instead of €2,000. So the key is leveraging those views effectively.

We often talk about having 10,000 subscribers or a million views, but isn’t it true that a large percentage of video views come from non-subscribers? For example, on my channel, around 99% of views come from people who aren’t subscribed. So can you still reach tens of thousands of people even with a smaller subscriber count?

When it comes to YouTube, titles and thumbnails are crucial. You can have a mediocre video with an excellent title and thumbnail, and it might still go viral. I even have a full-time thumbnail editor who specialises in just that—it’s that important. Besides him, I also have an editor and a videographer. The emphasis on thumbnails, titles, and the first 15 seconds of a video (the hook) shows just how critical these elements are.

In my early videos, I’d take three minutes to get to the main content, but now I recommend getting straight to the point. A great tip for a hook is to immediately address why viewers clicked on your video.

Start strong with a compelling hook, then expand on the content in the middle to keep viewers engaged. Save some details for the end to maximise watch time, and avoid giving away the answer too early so viewers stay until the finish.

How do you strike the right balance between creating valuable content, educating your audience, and selling, so that you’re not overwhelming your viewers with constant sales pitches?

You can easily cause audience fatigue if you’re constantly selling, just like how viewers skip ads on TV. To avoid this, keep promotional content to a small portion of your overall output and make sure it feels natural. Often, focusing on producing great content is enough. There are times when my coaching and app sign-ups perform well even without active promotion—people find the links on their own if the content is compelling.

Do you have videos where you don’t sell anything at all, just pure content? 

Absolutely. For big launches, like when you’re launching a challenge or promoting a high-ticket offer, you might go all out and make a strong push—like offering a chance to train with you or unveiling a new clothing line. These hard launches are effective for generating excitement.

However, for the most part, you should focus on delivering valuable content and making casual posts. If people are interested, they’ll seek out the promotional material on their own.

Can you explain how your online coaching business works? I find it hard to imagine how it matches up to in-person training. Do you offer just online services, or are there higher-ticket options for one-on-one sessions as well?

When we discussed men’s fitness, I was keen on exploring it too, so I appreciate your interest. The fitness information is widely available, but personalised plans and accountability make a difference.

When people sign up for my app, Game Plan, they get a tailored plan and need accountability to see results. Even if I give free access to friends and family, few follow through. Personal commitment is key.

My app, priced at €39 per month, manages itself with a team of trainers ensuring accountability. We have over a thousand users, and this system helps maintain ongoing sales and support.

You mentioned your audience maturing from focusing on fitness in their 20s to now showing interest in business and other areas. Can you elaborate on this transition? Do your current clients still focus only on fitness, or do your Marbella masterminds also cover lifestyle, entrepreneurship, and business, including for aspiring trainers?

Definitely. In Dublin, I ran a personal trainer school with a certified course, training people to become trainers. Over the past year or two, I’ve covered every fitness topic imaginable and my audience is very well-informed. Now, I’ve noticed that my followers are in excellent shape, so it’s time for me to introduce more structured programs, like mentorship or business courses, that I wish I had when starting out.

Do you find that most of your followers who are interested in business want to become trainers themselves, or are they just interested in business more broadly? In today’s Instagram-driven world, being fit often aligns with business success, whether in fitness or other fields like sales, marketing, and motivation.

The fitness industry often attracts people driven by passion for training and nutrition, not just for business opportunities. If you’re not genuinely interested in the science of fitness and the joy of seeing your clients achieve results, you might not last in this field. Personally, the satisfaction I get from helping others reach their goals is immense and keeps me motivated. If you lack that passion, this might not be the right path for you.

Looking ahead to when you’ll be 42 or 62, do you see yourself still in the fitness industry?

Absolutely. A lot of people might think that as you age, the physical side of fitness becomes less relevant, but I don’t see it that way. Look at figures like Joe Rogan, Andrew Huberman, Gary Vee, and Jordan Peterson—these guys are significantly older than me and still at the top of their game in their fields.

Rogan, for instance, is a major fitness influencer at 55, and his impact on the industry is huge. He’s always in great shape and discussing the latest trends. So yeah, I plan to stay deeply involved in fitness, chatting about it, and staying engaged with it, no matter my age.