Austin Dunham and how sharing information turned into a lifestyle brand and business!

More than likely you have come across Austin’s social media page and seen the thousands of likes, comments, and reshares. From fitness tips to dating advice Austin has created an entire lifestyle brand by just connecting with people and sharing advice, tips, and his own experience. 

Cox: So Austin where did this all begin for you

Dunham: My story starts when I was 18 and in the Air Force ROTC. I wanted to stand out from the other cadets so I googled how to perform push-ups better. This is when I came across calisthenics transformation videos and my fascination took off from there. 

Austin has a natural inclination to dive deep into understanding whatever intrigues him. This matched with his desire to encourage and uplift others led to him creating a lifestyle brand that was set in motion with the simple notion of push-ups. It was when he saw progress in applying it to his own regime that he started sharing with others. 

“I started sharing because I wish I had known these things prior so I didn’t have to go through my trial and error” 

Through sharing he could grow a following on social media especially on YouTube and Instagram. 

Cox: Have you always look at life like a business

Dunham: Yes I have always had this mindset because I never want to go broke so I’ve always had my own things going for me to generate income. I graduated with my undergraduate degree in business and I honestly didn’t know you could monetize your social media. It wasn’t until I saw others doing it and in 2016 people started reaching out to me to create fitness plans. 

Like most he started out doing it for free but then realized the demand was there and had to charge. This is when the business degree kicked in and the economics of business came into play.

Cox: Did you know this would become your brand?

Dunham: I really didn’t know lifestyle and self empowerment would become my brand. If you asked me three years ago, I would definitely say fitness but it’s because I’m all about evolution. When I started I was 18 and I have developed. My audience has also developed with me so I tailor my content and everything around where we all are in life. 

During this time he went on a leap of faith and changed the course of his life. Though he finished with his degree, he also had plans for the Army which is why he was in ROTC so he dropped it so he could work on life as he wanted. 

“ I knew I had to take the risk”

Cox: Were you afraid of changing your content for your growing audience?

Dunham: I’m a very strategic person and I knew that with change I would lose some audience members but the loyal ones would appreciate the new content. Also, the new content represents where we are in life and our growth so I owe it to them to have new and ever developing dialogue. 

He didn’t lose many followers but sometimes he receives messages where they tell him a topic was too cringy or they didn’t care for it. Austin doesn’t let it phase him because cringy or things they don’t like mean these topics need to be had. 

“I’ve noticed that most men who follow me relate to the things I discuss because these experiences are things that most of us have experienced.”

“I can start more businesses”

Cox: So what’s next for you because you have already dominated social media

Dunham: I will always want to grow and develop as a person and business. 10 to 15 years from now I want more businesses. I want to create more business models and become an educator on topics instead of just sharing content. 

Austin is still quite young in his journey but with such a bright future ahead all he can think of is how he will make a lasting impact. It’s more than social media for him, it’s about really giving people content that can help them or at least make them think. Social media for Austin isn’t just a tool for promoting a lifestyle brand but one to creating genuine connections with an organic community that is grown around his point of view and perspective.